Chapter 6
888 Words
The atmosphere inside the lunchroom became strangely quiet after Blossom’s words. Kayla lowered her gaze to the resignation letter still clutched tightly in her hands. Two months.
To Blossom, it probably sounded simple.
But to Kayla…
Two months was dangerous. Because in her previous life, everything had started slowly too.
A meeting.
A conversation.
An accidental encounter.
Then, before she realized it. Roland Qin had completely entered her life. And destroyed it. “Kayla?” Blossom’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “You’re zoning out again.” Kayla quickly forced a small smile. “Sorry.” Blossom sighed dramatically before leaning back in her chair. “You’ve been acting weird since yesterday.”
“Actually, scratch that.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’ve been acting like someone is chasing you.” Kayla’s fingers tightened slightly around the paper. For a brief second… A terrifying image flashed through her mind.
Chains.
Locked doors.
Blood.
“You belong to me.”
Kayla immediately pushed the memory away. “No one is chasing me,” she said quietly. Blossom clearly didn’t believe her. But before she could continue questioning her, the lunchroom door suddenly opened. Both women looked up instantly. One of the employees from management hurried inside. “There you two are,” the woman said quickly. “The department meeting has been canceled.” Kayla secretly relaxed a little.
But then “The CEO requested specific employee files instead.” Blossom blinked in confusion. “Specific employees?” The woman nodded. “Yes. Apparently Mr. Qin personally asked for staff information from several departments.” Then her eyes landed directly on Kayla and Blossom. “You two are included.” The color slowly drained from Kayla’s face. Because in her previous life…
That was exactly how it started too.
Meanwhile…
Inside the car, Roland remained silent. His eyes stayed fixed on the city passing outside the window while fragments of unfamiliar memories continued flashing through his mind.
Blood.
Screaming.
Crying.
And those eyes.
Brown eyes filled with fear.
Tia quietly watched him from beside the window.
This was bad.
Her cousin genuinely looked disturbed.
“Roland,” she said more seriously this time, “maybe you should go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Roland rubbed his temple slowly. The strange memories felt too real to be dreams. And somehow… Every single one involved Kayla. That alone made him restless. His phone suddenly rang. One of his assistants. Roland answered immediately.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Qin, we gathered the employee files you requested.”
Roland stayed silent for a moment. Then calmly replied, “Bring them to my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended shortly after. Tia immediately looked at him suspiciously. “You actually requested their files?” Roland calmly adjusted his cufflinks. “I only want answers.” Tia stared at him for a few seconds before smirking slightly. “Oh?”
“So you are interested in her.”
Roland ignored her completely. But deep down… He couldn’t deny it anymore. Something about Kayla bothered him. And he intended to find out why.
Back inside the company building…
Blossom looked completely confused. “Why would the CEO suddenly ask for our files?” The management employee shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. Orders from above.” Then she handed them both a document. “You also need to attend tomorrow night’s company banquet.” Blossom’s eyes widened instantly. “A banquet?!” The woman nodded. “It’s an annual company event.”
“Attendance is mandatory for selected employees.”
Then she quickly left again. The moment the door closed, Blossom looked excited. “Oh my God.”
“I’ve never attended one of the company banquets before.”
But beside her
Kayla’s expression had gone completely pale. Because she remembered that banquet. Very clearly. In her previous life… That was the night Roland first became obsessed with her.
That evening…
Kayla sat silently on her bed staring at the invitation in her hands. The memory of that night kept replaying inside her head.
The music.
The lights.
Roland’s eyes followed her across the room.
Then afterward…
The flowers.
The gifts.
The constant attention. At first, everyone around her had envied her. They thought she was lucky. No one understood the nightmare hiding underneath it all. A soft knock suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Her mother slowly entered the room carrying fruit. “You’ve been quiet since coming home,” she said gently. Kayla quickly forced a smile. “I’m okay.” Her mother sat beside her on the bed and glanced at the invitation. “A company party?” Kayla lowered her eyes. “I don’t want to go.” Her mother looked surprised. “Then don’t.” Kayla froze slightly. “It’s mandatory.” Her mother sighed softly before gently fixing Kayla’s hair. “You’ve always forced yourself to endure things you hate.” Her voice became softer. “But this time…”
“You should do what makes you happy.”
Kayla’s chest tightened painfully. Because she wanted to run away. Far away from Roland Qin.
But deep down…
A terrifying thought kept lingering inside her mind. What if fate kept pulling them together no matter what she did?
- Writer
