11. Never Again

There, I found Arik sitting on the visitor's couch. His secretary and his cousin Spiker were no longer with him.

"Our meeting finished a while ago, Mr. Rioflorida. Why are you still here?" I asked as I took a seat across from him.

He adjusted himself subtly, his expression lighting up upon seeing me. I couldn't help but stare at him.

His haircut was neatly done. It was still somewhat long, but not as long as when I first saw him at the restaurant. He tied it in a clean man-bun. He no longer had his mustache, and his attire was also well put together.

It was like a different Arik sitting in front of me now. Just last week, he looked miserable and weighed down by problems, but now his face seemed refreshed.

He's indeed handsome. I couldn't help but notice how much he resembled Ariah. Damn it.

"Celeste," he muttered, as if rehearsing my name, which made me slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. "I'm sorry for taking your time. I just wanted to check on you."

He seemed serious, and I couldn't bring myself to be confrontational or anything. I could feel my hands growing cold, worrying that Ariah might suddenly come out of the adjacent room and sees him.

I cleared my throat. "I'm fine. Is that the only reason you came here?"

His jaw tightened. "Are you free tonight? After work? I wanted to talk to you about an important matter that I didn't get to tell you during..." He couldn't continue what he was about to say. He mumbled something and cursed under his breath.

I remembered what he said. That day. Ha. What could possibly be there?

"I see. Is that all? Where do you want to talk? I hope it's not at your restaurant because I don't want to see Isabella there again, if she's even there," I said in passing.

His gaze softened, and a hint of regret flashed in his eyes. "No, not there. Let's meet somewhere else. I'll let you know the details later."

I nodded, not wanting to prolong the conversation. My heart was already in turmoil, and I didn't want to add more confusion to the mix.

"Alright then. I'll wait for your message," I replied, trying my best to keep my composure.

He stood up from the couch, his tall figure towering over me. "Thank you, Celeste. I appreciate it."

I gave him a small smile. "No problem. Take care."

As he turned away, it felt like I wanted to stop him from leaving. I watched him intently. Before he completely exited my office, he turned back to face me.

He smiled. His expression softened even more, and his eyes sparkled.

"I also want to congratulate you because you're now a Fuentebella. I don't know what happened to you, but I'm happy for you. See you later," he said simply and left.

His words lingered in the air, and a mix of emotions swirled within me. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of warmth and confusion. What did he mean by those words? What did he know?

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, contemplating the encounter. The day was far from over, and I had a lot to process before our meeting later.

I was stunned for a few minutes before Pau appeared again and placed the coffee on my table.

"Ma'am, Ariah went out to use the bathroom," she said.

"What?!"

But there's a bathroom here!

I quickly stood up and rushed out of my office. Just as I reached the corridor, I witnessed the collision between Ariah and Arik, who was engrossed in a phone conversation and failed to notice her. As soon as he saw my daughter, confusion clouded his face, and he swiftly pocketed his phone.

"Hi. Are you lost? What are you doing in this building? Do your parents work here?" Arik bombarded her with questions before kneeling down and retrieving the unicorn stuffed toy that Ariah had dropped when they collided.

"Here. I'm sorry for bumping into you. I didn't see you," he apologized, extending the toy towards her.

My heart skipped a beat. As I looked at Ariah, she stared at Arik for a moment, her eyes filled with slight surprise.

"It's fine. I'm sorry too for not looking where I was going," my daughter responded politely.

Arik's smile widened. He reached out to touch Ariah's arm, but she instinctively pulled away.

"Are you lost? Would you like me to help you find your parents?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Ariah shook her head. "No, sir. I can manage."

I watched the exchange with a mix of emotions. There was a brief connection between them, and I couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

"Are you working here, sir?" Ariah's question took me by surprise. I thought she would end the encounter there.

I remained watching them until I noticed Oliver approaching them in the hallway.

"No, I just have an important meeting here. Why?" Arik replied to her.

"With the CEO, sir?" Ariah continued.

"Yes, with the CEO. Do you know her?"

"Yes, sir. She's my—"

"Ariah!"

