Inside the platinum suite, Kiba and Meghan slept on the bed. It was afternoon, but they were dead tired.
~ring~ring~
A sudden phone call broke their sleep.
"A business call, so please excuse me," Kiba gave Meghan a kiss and told her to rest. He stepped into the adjacent room before taking the call.
"Claudia, what happened?" Kiba asked.
[[Data from SBC News Headquarters has been downloaded.]]
"I see," Kiba took a seat on the couch. Even for Claudia, hacking through a news channel's internal servers wasn't easy, as data was the lifeline of the channel. To overcome this difficulty, he helped her plant the required tools at SBC Headquarters.
Kiba swiped a panel on the mobile screen and waved it toward the TV. A moment later, the TV flashed with the information Claudia had gained.
"Anything we can use?" Kiba asked.
[[There is a recording of the video call between Sylvian and Daniel. It took place a few hours after the incident in the wasteland.]]
A media company would always have a few cards up their sleeves. Daniel was the same. He recorded his conversation with Sylvan for worst-case situations.
"Sylvian? The chief supervisor of the city?"
[[Yes. He wanted Daniel's and other media houses' help in fooling the commoners about the incident. To do so, he bribed Daniel with $50 million and clearance for a pharmaceutical company.]]
The screen projected the conversation between Daniel and Sylvan.
"Wow! So Daniel used me to cover up an incident I created!" Kiba couldn't help but laugh at the irony.
[[The next information we acquired is related to that. The internal logs of the channel state it was Sarah who proposed the idea of using you and Lady Agatha to attract viewers. To be precise, Daniel readily agreed to the proposal so both of them are responsible.]]
"Is that so?"
Kiba's face turned cold.
*****
In his house, Daniel stepped into the living room and sat on the sofa with a smile. He had checked all the security arrangements and was confident that Kiba could never intrude here!
~~beep~
[[Jordi has sent you a video message]] The AI responsible for the management of the house informed.
"Jordi? Quickly play the video!" Daniel commanded.
...
A virtual screen flashed in front of him, projecting the contents of the video. There were two recordings in it: First was the indirect meeting between Kiba and Sarah at the art exhibition, where they didn't really meet. The second showed Sarah's encounter with Kiba on the beach.
Daniel felt his blood boiling when he saw Sarah smiling as she chatted with Kiba. There was no audio sound, so he wasn't able to judge what made her smile so much.
At the end of the two recordings, a message from Jordi informed Sarah paid for Kiba's drink!
"She bought that infamous playboy a drink?!" Daniel couldn't understand why she would do such a thing.
"They only had a brief encounter, so I shouldn't think too much!"
Daniel tried to calm himself, but then he wondered what if they had another encounter inside the hotel premises! Jordi's team was able to record the events at the exhibition and beach by acting as if they were guests recording their stay.
But inside the hotel rooms? Daniel knew how strict Close Horizon was about the privacy of its rich patrons. There was no way he could access the security footage either.
"No! I am thinking too much! There is no way Sarah will fall for that bastard!" Daniel took a deep breath and proceeded to make a drink for himself.
Half an hour later~
~beep beep~
Daniel was savoring a drink when he received a message on his cell phone. His expression turned ugly when he saw the sender's name: KIBA!
He tapped on the screen, and the message popped up: "Every smile has a reason, every laughter has a way, every destination has a way, every lock has a key!"
The last two phrases were italicized to imply their importance. Daniel's eyes turned bloodshot as he realized the innuendo!
"Son of a bitch!"
-----
It was evening when Sarah returned home. She was surprised to find her husband in the living room, reeking of alcohol.
"Honey, you are early!" Sarah put her bag on the table and sat across from him.
"Can't I come early? Or perhaps you were expecting someone else?" Daniel asked.
Sarah was startled by her husband's questions.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked.
"With me!?" Daniel's eyes flashed with anger. He pressed a digital option on the coffee table, and the virtual screen appeared, displaying the video recordings.
