Page 8 of Beautiful Deception
When Dr. Kian introduces himself and his profession, Peter is the first one to question his qualifications and wealth with so much superiority that the room runs through several moments of tongue-tied awkwardness.
“I’m proud of what I do,” Dr. Kian says, his smile still perfect as ever.
Peter scoffs quietly and cuts his steak into chunks, and despite the tension in his body, the knife is surprisingly quiet against the plate.
I’m starting to see why Peter is single if it’s not done voluntarily.
The whole point of this trip is about matchmaking. Junnie already has a secret boyfriend, but she’s not ready to let her parents know yet. She says they’ll put her boyfriend through hell if he’s not up to their standards.
I’ve asked her not to disclose his name in case I’m caught breaking the secret and am asked for it.
Aside from the animosity in the air, lunch goes off without a hitch. Joe does his best to get conversations going, Kimberly and Junnie join in, and Dr. Kian helps a lot with some comments here and there to bring up other points on the topic.
Remo is quiet and watches people with the inconspicuous air of a chameleon. His focus swings persistently between the guests and the household staff, occasionally lingering on Dr. Kian and Peter, and the shift to the next person betrays no thoughts of his.
He excuses himself from the table and leaves the dining hall. I’m not a big fan of small talk, so I also excuse myself to return to my room. Junnie squeezes my hand and whispers that she’ll come to find me later before resuming the conversation with Joe and Kimberly.
A small smile stretches on my lips, feeling glad that Junnie is having fun with new friends.
The villa is easy to navigate, and I’m near the left staircase when the chandelier flickers. Then, a whistle of wind speeds through my ears and strikes the luminous hall with a crescendo endnote.
The windows beside the front entrance are too far away for good light to shine through, but there is enough to see the accumulated snow on the crevices and crystallized patterns on the surface.
My heart, at peace from the homely heat, surrenders to the ashen silk of night.
A blackout.
The smell of wood, blood, and dirt mingles with the chills in the air, paralyzing the coldness from climbing onto my back as I pinch my eyes shut.
Counting up to ten and down to one is what Dr. Kian taught me when I’m in dire need of mental stability. It helps, but the quietest screech of wind shatters the pace after number eight.
My head spins as I intuitively make my way back to the dining hall, where I know there will be people. I turn another corner by memory, my shoulder slamming into a cushion-like wall, and the lights return before I can react.
Remo stands by the wall, unfazed by the incident, and inclines his head in question. I swallow the clotted wariness in my throat, my heart pounding from its rampant pulses as he keeps his hand between my shoulder and the wall’s sharp corner.
“Are you okay?” he asks with such intense gentleness that I momentarily saw Dr. Kian in him.
I nod while I breathe in the subtle yet comforting scent of his cotton shirt. Each breath entices a reassuring ripple of lucidity into my rigid body as he maintains an attentive distance to relieve the earsplitting sirens in my ears.
My lips tremble, no words forming, so I weakly gesture to the hall behind me. I head back to my room without waiting for him. The hall is closing in on me, snatching another layer of security as time goes on, and I muster the last shards of confidence to turn and face Remo, who is silently following me.
“Thank you for before,” I mumble, the words tripping on my shaky voice.
He nods and nudges his head to the side, gesturing for me to go inside my room. “Lock the door.”
I do what he says and turn on the highest level of the nightstand lamp. The door bursts into a halo of liquid gold and dreamy sunsets. I crouch down with my forehead pressing heavily on my forearm like a moth hovering over the flame.
A murmur, too low to distinguish the familiar voices, draws my attention to the doorway. They are, without a doubt, Remo and Dr. Kian.
“Funny seeing you here.”
“On the job.”
Do they know each other?
Chapter Three
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