บท 239: Summoned Meeting

Giselle hushed with her paces and took long strides as she practically looked like running to her audience on the street. Having made a sharp right turn and the next left, there stood a lovely building with a classic touch to its aesthetics. Entering inside, Giselle gave her information, and next minute, she gets guided by a waiter to her already reserved spot. All along the way inside the broad arena, Giselle encountered several royal tables neatly set and packed with its companions and a few dormant ones that were abandoned without any guests or reserved until its guests arrive. Among these seating stood one table away from the center and along by the windows, appearing secluded by air. Occupying the table was the familiar face that commanded Giselle hastily.

"Here's your table, miss."

The waiter delivered his guest with a kind adieu, and Giselle stood facing her host.

Upon meeting- eye to eye, the two exchanged an awkward smile as a casual greeting.

"I'm sorry to summon you without notice. But, please, take your seat, Giselle," Shane Ricardo greeted with an avid expression.

Just by reading his countenance, Giselle felt unease triumph her.

She took a seat facing Shane.

"Why don't we go ahead and order our drinks. You exhaust yourself to run here, I assume," Shane suggested and motioned at the nearby waitress.

***

The waitress carried two drinks, different types, and texture- one hot and one cold.

Giselle ordered a cold drink to calm down the heat from rushing here while Shane selected classic coffee to give him more energy to keep going.

Giselle was the first to consume her drink.

...

When Shane made his call to Giselle and asked her to meet him shortly at the specified spot, she never asked him for a reason. Frankly, she never intended to question his motive behind calling her out to talk. Instead, Giselle obeyed and ran to the said location.

Why?

It was an impulsive act of listening to her actual self than overthinking about what could happen. She didn't have a plan on facing Shane after that fateful encounter. Also, having ignored all of his calls until now, Giselle, if at her usual self, would be fearing over the consequences of rejecting her boss's contact. However, there was no form of emotions she displayed except an unmotived expectation that this sit down will somehow help her out from her misery.

Right now, seated viewing eye to eye, Giselle and Shane had their strives to strike a conversation.

Shane did not know the way to interpret his idea to Giselle and Giselle-

Giselle had a lot of chaos going inside her mind as she left her house in favor of spontaneity.

And seeing Shane's face go through changes of emotions without him realizing, Giselle only got disturbed.

Even the air went mute due to the two, and any tiny movements from the neighboring space created loud noise to these aphonic ears.

After that day's event, Giselle did not explain her unexpected behavior to Shane and refused to let him reach out to her as well. Thankfully, she knew her author, Jayce's contact already. Hence, even more, reasons to snub Shane's calls.

Accepting it this time, Giselle praised herself for this braveness and tried hard to think, which seems to be an arduous task to do. Her brain suddenly appears to have gone numb. Soaking alone in silence, Giselle then realized something amusing.

That day, Lillian Grey was at Shane's place. Also, remembering the way she behaved, Giselle could undoubtedly tell that she is no stranger to the home and frankly, appears to be a well-acquainted soul to her new boss.

'What is their relationship?' - Giselle thought.

A fresh idea sprouted in Giselle's mind: much to sadden her with added aftermaths accompanied by the discovered observation.

'Is he someone close to Lillian?' - Giselle wondered as she peeked a glance at her boss to find him still fighting his emotions alone. His eyes were also away from his company, and so, Giselle kept watching at him for a few seconds until she darted away her sight to not validate or encourage such brutal ideas.

The more she protested against such findings, the more it got backfired and made her dive deep into the fiction of making assumptions about Lillian and Shane's unlearned association.

To stop herself from spoiling her mood further, she took consecutive sips of her cold drink and suffered a sharp tinge on her brain from the iced attack.

'At least it saved me from overreacting!' - Giselle sighed and strictly went back to her void state of reserve.

She did not know how to start and where to begin about anything that is going on right now.

Amongst all those pressuring hypotheses, Giselle wished to confront.

After enduring a full three minutes of complete muteness and silent struggle, Giselle gathered the courage to articulate her wilder thoughts into words.

"Do you know her?" she asked.

It made Shane stop his lonely battle. Having got his attention, Giselle added one more to her queue to seek explanations.

"Who are you?"

Her questioning expression was at its peak with eyes full of regard.