Sarah was shocked to see her personal outings recorded.
"You were spying on me?!" Sarah was incensed. What had she done to deserve such lack of trust?
"It is you who needs to give an explanation and not me!" Daniel pointed towards the recording in which she was smiling at Kiba, "What do you have to say?"
"You are an asshole!" Sarah had enough of her husband's rudeness. "Kiba made a funny remark so I smiled! Or do I need permission to even smile!?"
"You were with Kiba! KIBA!"
Daniel couldn't help but remember the message Kiba sent an hour ago.
"Your mind has rotted to such an extent that all you can think is dirty stuff!" Sarah stopped the recording and vented. "Whenever you speak with a woman or have a private meeting with her, have I ever been suspicious?! No! I haven't! Because I trust you! And I thought the same applied to you! But I guess I was wrong!"
"Stop lying! Only a whore would hang out with Kiba!" Daniel retorted in anger. The moment he spoke, he regretted his words. He knew he had crossed the line.
Sarah's eyes turned misty.
"I didn't mean that--" Daniel wanted to apologize, but just then, his private number rang. He wanted to cancel the call, but he then noticed it was from his chief secretary. Someone who would never call on this phone unless it was an emergency.
"Sarah, I didn't mean what I said!" Daniel quickly apologized and then picked up the call. In seconds, his expression turned unsightly.
"I have an urgent meeting!" Daniel said while rushing to the exit.
"STOP! You better give me an explanation first!" Sarah tried to stop him, but Daniel didn't listen as he left the house.
Sarah couldn't understand her husband any longer.
"He is no longer the man I loved..."
After handing her kids to the nanny, she left the house...
****
Love Heart Beach was located on the outskirts of the city. It was a beach accessible to all; frequented by rich and poor alike.
Sarah absentmindedly walked on the beach. This beach was her asylum whenever she felt lost or broken.
"Daniel... just why?"
Sarah looked at the setting sun and wondered about her husband's recent behavior.
"Could it be midlife crisis?"
She wondered as she walked further. She paused when she saw a man sitting on the sand.
Kiba!?
He seemed to be lost in thoughts as he threw a stone across the water. The stone bounced on the water surface before sinking in, creating a few ripples in the process.
"Life is like a stone..."
Kiba muttered to himself. Sarah was some distance behind him, and she could hear his words.
After her conversation with Daniel, she didn't want to meet Kiba. But now seeing a playboy like him alone, that too lost in thoughts about life, she couldn't help but become curious. She felt there was nothing wrong with striking a conversation.
"We meet again," Sarah said as she arrived near him.
Kiba's eyes were filled with surprise as she sat next to him.
"Ah! I'm meeting the gorgeous lady again!" Kiba remarked. "It seems the goddess of luck is on my side!"
"You are not with your girlfriend?" Sarah asked. In all the previous encounters, she recalled he was with Meghan, and from what she could tell, they were very close!
"You mean Meghan?" Kiba asked. Sarah nodded, so he continued, "Well, she has a modeling assignment so I came here to clear my thoughts."
"Clear your thoughts?" Sarah was surprised.
"Thoughts about life," Kiba threw a stone into the water surface again. "I wonder why we are born only to die?"
"That's hard to answer!" Sarah pointed out the difficulty.
"Sometimes I feel we are like the stones used in stone skipping," Kiba looked at the stone as it bounced on the water, "We bounce a few times only to sink!"
Sarah also observed the sinking stone and found the similarities he spoke.
After thinking for some time, she replied, "Perhaps just like stones, we exist to create ripples! Ripples that change the world!"
"That's some deep perspective," Kiba observed with a smile. "Though, to be honest, I don't understand what you meant!"
"I only spoke some gibberish, so don't think much!"
Sarah also smiled as she replied. She has always been fond of philosophy about life, so she was glad to find another person sharing her interest.
Silence settled in, and they both stared at the sea.
