Calling Him

Kendra handed the phone to Ivy with a 'not-so-sure' look on her face. She shook her head and aired out her thoughts.

"Ivy, I don't think he's gonna want to have anything to do with you," Kendra spoke. "How are you even sure he'll remember you? How sure are you that he hasn't forgotten you like he probably does with all his flings?"

Ivy shrugged. "We'll never know if we don't try, right?"

Kendra hissed. "Look, you can stay with me. What do you think about that? No one will know that you're there," she advised but Ivy was adamant.

"My father would find me in the blink of an eye, Kendra," Ivy responded, crashing her friend's hope. "We both know that. Once he realizes I'm gone, you'll be the first person he will come looking for. That's too risky."

Kendra's shoulders slumped. She could not argue anymore as Ivy was right. Once the Rhys' realize that Ivy is nowhere to be found, they'll go straight to the Lexington mansion to look for her as they knew that she was the only friend Ivy had.

"Fine!" Kendra finally agreed. "But if he doesn't agree, you'll let me find a hiding place for you. Agreed?"

Ivy smiled and nodded. "Deal."

She removed the cover of her phone and a piece of paper dropped on the cover cloth. Ivy dropped the phone and picked the paper. It was small and had something scribbled on it.

Ivy picked her phone and entered the string of numbers on the paper into her phone under Kendra's doubtful eyes. When she finished, she dialed the number and gave the phone to Kendra.

The phone rang but no one picked. After three tries, Kendra dialed the number and announced to Ivy, "If he doesn't pick after this one, you'll do as I say."

Ivy nodded weakly and reclined on the bed, praying that the call goes through. She had already thought of what to do just in the case that the young man from that night decides to have nothing to do with her.

Kendra tapped her foot on the cold floor with her lips pursed to the side. Just when she was starting to lose hope, the call connected. She hurriedly placed the phone on her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, good day, ma'am," a young man's voice responded from the other side. "Who is this and I may I help you?"

Kendra cleared her throat. "Uhm…" she glanced at Ivy with eyes asking for what to say but Ivy simply shrugged. Kendra hissed and said, "Uhm, is this Mr. Declan?"

Jacob was taken aback. "Mr. Declan?" He echoed. He was about to say that she had dialed a wrong number when his boss who was sitting next to him nodded.

Jacob frowned. He replied, "Yes. Who is this?"

Kendra turned to Ivy and nodded.

"I have something important to speak to you about. It's really urgent and a matter of life and death. I'll send you a text message with the time and place. Don't be late!" Kendra said in one breath and ended the call.

Ivy who had been watching her friend paled. "Kendra! What was that?"

Kendra shrugged and hissed. "What? I couldn't handle the chills his voice was giving me!" She cried.

Meanwhile, in a study, Jacob placed the phone on the table and turned to his boss with a raised brow.

"Declan? Really?" He asked.

Kieran shrugged. He was more bothered about who the caller was and what the person wanted. Since the person had called him by his middle name, he knew it had to be somebody he had met in the past two months or someone who had attended his christening.

"Who was that?"

Jacob sighed and shook his head. "No idea. It was a woman… a crazy one. She said something about an urgent matter; a matter of life and death."

"Life and death?" Kieran scoffed. "Is that all?"

"She said she'll send a text with the time and place. Don't be late," Jacob added. His brows creased. "Who could that be?"

Kieran shook his head. "We wait for the text," he declared. Within him, he was hoping for it to be nobody but the one woman he had been looking for.

…

Later that evening, Jacob and Kieran arrived in front of a small cottage in the woods. Jacob's reluctance was clearly written on his face as they trailed the small path to the cottage but Kieran looked as calm as always.

The lights in the cottage was on and they could see a shadow from the open window. Kieran approached the door and knocked twice— according to the way the text had ordered.

After a few seconds, the door opened and a Kendra's face popped into the light, her eyes widening immediately she laid eyes on Kieran's face.

'Wow! So handsome!' she screamed to herself and shook her head.

"Which of you is Mr. Declan?" She asked, looking at the two men and Jacob pointed at Kieran. Kendra stared at Kieran for a moment before nodding. She stepped away and let them into the cottage.

This cottage was her personal hideout anytime she needed to get away from the troubles of reality. Apart from Ivy and her driver, no one else knew the location. Not even her father.

Pointing to the small couches, she asked the men to sit before sitting herself down across from them. To say she was disappointed would be nothing compared to what she was feeling.

When she had invited the man, she had expected to see a handsome and rich young man but looking at the man before her, Kendra felt sorry for Ivy. The man was indeed handsome but he looked poor.

She sighed and dismissed the thought. Since Ivy was adamant, there was little to nothing she could do. No matter what would happen, she was going to stand by her friend.

After five minutes of silence, Jacob cleared his throat, pulling Kendra out of her thoughts as she immediately turned to him.

"Mr. Dec—," she paused and shook her head. "Declan, I called you here for a very important reason… concerning my friend, Ivy. Do you know her?" Kendra asked.

Kieran racked his brain for a while before shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid I do not have any knowledge of anyone by that name," he replied.

Kendra gasped. "Oh, she never told you her name? Well, you're gonna meet her now anyway," Kendra said and turned around to the small door at the side of the room and called, "Ivy?"