In the end, Zayn never made that call.
He figured that he should adopt the 'wait-and-see' attitude. Perhaps the woman was just a passing phase and after having his fill, she would be kicked to the curb. He would keep a close eye on them and if need be, inform the Sheng's about her.
Zayn knew Kai very well.
If he was serious about something and you try and stop him from getting it, he would double the effort.
That was why Zayn didn't inform the Patriarch when Kai had gone on that insane manhunt. He had also hoped that in time, Kai would just give up and that would be the end of it.
There was no point in rocking the boat if it would get to shore by itself.
Unfortunately, the mysterious lady turned out to be quite formidable.
Despite all the efforts that he had put in, there had been no hint of news about her.
Until the day Kai just gave him the picture that God-knows-where he got it from. It was only from that point that her identity was revealed.
It was neither good, nor bad.
She wasn't someone worth mentioning.
The mystery of why any news about her was hard to find was solved as she was someone Kyle Smith was involved in. Zayn didn't think much about it and only felt that the only newsworthy thing about Lianne was that she was connected to Kyle.
As Kyle was highly secretive, naturally, any news about her linking to him would be deleted. She wasn't someone outstanding enough to be on the news, hence, she was invisible.
Like many other people in Country Tz.
Since she was not from any notable family or anyone outstanding, she posed no threat.
A link to the great Kyle Smith?
She was just a sister-in-law, and not even a part of the Smiths.
If it had been Kayla Smith that Kai was interested in, then it was not a problem. If Kayla had been single, of course.
He hoped this fling would not last too long.
He wasn't sure how long he could keep it hidden.
When he had first been placed here, his role had been easy. Help Kai and secretly report everything to the Patriarch. As time went by, however, his loyalty to Kai increased and it became harder for him to do what was needed.
Without guilt, that is.
Zayn sighed and looked at the closed door, his face distorted as the conflict continued to wage within him.
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Lianne walked about in Kai's office, looking around at the minimalist decor that he had.
It was full of black, grey and white hues; and yet, it didn't look bleak or dreary. Perhaps it's because of the person standing there, watching her looking around. He brought light into the room.
Okay, so that was cheesy.
But Lianne couldn't help it.
That was how she truly felt.
The food was laid out on the coffee table, the aroma wafting over to her, making her mouth water.
"I wasn't sure what you'd like," Kai said as he walked over to her, "So I ordered rice with some lamb dishes."
Lianne smiled at him and he wrapped her in a hug, "Been wanting to do this since, like, forever."
Kai still felt like everything was like a dream. Only by holding her like this, feeling her in his arms and smelling her, could he feel calm.
He had spent so much time looking for her, then having his emotions pulled here and there as he kept thinking of Zero and the Shengs. Ultimately, no matter what he did, her face always invaded his dreams and his heart.
He had spent the past three months not only looking for her, but any spare time he had was dedicated to ensuring a smooth journey with her.
Not that it would be easy.
He held her even tighter, worried that this little Angel of his would disappear from his life. She had been able to keep away from him for three months and he had no doubt that should she want to, she could vanish overnight.
Especially with Kyle behind her.
Losing her would be like losing a part of himself and he did not want that.
That fear made Kai even more clingy to her, wanting to always be by her side and show her his love for her. Give her a reason to stay.
For now, what was important was to foster her feelings for him.
Yet, at the same time, he had to shield her from the Shengs.
"Kai, I'm getting hungry," Lianne said when Kai didn't seem to be showing any signs of letting her go.
Kai sighed and gave her one tight squeeze before letting her go. With a gentle smile, he took her hand and led her to the coffee table.
"I don't eat in my office, so there's no proper table in here," Kai explained as he placed one cushion on the floor, "I hope you don't mind sitting on the floor for this?"
"Of course not," Lianne said as she sat cross-legged on the cushion he placed and leaned back on the sofa behind her.
Kai sat down beside her and started placing some slices of lamb, "Try this. It's tender and slightly spicy."
The lamb slices had been sliced into long, thin strips and stir-fried with spices and julienne capsicums (basically, capsicums sliced thinly). It was a medley of flavours and colours, with the smell being so appetizing that her mouth watered.
"I figured a one dish-meal would be optimum, so that you can finish fast and still have room for dessert," Kai explained.
"It's delicious," Lianne told him, then frowned when she saw that his plate was empty.
Taking some of the lamb, she placed it onto his plate and told him, "You should start eating as well."
Kai smiled and did what he was told.
After that, they had chocolate mousse for dessert and Kai was happy that Lianne liked the dishes he had chosen.
"You'll need to give me a list of what you like to eat," Kai said as they cleared up the table.
Throwing the disposables into the trash, Lianne answered, "I'm not really picky. How about you just give me a menu of the dishes that are there? As in, you choose the place and I'll choose what I want from it."
Kai thought about it, "No, that won't do. It might be a place you're not really interested in. How about this? I will give you a list of all the places and its menu. You just tell me what you want to eat."
"Pffft," Lianne responded, "I might as well use Grab then."
Grab was Country Tz's online delivery service, whereby you could order the food from certain restaurants and food eateries, and Grab will deliver it to you. Similar concept to Gojek from Country I and Uber from Country US.
Kai rubbed his chin, "That's not a bad idea, really. Except some of the places I know don't have the service."
Kai grinned then said, "Give me a couple of days and I'll send you an app for a delivery service customised just for you."
Lianne tilted her head and looked at him, "You mean, you're going to create a similar delivery app like Grab?"
"Of course," Kai replied, "IT is one of our forte, after all."
"It's an idea," Lianne mused, "That you can pitch to the VIPs then. You may not have many customers though."
Kai reached over and caressed her cheek, "Doesn't matter. As long as it works for you, the rest is a bonus."
Lianne shook her head, "A sudden idea like this. Aren't you wasting your resources?"
"No," Kai replied, leaning closer, his face inches away from hers, "Doing things for you is never a waste."
Kai placed the hand that was on her cheek to go behind her head, holding it in place as he aimed for her lips.
There was no Zero this time to stop him.