He's here...

"Tin, I noticed I haven't seen Yvo around lately. Is he on leave?" Kaye asked while scanning their office.

"Oh, haven't you heard? He resigned," Tin replied.

"What? But why?" she asked again.

"I dunno, I also just heard it from the others," Tin said, then continued with her task.

Kaye sat down, realizing she hadn't formally apologized to Yvo for what happened that night. Well, there's nothing she can do about it now. Maybe she'll just message him.

"By the way, how's your relationship with Mayor? Is it going well?" Tin asked, moving her chair closer.

"Well..." Kaye scratched her head. "I still can't talk to him about it."

"What? But why? I thought you would open your heart to him now," Tin said.

"That's my plan, but something happened, and I didn't get the chance to talk to him about it," Kaye replied.

"Something happened?" Tin inquired further.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it," she said.

"Oh, come on. Don't drag it out, or else you might regret it. If you keep ignoring his efforts, what if he gets tired and finds someone else?" Tin advised.

Kaye only scratched her cheeks. But then she thought deeply. Tonight, she would talk to him. She would open her heart to him and accept him.

.

.

....

That evening...

"See you later, Kaye. Bye!" Tin said as he headed to his fiancée who had just picked her up from work.

"Bye!" Kaye waved at them as they left.

Soon after, Timothy arrived, waiting for her. "Kaye!"

He opened the car door for her, and they got inside.

"How's your work?" Timothy asked while driving.

"It's doing well. I'm happy that the fans love my art as much as they love the story," she replied.

"That's good to hear. Seems like you really love to draw," he commented.

"Hehe, it's been my hobby since I was a kid. When I graduated high school, I decided to pursue a degree in digital arts in college," she explained.

"I'm happy that you're enjoying your work," he said, and she smiled and nodded.

"By the way, where do you want to have dinner?" he asked.

"Uhm, there's a place I want to try. Can we go there?" she suggested.

Timothy smiled. "Sure. Let's go there."

.

.

While eating, Timothy noticed that Kaye was eating very little.

"Are you alright? Is the food not to your liking?" he asked.

"H-Huh? No, the food is great, I like it," she said, feeling nervous.

I'm so nervous. Telling him about my feelings is so difficult.

Timothy stared at her, concerned.

Kaye gathered her courage. "Actually... I have something to say."

Timothy furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "What is it? Tell me."

She couldn't look him in the eyes. "When you told me that you like me and want to court me, to be honest, I was really shocked and had a hard time getting over it. I kept asking myself why someone like you would like me? I'm just an ordinary girl; I can't compare to other women in this city. You also have a big reputation and a good image to keep, and if you date someone like me, I don't think your supporters will like me."

"Do you think I care about their opinions? I already told you, you're the most beautiful woman in my eyes, and I like you for who you are."

"Yes, I knew that, and I'm thankful for it. But I still can't help but be bothered. So, I asked my friend for advice, and she told me that I should follow what my heart says. I began to see all your efforts, your care, and your affections for me... So, I've decided that maybe I should open my heart now and break those walls that I built for years to protect myself from getting hurt," she confessed.

Timothy stared at her, saying nothing. He was just listening intently.

She looked into his eyes. "But... before I open my heart to you, can you promise me one thing?"

"I promise I will do everything to make you happy." Timothy held her hand.

"Can you promise me not to hurt me?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

Timothy stared at her innocent face, wiping away her tears. "Hurting you is the thing I would never do, Kaye."

Kaye smiled.

Timothy stood up and hugged her tightly. "So, does this mean that we're officially dating now?"

"Pft... Yeah," Kaye blushed.

Timothy smiled, pinching her cheeks before gently kissing her on the cheek.

.

.

....

In XX City, at the Fuentebella headquarters.

"Fuck it!" A resounding crash echoed from the shattered remnants of an object inside the office of the family's underboss.

"Why the hell can't you find information about her?" Mikhail demanded, fixing a stern gaze upon his men.

"W-We tried our best to locate her, but... Only those on the list were people with that name in this region," one of his men stammered.

"Tsk. Useless!" he bellowed. "Get lost before I shoot all of you!"

The men hastily fled his office.

Mikhail Fuentebella, the underboss of the Fuentebella family and the heir to the position of boss once his grandfather retires, known for his icy demeanor and intimidating presence. Yet, he harbored a secret.

He wasn't the true Mikhail Fuentebella; in reality, he was Mikhail Serolf of the Serolf Empire. How he ended up in this world traced back to the earthquake incident, awakening in the hospital inside the body of the Fuentebella family's underboss.

Despite settling into this unfamiliar world, his main pursuit remained finding Kaye. Armed only with her first name, gathering information proved challenging. Lists and data were obtained, but none led to his wife, Kaye. Even after personally meeting with those on the list, he was confident that it wasn't her.

"Damn it! Where the hell is she?" he exclaimed.

"Sir, those on the list were the last pieces of information we obtained. With only her first name, I'm uncertain if we can truly locate her," Kira Useda, his aide, responded.

"Then what should I do? How can I find her?" Mikhail vented his frustration.

Kira sighed. A few weeks after waking up from the accident, he had been assisting Mikhail in the quest to find this mysterious girl named Kaye. Who is she?

Kira hadn't witnessed his boss act like this over a woman, and he had never seen Mikhail date anyone in the past.

"Why don't we try searching in another region?" Kira suggested.

Mikhail scrutinized him.

"Actually, I received a message from one of our affiliates. They identified a rat inside our business that needs punishment," Kira explained.

"A rat, you say?" Mikhail smirked.

It had been a while since he had warmed up his body through combat.

"What region is it?" he inquired.

"Region 5," Kira replied.

"Then let's visit that region, and while we're there, ensure you gather information about Kaye," Mikhail commanded, striding out of his office.

His men bowed as he passed.

"I will find you, Kaye, no matter what," he vowed.