Red Witch!

Sophie's eyes were sharp and beautiful but also deep and dark, hiding many secrets.

Under that penetrating gaze that seemed to strip her layer by layer and peer into her very heart, Davina couldn't help feeling pressured and looked away first, causing her to not see the irritation that rippled through those blue, ocean-like eyes.

Completely missing the silent interaction between the two women, Isabel grinned as she stood up and dusted the non-existent dirt from her jeans.

"Sophie! You missed breakfast."

For Isabel, even though they were in the same circle of friends, Sophie had always been in a sort of grey area within that circle for her; they weren't on the ground of pretenses with each other, but they also weren't close and sometimes the other woman even felt distant, almost as if they weren't acquainted and that attitude was maintained even in the days of Sunshine's downfall.

After knowing her for twenty years, counting the past life, Isabel still couldn't figure Sophie out and although she would like to get a better understanding of this friend in this life, she wouldn't insist on pushing things if Sophie didn't want to reach out to her.

In response to Isabel's enthusiastic greeting, Sophie glanced over coolly and although a single ripple of emotion couldn't be found in those eyes, a heart stopping smile bloomed on those rose petal-like, bewitching red lips.

"Isabel, how are you? I heard that you received quite a shock and fell over."

To anyone who didn't know Sophie, it would seem as though the woman was trying to pick a fight with those words and expression, but the people in the room knew that was just the way Sophie was, blunt and embarrassingly straightforward.

It was because of this uncanny contrast of stunning beauty and edgy personality that the employees of Sunshine nicknamed her the 'Red Witch'. While she could steal you soul at a glance, true destruction happened once she opened her mouth.

Isabel only smiled when she heard Sophie's reply, it was Ivan who retorted, obviously still peeved about the earlier situation.

"She's fine, believe me."

Seeing Ivan all huffy, Isabel's expression instantly became one of pitiful remorse, as though she had been bullied. She could put puppies out of business with those big, limpid eyes.

"Vanya~" the whining tone was sickly sweet and coquettish that it made Ivan's ears red just from hearing it close to him.

"I'm sorry, okay. We didn't think that you would mind being teased that much."

For the second time that morning, Ivan found himself being consumed by guilt as he was faced with Isabel's infinitely remorseful look that made it seem like she would burst into tears at any moment, more aggrieved than he was about what had happened earlier.

"I- I know that I can be childish, and I'm sorry. But I really didn't mean to make you angry."

Seeing Isabel lower her head and twiddle her thumbs like a child who had been scolded while speaking in a small voice, Ivan's heart couldn't help but soften. How could he possibly stay angry when she looked as though her world would shatter if her were to say no.

Pursing his lips slightly to the side, Ivan casted his own eyes to the ground as he mumbled.

"I never said that I was angry."

Isabel rubbed her nose that had turned slightly red as she glanced up from under her hair to look at him.

"Really? You seemed pretty mad."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

Ivan's cheeks flared as he couldn't take it anymore and he suddenly shouted.

"I said that I wasn't mad at you, alright! So stop asking unless you really want me to get angry."

He was already having a hard time saying it just once; did she need to ask so much?

Ivan didn't see the cheeky light that flashed in Isabel's eyes before she suddenly broke into a wide grin. The tears instantly vanished from her eyes as if her earlier depressed look had only been an illusion.

"Alright, great! You said it yourself. Hehe~"

It didn't take long for Ivan to realize that he had been tricked and his red face became even redder.

"You... dirty pretender!"

"Ah, ah! Vanya~ you just promised that you weren't angry."

Isabel giggled as she stepped forward to loop her arms around Ivan's neck from behind, her high heels giving her an advantage in height.

"No takey-bakey. Fufu~"

Towards Isabel's shamelessness, Ivan was speechless but he felt even more helpless, because although she had just played him for a fool for the second time that morning, he really couldn't bring himself to be angry at her.

Being in Sunshine for the last five years, he had witnessed how his co-workers- seniors and juniors- all bent to Isabel's every want and whim, allowing her to run rampant inside the company and he had thought of them as foolish for allowing her to just walk all over them like that; but now he simply wondered, was this the way they all felt?

It actually wasn't such a bad feeling. A feeling that even if she were to do the most infuriating thing, as long as she would direct that sly eyed, red lipped, dimpled smile that reeked of mischief at you once it was all over and cling onto you like a spoiled child demanding attention, then 'isn't it fine to just let her do what she wants'? It wasn't like anyone was hurt.

It was that kind of unreasonable sentiment.

"Vanya~ Vanya~"

"Shut up, brat... and get off of me."

Although he said that and pushed at her face, there was zero effort to really remove the person clinging to him.

Feeling that Ivan's defensiveness and reluctance towards her was waning, Isabel didn't remain idle and pushed forward even more in her conquest, giggling childishly and poking his red cheek as she continued to pester 'Vanya~ Vanya~' while hanging off his neck.

