Chapter 2

5 Years Later

It was 6 am. The alarm's buzzing echoed calmly through the small apartment, but it grew angrier in the bedroom. The inside was still dark; the only light source came from the beeping clock.

On the bed, two bodies were under the blankets facing apart from one another. Being nearer to the alarm, Kitty got up first, met the person beside her, brushed his unruly hair from his forehead, and kissed the sleeping person beside her.

"Good morning, daddy."

"Mommy... Good morning" Ken said-barely awake.

Kitty smiled. She got up to stretch, fluffed her pillow, and went into the bathroom to wash the sleep from her eyes. Afterward, she tied her hair, dragged her feet to the living room, and tapped on the hamster's cage.

She wasn't pregnant, she wanted to be, but it still hasn't happened yet. They practiced first with a pet. But given that ken's apartment was small, it would be cramped to keep a dog in a small one-bedroom apartment, so they both agreed to have two hamsters they treated like children, mostly Ken.

"Good morning, Nibbles. Good morning, Chewy."

Kitty picked up the two puffballs, petting both critters on the head with her fingertips. One was asleep while the other was rubbing its eyes with its tiny paws. Using the Tupperware behind the cage, she added a spoonful of pellets to their food bowls and locked their cage—she then went into the kitchen to make coffee.

While Kitty was in the kitchen frying bacon and eggs on toast: Ken got up. He fixed their bed and took a shower. It wasn't long before Ken joined her in the kitchen, slick as the first time they met, but his laugh lines were more defined.

She separated two strips of bacon and eggs from the buttered toast, how he likes it, on a plate on the table with his brewed coffee. After breakfast, he leaves for work; this is their life, a routine.

"Thank you; it looks good, mom," Ken said, sipping his cup of joe.

As Ken eats, Kitty drinks her cup as well. They talk about the usual topics couples talk about—most on what to have for dinner, what to do on the weekends, and Ken's schedule. There wasn't much to say since Ken was busy most of the time, but this morning was different. No one broke their time; no errands from Dina, no calls from his mother asking for a date, not even from a client. She was happy.

"Mom, do you want to do it maybe later," Ken asked, raising his eyebrows playfully.

Kitty laughed, "I don't know, Dad, I mean we could wait a few more years," she snorted jokingly.

Ken snickered, "When CEO West is good to me today, we can have our alone time."

"I sure hope so," she said, clearing the table, and leaving the plates on the sink.

While Kitty does the dishes, Ken pets, and at times talks to their hamsters. After cleaning the sink, she clutched his messenger bag and walked Ken out of the apartment to the elevator.

The sky was lighting up; they could see people from other units leaving for work and arriving from their night shift. The two didn't know that someone was watching them.

Whenever Ken finds her eyes wondering, he holds her hand, and Kitty smiles at him. He sometimes wants to see what she sees and if they are okay. Ken always asks her, but she assures him that they are fine, even if it was just the two of them.

When they reach the elevator, Kitty lets go of his hand and presses the down button.

"Good luck today, Secretary Lewis," Kitty said, kissing him on the cheek.

Ken blushed and embraced her, "You too, mommy," he said, kissing her forehead.

Kitty smiled and gave him his messenger bag. The elevator door opens, and Ken gets on and presses G. He gets in and waves goodbye to her; she does the same, and the elevator doors close.

As the elevator ascends, Kitty heads back to the apartment. She had laundry to do before her shift.

---

Since their first meeting five years ago, the two had been inseparable. HR hired Kitty after further deliberation. She worked under him. To keep a low profile, they met on weekdays or weekends whenever their schedules met. At first, Kitty was unsure about dating an older man, but Ken was persistent and patient enough that he stuck to her.

A year into their relationship, Ken popped the question. He wasn't particularly attracted to her; it just felt right to him at the time. He just liked the way she is to him, innocent. Kitty, on the other hand, enjoyed his company very much. They talked about cohabitation, and Kitty moved into Ken's one-bedroom apartment, and weeks later, the two were married.

In her second year at West Ent., Kitty quit her desk job to be a housewife. They talked about it; they both wanted kids. In the meantime, Ken could manage his salary alone, so there wouldn't be a problem. The only problem is the timing.

After Kitty left, the company had a structural reform. Alexander West officially announced Keanu as the official CEO; due to new management, the higher-ups got reshuffled.

From the fourth floor, Ken was sent to the thirtieth floor alongside Ms. Lee as executive secretary. His working hours were the same, but Kitty often sees him taking business calls as early as noon. If he weren't tired, he would be busy with work. Kitty was alone most of the time, left in the house, she felt abandoned by the changes, but she had no choice but to keep herself occupied.

She kept herself busy by reading in the local library, teaching herself how to cook, and taking long walks around the residential area. Kitty was fortunate that Kenneth didn't tie her to an allowance; usually, homemakers were compensated by their spouses when it comes to the things they spend outside the household, but luckily Ken also likes the idea of her being financially independent.

When Kitty spent nearly half of her savings, she asked around the area to hire any establishments. She later found a job a few streets from their apartment complex. It was in a local supermarket; they were shorthanded.

They needed someone working part-time as a relief to the stockers and cashiers. She applied and took the job. It wasn't much, but the pay was decent enough. She would be there working for six-hour, Monday to Friday. On weekends the two would stay in, and Ken's mom dropped by for lunch.

---

CEO West's phone buzzed.

Keanu opened it to check his messages with a raised eyebrow, and it was from the tracer he contracted. He received a couple of photos of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, but it was mainly Mrs. Lewis. There was also a photo and address of a small supermarket sent to him. He grinned and pocketed his phone.

He gazed out the window; he could see the West Ent. building as they drove closer. Ever since he saw that brunette, Katherine Doe, he got hooked. When she was working at West Ent. he had flowers sent to her desk daily. But since she was swept off her feet by the then director of admin, they married, and then she resigned.

On her wedding day, he refused the invitation; he couldn't bear it. Keanu couldn't take to seeing her happily in someone else's arms. He wanted her for himself. With all the money and women at his disposal, she was the one thing he couldn't have. Her being unavailable sounded like a challenge to him. He was desperate, desperate to get her away from her husband, whatever it took. His phone rang. It broke his train of thought.

Leah was on his caller ID. He answered it.

"Kai, are you free later." the woman on the other end asked cooly.

"My hards aren't tied today, say why don't you pick up the docs you sent? How does coffee sound?"

"I have a meeting in an hour, but I'll have Dina squeeze you in the afternoon," Keanu replied."Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I can manage. I'll send you the address. See you there," Leah said before hanging up.

Keanu checked the schedule Dina sent him, texted her to squeeze his sister in, and kept his phone. He sucked his lower lip and exhaled deeply. He had his work cut out for him, and he hasn't clocked in yet.

They reached the company. Keanu's black BMW turned around, passing by rows of parking spaces, and dipped to an underground basement to the reserved parking space reserved for him. The driver maneuvered and had the vehicle parked in reverse on the curb.

As soon as the engine died, Keanu hopped off the back. He checked his gold watch, 7:10. He was twenty minutes early. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it; Keanu felt he would need it today.

He walked to the elevator, pressed up, and waited for the lift to descend. As he waited, he phoned Dina. The call rang twice before she picked up.

"Hello, good morning, Mr. West," Dina chimed.

She had her wavy blond hair in a low ponytail; on her was a blue buttoned-down blouse with a pencil-cut black skirt in low-wedged heels. When her phone rang, she was in the middle of arranging the CEO's desk for the day.

"Clock me in, please."