72 Rose Windsor

"Well, you can buy me dinner next time we meet as a payment!" Kiba said with a smile.

"I will!" Sarah rose to her feet and dusted her clothes. Soon, she left...

*****

Around 8 pm. Close Horizon.

Sarah has enquired about her husband's whereabouts from his secretary. From what she knew, he was having a meeting inside their platinum suite.

Not all corporate meetings took place in the office. Some need the company of alcohol and an ambient environment. This was why Sarah and Daniel had reserved a suite on the yearly basis.

"Just like Kiba said, I have to give Daniel a chance! He might want to evade but I have to take a step ahead!"

With a brought a bouqet of flowers in her hand, she arrived before the suit. 

The retina scanner scanned her eyes and the door opened. The suite has four rooms and she stepped into the drawing room. She was pleased when she heard the noise from the adjacent room. She would be able to surprise her husband!

"You are so big!" A woman's muffled voice entered Sarah's ears. She didn't dare believe what the voice implied.

Quickly, she walked into the room and her eyes constricted in shock by what she saw: Her husband sitting on the couch, and in front of him, a woman was on her knees, stroking his penis.

It seemed they had just started for Daniel was still wearing his clothes. Only his pants were unhooked. 

~crash~

The bouquet fell on the floor.

Daniel and the woman were stunned by the sound of crashing. They turned towards the entrance of the room.

"You hired her as well?" The woman asked, "I will charge extra for a threesome!"

"Darling!?" Daniel was horrified. He quickly scrambled his pants and said, "This was not what it looks like!"

Sarah's expression twisted with shock, sadness, and anger. When she heard his words, her face turned red from fury.

"Darling?" The woman's eyes opened wide in shock, "Are you his wife? We were only having a meeting!"

Sarah couldn't believe the lame excuses. Just a minute ago, the woman said she will charge extra!

"Sarah, please listen to me!" Daniel wanted to explain, but before he could, Sarah rushed out.

"Damn!"

He couldn't believe the sudden turn of events.

A few hours ago, his secretary has informed him that someone was blackmailing them by using the secret recording between him and Sylvian. The blackmailer demanded Daniel's urgent presence at Close Horizon. If not, the recording would be leaked.

Afraid of the consequences, Daniel has to leave in the middle of his conversation with Sarah. When he arrived at Close Horizon, he found this woman waiting for him.

The woman then spent hours on gibberish topics and didn't allow him to leave by threatening him with consequences.

Just five minutes ago, out of the blue, she opened his pants. He tried to resist but the woman reminded him of the recording. And just as the woman stroked him once, Sarah barged in!

"Everything because of you!" Daniel's body started transforming into a gigantic lizard.

"Do you have the guts to attack me?" The woman was unfazed as she moved to the sink and washed her hands.

Daniel has turned crazy. He no longer cared about consequences and whipped his tail at her.

The woman's expression didn't change.

DANG!

An orange force field erupted before the woman, blocking the tail. The force field shook and cracks emerged, but before it could collapse, around ten small orbs surrounded Daniel.

"!" Daniel was horrified. Without any warning, the orbs charged at him.

BANG

The orbs smashed into him, creating a surge of destructive force. His chest caved in and he crashed on the wall.

"How could this be!?" Daniel was sure he can handle such an attack but there was no strength inside him. Then he thought how the woman has ordered drinks for them.

"My drink was drugged..."

Before he could utter another word, he lost consciousness.

"You better pay me twice for stroking the penis of a lizard!" the woman turned towards the adjoining room.

"Sana, you are asking for too much!" Natalie emerged from the room.

"You needed me so I have the right to charge as I please!" Sana stressed.

"Ok!" Natalie agreed. She walked towards Daniel and injected him with a black liquid.

"I am leaving!" Sana waved her goodbye.

---

Natalie phoned a contact named - Alyssia.

[[Have you taken care of things?]] Claudia's voice came from the phone. Alyssia was an alias used by her when she dealt with matters related to 'Kiba'.

"Yes!" Natalie dragged Daniel's body to the bed and said, "Can I ask why Kiba changed the plan?"

Natalie has been working with Kiba for two years, and in all this time, he didn't use today's method.

Furthermore, she has rarely seen him warning his targets about his cuckolding intentions. While warning in advance has its advantage, it also has its own drawbacks. In most cases, it makes establishing contact with the wife very difficult!

Not to mention, when Kiba first started his job as Wife Hunter, he couldn't use the 'courtesy call' method. Back then, he would have to seduce women by old methods.

In fact, he actually enjoyed the old methods where the husband remained oblivious.

In the end, whether it was a man or a female, every living being has six desires and seven emotions. One can entice the opposite sex if they truly knows what satisfies the target. Everything was just a matter of time.

So Natalie was already shocked when she learned Kiba has warned Daniel in advance. Now, he even manipulated events to make Sarah believe Daniel was cheating on her. As far as she knew, it was not part of the original plan.