"Where are your friends?" Kiba asked after some time.
"I came alone," Sarah replied with a bitter expression. "Just like you, I also came here to clear my thoughts."
Kiba brought his eyes on her and asked, "What thoughts can affect a pretty lady like you?"
"I had a quarrel with my husband..." Sarah glanced at the evening sky as she answered, "He has been an asshole lately!"
Kiba looked back at the sea. He turned silent and didn't respond.
Sarah was startled by his silence. People would often respond after the types of thoughts she expressed.
So she couldn't help but say, "Are you not going to speak? Like, my husband is not an asshole? Or maybe he is!"
Kiba let out a barely audible sigh before answering, "For me, this is a conflict of interest, so I can't comment!"
"Hmm?" Sarah stared at him in surprise.
"The lady I so admire is married! You can only imagine the conflict I'm facing!" Kiba bitterly explained.
Despite her troubles, Sarah couldn't help but smile.
"You were right when you claimed you are always like this!" Sarah remarked.
More silence followed, and the two enjoyed the fresh sea breeze.
After a few minutes, Kiba said, "You only quarrel with those you truly love!"
"!!" Sarah was startled.
"Give your husband a chance to explain himself," Kiba added further.
"I did give him a chance," Sarah bitterly replied. "But instead of explaining, he made some excuse and rushed outside!
"Perhaps he has a reason," Kiba looked at her in the eyes as he continued, "Maybe he's involved in some trouble and having a hard time expressing himself."
"I..." Sarah was shocked. As she contemplated his words, she felt he might be right!
"Give your husband a chance to prove he is the man you married!" Kiba concluded by adding, "You are his wife, so you owe him this much!"
Sarah nodded in agreement. With a sincere expression, she said, "Thank you!"
"Every smile has a reason, every laughter has a way, every destination has a way, every lock has a key." -Aditi Raina.
"Well, you can buy me dinner next time we meet as payment!" Kiba said with a smile.
"I will!" Sarah rose to her feet and dusted off her clothes. Soon, she left...
*****
Around 8 pm, Close Horizon.
Sarah inquired about her husband's whereabouts from his secretary. From what she knew, he was having a meeting inside their platinum suite.
Not all corporate meetings took place in the office. Some needed the company of alcohol and an ambient environment. This was why Sarah and Daniel had reserved a suite yearly.
"Just like Kiba said, I have to give Daniel a chance! He might want to evade, but I have to take a step ahead!"
With a bouquet of flowers in her hand, she arrived at the suite.
The retina scanner scanned her eyes, and the door opened. The suite had four rooms, and she stepped into the drawing room. She was pleased when she heard noise from the adjacent room. She would be able to surprise her husband!
"You are so big!" A woman's muffled voice entered Sarah's ears. She didn't dare to believe what the voice implied.
Quickly, she walked into the room, and her eyes constricted in shock by what she saw: Her husband sitting on the couch, and in front of him, a woman was on her knees, stroking his penis.
It seemed they had just started, for Daniel was still wearing his clothes. Only his pants were unhooked.
~crash~
The bouquet fell on the floor.
Daniel and the woman were stunned by the crashing sound. They turned towards the entrance of the room.
"You hired her as well?" The woman asked, "I will charge extra for a threesome!"
"Darling!?" Daniel was horrified. He quickly scrambled to pull up his pants and said, "This was not what it looks like!"
Sarah's expression twisted with shock, sadness, and anger. When she heard his words, her face turned red with fury.
"Darling?" The woman's eyes opened wide in shock, "Are you his wife? We were only having a meeting!"
Sarah couldn't believe the lame excuses. Just a minute ago, the woman said she would charge extra!
"Sarah, please listen to me!" Daniel wanted to explain, but before he could, Sarah rushed out.
"Damn!"
He couldn't believe the sudden turn of events.
A few hours ago, his secretary informed him that someone was blackmailing them by using the secret recording between him and Sylvian. The blackmailer demanded Daniel's urgent presence at Close Horizon. If not, the recording would be leaked.