My heart almost jumped out of my chest at what Ariah was about to say to Arik if she hadn't been interrupted by Oliver's arrival. Ariah quickly changed her expression and ran towards her uncle.

"What are you doing here? Does your mommy know you left her office?" Oliver asked her immediately, scanning the direction towards my office. Seeing Arik following him, I quickly hid to the side.

"I needed to use the bathroom," I heard Ariah's reply.

"There's a bathroom in your mommy's office."

"I don't like the bathroom in her office, so I went out," she explained, and I face-palmed myself in embarrassment.

I will fucking call an architect and have its design replaced immediately!

"Alright, I'll accompany you," Oliver said to her. I couldn't see what Arik was doing since I was still hiding. But as I sneaked a glimpse at them, I noticed Arik's gaze fixed on my daughter.

"So, your name is Ariah? You have a beautiful name, just like your hair," Arik complimented my daughter.

Ariah's face lit up, but her eyes remained serious.

"Thank you, sir," my daughter replied, holding onto Oliver's hand. "Let's go. I need to pee, uncle."

"Alright. Let's go."

I let out a sigh of relief. I saw Arik glance back in the direction of my office before he finally left. I couldn't help but worry that he might have gotten an idea.

I know that someday I'll have to confront the real reason for our return to the country, but I feel like I'm still not ready for that.

The whole day passed with me attending meetings, signing contracts, and managing the bidding for the Aomori Resort. When I finished work, Ariah was already asleep. Fortunately, Oliver was with me.

"I heard you had a meeting with FLORIDA INC. Is that why I saw Arik talking to Ariah earlier?" Oliver asked seriously as he drove.

We were on our way home. If it weren't for him, I would have been driving alone with Ariah, which I sometimes found tiring.

"Have you introduced them to each other yet?"

"No," I quickly replied. "It was just an accident. I didn't expect them to meet."

"You should expect more of that, Celeste. Especially since Arik will be frequenting Percepta. Isn't that the real reason why you came back here?" he continued.

I glanced outside. It was already dark. I felt my phone vibrate, catching my attention for a moment.

It was from an Unregistered Number.

Unregistered Number:

Hi, Arik here. I got your number from your secretary. Are we continuing our meeting later tonight?

Unregistered Number:

Wait, are you home already?

I didn't pay attention to it for now and turned to Oliver.

"I'm still trying to find the right time."

"There's no right time for that. Think about your decision carefully and ask Ariah if she wants or is ready to meet her father," he said, glancing at me through the rear-view mirror.

"By the way, do you know that Armando Yuchengco is sick and under medication?"

That caught me off guard. I suddenly remembered what Isabella said.

"Not yet... What kind of illness does he have?" I asked.

"He's undergoing dialysis, but the news is that it's not effective anymore. He needs a transplant, and nobody in his family is a match for him now. Sometimes, I think it might be karma for him, but I don't want you to think badly of me," he chuckled and shook his head. "Life is full of unexpected circumstances."

I fell silent. Kidney transplant and no match in his family. Was that what Isabella wanted to tell me back then? Was she so angry when she saw me because she thought I would make her father's life even more difficult?

There was a pang in my heart, but I ignored it and replied to Arik's text.

To Arik:

Yes, I'm on my way home. Give me a minute or more to prepare.

Arik:

Take your time, Celeste. Do you want me to pick you up?

"Why would he offer to pick me up?" I whispered to myself.

To Arik:

No need, Arik. I have my car with me.

Arik:

Alright. Just making sure. See you :)

"Celeste," Oliver called me, causing me to look at him. We were already in the mansion's parking lot, and he was looking at me seriously.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What if you're a match to your biological father, and they ask you to donate one of your kidneys to him? Would you agree?" he asked me seriously.

I couldn't answer immediately as my mind seemed to freeze. Oliver seemed to notice that. He got out of the car, opened my door, and carefully picked up the sleeping Ariah before carrying her.

"I hope not," he muttered. "He doesn't deserve it, so I hope not."

I just watched him as he entered the mansion. I let out a heavy sigh. "It's really never again for a lot of situations and I'm standing for that."

"Even if he's my biological father," I whispered to myself.