Chapter 2

Kalina's POV

After Fiona returned from Montreval, she went live from Willowbrook.

The gray walls had been painted a creamy white. The jasmine on the balcony was gone, replaced by a neon sign that read "Love Life".

Fiona sat on the new couch, smiling as she gave her viewers a tour. "This is my first home in Bellmont. It's not very big, but Mr. Hemsworth made sure everything was decorated exactly how I like it."

The comments poured in.

"Mr. Hemsworth really spoils her!"

"He even remembered her favorite curtain color! If that's not true love, I don't know what is!"

I glanced at the butter-yellow curtains behind her. She'd picked them out herself. Not that it mattered.

She was living there now. She could make up whatever story she wanted.

I closed the livestream.

Just then, Brian walked in.

After returning from Montreval, he'd spent the day helping Fiona get everything ready for her livestream. He hadn't come back to Clearwater Bay until that evening.

Muffin was curled up by my feet. When he caught a whiff of the unfamiliar perfume on Brian, he flicked his tail against the rug in annoyance.

Brian handed me a jewelry box. "Here's the compensation I promised you."

Inside was a sapphire brooch. I glanced at it and closed the box. "How much was it?"

"Twelve million dollars."

"That'll do."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Even Fiona knows to say thank you when someone buys her a cup of hot chocolate." Brian paused, as though he'd only just realized what he'd said.

I looked up at him. "Then give it to her."

"Kalina Lawson." His voice turned cold. "I didn't bring you a gift just to have you give me an attitude."

He used to like that I never made a fuss over expensive gifts. He'd said I wasn't like those other women who got excited whenever someone bought them a designer bag.

But now he'd found someone who could be moved to tears by a cup of hot chocolate, and suddenly, my indifference made me ungrateful.

It made sense, I supposed. People eventually got tired of the same things.

"Thank you." I set the jewelry box aside.

Brian stared at me for a few seconds but didn't say anything else.

The next day, Brian sent his driver to pick up Muffin.

He claimed Muffin hadn't been eating since moving to Clearwater Bay. Since Willowbrook was his old home, Brian thought it would be better to take him back.

Fiona had messaged me, too. "I've taken some allergy medicine, so I think I'll be able to get used to having him around. I felt so guilty about making Muffin leave last time. I want to look after him myself to make it up to him."

I refused to let him go, but the driver insisted he was following Brian's orders.

Clearwater Bay was Brian's house, too. I couldn't stop his staff from taking Muffin.

Less than two hours later, Fiona called me in tears. "Ms. Lawson, Muffin's missing!"

I sat up on the couch. "How did he get out?"

"I opened the door to pick up my food delivery, and he just bolted. I tried to chase him, but he was too fast."

Brian took the phone from her. "I've already sent the security guards to look for him. Stay home and let us handle it."

It was pouring outside. I grabbed my coat. "He's scared of strangers. Your guards won't be able to catch him."

"He's just a cat." Brian sounded annoyed. "You really think they can't find one cat with that many people looking?"

I hung up without answering.

Muffin wasn't in Willowbrook's underground parking garage.

A security guard pulled up the surveillance footage, which showed him slipping out through the garage exit and running into an alley behind the complex.

I spent more than three hours searching the surrounding streets. It wasn't until one in the morning that I finally heard a faint meow near a dumpster.

Muffin was huddled inside a soaked cardboard box. A piece of wire had cut his hind leg, and his fur was covered in mud. When he saw me, he barely had the strength to meow. He just buried his head against my chest.

I rushed him to the emergency vet.

While the vet was stitching up his wound, Fiona called again. "Did you find Muffin?"

"Yes."

She let out a sigh of relief before bursting into tears. "Thank goodness! I was so scared. If anything had happened to him, I never would've forgiven myself."

I could hear Brian comforting her in the background. "He's been found. Don't cry."

As if she were the one who needed comforting.

At 2:30 am, I left the animal hospital with Muffin in my arms, his injured leg bandaged. Brian was waiting by his car. He reached out to take Muffin, but I stepped aside.

"What did the vet say?"

"He needed five stitches."

Brian frowned slightly. "I'll have someone take care of his follow-up treatment."

"Tell Fiona to move out."

His expression darkened. "What does that have to do with where she lives?"

"She messed with my things, sent my cat away, and then lost him."

"She didn't mean to."

There it was again. Fiona hadn't meant to do any harm, so I could just grow more flowers. And now that Muffin was back, I was supposed to let the whole thing go.

As long as she cried and apologized, everyone was expected to forgive her.

"I don't want her living there anymore."

"She's already shaken up enough as it is." Brian sounded impatient. "How do you think she'll feel if I kick her out now?"

"What about me?" Even I was surprised I'd asked.

Brian looked taken aback, too. It was probably the first time he'd ever heard me ask him to consider my feelings.

But a moment later, he said, "You have me."

What a joke. He kept giving away things that belonged to me, yet somehow believed that having him was enough to make up for everything.

I looked down at Muffin in my arms. "Forget it."

There were only 13 days left until my contract ended. Fiona wasn't the one who needed to leave. I was.