Take care.

"Where did you learn this name?" Bella hissed in a chilly tone.

"You told me eighteen years ago? Hm, seven years later?" I shook my head at how complicated it was. "Your younger brother. Deceased at the young age of fifteen. Supposedly looked a lot like me, well, maybe I am looking a lot like him instead. Same thing really. Died in a car accident."

"Killed. He was killed." I could hear the pain and hatred in her biting words.

"No. Well, actually yes, but still no. He wasn't killed. He was nowhere near important for that. Just collateral damage. Nothing more." I caught her wrist, before she managed to slap me. A bit of struggle later, and I had the cursing and screaming woman in my tight embrace. At least she didn't try to bite me, thank Lord for small graces. "Hey, I haven't finished yet. He was just collateral damage. The actual target was a higher up that was in a general vicinity. Case was done on such a high level, that you weren't able to find even hitmen. Let's not even talk about people who actually paid for this."

I whispered all of this into her ear, still holding her tight. Knowing her temper, the next part will make her do something actually stupid.

"So, a few years ago. I was in the middle of headhunting for a new chief of security. You know, the person who will take all the blame in case some operation went side-ways. And there was this one guy, he actually bragged about organizing this hit. I guess he thought thirty years were long enough for it to be a good idea to talk about." I stroked her back, trying to make her feel just a tiny bit better. "He told me everything. Well, everything he knew. The people above put a hit. At the very top. No, he didn't know who it was. I also asked why you weren't able to find him. It's such a simple yet effective method. You see, he was in prison. Serving a two-year sentence for indecent exposure of all things. On the day itself, he was in solitary for a fight. Officially that is. He was the one who pushed the button."

"Who? Name? Details? Now!" I felt her trembling in my arms.

"No." But I refused.

"What the fuck do you mean by no?" she roared.

"No means no, Bella. If I tell you right now, you will do something stupid. And it will get you killed. Again," I hugged her closer. Feeling her warmth. Inhaling her scent. Ah, I missed her so much. "And I'm really not looking forward to losing you. Again."

I kissed the top of her head. She was silent, so I continued instead:

"I will double-check everything. Find the guy. And make sure he won't waste the air for much longer." I paused, contemplating if I should be telling her this. Eh, why the hell not. "There is a person of a really high standing who will shield me. They did it last time as well. Oh, and here is advice you don't want to hear: abandon this revenge, it won't make you any happier, it will only get you killed."

By now, she just silently cried, her tears freely streaming down her cheeks.

"If I give up. What is the reason to live any longer?" her forlorn words broke the quiet once again.

"No idea. Personally, I gave up out of boredom. I lost so much through my life, including the ability to connect to people on a deeper level. By the end, it was an empty, dull existence. Fucked up beyond all repair. By no other person than me. Your reason is no better or worse than mine." I sighed. "At least you can be sure that there will be a person who cares. But I won't blame you anyway. It's your choice. As it was mine. I will miss you, though. And it will hurt like a bitch."

"Can you stay for tonight?" This was a desperate plea for help. I knew this. She knew this as well.

"No can do. I'm not in the right place myself. I won't be able to help you," but I refused. "Call your assistant. Cry yourself into a sleep. She will be there for you. Not me. Never me."

I gave her a bitter smile. And silence fell once more.

"Hey," she said five, or maybe ten, I wasn't counting, minutes later. "What is the piece of info that I want?"

"Oh, this one is much more pleasant. Twenty-one years later, they will actually find a working permanent fix for a second thing you lost in that incident. In fact, it will be ready in just fifteen, but not available to the public for six years more." I told her.

"Fifteen years. I will be forty-three. Who will even want me then?" I couldn't believe my ears. This was one blatant bait for a compliment.

"I can declare, with a certain authority, there is at least one person who will want you at any given age. In ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty years. You will be as beautiful in his eyes as you are now." This time, my smile was a happy one.

And another bout of silence fell upon us.

"Hey. Did it ever work out between us?" Bella asked another question.

