Enemies Are Coming

While Zunnie Bai and Alexander Zi were having a pleasant dinner at an Italian restaurant, someone was throwing a tantrum in a hotel room.

Carson Maule had a perplexed expression in his eyes as he observed his childhood friend from across the room. He had no idea that when she called him, he would be watching her throw a tantrum because Alex Zi did not make time to meet with her when she stopped by his office unannounced. He picked up his jacket, threw it over his shoulder then headed to the door.

"Carson wait! I'm sorry. I just returned and wanted to see you how about we go out for drinks?"

"Already have plans. It's good to see you Victoria."

"Oh, I see. I have one more question. I heard Alex spent a lot of money at an auction to have dinner with someone. Are they dating?" She hurriedly asked.

Carson paused on his way out the door when he heard Victoria. He turned to face her shrugged and said, "...don't know."

He shut the door behind him and stood in the hallway. Carson sighed and walked to the elevator. Tonight, he was meeting some of his high school friends and bringing Victoria would dampen their mood.

They had been friends since they were ten years old, and he knew Victoria inside out. He thought back to her last statement. He too wondered what was going on between Zunnie and Alex. At the Bai Entertainment gala, he had seen them speaking in the lobby. Just like everyone attending he was also amused at Alex's behavior during the auction.

He knew Zunnie Bai was not dating anyone. So, unless Alex did it to piss off Malon Nang, the only other reason would be that Alex was interested in Zunnie. Alexander Zi was someone who played no mind to the things around him unless it piqued his interest.

Carson smiled, got in his car and drove in the direction of the restaurant to meet up with his friends.

When he arrived, everyone was there. He found a seat and they began their orders.

"So bro, did you find her?" One of the guys asked in the middle of dinner. They all knew who he had been looking for since he returned to Una City from the United States.

Even though she was not hard to find, she almost never appeared in the media and the only thing Carson knew about her was that she was a doctor. He thought of using his hacking skills to find out more but decided not to. Observing her like he did back in high school, happened to be more fulfilling than using a computer.

The words she had spoken to him when he confessed to her that day had stayed with him up until now. It seemed so vivid in his memory; like if he reached out to it, he could touch it…

'Huh…you like me? Love is just an illusion you feel seeing me be a good girl. You've never spoken to me, don't know anything about me, yet you're bold enough to say that you like me…try again.'

She had been right. He was fascinated with Zunnie Bai because she was different. Yet still, he confessed simply because he wanted to see everything through her eyes. He had no understanding of what saying I like you meant until she rejected him. Back in high school, he thought that to be with someone who intrigued you had to be love. Her rejection proved to him that he had been wrong all along.

The first time he saw Zunnie Bai, was in the library while studying for their first-year final exams. He sat at the table next to her and ogled over her every move.

FLASHBACK**

'She's pretty…' Carson thought as he watched Zunnie's every move.

He occasionally heard people say she was like a white lily in a deep valley. Yet her aura warm when she flipped her notebook pages with grace made his heart pound. Her deep blue eyes ignited each time she read something interesting in her textbook and he often found himself being pulled to her light. He could see her handwriting from here he sat; it was very elegant.

"Yo Carson, why did you go all the way to the back?" A loud voice disrupted the quietness. A nervous Carson glanced over to Zunnie. She was glaring at them. Seeing she was about to speak, Carson hurriedly grabbed his belongings and walked to meet his clique.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go to the usual table."

As they walked back to their usual table near the front window, Carson peeked behind him, only to see she had gone back to reading.

There were many occasions like this one. He would often find the seat closest to her in order to catch a glimpse of her giggling with Sanua, smiling at something intriguing as she read or pushing the few strands of hair that had fallen on her book behind her ear.

Watching her was like watching a treasured painting that could not be touched. His friends had pushed him to try and confess to her but she had flatly rejected him. Even though they joked about it until they left for college, Carson had learned a lot from her.

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As he reminisced about the past Carson Maule smiled and answered his friend, "Yeah I saw her..."

When the girl sitting beside him saw his reaction, her heart ached. She had been in love with him ever since they were in high school. Witnessing him gab about Zunnie Bai after all these years, she gritted her teeth.