11 Death Anniversary

"Scary..." Lanie said then exhaled the smoke of her cigarette.

"Right. So, are you going to spill the tea? I mean, the whole tea? Darling?" He said, flirting with her.

She chuckled, "Not yet. It's not yet done. There's one more."

"WHAT? WHO? IS THIS A BIG FISH, TOO?" Maybe, Jeybi. Maybe.

"I don't know. Maybe. That person is living like a runaway prince..." Lanie slowly said. She finished her cigarette and killed the light of it before throwing it away.

"Runaway prince? Like he's playing a poor guy role but actually, he's hella rich?"

"Maybe. I don't know yet. I'll contact you again. Jeybi, I know you are smart. Maybe by now, or the other days, you will figure it out. Call me as soon as possible if you have already fixed the puzzle I want to solve." She said while looking at the city lights.

Lanie heard his heavy sigh, "Darling... I know where these things will end. I just can't believe it. I'm scared not for me but you. You're risking too much solving this puzzle of yours that has a lot of pieces missing."

Lanie knew that already but, as Jake said, one step at a time and do the next right thing. She just hopes these will end well.

"Don't worry. I just... really need to do this. I want to... end these shits that I should have done a long time ago."

"Okay. Just call me if you need help. Goodbye, darling. Take care. I'll see you soon." After the line ended, Lanie stayed staring at the view. She hoped she was doing the right thing.

When she received a text message from Althea, she decided to leave. Lanie took a few steps and stopped when she noticed that a person was leaning at the railings. His arms were crossed in his chest while looking at her darkly.

"Mr. Lancaster. I thought you already left?"

"I came back to get the papers I forgot. And I decided to check the room that is still under construction here on the rooftop." He said seriously. Oh, that's right. He wanted to build a small room here so that the people coming here on the rooftop will have someplace to stay.

"So, why are you here? Who was that?" Nervousness quickly covered Lanie's system. And again, Tyler immediately noticed that.

"It's my break time. And I was talking to a friend... What did you hear?" She asked him nervously.

"The part when you said you'll contact him again and about that puzzle thing," he said seriously. His jaw clenched as he looked at her with his dark eyes. The truth is, Tyler heard all of it. Up to the start until the end of their call but he chose to lie because he knew Lanie is quite sensitive so there was a possibility that she will doubt him this soon.

As expected, Lanie nodded at him, "Then, I'll be going, Sir. Althea is already looking for me." She turned her back on him and walked to the door. Before she opened it, he spoke.

"Is he your new boyfriend? I thought you love Jake?" Lanie froze for a moment. She didn't look at him. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before she finally left him there. That question messes up Lanie's head for a minute. What is important for her right now is that he didn't hear what she and Jeybi talked about.

Tyler did not know why he suddenly blurted out that stupid question as if he care who that man was. Maybe he just wanted to bring chaos to Lanie's mind. Yes. Maybe that was the reason. Just maybe. And as he observed Lanie earlier, he didn't see any weird gestures from her. He didn't even see her eyes and looked at any part of his body except his face. 

That was the last time Lanie saw Tyler. Manager Yra informed us that the CEO is busy with his new project... at the beach resort of Hossler. It's been... 3 months.

Today is October 23rd. The day of that tragedy.

"It looks like it is going to rain. Do you have an umbrella?" Althea asked. They were done with their shifts for today. It was only 9 am but the weather was gloomy.

"Yes, I have. I'll go home later. I want to stay there for a while." Lanie said, pointing to the coffee shop near our hotel. "You can go first. Take care."

She sat near the glass wall where she could see every person passing by outside. It's Monday, that's why the people are busy, the city is busy. When her orders arrived, she immediately sipped her hot coffee as she stared at the glass wall, it started to have raindrops.

Jeremy Wang. Grace Hossler. Andreas Jaquinto.

Lanie tapped her fingers on the table as she thought about them and their connections. She was sure about Mrs. Hossler because of that politics and business thing. That was the only thing that was clear for her... for now. Plus, her a bat tattoo on her collarbone.

Jeremy Wang. She is not sure about him except that his family is involved in the illegal selling of guns, guns that have a fencing sword symbol, and the spider tattoo on his right hand. Lanie still doesn't know his connection to the Gerpacios. It is possible that it's connected to the business, too. And a mystery to her, Ondreaz Jaquinto. Who is he? Who are the Jaquintos?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Someone sat on the vacant chair in front of her. Kieffer.

"Hey." She greeted him. Kieffer smiled at her and noticed what was in front of them.

"Birthday?" he asked as his eyes lingered on the small cake on the table.

Lanie shook her head, "Death anniversary." She answered that it made Kieffer confused but he suddenly remembered the date today.

"Oh. I'm sorry. But? Cake?" Lanie shrugged her shoulders. Every year, when this date comes, she always does this. Ordering a small cake and putting candles on top of it. Hoping that every time she blows the candle her trauma will die, too.

"You know, when I first saw you, I knew that you carry too much baggage." Lanie stared at him because of what he said but Kieffer's attention was on his coffee.

"What made you think of that?" she asked while having a small smile and starting to eat the cake. She knew everyone around her noticed that. But this is the first time that someone talked about that. Even Jake didn't open that either although he knew what she'd been to.

"Because of your eyes and smile," Kieffer answered honestly. Since he saw Lanie, she was like a walking vase full of emotions that in one touch, if that vase broke, she would also crash. Lanie is too transparent when it comes to her emotions, that's why she was too easy to read. What's more funny is she tried too hard to hide those but the emotions are too overflowing for her.

"What?" Lanie asked. Her eyes speak a lot. You can see her soul, her broken and lost soul, in her eyes.

"Your eyes look so empty but behind that, I saw pain, sadness, regret, and other negative emotions. And your smile, it's fake." He said seriously. Lanie stopped. She smiled slightly then shook her head.

"When you smile, you look like a Joker." She put down the fork, rested her back on the chair, and looked at him.

"You are observing me that much, huh?" He was taken aback by what she said.

"I don't want them to worry about me. As long as I smile, they will think that I don't have a problem. That I am okay." she said.

"Why?"

"You know, every person that I meet, I always keep myself open to them yet detach. They know me but not who I am. That way, they can forget me fast. That I'm just a 'stop-over' in their lives." She continued.

"But, why?"

"Because… I am leaving soon." He didn't react to it. Kieffer wanted to ask a lot of questions but he stopped himself. Lanie is leaving soon.

Did Tyler know that?