Smile

The next day , Xavier gently wrapped his arm around Clara's waist and led her to the dining table. But the meal was a very quiet one. The only sound around in the dining hall was that of their cutleries.

After eating, Clara dropped her utensils. Seeing this, Xavier did the same before he used the napkin to clean his lips.

"I am giving you a chance to make a wish. I will fulfill whatever you wish for,of course anything apart from divorce. You should stop thinking of getting one, since I'm not done with you yet. " he said righteously.

Hearing his sudden change of attitude, she was taken aback.

" Don't think I am saying this because I am sorry about what happened that night. I'm not. Whatever happened that night was all your fault and I can't be sorry for that, but you can take it as a birthday wish, " he quickly cleared up whatever misunderstanding that she might have on noticing her reaction.

" Definitely, whatever happened that night can never be undoed , it will forever remain a deep wound in my heart " Clara replied indifferently.

" I just want absolute freedom " she continued, after a short moment of silence. She knew that acting strongly in front of him was of no use, so why not grab this opportunity when he presented it himself.

Xavier was surprised at her sudden change of mind and what even caught him off was her wish. He was expecting her to ask him to stop his revenge on her family, but instead it was this.

He knew that she would be stronger if she received more training. Deep down he was proud of her this time, but he refused to show it.

" Hope you are not planning on going back on your words " she asked when she received no response from him .

" Of course not. You will get what you want , but if your safety gets involved, then don't blame me "

ehh "..... "

Clara was stunned. ' My safety? '. Did he care about my safety ? Didn't he know he was the biggest danger around her?

' No, Clara, he is probably saying this because if you die he will lose his tool for seeking revenge on his little lover. '

Confirming that he was being serious about this, she got up and left the dining room without altering another word. Xavier watched her as she headed upstairs.

She was really becoming fearless.

Who gave her that right to work out on him?

' Of course it's you ' a voice replied to him inside his head.

He never thought that he would treat her like that, but let's say it was my little act of kindness to Davis.

***

It was three months now and Xavier was true to his word, he didn't send people to monitor her secretly. For the first time, Clara was as free as a bird.

During those months, she opened a small shop with the help of Glory, as the symbol of their friendship.

They named it G. friends ,( girlfriend). Because of their theme, most of the customers were mostly female. Every week they change the theme of the shop from the inside to the outside.

Clara knew nothing about business, so it was Glory who was managing everything concerning her little business. Whenever she tries to help , her friend will always refuse, saying " Clara, these hands of yours were never meant for business,why don't you help entertain our customers, over there", pushing her to the piano.

One of those days, Glory came running to the second floor.

" Clara, someone is looking for you in the garage " she said, winking at her friend, but Clara was surprised. She doesn't have a lot of friends, so who could be looking for her?

She followed her friend. Immediately she got to the first floor, most of the male customers all turned to admire her beauty. With the help of her friend, she successfully got out, but when she saw the man in the park, she was dumbfounded.

" What ? You don't know him? You want me to send him away ?" Glory asked when she saw her friend's reaction.

" No, he is my uncle " she replied, shaking her head, when she heard that it was Glory's turn to be angry, although she didn't hear the full story, that she knew that this guy before her was the idiot who made use of her friend just to keep his company.

" Clara, I think you should head in first, there's no need to meet with people like him" she said, trying to drag her back in.

" Thank you for caring about me sister, you are really my best friend forever (BFF). She was truly thankful to her friend," but I need to face my problem alone. If not, my mind won't be at rest "and then she walked towards him.

" Clara " Ryan said. Immediately he saw her familiar figure approaching him, but to his dismay, after all that happened, Clara was abnormally calm in front of him.

" Clara dear, I am deeply sorry about what happened... "

" Long time no see, uncle " Clara said ever calmly, cutting him off gently.

" Clara, I know you are angry with me, but if I hadn't taken that step, our shares would have gone down and once that happened the company would have gone bankrupt ". He was trying to justify his actions, he was more restless, seeing how indifferent the lady before him was , which was the opposite of the pushover he knew before.

" That's all in the past now and if that's all you came to say, I will be leaving first because I am very busy." Clara said with a smile.

" No,no, Clara, please wait" he said, running in front of her , blocking her with his arms opened " I know you are still mad at me and I'm sincerely sorry" . He is indeed sorry, but he had no choice back then.

" Can we find a place to talk "he suggests, looking around them, conscious of their environment? Being caught on camera is something he can't afford right now.

" Like I said before, I am very busy. I don't have any time to spare. Have a wonderful day uncle." that being said, she started walking out on him, but his next statement stopped her.