Sleeping Tiger

"Bryan! Aren't you supposed to be overseas right now? When did you come back?" Peter tried playing it off cool to diminish traces of discomfort around him. Though he could act arrogantly and throw tempers in front of Selina once in a while; he would never dare show that part of him to Bryan.

Like a sleeping tiger, Bryan appeared peaceful and loyal on the outside. Once he feels threatened or challenged, the tiger will awaken and his claws could literally shred someone to pieces. Using the word frightening would be considered an understatement at that extent.

"I came back for my little sister's birthday. Right, where did she go? She was supposed to meet me for lunch, but she didn't show up." Bryan smiled as he tossed out a questioning bait for the fish to bite.

"Selina? I thought she was working at her office. Why don't you give her a call?" He suggested awkwardly.

"She didn't come home last night. I found her cellphone and was going to look for her to return it. As her fiancé, shouldn't you know about her whereabouts better than anyone?" Bryan emitted immense pressure on Peter as he maintained an amiable smile on his face. A quiet smile could slaughter someone a million times more than words could.

"Even though we are engaged, I don't make her decisions for her. She doesn't need to report to me wherever she goes and whatever she does. That's her freedom." Peter quickly refuted his statement and returned a strike back to him.

"Oh? That's funny. Yesterday, she booked a reservation for two, but she never showed up to it. I asked my mom and apparently, my sister wasn't home the whole night. Right, I went to the place she had an appointment for and they said she prepared a honeymoon suite. She's not the type who would ditch work, home and her fiancé's date. So, tell me, what decisions did she make yesterday to ditch the night date?"

"You said she booked the honeymoon suite?" The contracts in his hands scattered on the floor as he heard Bryan's confrontation. 'She was willing to give herself to me after dating for seven years? She always told me she wanted to wait till after we officially married. She..She was planning to give herself to me?'

"What's so surprising about that? Selina has always been naive and innocent, which made me concerned a whole lot for her. I was worried she would be deceived, bullied and mistreated while I'm not around. By the way, I still remember the words you promised when you proposed to her. I believe you also recall every single word you said, right?"

Spreading his fingers out, he started polishing his thick fingernails in front of them. "Well? Do you remember?"

"Yes.." Peter didn't dare say no. It was obvious why Bryan visited today and he was unprepared for the upcoming storm.

"Good. I'm still waiting for an explanation. My sister would never do anything as silly as to hurt herself. So, I'm wondering who caused her injury. You could answer this question for me, couldn't you?" Bryan stuffed his hands into his pocket as he observed the outline of the office. His sharp eyes landed on the bright pink sticky note on his desk.

Recognizing the familiar script writing, Bryan walked behind the computer desk and started reading the words. "I know how much the company means to you, so I've obtained some contracts after working weeks for it. I hope you'll like my gift. I'm ready to become fully yours. Come look for me when you get the gift. Love, Selina."

Peeling the sticky note off his desk, Bryan flipped the note around and shoved it to Peter's face. "Want to provide an explanation why you looked so shocked when you heard that investors had come today? Actually, I'm more interested in how you could forget such an important meeting. Even if you stay silent about this topic, it's not hard to guess either."

Walking around carefreely in circles, Bryan connected the dots with clues he found in the room. "I overheard your conversation with your friend just now. If only Selina and your friend knew about this meeting beforehand, then that means nobody told you about it. The fact that you're holding the contracts with a stunned expression has proven this point."

"Here's the weird part, then. Selina was last seen going in and out of your office yesterday. How could she not have told you? Ah! You guys must have quarreled about something! But what?" Carefully choosing his word game, Bryan slowly cornered and trapped his prey within reaching distance.

"Say? Where did your childhood friend go? Or should I say... your personal secretary? Isn't she supposed to be the one who meets your clients? Ah, I forgot she was the big miss from Han family. She doesn't know how to do anything, but sit and put a pose. Maybe changing professions to being a vase would be a much better career option for her."

It's been a while since they've spoken to each other that Peter had forgotten how intimidating Bryan's voice and aura could be. Taking a seat on the couch, Bryan began peeling apple skin off the fruit using his pocket knife. "Still waiting for an explanation. What happened to Selina yesterday?"

Selina had a close relationship with Bryan. Many incidents occurred where she would complain about Shirley Han to him. Therefore, it was not a difficult task to include her naturally like this. 'I'll be even more surprised to not hear her name in this mess.'

As the interrogating pressure continued, Antonio kept quiet as if he didn't exist. He knew Bryan for as long as he knew Selina. After previous interactions, he understood Bryan could be the most loyal friend and a terrifying dragon when angered. Right now, he looked calm. But...a raging storm was violently self-destructing everything in his mind.

'Something must have happened to Selina yesterday.' Antonio concluded the situation to himself.

"Talk." Bryan glared intently at him with an impatient voice.