CHAPTER 2:  CHARITY GALA

Kaima sat at the vanity table in a fitted lilac silk dress, swiping the black mascara brush on her eyelash. Her hair, gelled back into a slick bun, gave her face a defined heart shape, her caramel skin complemented her hazel eyes, and a glossy lip beautified the entire look.

She smeared her round lips together to evenly spread the heap of sticky lip gloss.

"Keda," she called. "How does it look?"

She turned to her Siberian husky, sitting still and observing a few feet behind. Once she heard her name, she gave an approving bark.

"I know, right?" Kaima giggled.

*

It had been a year since the whole Richard incident took place. She could remember waking up in a hotel room with a random escort and sneaking out once she dropped his payment.

Once she returned, she packed all her belongings from Richard's house and with her five years' savings, without informing him, left in search of another place to call home.

She rented a small, affordable apartment and got a better-paying job in a customer service company. Once settled, she bought a female Siberian husky puppy and named her Keda.

A new start didn't begin from there, it took months to realize Richard never loved her. He left her completely broken and vulnerable, hating and blaming herself for her wasted years, which eventually led to depression. She had to go through therapy to build up her self-love and confidence.

Visiting the children's home became a therapy that brought lots of joy to her. The smiles and giggles on their innocent faces, when she walked in with gifts and candies, could infect every sensitive soul.

She had always considered herself an orphan, even when she had a father. She only wished to be as happy as those orphans who didn't even have one.

Tonight, she headed for a charity gala, created to raise funds for a particular children's home. Maybe this way, she could pay children back for the great joy they gave her.

Kaima's phone rang, pulling her out of deep thoughts. Seeing the name "Isa" on the screen, she clicked on the answer icon.

"We're waiting in front of your apartment," Isabelle said through the phone. "You have to hurry, we can't show up late."

"OK, I'll be right there." she hung up.

"Woof!" Keda barked.

"They're here," she said, hastily getting off the seat.

She hung her leather lilac purse on her shoulder and made for the door.

"I'll be back before midnight," she said as she headed to the door with Keda trotting behind.

"If you're hungry, there's food in your bowl"

*

"Hurry up!"

A blonde with a shiny single French braid, Isabelle, called out from the open door of the white limo. Kaima's footsteps hastened till she got into the vehicle.

She smiled at Ria, who sat on the other side with her boyfriend, Mike and straightened her gown as she sat opposite, beside Isa.

"Why a limo?" she asked.

"Well…someone rented a limo because according to them, a car would be too cheap for this event," Ria replied sarcastically.

She knew only Isabelle had such luxurious and elegant taste and would go far to get it.

"How did you get the money for this?" she asked Isa.

"Simple, I had been saving for it for the past six months," she answered proudly.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "Don't you see it as a waste?"

"How could I?" Isa shrugged. "I heard Zain Niven is coming."

"Who's that?" Kaima asked.

An unbelieving gasp left Isabelle's lips, even Ria and Mike, who were in deep conversation, paused to give her a look.

"You don't know who Zain Niven is?" Ria exclaimed.

"Is that bad?"

"He is the owner of the Nivatine Enterprise" Ria answered.

"You mean that company that produces electronic devices?"

"Not just any electronic devices, one of the best ones in the region." She added.

"Not to mention how handsome and young he is…" Isa added. "Can you believe he's just twenty-six?"

Kaima giggled at her comment. She now knew why she had been preparing for tonight since the past few month.

After a few hours on the road, they finally got to their destination. The exteriorof the hall had bright flashy lights that looked too good to be true, it made her wonder if they had ended up in the wrong place.

This truly justified Isabelle's ecstaticity about the gala. The red carpet with the paparazzi's buzzing around sent her fidgeting with her dress in nervousness. Vehicles far better than theirs drove about, and the dressings of the guest made it look more like a fashion show than a charity event.

To Isabelle's disappointment and her happiness, they were led away from the red carpet with the excuse of "it was only for VIPs and celebrities".

