Kristofer let out a groan. The sudden blinding light caused by the curtains being pulled apart woke him from his deep slumber.

Mentally sighing, he slowly opened his eyes, squinting around his room in an effort to look for his mother, whom he found standing at the foot of his bed. 

She had purposely opened the curtains to get him to feel her presence and the sun's rays.

Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a stern look could be read in her expression. It evidently showed her displeasure for finding her son still asleep at this time of day.

"Good morning to you too, mother. Fancy having you come by this early," Kristofer shifted his gaze to the digital clock on top of the bedside table. 

He groaned for the second time, hearing his mother click her tongue. It took Kristofer a few minutes before he gradually remembered what day it was.

He buries his face in the pillow, wishing he could find a good reason not to leave his apartment today. But his mind came up with nothing. 

"Is there any way you'll let me sit this one out? I hate socializing," he muttered, unsure if his mother had heard him.

"Presence is everything, Kris. You and I both know how important that is. You better be ready in fifteen minutes, or I will make you."

Feeling frustrated, Kristofer sighed before throwing the covers off him. His mother was gone by then, but the trail of her perfume could be smelled in his apartment. It was her signature scent, one that Kristofer remembered she had worn since he was young. 

Despite his inner protest, Kristofer had no other choice but to oblige.

"Being an only son surely has its perks," he muttered, heading toward the shower.

–

Somewhere between cocktail mixes and the elegant music with several ladies trying to flirt with him, Kristofer chose to hide in a corner, refusing any lady who wanted to make small talk. 

Aside from his mother waking him up from sleep, he had quite a rough day yesterday. Having today free would have been a reward.

But he was denied such pleasure.

The air around the hotel's ballroom seemed too cold for Kristofer's liking. That or he was just really not having it.

"Hey stranger," grinning, Kristofer instantly recognized that voice. Even when his eyes were closed, he could never be wrong about whose voice it belonged to.

"Still haven't changed your mind yet? You know, my condo is always open. Just say the word, and it's all yours. Including me."

Grace Inolan chuckled at Kristofer. He never failed to mention this every time they met.

Once upon a time, back when they were still in their teen years before the pressure from their families and life happened in general, she and Kristofer could have happened. 

But, somewhere between college and learning the hoops of her dad's company and Kristofer being away for conferences most of the time, things had slowly changed until Grace realized that her and him couldn't happen.

The consequences of beginning anything between them were too much for Kristofer to handle. He smirked as Grace raised her champagne flute towards him.

"Happy Birthday, stranger." Kristofer clinked his glass with hers before they took a small sip from each of their drinks.

"Getting married, huh?"

"Yep. Marriage, the most exciting thing to ever happen to a woman's life," Kristofer scoffed as he stared at her. The sadness hidden in her stormy eyes was not beyond him.

With the two of them coming from and growing up in the same environment, he did not have to second guess that she was not happy. Neither of them was.

"And yet, here you are, wallowing in the far corner with me," Grace chuckled again, shaking her head.

"I like being in your company. Misery loves company, remember?"

It was Kristofer's turn to chuckle. He was about to open his mouth to tell her that he was the only one allowed to be miserable. 

She did not deserve to be in the same boat. 

But then, the sudden uproar of applause interrupted him and called his attention to the front of the ballroom, where a podium was set up. Standing right there was his father. A practiced smile was plastered on his lips.

"I am pleased to see familiar and new faces gathered here today celebrating my son's 27th birthday."

Kristofer maintained his composure, bracing himself to hear the following line of his father boasting of his achievements and how he was fitting to be the CEO after he retired. 

He lost count of how many times his father seemed to have used the same speech repeatedly that he had somehow thought that half of the audience in the party might have had it memorized word per word as he had.

"You are getting old," Grace whispered in his ears. 

Kristofer smirked, his senses focusing more on the trail of tingle that her breath had left after she had said those words.

"My age is the only thing constantly getting older, Grace, but not me."

Grace shook her head, taking a small sip from her champagne flute before placing her focus back on the podium.

Gratefully, his father was finally done blabbering about him and has now proceeded to introduce the upcoming project the marketing team has been working on for the past few months.

The screen behind his father lit up, grabbing everyone's attention with the colorful lights the presentation entailed, while the light from around the room was dimmed, allowing everyone a better vision of the video being presented.

Knowing the presentation well, Kristofer was losing interest and had let his eyes wander around. He spotted some of the major shareholders of their company. Most of them had met with him personally and had daughters who had been candidates to become his wife.

But he turned them all down, defying his mother's wishes to settle down before he added another year in his age. 

"Kris," Grace Inolan's voice jerked Kristofer out of his thoughts. Her intonation was so deadly serious that the latter had to turn to her.

He found his long-time friend staring at the screen, a troubled expression on her face. Kristofer followed her gaze and immediately felt the color leaving his face.