Observing this scene from the side, Sophie's eyes steeled in coldness and she whipped back to glare at Davina.

"You told her?"

Davin couldn't but shudder at the chill that rushed up her spine and she retreated out of reflex.

"I..."

"Isabel found out about me and Ivan on her own." Mason butted into the conversation before Davina could say more. "Don't blame people at your own convenience."

Sophie glanced over to see Mason giving her a look full of righteous reproach and her smile became even more bewitching as the cold in her eyes intensified. She laughed mockingly, turning back to Davina.

"I see that you definitely told him."

The mockery and ridicule in Sophie's tone pierced Davina's chest, causing her to flinch as if she had been hit physically. Her lower lip trembled as tears sprung up in her eyes.

"What's going on?"

By now, it would be impossible for Isabel not to realize that something was happening between the other three people in the room. The temperature had dropped significantly from Mason and Sophie's face off and the air was stifling.

Mason's father died from illness when he was very young and his mother who had originally worked as a broker for the entertainment agency under Reign started up her own company using her previous connections to support herself and her then five year old son, hoping to leave a legacy for him to inherit.

It wasn't even five years after the company was founded and started running smoothly that Mrs. Brown passed away from overwork, leaving the company to be run by her brother and her eleven year old son to the Williams family next door.

Sophie and Mason grew up together in the same house, they were more brother and sister than Isabel could ever hope to be and they were also very similar in personality, so it wasn't rare to see these two headstrong people face off when their opinions differed, however, a cold war like this was rare... rare and frightening.

Davina looked over at Sophie with her wet eyes and disappointment flashed on the surface. She closed her eyes and laughed depreciatingly.

"Nothing's happening, Izzy." She looked at the beautiful red haired woman and her lips curved into a mirthless smile. "Nothing at all."

Anger suddenly flashed in Sophie's blue-green eyes and she stalked several steps forward, her expression growing feral.

"You—!"

"If we wait any longer Izzy, we'll be late for the ceremony." As though she didn't even see her, Davina swept by Sophie and headed for the elevator behind her. "Come on Ivan."

"O- okay." Isabel was confused by this sudden turn of events but still obediently grabbed her purse form the nearby couch and followed Ivan and Davina into the lift. Standing behind her best friend, Isabel glanced at the top of the other woman's short crop hairstyle.

Did something like this happen in the last life? Did Sophie and Davina have some kind of disagreement between them? She couldn't remember.

As the doors were about to slide shut, Davina lifted her eyes to face Sophie and with her shoulders squared and hands buried in her pockets in a confident stance she shot one last line that made Sophie pale with rage.

"I'm not as cheap as you think."

Those words were like a clap of thunder in Isabel's mind and a certain speculation began to haunt her like a devil, but it wasn't until some minutes later, after much pondering when the lift stopped at the garage and the doors opened that in wide eyed incredulity she blurted out her conclusion.

"Davi, are you and Sophie dating?"

Davina suddenly whipped around with so much force that she almost got whiplash to stare at Isabel, her mouth opening and closing, flapping like a fish.

"Well?" Isabel probed when she hadn't spoken a word even after a long time.

"W- why would you ask that?"

Isabel cocked an eyebrow.

"Aren't you gay?"

"You knew?!" Davina squeaked as her eyes grew as round as saucers, looking quite comical.

"Of course I knew! Davina, we've been friends for ten years, how could I not know?"

In the past she'd had a pit in her brain so she didn't realize, but after coming to know, she realized that there had been so many signs over the years to indicate that her best friend had a preference for the same sex, it was really embarrassing.

"Don't tell me that you were actually still planning on trying to hide from me even after I just dragged Sonny and Ivan out of the closet this morning."

Seeing Davina lower her head and twiddle her thumbs in a sheepish manner, Isabel's expression grew dark.

This damned chapstick![1] She was really planning on keeping hidden!

"You--!"

Just as Isabel wanted to flare up and give Davina a piece of her mind, her cellphone rang; it was Kim's assigned ring tone; it was rare for Kim to call her.

Putting aside her anger, Isabel dove into her bag to fish out the phone and picked up the call.

"Hey Kim--" As she stepped out of the elevator, Isabel suddenly turned back to glare at Davina. "This isn't over! Talk to me Kim..."

Davina gave a weak, awkward laugh and rubbed her nose sheepishly as she followed out but suddenly stopped when Isabel halted and screeched.

"What?!!"

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?" Isabel didn't reply to Davina who came up to grip her shoulder and continued to speak into the phone.

"Is he hurt?... Okay, we're coming."

"Izzy, what happened?"

Isabel hung up the call then looked at Davina who was watching her with concern. Her face was pale and her gold eyes were wide and wild with panic, worry and fear.

"Kel— Kelvin's in the hospital!"