Walking into the busy hall, she spotted the large crystal chandelier hanging beautifully from the high ceiling, in the middle of the hall. It gave a royal-ball-like atmosphere. Elites hung around elegantly speaking and giggling with one another.

Isabelle, excited, moved about giving compliments and mingling with every person she walked past and Ria with her boyfriend Mike had wandered away from the group from the very first step out of the vehicle.

Isa had already got her eye on some guy didn't look like she would stay, the Isa she knew would already be planning to hit him up.

"Isa, I changed my mind, I don't want to be here" she whispered.

"Don't worry you'll be fine, just introduce yourself to someone new"

Her confidence had shot from ten to zero, even the dress she once thought of as cute looked like trash compared to others. She saw actors, singers and actresses, other people she'd never thought she'd meet but her nervousness turned a once in a life time opportunity to a dreadful moment.

"I'll be back," Isa said snapping her out of her thought.

"Wait,"

Before she could reach out, Isabelle had already made her way deep into the thick crowd and slowly disappeared from her sight.

"I guess I'm on my own now" she murmured.

She stood alone by the snacks bar, nervously sipping on her red wine as she prayed for Isabelle's return. From afar she spotted her saw giggling and laughing with someone. It didn't look like she would return any time soon, surely, she would scold her once she returned.

A tap on her shoulder startled her to the point, she jerked. An elegant young good-looking blond stood before her with a charming smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you" his rich calm voice spoke."

"No problem, I was just a bit distracted," she replied with a smile and turned back in Isa's direction.

She had noticed him from a distance and the way he had been staring in her direction but she didn't expect him to approach her.

"Do you know her?"

"Yes…she's my friend" she replied.

"She seems to be having a good time,"

Isa giggled and laughed with the stranger showing no sign of returning.

"Yeah..."

She felt very uncomfortable and only wished for him to leave.

"Do you mind, if we get to know each other?" he asked politely.

She smiled in approval but deep down she wanted to run far away from him.

"I'm Artemis, what about you?"

"Kaima"

The uncomfortable pauses and her one-word reply made it hard for him to prolong the conversation.

Unexpectedly, someone bumped into her, spilling her red wine on her linen dress.

"I'm sorry," the feminine voice spoke.

"It's okay"

She wiped her dress with a napkin yet it didn't clean off.

"Are you okay?" Artemis asked.

"I am"

She looked up with an assuring smile but once she saw the lady, the smile on her face wiped away. Richard's secretary, the one he cheated on her with stood before her.

"I'm very sorry" the secretary pleaded genuinely.

Kaima didn't know how to react, she didn't even recognize her. Seeing her reminded her of the man who wasted five years of her life. She spotted a ring on her left finger.

"Babe!" a familiar masculine voice called from behind.

Richard walked towards her in an elegant grey suit and kissed the lady's cheek. This scene broke her heart, he never treated her with this much love.

Once he spotted the lady keeping his girlfriend company, he froze lifelessly. His ex of five years who left him without a sign stood staring. He could see the anger and disgust in her eyes for him, this alone hurt him, never had he seen her look this way toward him.

They had been staring so hard they weren't aware of their surroundings.

"Do you know each other from somewhere?" the lady asked.

"No" "Yes" they replied at the same time.

"I don't know him" Kaima replied ignoring the astonished look on his face. "I only mistook him for someone I never want to see"

He only reminded her of her foolishness still she didn't know how to get rid of the soft spot she had for him.

"Artemis, I'm heading to the bathroom," she said before exiting the tense environment.

Richard loved her…he believed he did, he just got a bit bored, that didn't mean he wanted to lose her forever. Yvonne, his secretary and fiancée couldn't make him half as happy as she did, he learnt it the hard way.

