I Can't Help You

La Maison Restaurant.

Samantha was staring out of the window in their usual spot. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, her mind was blank like she didn't know what to think about.

"S! Are you listening?"

"What did you say?"

"Forget it. Have you talked to Daniel yet?"

Samantha shook her head as she played with the broccoli on her plate. 'Talk to him? What exactly am I supposed to say? Are we even still together? Also, what the f*ck did he mean by he's getting out of my way?! What does that even mean?', she thought.

She didn't really understand what she's feeling at the moment. Her heart was heavy, she didn't like what she heard yesterday but she couldn't blame Daniel for saying all those things too. Was she angry? Hurt? Confused?

"Okaayyyy..... so what? Are you just gonna wait for him to contact you first?"

"I don't know."

"Gosh, Samantha I didn't know you could be this ... ughh.. annoying.", Hannah said while her face contorted. She is going to have a headache soon.

"What about you? What are you gonna do about Joon?"

"What??", Hannah was startled by Samantha's sudden interrogation. 'Isn't your problem here more important?'. "What do you mean what am I going to do? I don't need to do anything!"

"Why are you so jumpy? I'm just asking. Also, you're very suspicious, your tone rose an octave higher!"

"There's nothing going on between us. And nothing happened, okay? Let's not talk about it anymore. We're talking about you here. You're more important."

"Really? You're very eager to avoid the topic, and you sound like you're even disappointed that NOTHING happened between you two. Do you like my brother?"

"Oh shut up, S!", Hannah blushed like a tomato. "Can we please not talk about it anymore. It's very weird and awkward! He's like a brother to me."

"Mhmmm.", Samantha answered sarcastically.

Later that evening, Samantha received a call from her friend Carlos.

"Yow, what's up Chica?"

"Exhausted. You?"

"Same. Same. I have good news for you, the friend that I told you about? He came back to the country 2 days ago and he's currently working on your video."

"And??", Samantha listened carefully.

"He was able to recover about half of it."

Samantha did not hesitate, "I'll pay him double the fee of what I promised, let him work overtime."

"Got it."

It's been 2 months since that incident and Samantha had waited for the results for a long time. Now that she's been given hope, she couldn't wait to know what really happened that night. She was almost certain that she knew the person. Why else would that man help her?

The next day, while Samantha was having lunch with Alexander at a restaurant near their office, a black Maybach was parked on the opposite side.

The man in a navy blue suit was observing the two people inside the restaurant. It's only been two days since the last time Samantha and Daniel spoke but having gotten used to being able to contact Samantha anytime, the last two days were quite intense for him. 'Why is she having lunch with that man? Tch, how annoying.'

Daniel didn't stay long and decided to leave.

Inside the restaurant, Alexander insisted on paying the bill and just after they finished paying, Samantha received a call from Carlos.

"Samantha, it's done. Where do you want to meet?"

When Samantha heard Carlos from the other line, she was surprised. His friend is surely fast!

"I'll text you the address.", she said before she hung up the call.

"You need to go somewhere?", Alexander asked.

Samantha nodded, "Yes, you can head back to the office. I will see you later."

Because Alexander drove them to the restaurant, her car was still at the office. She hailed a taxi and headed to the Busy Bean Cafe. When she arrived, good thing Hannah was there. Samantha wasn't sure what she would see in the footage, she'd feel safer if Hannah's with her.

The two friends sat at a corner table. Samantha played with her necklace looking nervous.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't know... I don't like waiting."

Right after she spoke, Carlos arrived, "Sam!", he called by the door.

Samantha met Carlos Freire several years ago and he is also skilled in computers. He walked towards them and sat down on the empty chair.

"You remember my friend, Hannah."

Carlos nodded at Hannah as a greeting before he turned to Samantha again, "Sam, my friend managed to save about 95% of it. But, you'll be able to see faces clearly in most of the angles. We already compiled it all in one file.", he said as he handed a red pen drive to Samantha.

She nodded when she received the drive, "Thanks. Also... keep this between us. If this goes out, I'll know that it's from you or your friend. You know I'm not a very friendly person if you cross me right?"

Carlos raised both his hands as if saying he surrenders, "Woah... you know I'd never do that to you."

"Good.", Samantha smiled before handing him a check. "Here, I remember it's your birthday soon. Say hi to Yasmin for me."

Carlos whistled when he saw the check. "You're really generous. Thanks! See you later, chicas!"

When Carlos left, Samantha took out her tablet and plugged the pen drive. Inside was a video clip with a 1 minute and 28 seconds duration. Her finger hovered on the video, she hesitated for a bit.

Thinking that her friend needed some privacy, "I'll leave you for a while, call me when you need me.", Hannah said before she stood up.

Samantha breathed in and out before she finally played the video.

Upon seeing the first few seconds of the footage, she saw herself staggering in the hallway towards the bathroom. The angle changed and she saw that she bumped into a man and apologized. Her brows furrowed, "Daniel?". 'What was he doing there?'

She quietly watched the rest of the video with drastic changes in her expression every now and then. She didn't realize that the video has already stopped playing but she was still staring at the screen, replaying the fragments of memory in her head of that night. "Daniel.", she mumbled again.

Hannah noticed her friend's reaction, she asked her a question but Samantha was so out of it. She looked like she was trying to solve the hardest math equation.

Without waiting for Samantha's response, Hannah took the tablet from her and watched the video herself. When she saw Samantha and Daniel on the screen, her eyes grew upon witnessing the events that happened that night when Andrew tried to get his way with her.

Of course, there were no cameras inside the room, so all they saw were clips of getting in and out of the rooms and of the hallways. But these were more than enough to understand what had happened.

Samantha was still in a trance when Hannah finished the video. "S, it was Daniel all along. I wonder why he didn't tell you?", Samantha didn't reply.

"S?"

"Aren't you happy?"

"Han, he's done so many things for me... but what did I do?", Samantha couldn't understand her feelings. Daniel had met her before and saved her from Andrew but he didn't care to boast about his good deed.

"I have to see him.", she didn't wait for Hannah's reply. She stood up and exited the cafe.

While she was in the taxi, she contemplated what she would say or ask Daniel. But nothing came to her mind. When she arrived, she hurried towards the entrance of Cho Corporation. She didn't have any disguise on her; no sunglasses, no mask, but she didn't care about those things right now. All she knew was that she had to see him.

She didn't bother to stop and just rushed towards the elevators but the security stopped her.

"Ma'am, do you have your id?"

"Um, I don't work here. I'm here to see the CEO."

"If you have an appointment, kindly go to the receptionist."

Samantha was a little confused, but she went to the receptionist anyway. "I'm here to see Daniel Cho."

"Your name, please. "

"Samantha Kim."

The receptionist looked at her and asked, "Do you have an appointment?"

"No.", she said as she shook her head.

"Sorry, you need to make an appointment to see the President."

"But I don't have one. I just need to talk to him."

"I can't help you.", The receptionist said in an insolent tone.

Samantha backed away from the desk and remembered her phone. She dialed Daniel's number but the line was busy. She tried calling Ahn's number and he picked up after a couple of rings.

"Ms. Kim, do you need anything?"

"I'm downstairs but your receptionist and security wouldn't let me in."

The receptionist had heard her talk to someone on the phone and she began to feel nervous.

"I'm sorry about that. I'll personally come and get you.", said Ahn politely.

Samantha walked a few steps and then she noticed Grandfather Cho walking towards the exit.

"Grandpa!", she called as she walked forward.