Test of Strength (7)

Jane was pleasantly surprised when the gates were opened for her. She had prepared a lot of arguments and ways to convince the guards, and even that woman, but none of them showed up to be necessary. The moment her driver asked for permission, he was told to just go through.

Before them, there was another car, and it went the exact same way as them. It stopped right before Kyro's house, and Jane wondered what was that about. The next moment, the driver opened her door, and she stepped out.

When she took a step forward, her feet froze. What was Kyro doing there by the house? He was supposed to be at work! Dioscuri was falling apart, and he actually took a day off to stay home with that slut?

Rage surged through Jane, but she didn't let it show. With a nod to Kyro, she stepped into the small courtyard. From the other car, a middle-aged man had stepped out and was giving the slut a letter with something inside.

"A gift from Gale," he said. "But don't open it now." He threw a glance at Jane. "It'd be better without witnesses."

'Gale?' That wasn't right. Jane looked at Kyro's expression, but it looked neutral. There was no surprise there to be contacted by the friend he'd betrayed. The wman by his side also acted like it was normal.

'Could they have just acted the falling out? But why? It was what set off the whole chain of events, the reason why the old employees turned on Kyro. Were they fishing? But that's too crazy of a way to do it… They sacrificed all they had achieved in the two years. This is illogical.'

While Jane tried making sense of the impossible, the middle-aged man left, and the slut went inside with the letter. She didn't seem to be worried about leaving Kyro alone with her, and that pissed Jane off.

"Can I enter?" she asked, her voice cold. "I've got something to discuss."

To her surprise, Kyro didn't hurry to invite her inside. "You wouldn't have known I'd be here today. So what do you want from Iris?"

Perceptive, but it was nothing that couldn't be talked about. "I wanted to meet the woman that made you refuse our offer." More like make her understand her position, but it wasn't polite to mention it. Both of them, however, understood the implication.

The look Kyro leveled at her was ice-cold, but Jane didn't care one bit. He'd see his mistakes when he cleared his eyes. Seducing was an art because it worked.

At that moment, the woman returned, and Jane saw her stop by Kyro's side like it was only natural. Kyro shifted his gaze to her, and his expression softened. It was barely perceptible, but Jane had seen that look before. Once upon a time, it had been aimed at her.

Kyro was handsome, but nothing to write poems about. For Jane who lived among celebrities, he was just above average. They interacted a little because he had a good mind for studies, but that was it. By then, she already knew that she'd have an arranged marriage to further her father's ambitions. It was something inevitable.

Yet when Kyro looked at her, she suddenly found herself unable to ignore him. There was only her in his eyes, and it was an intoxicating feeling. For the first time in her life, she saw herself as someone special, someone that was more than just a bargaining chip.

But before she could get addicted to that feeling, her father called, saying her marriage partner had been chosen. It was a young market wolf who had made a fortune out of nothing. He didn't have a great background, but his talents were substantial. If the company could acquire him, they'd gain a lot of power.

And so Jane left. With a goodbye in a text message, she dropped out of college and got engaged to a guy she'd only seen a couple times. They were a horrible match, and luckily, he failed soon after, before the marriage could go through.

No longer as accepting as before, she then left for China, as far away from her father's control as possible, and finished a degree to prove her own worth. Yet who would have expected that the moment she returned, her father would come to her with another marriage proposal.

She had wanted to refuse, furious at his never-changing attitude, but then she saw the name… Kyro. Sometimes, she had looked him up, and when she saw him not dating anyone throughout all the years, her heart had warmed—he was actually waiting for her.

Or so she believed. Days before she returned to the states, he publicly revealed a girlfriend. And then, when Jane suggested they should unite their legacies, he actually went and refused it for that nobody.

It was like a stab to the heart to see him staring at that woman with eyes that looked with warmth only at her. This couldn't be true, and yet it was right in front of Jane. He no longer stood by her side, but by that of someone else.

"I will go with you to the gala," she suddenly said, her mouth moving before she could think it through. Her father would be furious, but she couldn't let that slut destroy Kyro.

The two people looked at her with surprise, and she could see the darkening of the woman's expression. Good, this was another way to teach her what was her place.

Jane focused on Kyro then, speaking in a calm voice. "You need me. If you go alone, everyone will know you're over. But if I come with you, they'll think twice about getting in your way. With my presence, you'll get some extra time to save yourself."

"And why would you do that?" Kyro asked, taking the leech's hand. Although the move was small and surreptitious, it didn't escape Jane's eyes; the knife in her heart twisted again. "I'm not going to change my mind about that offer."

"I came out of goodwill, but if you don't want my help, then go and die as you wish. I'll be outside to watch the spectacle."

With those words, Jane turned around and left. While walking to the car, she waited for Kyro to call her back, but there was no sound behind her. As she got closer to the driver, her steps slowed, giving time for the other to speak, but he didn't.

Kyro did not say a word.

When the car left the neighborhood, Jane looked back with bloodshot eyes. No tears marred her visage, but inside, her heart was dripping blood. That man, he did not care her for her at all.