He only just proposed to her this afternoon after getting to the limit of how much pressure his father exerted on him to get married. He got to a dead-end, he couldn't wait for her anymore, she left him in anger, why would he ever believe she would return? But today she stood before him, with disgust in her eyes, if only he saw her just a few hours ago…

*

She walked down the empty halls leading to the bathroom, the dim sound of the music faded slowly into hums and vibrations. She couldn't stop thinking of Richard and the way he looked at her.

Meeting him had in one second replayed the good and terrible memories she had. She wanted to cry but she didn't, she couldn't let him ruin her one-year therapy. The old Kaima would have allowed her heart softening to wipe her new-found sense, but this Kaima would not let that happen.

She entered the female bathroom which to her surprise had no one in it, an event with more than two thousand guests should have people storming in and out of the restroom.

She wiped her dress the best it could, once the red stains had become faint, left it that way. As she casually stepped out of the bathroom, she caught attention of some ruckus going on in the opposite male bathroom.

"Bang!" a deafening sound similar to a gunshot echoed, making her jump three steps back.

She knew a gun would sound far louder than this but took the initiative to take a peek. To her greatest horror, a man lay dead in a pool of blood with three other men before him.

One held a gun to the dead man and placed it back in its holster, connected to his belt.

"Clean it up," he ordered.

Her palms went over her mouth in shock. Cautiously, she took a step back but her heels betrayed her and broke, and the next thing, she crashed to the floor.

"Who's there?" a voice called out in a threatening tone.

Without thinking she got on her feet and ran on a broken heel into one of the female toilets. She locked the door and prayed she wouldn't be found.

"We know you're here," a voice said from the entrance of the bathroom.

With a pounding heart, she pressed her palms together praying she wouldn't be caught. The once-cool bathroom suddenly became hot and stuffy and her breathing turned shaky. The footsteps of whoever approached there sounded closer with every stomp and a bang on the door she hid in, shook her to the core.

"Come out lady," the voice barked. "I can see your legs from below,"

She had forgotten about the space underneath.

Her trembling hands picked up her phone and dialled the most recent number, Isabelle. It took some time but immediately hung up. She remembered Isa had switched her phone off once she got here.

"I'm giving you five seconds" the voice warned.

Her hands were trembling so much that her phone almost fell off. Shaken by fear she dialed Ria's number.

"Five!"

The number went from dialing to ringing.

"Four!"

"Hello," Ria spoke from the noisy hall. "Kaima, you called"

"Ria can you hear me?" she whispered. "Save me"

"Three!"

Kaima could hear the ruckus from the other end of the phone, it sounded so busy she knew Ria would not hear her.

"Kaima, you there?" Ria called. "I can't hear you clearly"

"I'm in the bathroom," she said a bit audibly.

"Two!"

"You know what? I'll just call you later, okay?

Ria hung up and her whole world crumbled, her hopes plummeted leaving her no choice but to face her fears.

"One!"

Before Zero could be called, she flung the door open pushing aside those who were close. With bare feet, she made for the main door with her dress rolled up to her thigh and her leather purse held tightly in her fist.

Before she could run past the main door, she crashed into someone and fell to the floor.

"Where do you think you're running off to?" a deep husky voice spoke.

Her activated fight or flight response switched from flight to fight leaving her barefoot with a purse as a weapon. She cared less who stood before her, she only wanted to escape this dreadful circumstance.

Without time to recover from the shock before two hefty men came forward from the toilet section which she had escaped from.

"Stay back!" she warned.

Zain stood before her, the mystery woman he had been searching for, for the past one year. Her fearful expression did not change the fact that she looked more beautiful than the last.

Those familiar hazel eyes glanced at him with fear-filled courage. She only put on a façade to scare off her predators. But to her dismay, one could scare THE Zain Niven, especially not a woman he had spent a night with.

The blue-suit man advanced towards her slowly but confidently, forcing her to attack.

"I said, Stay back!" she barked but he didn't listen.

Once he had gotten dangerously close, she swung her purse violently and it smacked the left part of his face making him suck his teeth in pain.

"Boss…" one of the other men said but halted once he spread out his palm in a stop motion.

