***Kyle***
I opened my eyes to see that I had been dreaming all the while. I had fallen off my bed after Cindy pushed me in the dream. "This is crazy!" I muttered under my breath as I got off the floor. Everything had been so real, so real that I couldn't hide the excitement of seeing Cindy again, even though I wasn't happy that she had abandoned me.
It was good to see Cindy again and to be so close to her, although the experience was short-lived. I had not been able to function well ever since I met her and I couldn't tell why that was so. Perhaps it was because she was different from anyone I had been with all my life. "I must find you wherever you are, my little witch," I solemnly swore.
There was no letting go of this one. I picked up my phone and called my private investigator for an update. He had not found her yet, but he had a good lead, which gave me a glimmer of hope. I proceeded to the living area, where I had kept my laptop. As I opened it, I read through the email my assistant had sent to me and replied to other pending emails.
I closed my laptop and hit the shower again. I got dressed afterward and called my driver. I wanted to hang out with a few friends, have drinks, and forget all about Cindy. I made a few phone calls, reaching out to my close friends if they were up for drinks. Surprisingly, no one was available. They all had other engagements that occupied them.
How on earth was I going to distract myself? I called Bill, my assistant, and asked if he could come around. He agreed and I couldn't be more grateful. Bill arrived not long after and we downed bottle after bottle. I confided in him and told him my plight. "You must be in love with this lady, Mr. Preston. I've never seen your eyes light up the way they do."
Bill was right. I had grown feelings for a stranger, and I was unapologetic about it. He advised that I continue to look for her, maybe I'd be fortunate enough to find her. That was the validation I needed, one that convinced me that I was on the right track. Not long after, Bill decided to take his leave and I asked my driver to see that he got home safely.
Several days passed by and the memory of Cindy began to wane gradually. KP Fashion Week was around the corner and our senior fashion illustrator had just resigned. I asked my mom to facilitate the employment of a new illustrator immediately. I trusted her expertise when it came to employment issues, so I ensured that this time wasn't going to be any different.
I often enjoyed staying in my penthouse and giving out instructions that promoted the growth of KP Fashion. I preferred sitting on the sidelines while I allowed my mom to be the boss. She enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the role I played. Many times, I would stay away from the company for weeks or even months but still be aware of what goes in or out.
It wasn't long before I was informed that a new fashion illustrator had been employed and would resume in a few days. My mother had made me promise to at least be present as the CEO of KP Fashion, on the day she would resume. I knew saying no to Olivia Baker was like saying no to the president of the country.
After a few days, Bill informed me that the new senior fashion illustrator had resumed. I was pleased. The fashion week will be held as planned or maybe even better because the newly employed staff have come highly recommended. Bill had emailed all of her details to me, but I had been too preoccupied to go through them.
The resumption day of the new fashion illustrator came but for some strange reason, I woke up with the thought of Cindy heavily on my mind. Of all days to think about her, my mind chose today. Why today? I reached out for my phone and dialed my private investigator's number. Maybe he had some good news for me.
I called several times, but he did not take any of my calls. With frustration, I got up from my bed and lazily dragged myself to the living area. I wasn't in the mood to do anything or go anywhere, but I had promised my mom that I would come around.
I was still on the verge of deciding whether to fulfill the promise I had made to my mother when my phone rang. It was the private investigator. "Sir, I found her location, but there is a problem," he said hastily. Cindy had been found just like I had seen in my dream. But what could be the problem?
I silently hoped that the problem wasn't related to Cindy being accused of snatching someone else's boyfriend, just as my dream had revealed. "What problem are you talking about?" I asked anxiously. The private investigator revealed that he had managed to get Cindy's place of work but was told that she had resigned. He tracked down her location, but she was nowhere to be found.
What is going on? "I hope you got her full name?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I did. I'll forward every detail I have of her," he replied. "Okay then, I'll be waiting for it," I said and hung up afterward. Yes! I had made headway at least. Wherever Cindy was, I was determined to do my little research.
The private investigator forwarded every piece of information he had about Cindy to me. "Hello, Cindy Baker, it's so nice to finally meet you," I said to no one in particular as I scrolled through the email. A surge of emotions hit me as I sighted Cindy's photograph. What a beauty to behold! It was as if the more I looked at her picture, the more I fell deeper for her.