Afraid of the consequences, Daniel had to leave in the middle of his conversation with Sarah. When he arrived at Close Horizon, he found this woman waiting for him.
The woman then spent hours on gibberish topics and didn't allow him to leave by threatening him with consequences.
Just five minutes ago, out of the blue, she opened his pants. He tried to resist, but the woman reminded him of the recording. And just as the woman stroked him once, Sarah barged in!
"Everything because of you!" Daniel's body started transforming into a gigantic lizard.
"Do you have the guts to attack me?" The woman was unfazed as she moved to the sink and washed her hands.
Daniel had turned crazy. He no longer cared about consequences and whipped his tail at her.
The woman's expression didn't change.
DANG!
An orange force field erupted before the woman, blocking the tail. The force field shook and cracks emerged, but before it could collapse, around ten small orbs surrounded Daniel.
"!" Daniel was horrified. Without any warning, the orbs charged at him.
BANG
The orbs smashed into him, creating a surge of destructive force. His chest caved in, and he crashed against the wall.
"How could this be!?" Daniel was sure he could handle such an attack, but there was no strength inside him. Then he thought of how the woman had ordered drinks for them.
"My drink was drugged..."
Before he could utter another word, he lost consciousness.
"You better pay me twice for stroking the penis of a lizard!" the woman turned towards the adjoining room.
"Sana, you are asking for too much!" Natalie emerged from the room.
"You needed me, so I have the right to charge as I please!" Sana stressed.
"Ok!" Natalie agreed. She walked towards Daniel and injected him with a black liquid.
"I am leaving!" Sana waved goodbye.
---
Natalie phoned a contact named Alyssia.
[[Have you taken care of things?]] Claudia's voice came from the phone. Alyssia was an alias she used when dealing with matters related to 'Kiba'.
"Yes!" Natalie dragged Daniel's body to the bed and said, "Can I ask why Kiba changed the plan?"
Natalie had been working with Kiba for two years, and in all this time, he didn't use today's method.
Furthermore, she had rarely seen him warning his targets about his cuckolding intentions. While warning in advance had its advantage, it also had its own drawbacks. In most cases, it made establishing contact with the wife very difficult!
Not to mention, when Kiba first started his job as Wife Hunter, he couldn't use the 'courtesy call' method. Back then, he would have to seduce women by old methods.
In fact, he actually enjoyed the old methods where the husband remained oblivious.
In the end, whether it was a man or a woman, every living being had six desires and seven emotions. One could entice the opposite sex if they truly knew what satisfied the target. Everything was just a matter of time.
So Natalie was already shocked when she learned Kiba had warned Daniel in advance. Now, he even manipulated events to make Sarah believe Daniel was cheating on her. As far as she knew, it was not part of the original plan.
"Earlier it seemed he wanted to torture Daniel, but now he wants to break Sarah as well!" Natalie said after getting no response from Claudia, "Why would he do such a thing? It is not his style!"
[[They have harmed someone he cares about.]] Claudia replied. She knew her master better than anyone else, so she was aware of what he planned to do.
*****
In the corridor, Sarah arrived before the elevator. She glanced back, but there was no sign of her husband.
"Some meeting it is!" Sarah entered the elevator and wiped her tears, "I have to be strong!"
The elevator quickly reached the ground floor.
"Lovely lady!?" Kiba exclaimed as the elevator opened.
"Kiba?!" Sarah was surprised to see Kiba along with Meghan.
"Are you perhaps here to buy me dinner?" Kiba asked with a smile, "You must be! You knew I stay here so I take that as a yes!"
"No..." Sarah barely suppressed her emotions.
"Don't refuse! We will love your company!" Kiba requested. Meghan nodded in agreement.
Sarah tried to refuse, but Kiba and Meghan were adamant. She didn't want to show her weak side, so she agreed.
