14 Cybelle meets Seraphina

"What is she doing here!!!!???" I can't help but hide behind the nearest wall when I saw that familiar person.

"Should I let her see me? Or should I not!!?" I grit my teeth as I take a peek at her.

Right now, she is talking to a few men in suits.

"Are they talking about business? Inside a restaurant alone with many men?" I stroke my chin as I lean to the wall beside me. "I don't want to think badly, but isn't that dangerous?" I take another peek only to see they all have gone.

"Shit..." I cursed under my breath before trying to call Usagi.

[Usagi? Seraphina is here!! What should I do!!?].

[Usagi!!? USAGI!!!!!]. 'Damn it!! She blocked me!! What is she doing with Olivia to block me like this?'

I poke my head out slowly and glance left and right to see if they are still here. "All clear..." I mumble.

"Miss, is there any problem?" A voice appears behind me.

"Yip!!?" I yelp when someone talks near me. I quickly turned around to face the voice owner. "You are..." It's the waiter from before.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?" He asked with a polite smile. Despite that, his eyes are a little bit shaky.

"Ah.. no need... I've just seen someone that looks like my acquaintance..." I return a polite smile to him.

"Your friend?" He asked.

"No... We are not that close... I think?" I said while also feeling unsure about my answer.

"Your ex?"

"Mmmm... Not quite?" I squint my eyes as I forced a big awkward grin at him. 'why am I talking to him anyway!!??'

"Your crush?"

"No!!! How did it come to that!! No!! No way!!!" I quickly deny his guess. 'Gosh!! What's is this man thinking!!! How rude!!!'. I look at him with cold eyes.

"She's my rival from high school!!" Somehow, I feel like my cheek is getting hot. 'Wait!! Why am I telling him again!!?'. I glare at him before turning away.

"Anyway... This is none of your business. Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine!" I let out a sigh as I scratch my head.

"Then please, you are scaring other customers. A family is complaining that you are making a scary face at them". The waiter gestured at me in a direction with an apologetic face.

"Huh? Scary? Me?" I look at him dumbfounded before looking at the direction he is showing. A woman who I think the mother is calming their crying children while a man that might be the father is glaring at me.

"...." I look at the waiter with a smile. "Please tell them it's a misunderstanding, thank you!"

After that, not bothering with that persistent waiter and that family anymore, I walk away while putting on a cold and calm expression.

The room that Usagi and Olivia are staying in right now is just a few meters ahead. I was about to reach the room when I heard someone calling my name.

"Cybelle?"

A voice that sounds so familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.

My movement stopped. My heartbeats accelerate, as my eyes stare at the room that looks so close and yet so far right now.

'Damn It!!! Why did I stop!!! If I didn't, I can just pretend that she is calling the Wrong person!!! Now that I've stopped... I'm sure she is coming to me!!!"

"Cybelle...I know it's you!"

'Damn It!!! She recognized me!!!!' I gritted my teeth while shutting my eyes at the same time. ' please don't let anything weird or bad happen!!!' I can't help but pray in my heart as I remembered that she is my task mission.

After what feels like a few minutes, even though it only lasts a few seconds, I take a deep breath before slowly turning my head.

"You called?" When I turn around, I was faced with her. 'Seraphina Stones, my rival'. My memories of her image during high school overlap with the current her that stands in front of me.

Seraphina is looking at me. With the same look, she gave during our high school years. But now, she looks more mature, prettier, and a little... Less cold?

'how do I put it... She's also a little bit off...' I stare at her smiling face. ' she seems to be smiling but, why do I feel chill behind me?'

"Seraphina..." I forced myself to appear calm as I called her name.

"Ahh... So you do remember me..." She takes a few steps closer.

'When she stands right in front of me, I realized that she's a little bit shorter.

"You've become taller... A lot taller..." She smiled while looking at my face.

"Well... I have always been the tallest girl in high school so being taller than you is not that shocking...." I smile back at her.

"Hahaha... It seems like your sense of joke also grows with your height!" She chuckles slowly.

[USAGI!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!?? USAGI!!! SERAPHINA IS HERE!!!! USAGIIIIII!!!!!!]. "Is that so... Ahahahaha!! Thanks for that compliment..." I replied calmly.

"Even your hair looks better now..." She starts to touch my hair and I can't help but accidentally lowered my head for her.

"Is that so... Thanks! I work hard to maintain my hair..."

"If in the past you look like an untamed dog, now, you look more refined and calm. Just like a trained dog".

".....", I smile at her. [USAGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!!! QAQ] "Is that so... dog huh...That's some funny joke you got there...Haha...haa...."

Seraphina is not laughing. 'she is not laughing... I repeat!! She is not laughing!!!'

"Anyway!!" I look away from her stare as I look at the night scene outside the window. "What are you doing here alone?? I thought you are with your business partner?"

"How did you know that I'm with my business partner here?"

"Well... I saw you when I just returned from the toilet..." when I look back at her face, her smile seems a little bit colder than before.

"So you did recognize but choose to ignore me instead?"

"I.... Don't want to bother you talking with your business partner?" I want to smack myself. 'Why do my answer sounds like I'm hesitating!!!!'

Seraphina is smiling again. "What about you? Are you here because of a job too?"

"Ah.. I'm here with friends. We are here just to hang out and I want to introduce them to each other...". 'Why am I telling her everything Damnit!!' I look at her in the eyes before looking away again. ' It's her eyes! Whenever I look at her eyes... I just can't refuse her!!!!'

"Do you have room for one more person?"

"Huh?"

"I want you to introduce them to me..."

"Why?" I quickly shut my mouth when I realized that I just questioned her. When I look at her face, she is not changing her expression which is reassuring.

"Do I need a reason to get to know you and your friends? I mean... It has been so long too..."

"I... " I gulped when I see Seraphina make a pitiful face. 'Wow... I've never seen her make that kind of expression before... Is this what it means to become an adult?'. "Alright fine..." I raised my arms in defeat. "I will bring you to meet them..."

"My pleasure!" And she walks with me side by side.

'Now that I think about it... Olivia is here...I know that she's related to Stones but, I don't know her relationship with Seraphina.....I hope they are not enemy'. I can't help but take a sneak glance at Seraphina's side face.

'sigh... I know nothing about Seraphina... I wonder what happened to her this past 7 years... How did she become the President of Stones Company? How did they find her in the first place?' The question running inside my mind until we reached room number 12.

The room is soundproof so, whatever happened inside can't be heard by the people outside and the people outside can't hear the people inside.

"I hope they are not fighting or anything..." I let out a sigh as I grab the doorknob.

"Why do you think that?"

"I look at Seraphina with an awkward smile.

"Well... My friend Olivia is an observant person so, she tends to get a little suspicious with strangers and my other friends Usagi...." I paused for a second to describe Usagi in one word. "... She is unique". I look at Seraphina with a blank expression as I said the last word.

"... I see..." She just smiles at me.

"Well... At she is a friendly person so, you don't need to worry about anything". I said that as I open the door. " Usagi!!! I'm here ...

With..... Seraphina...." I was stunned when the moment I look inside the room, I see Usagi is kissing Olivia.

Usagi and Olivia don't seem to notice me here. She is focusing everything on the kiss between her and Olivia.

"I see...."

"Heh?" When I turn around, I saw Seraphina is smiling, but her smile doesn't even reach her eyes.

Seraphina changed her focus to me with a cold smile. "Usagi is friendly indeed..."

'EEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!!!'