Finally, after getting a lead to channel a conversation, Shane gladly welcomed her inquiry.

"Yes, I know Lillian Grey. She is my friend," Shane responds with a friendly tone to register his familiarity with the named woman.

"Friend?" Giselle squints in doubt to immediate response.

Realizing that a further explanation is needed, Shane added to validate his previous statement.

"We attended the same college together, and so we became friends."

Giselle nods from clarity, and the silence returns to the table.

Both realized and took a sip to be social and respected the table.

Time passes, and even some of the guest's leaves and new ones overtook the grand setting.

"The first time I heard your name is from Lillian Grey," Shane spoke.

The more he remained calm, the more he noticed Giselle's rising insecurity. He vowed that to make his plan work, he needs to step up the game and take the lead.

Giselle's chaotic thoughts get interrupted when she heard Shane speak.

She looks at him in awe.

"Surprise, isn't it?"

"I learned the name Giselle from Lillian Grey," Shane repeats to his own amusing.

Giselle focused on him.

"We both attended the same college, but we were never friends to begin. Her character was very worse at that time if I recall. She was rude, unapologetic, and very, very, very, I mean unpleasant towards others," Shane expressed a little of his history with Lillian Grey.

"Later, when we became friends, I learned that you were someone special to Lilly and that you left her and ran away."

Giselle heard Shane address Lillian as Lilly.

'It sounds he is close to her.' - she declared to herself.

However, hearing how she abandoned Lillian, it made Giselle relive the pain that resulted in leaving the love of her life.

It is here that Shane reveals to admit that he requested Giselle to join KeyLine Publication mainly for the sake of Lillian Grey.

"What?" Giselle rages sharply that her tone attracted a few audiences from nearby tables.

Shane signaled, and the woman calmed down, and the other guests returned to their business.

"What do you mean by hiring me to your company for the sake of Lillian?" Giselle pounded her fist against the table, not too strong but impact enough to demand an answer.

"Calm down, Giselle. Let me speak first."

"I called you here to talk, right? I hope you give me the air to do so and not enrage to attract other parties present."

Giselle's silence allowed Shane to breathe.

"Yes, I called you because I exactly know who you are!"

"I may not know what happened in detail, word by word, scene by scene, but I know that your presence is hindering Lillian."

When Shane uttered those words, Giselle got hurt.

The very reason for her leaving is the same hindrance which Diego called her meaning to Lillian Grey. Giselle's eyes were starting to get wet, having to hear the exact words throw at her face once again.

"If I am a hindrance, why do you want to bring me back," Giselle said as she shut those desperate tears that are trying to pour down.

"Why do you want to associate yourself with me?"

"Even if you are her friend, who gave you the right to do this?"

"Who are you to assume that it is my very presence that obstructs Lillian to live her life?"

"What do you know about me?"

"What do you know about my feelings for her?"

"Just who do you think you are to stage all this?"

Giselle's chain of questions made Shane realize the way he phrased his words that caused misunderstanding.

"Giselle, wait-"

"I did not mean that you are a bad influence to Lillian."

"What I am trying to explain is that you are missing in Lillian's life, and because of your absence, Lillian lost herself."

Giselle's teary eyes finally obeyed, and Giselle mused by Shane's words, appeared bewildered.

"Lost herself?" she muttered.

"Yes," Shane exploded.

"Why?"

Shane paused.

"If you ask me why-" he turned silent for a while.

Giselle waited, intently studying his sad countenance.

After hesitating a bit, Shane returned to himself.

"For all the time we studied in that university and on many occasions after graduating, being abandoned by many attachments she welcomed without hope and sincere love, Lillian would always cry over your absence."

"I may not be present at that time, but I can say that the day you left Lillian, is the day she lost a part of her, a very, unique part."

"Guess what she used to ask me every time after getting drunk to her head?" Shane tossed his question.

Giselle curiously watched him.

"Bring me back my Giselle."

"Bring my Giselle back to me, Shane, please."

Giselle felt the external noises go mute, including Shane's explanation of how Lillian would get drunk at times, and her begging of Giselle - all ceased.

None of them heard, but she perceived the effort of the man in front of her, expressing his statements. The world seems to run naturally to others, but Giselle froze at the time when she heard through Shane that Lillian wanted and wished for her.