Strange as it sounded, I was in love and I could barely hide it anymore. If it meant turning the whole world upside down to look for her, I would. I searched for her social media handle and there it was. I went through her bio and her pictures. I found out that she was a catering chef and also worked as a fashion designer in Beverly Hills. Great!
I created a fake account and reached out to her, telling her that I was hosting an event at The Virginia Robinson Gardens and needed the services of a caterer. The investigator had told me that she had moved out of her house, but surely she was still in Beverly Hills. I waited for a while and saw that the message had been delivered.
Minutes turned into hours and Cindy had not replied yet. Had she discovered that I was operating a fake account? I sat patiently looking at my laptop to see if she would reply. I was growing impatient already. My phone began to ring, and I checked to see that it was my mom calling.
"You're Kyle Preston, the face behind KP Fashion. You would do well to come into the office today, son," she reminded me. How was I going to tell her that I had found a certain girl that has haunted me for weeks now, and that was more important to me than anything? I would have to say no to my mom this time.
"I'm not sure if I will be able to come in today, Mom. I have an urgent matter that I need to take care of," I said to her, hoping that she would not press further. She didn't and I was glad. The call ended shortly, and I checked my laptop again. She had not replied. "Damn woman! Can you reply already?" I cursed under my breath.
I was ready to sit with my laptop all day to make sure that I replied immediately to Cindy's response. Still contemplating my next line of action, Bill's call came in. I had a luncheon in an hour with a few people. I wanted to cancel, but I knew how important the lunch meeting was for the company.
I asked Bill to join me for the meeting because I wasn't sure I would concentrate fully. My attention had been divided lately, and I knew that this time, it would not be any different. My driver soon arrived at the private dining that had been arranged for the meeting, and Bill took notes on what was being discussed.
All through the luncheon, I had many thoughts running through my mind. I wanted to check to see if Cindy had replied, but that would be disrespectful to the gentlemen stakeholders. It seemed like the meeting was getting prolonged, so I made an excuse to use the restroom.
I signaled to Bill to get my laptop as I hurriedly left for the restroom. I checked to see that she had not replied yet. I was disappointed. I checked other social media accounts and was able to get hold of her sister's profile, Alexa Baker. "Good job, Kyle," I commended myself. It was time to get to work. I sent a message to Alexa stating my intention to get the services of her sister.
I could not believe that I could be this desperate. I left to attend the rest of the meeting. It wasn't long before the luncheon came to an end and I thanked everyone for their time. Soon after, I got back to my residence and checked my laptop first thing. Alexa had replied, apologizing for her sister's delay in response.
She stated that Cindy would not be able to cater for my coming event because she wasn't in Beverly Hills anymore or in California as a whole. It all made sense to me. I had been looking for her at the wrong place. I wanted to inquire more about where she had relocated to, but I figured that that would be me selling myself out because it would no longer sound like a business deal.
I thanked her for her time and asked if she could recommend someone in Cindy's stead. I made sure she recommended someone close to them, one that I could get information from, since Alexa might become suspicious if I tried anything odd. She did, and I was beyond grateful.
"It's about time, Cindy," I said to myself. I sent a message to the contact Alexa had given me, but she did not respond. I was not going to lose hope just yet. I left to attend to my emails and go through the notes Bill had jotted. I rounded up not long after and checked my laptop again. I got a message from Alexa's referral.
She was available to offer her catering services and wanted to know the day of the event and location. I was not going to hold any events, so I went straight to tell her that I needed a favor from her. She was down for whatever as long as she got paid. I asked her about Cindy's whereabouts, but she hesitated for a little bit as if she wasn't ready to divulge such information.
She asked that I give her a few minutes to round up what she was doing. I was willing to wait as long as I got what I wanted. After a short while, she asked for the reason I wanted to know where Cindy had relocated to. I opened up to her, although not completely, telling her of the genuine feelings I had grown, and how I would like to pursue what I felt for Cindy.
I couldn't bring myself to tell her about the one-night stand we had had. It was nothing to me, but I knew Cindy wouldn't want to be seen in such a light, no woman would. She felt pity for me and gave me the information I needed.
Cindy had relocated to New York City!