Connections

The car pulled up to the countess's driveway, only stopping in front of the closed gate. I picked my phone out of my purse and called Kiera's number. The phone rang but no one picked up.

"It's already the early hours of the morning perhaps she is asleep." Maria inputted, I checked the time on my phone.

It was merely 2:42 am. Keira was a hyperactive insomniac, she definitely wasn't asleep by this time into the night. They say nothing good happens after 2 am but Keira was an anomaly to that rule.

Although she did not pick the first two times, sure enough on my third try she answered.

"Hello?" she voiced on the other end of the call.

"Keira open the gate, I'm outside," I instructed, she let out a muffled sound and cut the call. I pulled the communication device away from my ear and back into my purse.

After a brief moment the gates opened up automatically and we drove in. With my coat draped over my body and the shoes I had on previously held in my hand, my middle finger lifting one and index finger the other, I got out of the car barefoot and walked up to the door.

Before I reached it, the door was opened up and Kiera greeted me with a neutral expression. Acknowledging her with my eyes, I maneuvered and slid into her house.

She closed the door behind me and together we move to her kitchen. I sat on one of the chairs of the center table after grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge.

"Look at you, I thought you said you couldn't come out for drinks, yet, you look like you had a wild night." The countess spoke as she brought out a slice of cake from the fridge, put it on a saucer, and placed it in front of me.

"This," I made a hand gesture waving at my current look, "wasn't planned." Picking up the fork by the saucer, cut into the cake, and shoved a bit into my mouth. The cake was so soft it melted in my mouth.

"The cake is from the party which you missed, but from the looks of it maybe it was we who missed out on your night," Kiera said jokingly, texting someone on her phone.

"What's the celebration?" I asked taking another bite of the cake, whilst realizing I had not eaten since I left my parents place.

"Kale got a huge deal and he wanted to celebrate." She answered absentminded, most of her attention was fixed on her chat.

She hit the virtual keyboard with an alarmingly fast pace for a few more minutes before setting it screen down on the table. I was already done eating the cake and had pushed the plate to my side.

"It's nice that he got a promotion and all but it came all of a sudden. And it such a huge supply deal to the major transportation sector of the country." Kiera explained before breaking into a sigh. "It doesn't make any sense," she stated.

"Why doesn't it make sense? The five royal families are nothing of their former glory concerning how it was in the past, but, each still holds huge operational sectors in the country. No doubt to get such a deal he would need connections to them, and, he now has you." I said after much thought.

Kiera who was from a noble family with deep connections all around, how is it that she thinks it doesn't make sense? Now that Kale and she were in a serious relationship, such opportunities would no doubt present themselves.

"That's the problem!" She exclaimed, tapping her manicured nails on her bedazzled phone case. "I have no idea how he made this deal. You think highly of me, that is why you think I have ties everywhere, but, the transportation sector is controlled by the Yuifer Royal family. They are so sophisticated that they put on airs for everyone. I do not think I know anyone who dares to be friends with their arrogant asses."

I nodded in comprehension, coming to understand why she felt it was strange.

"The only person I can think of is Jalen who has been long-time friends with Pierson," she finalized. Pierson was the only son of the Yuifer family and had gained a monopoly on their business affairs.

I shrugged and gulped water. "Just ask him how he did it," I suggested, capping the bottle of water.

"He says that it was just a coincidence, his friend had suggested something to him and it ended up catching the attention of Pierson," Keira replied with annoyance drenched in her voice.

"I don't believe in coincidences but that friend of his that he just met recently has no ties to royalty or nobles." She let out a 'hmpf' at the end of her sentence.

I offered her a weak smile and stood up from where I sat.

"It's late, you won't figure it out like this, take some time off it and rest or let it go." I proposed but she shook her head at me in response.

"The guest bedroom is already prepared you can sleep there," she offered before picking her phone up again and typing as she left the kitchen.

I took that as my queue to held to the room to freshen up and get some sleep.

◇ ◇ ◇

I woke up the next day during the later hours, only to fall back asleep a few hours later. I had basically slept the whole day.

Waking up again the day after that, I called Maria to bring some documents of mine over. I had made a decision the few hours I was awake yesterday to spend a few days in the countess' house.

Maria came through two hours later with what I had requested. After making my lunch I entered Keira's home study, sat down, and went through the files.

The year was gearing towards its ending, it was almost the season to gather accounts of all the charity foundations under my family and organize a fundraiser.

I sifted through the files before coming across the document I have picked up from the library in the Rifien mansion. The document had a lot of vague details and accounts of money being sent into it.

I spent a good second staring at the name of the organization, "Hope's Passage Children orphanage."

Lifting my phone up from where it was placed beside me, I ran an online search of the place. The results came up.

Scrolling through their website I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary so I dropped my phone down. I wasn't sure how it had skipped my attention. In order to make up for it, I would add it to the list of charities for the fundraiser.

Perhaps, I could hed there beforehand to speak to the person in charge and set it up.

By the time I finished with the details of it, The sun had already set. I emailed Noah, my family business's assistant to help me set up an appointment. Once I was done, I organized my things I took them to the guest bedroom.

My body felt tired so I stepped into the shower. The warm water drizzled on my body, relaxing me, I was not aware of how much time had passed before I got out of the bathroom.

I got dressed into an oversized t-shirt and short and soft-landed on the bed in the room. I hadn't gotten any shut-eye before my phone rang.

I picked it up and viewed the caller ID.

'Jalen'

My lips pursed into a thin line as I accepted the call. "My dear fiance," the man at the other end said enthusiastically.

What was he so cheerful about. "mmph." I made a noise in response.

"Won't you come home?" he inquired leaving me dumbfounded.

"After you." I scoffed and received no response.

"Hello?" I called out and still no response. Instead, it was a moan I thought I had misheard on the other end. What was the bastard doing?

Having in strength in me to bother to make a fuss, I cut the call and threw the phone to the long chair at the edge of the room by the window.

I had initially planned on sleeping but after this, some part of me raged. Even though we both knew our relationship was merely a contract, did he have to rub such a thing in my face?

I didn't care if he slept with the world's population, just as long as he kept it away from me and gave me my space. But, even that seemed to be impossible for him.

I did not force him into this arrangement, our families did, why then does he take out his frustration on me?

I even tolerate all his bad habits, no other person in my place would take it.

I sat up straight on the bed and said out loud to myself. "Maybe I should also sleep around. if I did just maybe he would understand his limits!"

Once those words escaped my mouth an image of a certain artist flashed through my mind.