Silver Lining

Chapter 28 - He's back

Clara's POV

Dorris and I decided to leave our current apartment as soon as possible to avoid Luciano at all cost. We packed up and left for our newly rented apartment over the weekend. Knowing that I'm going to be away from danger, away from him, my mind was finally at ease.

When I returned to work on Monday, I was greeted by a pleasant surprise on my desk - a nicely wrapped cotton candy. It broke that worrisome frown I had for days into a heartening smile of relieve. I picked up that candy floss and thought to myself how sweet Rico was to me, perhaps it was a thoughtful act of his to cheer me up from that epic Luciano's incident. I thought I should really thank him over lunch today. So I knocked on the door of Rico's office when it was lunch time.

"Hi, Rico," I said nervously.

Rico looked up at me with his beaming smile after his deep thoughts at work were being interrupted by me, "Hi there, come on in."

"I was just wondering if I could thank you by treating you to lunch today?" I said.

Rico looked over at his watch and said, "I would have overlooked on lunch if not for your reminder. Sure, but let this be my treat instead."

"No no, I owe you too much, let this be my treat please," I pleaded while he stood up and walked up to me wearing his blazer.

His tall figure shadowed me, I looked up and saw him looking intensely at me as he spoke softly to me, "Clara, there's no you and me, there's only us. You don't have to thank me for anything, I'm more than willing to do anything for you."

Those words along with that beautiful face of him set my heart thumping away, but I don't know why deep in me I still felt like running away from him, maybe I just wasn't ready for a new relationship. My mind was blank in that instance, I could only reply him with a simple "Thank you".

After we exited the office building, I asked him, "So what would you like to eat?"

"We could do Vietnamese Pho if you don't mind?" Rico replied.

"You sure?" I giggled upon remembering his struggle with the chopsticks.

Rico snickered and said, "Yea...The chopsticks were really nasty to me, but I do find their noodles nice."

"Alright, let's do the chopsticks then," I continued to giggle.

Luciano's POV

I tried to find Clara at her apartment but I was disappointed to know that she had left without informing the landlord of her new address.

Luckily, I remembered her workplace that she mentioned to me before, so I planned for a surprise by sending cotton candy to her company in the morning. Then I waited at the lobby of her office building as I had wanted to surprise her with my presence by picking her up for lunch, but what greeted me stirred an unfamiliar nasty feel in me.

I watched her beaming in a wide smile with a man. The chemistry they shared gave me an unsettling feel, it was like a kick at my ego for my one-sided assumption that such a chemistry was exclusively ours.

Clara's POV

We had a nice time over lunch, there was something about Rico that gives one a warm comforting feel of security and trust.

"Oh, I also wanted to thank you for the cotton candy that you left on my table this morning too," I said with a smile.

"Cotton Candy? I didn't give you that today," Rico replied with a perplexed look.

That moment struck me with fear, the fear of Luciano coming back to haunt me because no one else knew I like cotton candy other than Dorris and Rico. I didn't want Rico to read too much into it and get worried about me, so I casually brushed it off by rectifying what I said, "Oh I meant on the first day of your work at Smith," I shook my head and laughed to pretend that my memory was failing me. I heaved a sign of relief when Rico didn't probe further.

Before we left the eatery, I felt an urgent need to use the washroom, so I told Rico that I was leaving for the washroom first. However, the washroom was only available on the fifth floor of the building, four levels on top of the eatery. I pressed for the lift and whipped out my phone while waiting for it. It felt like ages for the lift to climb down from one level to another level. When it was finally here, I walked into the lift with my eyes still glued to my phone. I continued to swipe through my phone, and my peripheral vision noticed a masculine man in a suit walked into the lift too. I didn't bother to look up as I wanted to avoid an awkward conversation with a stranger. Very soon, I picked up a familiar cologne scent, it was an alluring masculine scent.... Before I could even connect the dots, a deep velvety whisper by my ear jerked me up, "I hope you like the cotton candy I gave you."

I looked up and to my astonishment, the towering figure that stood in front of me was none other than Luciano! I dropped my phone and yelped at disbelief and fear. I wanted to flee from him but it was too late as I watched the doors of the lift shut on me...

Rico's POV

I thought hard about the cotton candy that Clara mentioned over lunch. It bothers me to know that she was trying to conceal something from me when I told her I wasn't the one who gave it to her. Something felt amiss. Just as I was caught in my thoughts, a yelp came out from the lift. Through the gap between the shutting doors of the lift, I saw Clara stricken in fear as she looked up to the man who stood in front of her. I dashed over to the lift and shouted "Clara!" but it was too late. I thumped my fist on the lift and cursed. Damn it! He must be Luciano, I've to get Clara away from him. I dashed to the stairway and ran up as fast as I could.

Luciano's POV

She continued to look at me with those fear-stricken eyes which I didn't understand why.

"Don't you remember me?" I asked.

"Lu...Luciano...What do you want?!" Clara uttered.

I felt puzzled at her reaction, "What do you mean?" I asked while grabbing her shoulders.

"Get away from me, I hate you!" She tried to shrug her shoulders away from my grip.

I hate you? Those three words of rejection punched a spur of anger and sadness out of me.

When the door to the lift opened, I quickly pressed the button to shut it before Clara tries to escape from me again. I pressed the first level button again to buy myself some more time. I had to hear an explanation from her, I was not done with her.

I pinned her against the wall of the lift and demanded an explanation, "Why?"

"Don't act like you don't know what you did to me!" She snapped back at me fiercely, but I could smell her fear behind that feisty facade.

"And what wrong have I done to deserve this from you?" I breathed out.

She got choked up and yelled at me with her trembling voice, "You got me drunk and took away my virginity, now what more do you want?!"

I felt maligned and defended myself, "What?! I did not rape you, listen, there must have been a misunderstanding here..."

"You can lie for all you want, but the blood stains on the sheets would never lie," She snapped back at me firmly.

Now I understand why she hated me and tried to run away from me. She thought I was a rapist and that whatever moments we shared at Carlos were all fake. I frowned and sighed at how ridiculous this whole misunderstanding got to.

"Blood? Those were actually from..." Before I could even explain further, the lift to the door opened and then Clara started to shout, "Help! He's trying to rob me!"

What?! I couldn't believe my ears. A few man who was waiting outside the lift tried to pin me down after hearing Clara's plead. Luckily I was able to shake them off and I quickly ran out of the building.

I was enraged by Clara's false accusation of me. The rejection of my sincere feelings for her certainly hurt me too. I was adamant to make her succumb to me entirely.

Rico's POV

Damn it! I was a second late again when I reached the fifth level as the doors to the lift shut on me again. I quickly ran down the flight of stairs to the first level. That's when I caught a glimpse of a man running away from a group of man. I quickly turned my attention to Clara, "Clara! Are you okay?"

She didn't respond to me but she was trembling in fear. I pulled her to my embrace and comforted her, "It's okay now..."