"Earlier it seemed he wants to torture Daniel but now he wants to break Sarah as well!" Natalie said after getting no response from Claudia, "Why he would do such a thing? It is not his style!"

[[They have harmed someone he cares about.]] Claudia replied. She knew her master better than anyone else so she was aware of what he planned to do.

*****

In the corridor, Sarah arrived before the elevator. She glanced back but there was no sign of her husband.

"Some meeting it is!" Sarah entered the elevator and wiped her tears, "I have to be strong!"

The elevator quickly reached the ground floor.

"Lovely lady!?" Kiba exclaimed as the elevator opened.

"Kiba?!" Sarah was surprised as well to see Kiba along with Meghan.

"Are you perhaps here to buy me dinner?" Kiba asked with a smile, "You must be! You knew I stay here so I take that as a yes!"

"No..." Sarah barely suppressed her emotions.

"Don't refuse! We will love your company!" Kiba requested. Meghan nodded in agreement.

Sarah tried to refuse but Kiba and Meghan were adamant. She didn't want to show her weak side so she agreed.

*****

"Are you perhaps displeased by the dishes?" Kiba asked as Sarah didn't take a single bite.

"I am not hungry," Sarah was having a hard time hiding her emotions. She has suffered a betrayal so how could she have any appetite left?

"A drink perhaps?" Meghan asked.

"No, I'm fine," Sarah replied. "You lovebirds enjoy."

A few minutes later, they finished dinner.

"Meghan, you must be tired so have some rest!" Kiba kissed her goodbye.

******

Sarah was surprised when Kiba told her he would accompany her to parking.

"Is there something troubling you?" Kiba asked in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Sarah tried to sound oblivious.

"You are behaving strangely," Kiba replied with a sigh, "I take that your conversation with your husband didn't went as you expect?"

Sarah barely managed to nod. She was no longer able to control herself as tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Kiba gently wiped her tears and said," Nothing can justify for a lovely lady to cry!"

Sarah bitterly smiled. Without him asking anything, she opened her heart to him and explained how things progressed after the events at the beach.

"How could he do this!? We have a family!" Sarah demanded. Everyone in the parking glanced in her direction as her voice was too loud.

"Let me accompany you home!" Kiba opened the door of his car.

"No!" Sarah refused.

"I insist! You are in no condition to drive!" Kiba was adamant. 

After thinking for a few seconds, Sarah agreed. She stepped into the hovercraft and soon they left...

****

"I'm sorry, everything is my fault," Kiba apologized as he drove the car.

"Your advice was not wrong," Sarah managed to regain her composure, "I was a good wife and a good mother but..."

She talked about the sacrifices she has made for being a good wife. For Daniel and the family, she sacrificed her career. She mentioned how even in the worst of times, she never left Daniel.

"I was a pillar whenever he needed support!" Sarah bitterly added. "And this is how he pays me!"

Kiba's expression turned into that of reminiscence. In a sad tone, he said, "You remind me of someone who sacrificed everything for her family!"

Sarah was startled.

"Who?" Sarah asked, somewhat curious.

"Will you like to meet her?" Kiba asked.

"Sure," Sarah nodded.

*****

After twenty minutes, Sarah and Kiba arrived outside an abandoned building in a middle-class community. Sarah was somewhat afraid after finding herself in such a desolate area.

"Let's enter."

Kiba's voice was filled with melancholy. He pressed a switch to activate the lights.

Sarah followed him, and they stepped into the garden. She was surprised as she discovered that the garden has been modified to serve as a graveyard!

A graveyard consisting of only one grave...

There were engravings on tombstone and ledger. Sarah was shocked when she read the words on the tombstone: "In loving memory of Rose Windsor - The greatest mother a son can have. 1967-2019."

She turned towards Kiba in astonishment. His face was full of sadness as he looked at the grave... She saw the pain and loss in his eyes, something that echoed with her.

"This is your mother's grave...!!" Sarah realized.

As far as she knew, no one in the city knew about his origin or family. It was like he entered the city three and a half years ago out of nowhere.

But all this time the grave of his mother was in this part of the city? The present year was 2024 but his mother died in 2019?

Sarah noticed the grave was well maintained and there were even flowers. Looking at the condition of the surrounding and Kiba's reaction, she was sure that he was very close to his mother.

"His mother must mean him a lot to him!" Sarah felt a type of loneliness she has never felt from anyone in this life.

Sarah took his hand in hers and said, "I am sure your mother must be proud of you!"

His face was filled with such sadness that it could evoke pity from even the cruelest of men. Feeling his boundless sadness, Sarah couldn't help but hug him.

She felt her suffering was nothing compared to a man all alone in the world.

"I failed her..." Kiba broke down as he muttered," She sacrificed everything for me and my father but... I failed her!"

"No, you didn't!"

Sarah wiped his tears. Something he did for her when she broke down not so long ago. She felt they were fellow sufferers in the tragedy known as life...