Seeing this as a chance she zoomed past the injured man but her hands got caught before she could make a reasonable step forward.

In a panic, she swung her purse at him yet again but he caught it before it could get any closer. He twirled her and with the chain of her purse, bonded her wrestling wrist behind her back. She twisted and turned and screamed yet he wouldn't let her go.

With all her screams, she found it weird no one had come, had she entered the wrong place?

"I know why you came" the raspy voice hummed in her left ear.

He pulled her closer to him and his grip tightened so hard, she couldn't move, his breathing pattern sent vibrations down her spinal cord making her feel weak in the knees.

"I didn't mean to sneak up on you" she muttered.

She could feel his warm breath on her nape and the concentrated musky-earthy scent of his cologne pervaded the air. A moment of silence befell as she wondered what his next move would be.

"Please don't hurt me…I won't tell anyone what I saw"

His cold lip rested on her exposed collar bone sending waves of pleasure and fear.

"What are you doing?" she asked shaking in fear. "Stop"

She dared not struggle for fear he might stab her or something. Gasps and moans escaped her betraying lips.

"Your body says otherwise."

Her sensitive body had already begun denying her for a stranger, a dangerous stranger still she wouldn't be that stupid to let her guard down. Once she noticed his grip loosened, she made for it.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said pulling her back.

His arms wrapped around her waist, and pulled her closer by the nape, so close their lips were just a breath away. Her shaky breath fanning his lips only increased his desire to kiss her.

His perfect jawline had shallow stubble and his jet-black hair, perfectly gelled and slicked backward. His olive skin, smooth without any blemish went well with his silver eyes.

She swore she had seen those eyes before, their enchanting sparkle rung in her memory telling her she had been this tranced by this look. It couldn't be Richard, his eyes were green and they definitely were never this captivating.

They were so close that his strong body ground against hers. If she hadn't witnessed his murderous side, she would have fallen deeply for his beauty.

The manner in which he stared at her lips intimidated her, but it also drove her gaze to his lips. They were also very tempting but… now it felt more like harassment. But on second thought, she wanted to lean into this dangerous kiss, her self-control seemed to gradually fail her as her urge to lean in intensified.

"You haven't answered my question." He spoke.

She could feel his warm breath on her face and instead of fear, calmness befell her.

"What question?" she asked finally calming down.

"The question I asked you a year ago" he whispered in her ear.

She wanted to be serious but this man was on the verge of insanity. On one hand, she cared about what he might do, on the other, she knew he couldn't hurt her.

She squinted in pure confusion, "When did she ever meet him?". He must have been messing around, how would he say a year ago like a joke? She had to go with the flow if she wanted to escape this.

"Could you remind…?" she asked.

"Who are you?" he cut her shot more seriously.

She didn't want to give away her identity to a murderer. His eyes lingering on her put her in the most pressured situation she could ever be in.

"Rose," she lied. "I'm Rose Valentine."

He arched his eyebrow sarcastically like he had figured out her lie. Her heartbeat had no limit to how fast it pounded.

"You're lying," he said plainly.

"How can you be sure about that?" she debated.

She shifted her gaze to the ground for fear he might fish the truth out of her.

"I can feel your uneasy heartbeat,"

She couldn't utilize her last breath arguing with an insane, mind-reading killer who could blow her brains off at the last minute.

"Please just let me go" she begged.

The situation distressed her too much to think straight. The thought of being trapped and investigated suffocated her so much, she began to have a panic attack.

She had never known how to handle pressure and only managed to keep her tears at bay but she had started to reach her breaking point and tears had begun to seep out of her eyes.

"Please" she muttered, still holding back tears.

He stared at her for a while with an unreadable expression and, to her surprise, his grip lessened. He loosened her bonded wrists and let her go.

"I trust this wouldn't be heard from another soul."

She nodded a yes and once she had the chance, she dashed off to the exit. He watched her running barefoot for her dear life.

"Get more information about her"