"Nah. I refused to share you. You didn't want to share me. Coupled with our nature, it just fell apart by itself. Well, we decided to go back to being friends. With plenty of benefits as usual. But still just friends. With a lot of collateral damage in the cutlery population in the process," I answered again.

It managed to solicit a small chuckle from her.

"Hey." Did she decide to start all her questions with that? "Why did you tell me all of this? Shouldn't it be, I don't know, your biggest secret?"

"Bella. I knew you for twenty-four years in total. You were the person who managed to stick to me through thick and thin. I won't bet a broken penny on you keeping your fidelity vows, but, if I had a bomb inside, I would sleep better knowing you have the detonator," I stroked her hair gently. "I hope I managed to get to know you well enough. If, by some off chance, my judgment err, and this new piece of info will somehow make you backstab me. Well… if nothing else, please make it as interesting as possible."

I kept waiting for another question. Wow, what a great start to the night.

"Hey." And another one. "What was the third piece of info?"

"The one you might be interested to hear, yes," I nodded sagely. "This is an actual potential money-making thing I remembered from the future, and it's short-term enough to actually happen with almost certainty."

"Oh, sounds interesting," I saw her eyes lit up a bit. "Details. Now."

"Yes, madam." I would mock bow for more theatrics, but I was still hugging her and really didn't want to stop doing this yet. "In a half-a-year to a year, the offshoot of a certain pharmaceutical company will go onto the market with a series of cosmetic products. A glorious success, of course. Name is 'Face & Crotch', don't ask, I have no clue what's going on inside the head of a person behind all of this. I mean, they named their main company 'Big Pharma', they can't be fully sane. At least, I refuse to believe this. The opportunity itself is pretty simple. This company is listed this time, and they are already in the listings. I don't need to teach you what to do with this knowledge, yes?"

"Yes, of course not." I heard her answering this rhetorical question. Bitch. "How much do you want for this piece of info?"

"Bella, my dear. After everything I said already, you still want to talk about money between us?" I said with a fake hurt. "Five percent of total profit if this is successful. If not, I will owe you a favor instead."

She nodded, accepting the terms.

"Hey." Here it goes again. "What are your plans going forward?"

"No idea whatsoever," I said in a cheerful tone. "Will try to avoid making boring mistakes again. Change some stuff I know will lead to a shit outcome. Just live my life and have as much fun as I can."

"Can you at least give me an example?" she insisted.

"Well. Today I met a curious stray. A cute one, indeed. Instead of doing the same thing I did in my first life, I decided to instead see as many things from her as possible. And she delivered so far. So, now, I will go to the lounge, where she is no doubt already bored by all the waiting," I sighed for the umpteenth time today. "Drink a bit with her. Chat and laugh with her. Maybe some dancing as well. I will do my best to buy into the illusion that she is actually interested in me past the money I offered her. Then I will take her home and fuck her silly. As for later, who knows. Ask her for contacts to repeat it all once more? Or maybe not."

"And you are telling me all of this, after I asked you to stay for the night, and you refused… You know you are one hell of a bastard, yes?" Her glare almost scared me. Yeah, not really.

"And you wouldn't have me any different, right?" I said, using the cheesiest tone possible.

It was her turn to sigh in fake, I hope, annoyance.

"Okay, I got it. Now shoo, I have important things to do." She waved towards the door, and went to sit in her chair. Her whole attention turned to the paperwork.

"Um, there is another small issue." After all the things we discussed in the last half of an hour, it really was insignificant. She turned her attention back to me once again and made a sign for me to proceed. "Since I'm twenty-five years back in the past. I, um, forgot the PIN for the card you gave me. Mind resetting it? Or just tell me again if you know."

This bitch actually snorted at my most urgent problem!

"Yeah, sure. I will take care of this in a few. Now shoo, you are distracting me." And once again a shooing gesture.

I decided not to provoke her anymore. She held my money hostage! Well, technically it was her money… Eh, am I a bad guy here, actually? Nah, no way. Right? Right?

As I approached the door and was about to leave. I turned toward the beautiful woman once again.

"Hey, Bella, it was great to see you once again. I really missed you. Take care." I told her in quick succession and left.