*****
"Are you perhaps displeased by the dishes?" Kiba asked as Sarah didn't take a single bite.
"I am not hungry," Sarah said. She had a hard time hiding her emotions. She had suffered a betrayal, so how could she have any appetite left?
"A drink perhaps?" Meghan asked.
"No, I'm fine," Sarah replied. "You lovebirds enjoy."
A few minutes later, they finished dinner.
"Meghan, you must be tired, so have some rest!" Kiba kissed her goodbye.
******
Sarah was surprised when Kiba told her he would accompany her to parking.
"Is there something troubling you?" Kiba asked in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?" Sarah tried to sound oblivious.
"You are behaving strangely," Kiba replied with a sigh. "I take it your conversation with your husband didn't go as you expected?"
Sarah barely managed to nod. She was no longer able to control herself as tears started streaming down her cheeks.
Kiba gently wiped her tears and said, "Nothing can justify a lovely lady crying!"
Sarah bitterly smiled. Without him asking anything, she opened her heart to him and explained how things progressed after the events at the beach.
"How could he do this!? We have a family!" Sarah demanded. Everyone in the parking lot glanced in her direction as her voice was too loud.
"Let me accompany you home!" Kiba opened the door of his car.
"No!" Sarah refused.
"I insist! You are in no condition to drive!" Kiba was adamant.
After thinking for a few seconds, Sarah agreed. She stepped into the hovercraft, and soon they left...
****
"I'm sorry, everything is my fault," Kiba apologized as he drove the car.
"Your advice was not wrong," Sarah managed to regain her composure. "I was a good wife and a good mother, but..."
She talked about the sacrifices she had made for being a good wife. For Daniel and the family, she sacrificed her career. She mentioned how even in the worst of times, she never left Daniel.
"I was a pillar whenever he needed support!" Sarah bitterly added. "And this is how he pays me!"
Kiba's expression turned into that of reminiscence. In a sad tone, he said, "You remind me of someone who sacrificed everything for her family!"
Sarah was startled.
"Who?" Sarah asked, somewhat curious.
"Would you like to meet her?" Kiba asked.
"Sure," Sarah nodded.
*****
After twenty minutes, Sarah and Kiba arrived outside an abandoned building in a middle-class community. Sarah was somewhat afraid after finding herself in such a desolate area.
"Let's enter."
Kiba's voice was filled with melancholy. He pressed a switch to activate the lights.
Sarah followed him, and they stepped into the garden. She was surprised to discover that the garden had been modified to serve as a graveyard!
A graveyard consisting of only one grave...
There were engravings on the tombstone and ledger. Sarah was shocked when she read the words on the tombstone: "In loving memory of Rose Windsor - The greatest mother a son can have. 1967-2019."
She turned towards Kiba in astonishment. His face was full of sadness as he looked at the grave... She saw the pain and loss in his eyes, something that echoed with her.
"This is your mother's grave...!!" Sarah realized.
As far as she knew, no one in the city knew about his origin or family. It was like he entered the city three and a half years ago out of nowhere.
But all this time the grave of his mother was in this part of the city? The present year was 2024, but his mother died in 2019?
Sarah noticed the grave was well maintained and there were even flowers. Looking at the condition of the surrounding and Kiba's reaction, she was sure that he was very close to his mother.
"His mother must mean a lot to him!" Sarah felt a type of loneliness she had never felt from anyone in this life.
Sarah took his hand in hers and said, "I am sure your mother must be proud of you!"
His face was filled with such sadness that it could evoke pity from even the cruelest of men. Feeling his boundless sadness, Sarah couldn't help but hug him.
She felt her suffering was nothing compared to a man all alone in the world.
"I failed her..." Kiba broke down as he muttered. "She sacrificed everything for me and my father, but... I failed her!"
"No, you didn't!"
Sarah wiped his tears. Something he did for her when she broke down not so long ago. She felt they were fellow sufferers in the tragedy known as life...
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