Devising A Plan

Diane's tears stopped the second she heard that voice from above her head.

It was not because she recognized the man's voice or the rich deep sandalwood scent assaulting her nose, but because of his statement.

There was a brief silence before Diane slowly straightened her back as her gaze steadily moved up from the man's expensive black Italian leather shoes to his Prussian blue pants and all the way to his face.

Immediately, a gasp of shock escaped her lips with her eyes growing wide as she landed on her butt. "C-Christian."

What an unexpected sight! Standing before Diane was the new hotshot of NYC.

He was the same person her lawyer recommended for assistance if she wanted to stop her greedy husband from snatching half of her assets. Her now rich ex-boyfriend, Christian Knowles.

Unlike in the news, Christian looked more handsome and hotter in that two-piece suit with his thin brows, nice haircut, and evident jawline. This was not how Diane remembered him.

As she watched him carefully, she came to understand how powerful wealth was; that money was capable of transforming an entire human life from their looks to their disposition.

Christian Knowles fixed his gaze on Diane's face without uttering a word and that sweet smile that was seen on the TV screen was nowhere near his face at the moment, and his exact thoughts were unknown.

Being stared down like that by an ex-boyfriend was certainly not what Diane wanted, especially when it seemed like their stories were reversed.

Diane had almost forgotten that she was sitting on her butt so she turned her head to the side and wiped away her tears with her palms before standing up; still, Christian was yet to offer another word to her.

He didn't even extend a hand to help her get off the floor. He was really without emotions.

Left with no choice, she turned her gaze back to him while trying not to look like an abandoned pet. "It's good to see you, Christian."

"Really?" Christian finally spoke, his words turning out harsh.

As Diane wasn't sure of what to make out of it, she confirmed, "Really. It's been two years."

"Wow! You kept count?" Christian had a mocking smile on his face as he said, "I didn't know you were that dedicated. I actually thought a century had passed."

Right after he said that he took two steps back and Diane could immediately tell that he was done talking to her. Maybe the help he had offered her in the beginning was meant to jest her.

What Diane didn't know was that Christian had no idea she was the one because she had her gaze lowered as she cried. Innocently, he thought it was some woman stranded and walked up to her to see if he could help.

It was only when she lifted her gaze that he knew he had made a mistake. But one thing Christian never did was show his emotions even though this was the first time meeting after she had hurt him so deeply two years back.

If he was shocked but refused to show it, Diane would never know.

With Christian's response, Diane could tell that reconciliation was never going to be easy. How was she supposed to ask for his help when he was giving her that attitude?

Well, it's not like she expected to have things smooth after what she did to him, but at least, he shouldn't be so mean to her. At least, she couldn't see any rage burning in his eyes.

"Christian," Diane tried one more time with a sorry gaze, but she didn't have the chance to get a reaction out of him as his phone chose that moment to ring.

Christian finally took his gaze off her and fished his phone out of the inner pocket of his suit. With one glance, he saw the name 'Ashley' flash across the screen and did not hesitate before answering the call.

"Hey, Ash!" he greeted in a calmer tone as he walked past Diane without giving her another glance. He proceeded to treat her like air— like he hadn't stopped for her previously.

Diane let out a silent huff at his cold treatment. It was so painful that a green horizontal vein popped up at the centre of her forehead.

On the other hand, Christian couldn't care less about her feelings and continued with his phone conversation in his long strides.

"You don't need to know, just wait for me at Skyville," he instructed as he finally disappeared into the building.

Diane clutched the umbrella she was holding tighter. She felt like dying after everything she went through today.

---

Diane didn't know how she managed to make it back home in the rain. It was already a testimony that she didn't get overwhelmed and run into a truck.

She was human after all, and after the series of shocks and heartbreaks she had experienced within eleven days, thoughts of death shouldn't be far from her mind.

A deep breath escaped from her lungs as she plopped herself down on the sofa in the living room like a lifeless zombie.

Diane was pretty out of it for a long while thinking about her entire life when she felt her phone vibrating in her purse. She snapped out of her gaze and took out her phone. It was Tricia calling.

Diane hesitated for a moment and only answered the call after clearing her throat as she didn't want to sound pathetic.

"Tricia."

"Hey Girl, you didn't come in for the appointment you rescheduled for today."

"Urgh!" Diane groaned and finally let out a soft sigh. "Please cancel it. I am no longer interested."

Hearing that, Tricia's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why? Is anything the matter?"

Diane shook her head and brought her legs onto the sofa as she adjusted her sitting position. "Nothing for you to worry about, but I need your help," she said the second an idea struck in her mind.

"Out with it, girl," Tricia approved with a smile.

"I remember you saying you have a patient living in Skyville, right?"

"Yes. What about it? Did something happen?"

Diane shook her head, but remembering that gesture couldn't be seen, she replied almost immediately, "No, but I need your help."

She sounded like her life was on the line— which actually was because if she didn't stop her wicked husband from getting half of her family's assets which were in her name, her mother would make the rest of her life span, whether it be short or long, a living hell.

"Could you lend me your pass to Skyville? There is someone important I need to see." Diane pleaded a little too desperately. "Please?"