Chapter 2

After we ate dinner, I went straight to my room even though Kieffer told me to stay downstairs for a while so we could talk more but I just said to him that I wanted to rest more so he let me go upstairs. I know that he was trying his best to fill up the emptiness and loneliness that I am feeling until now. Mom and Dad both weren’t at home to welcome me. I only have Kieffer and the maids to welcome me. Kieffer visited me in America last year and that was the time when I shared with him my plan about finally coming back. Then, he told our parents about it. 

Since we were kids, our parents have been busy with the company so they barely see us. Because of that, we have this gap between us. Our parent-children relationship wasn’t that strong. It was just like a normal and casual relationship between two people. Kieffer grew up being independent while I also grew up independent but also feels like not. 

I spent my childhood and youth in America. My parents visit me just two to three times a year when I was in America when they have either a business trip or they are meeting some friends. Kieffer always keeps in touch with me and visits when he has some free time since after he graduated, he was already helping our parents in managing our business. My family owns the CK Mall. 

The next day, we continued organizing my things in my room and I spent my time in my room, browsing my social media accounts and replying to some messages from my colleague from America. And I also looked for a nice and simple condo. 

“Almost Home?” I curiously opened the webpage when I saw a unique name for a condominium. I nodded when I saw the reviews about it and also the pictures of rooms and the whole building. It was just a simple condominium. A three-storey condominium building. I screenshot the address and the other important details. 

The same scenario again when dinner came. Kieffer and I ate together while talking about some random stuff. As far as I could, I didn’t ask where Mom and Dad were because his answer is probably still the same as yesterday. Meetings. Company. 

“Nikki will accompany me there. You don’t have to come.” I said to my brother when we were leaving the house. Nikki, my driver and also my bodyguard, was already waiting for me. Kieffer insisted that he will come to me and for all I know, he will use his connection to find me a better condo and I hate it. I don’t want him and our family name to interfere with my personal business. Oh, I almost forgot, Kieffer was known as a son of the Andres while me? People still don’t know that I exist except for those who already saw me when I was a kid, for those who knew that Alex and Gabriella Andres had two children and not one. 

“I wanna keep lowkey, Kieffer. A simple life. I don’t want to expose my identity like that just for a condo.” Keffer sighed before he surrendered. 

“Fine. Take care.” He said as he kissed my forehead then, he looked at Nikki. “Call me if something happens.” He said to him. Nikki nodded at him before he opened the car door for me. I waved at Kieffer before entering the car. 

“Where are we going, Ms. Kathy?” Nikki asked as soon as he started the engine. I said the address of Almost Home. I ordered him not to wear his uniform and just dress in casual attire for the reason that I don’t want to attract so much attention. For sure people will be curious about me when they see me have a bodyguard. A perfectly trained bodyguard. Nikki is the same age as Kieffer. 27 years old. 

Nikki parked the car in front of the Almost Home condominium. I examined the whole building first before I stepped out of the car. 

“What do you think?” I asked Nikki. He looked at the building and then at the surroundings. The condominium was located in a good area. There are restaurants as well as small boutiques and convenience stores in the area. There are also a lot of people passing by and there’s a nearby bus stop. 

“The location’s good but I still need to see if this place is safe for you, Miss,” Nikki answered. I nodded at him before I proceeded to walk to the office of the building and look for a Realtor for the place. Nikki just followed me silently and he opened the door for me. 

“Good morning.” I greeted the first person I saw inside the small office. A mid-40s woman. “I’m interested in buying a condo. Is there an available room in this building?” 

“Good morning. Sit down first.” The woman said politely. The office was neat and presentable even though it was small. The woman was looking at some papers, maybe the record of the condominium. 

“Since our building is just small compared to others, we only have four condominiums. It was located on the second and third floors. The owner of this building allotted the first floor for the office and also as you can see, we have a small lobby here and we also have a pool on the rooftop and a minibar. The owner designed the whole building itself and made it a condominium instead of making it a business rental apartment. Some people say that this is a unique condo as its name suggests. And you don’t have to worry about safety here. We installed CCTV cameras on each floor and we also have a security guard. But, the price is quite expensive but it’s worth it once you see the room. You’re lucky because we only have one room left. It was located on the third floor.” The woman explained. I looked at Nikki to hear his opinion. 

“You are the one who will live here, Miss, not me,” Nikki answered. 

“So, I only have a few neighbors?” I asked. The woman smiled shyly at me before she nodded her head. 

“I think that’s the disadvantage of this place, Ma’am. The owner only wanted to have four condominiums in this building even though he could double it. The owner prefers a quiet and calm place, Ma’am, so people can relax at this place and enjoy themselves. That's why he put a small lobby here as well as the pool and mini bar on the rooftop. Just like the name of this place, Almost Home, the owner wanted people to feel that this place was almost their home. But the one who lives on the second floor has roommates. They shared the condominium since like I said, it was quite expensive.” 

After that, we went to the third floor to check the condo. The floors were quite bigger than I expected. When we arrived at the third floor, there were only two rooms as expected. One near the elevator and one at the end of the hallway. 

The woman opened the door that was near the elevator. It was wide and the interiors and furniture were made of high-quality materials, no wonder why it was quite expensive. Nikki did his job as soon as we entered. He checked the rooms, windows, and kitchen. 

“Okay. I’ll buy it.” Lanie declared after she looked at the place. The woman smiled at her and invited them to the office again to sign some papers and for the payment.