Daniel Is Engaged?!

The grand company, K, stood tall in the center of the city as people came and went, going about their business of the day.

Amidst the busy environment in K's lobby, a pretty woman dressed in a lilac shirt and gray pants caused heads to turn as she sashayed elegantly into the building with her black court heels.

Though she felt many eyes on her, that didn't make the woman's steps falter as she approached the front desk with a polite smile on her face.

Kess, the receptionist who had also noticed the pretty woman immediately chirped with a smile once she stopped in front of her, "Good morning Miss! Welcome to K. How may I help you?"

"Good morning. I'm Silver Nielson. I'm here to meet with the CEO, Mr. Daniel Kozlov. Is he available?" Silver responded with a smile as she clutched the black micro bag in her hands nervously.

Ever since the auction, the thought of Daniel had been constantly on her mind. She had a strong urge to run after him that night but decided against it as it wouldn't be appropriate to chase after her father's competitor in front of everyone, especially after her dad had lost the land he cherished.

She decided to forego the opportunity to meet Daniel and instead stayed back to comfort her angry father and prevent him from losing face.

However, Silver couldn't help but feel her heart yearning for Daniel with every passing minute since she last saw him.

That's why the first thing she did today was to try and find him. Initially, she thought of going to his house, but she didn't know the address, and since she didn't want anyone to know she was visiting him to avoid rumors from spreading, she decided to come to his office.

And it was quite easy to locate since everyone in CH City knew where K was situated.

Upon taking in the building's ambiance, structure, and affluence, Silver knew that Daniel had not disappointed her.

Silver looked around the opulent lobby with a sense of wonder.

'Daniel has made quite a name for himself,' she thought to herself.

'I wonder if he'll even remember me.'

Just then, the receptionist interrupted her thoughts, "Excuse me, Miss Silver, do you have an appointment?" she asked as she glanced at her computer screen.

"Unfortunately, I don't have an appointment, but I believe Daniel would be happy to see me. We have a long-standing relationship. Could you please inform him that Silver Nielson has arrived?" Silver said, biting her lip nervously.

She had already mentally scolded herself ten times for not considering the possibility that she might not be able to see Daniel upon arrival.

'What do I do now?' she thought. The receptionist glanced up from her computer and assessed Silver from head to toe. Having worked at K for more than two years, she had encountered various individuals who claimed to know Daniel personally but turned out to be false.

However, judging from the woman's clothing and bag, she believed that the woman was telling the truth. She nodded politely and reached for the intercom to call the CEO's secretary's office, much to Silver's relief.

After a few words were exchanged, she dropped the phone and faced Silver with a polite smile on her face.

"I'm sorry Miss Silver but Mr. Daniel is not available, he's away on a business trip." The receptionist said as he answered as professionally as she could.

Silver's breath got caught in her throat when she heard that.

'So did I come all the way here for nothing?!' she thought.

"Oh. Then do you have any idea when he'll be back?" Silver asked not wanting to leave empty-handed.

"Unfortunately, I am not privy to such information about our CEO Miss." The receptionist replied absentmindedly, her eyes trailing the next person who walked into K's lobby.

Silver, who had spent most of her life predicting and manipulating people's emotions, noticed that the person she was talking to had lost interest in their conversation.

So, she decided to end it politely and said, "Alright then. Thank you for your time," as she gave a polite bow and turned on her heels, under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

Silver exited K's lobby, her shoulders drooping slightly. She let out a breath of defeat, causing little strands of her honey-colored hair to lift momentarily before falling back down.

This physical expression was a reflection of her emotional state at the moment. She had experienced a high point in her emotions, soaring deep into the cosmos with her love for Daniel, but she hadn't even had a chance to settle in before she was brought back down to earth, crashing face-first onto the cold, hard ground.

"I just acted on impulse without thinking it through, and went straight to Daniel," she muttered as she placed her cold palm over her face.

Silver let out another sigh and smiled at herself in a self-deprecating manner.

The woman who usually broke the hearts of many eligible bachelors was now standing outside in the chilly morning breeze, waiting to meet a man who had probably forgotten all about her.

"Oh, the irony. Karma, is that you?" Silver whispered to herself again with a chuckle. Then she dropped her hand, raised her head, and proceeded to go hail a taxi. 

She and her family left CH City when she was barely twelve so although she had her car, it had been a while since she came back and it would be troublesome getting the directions mixed up hence the taxi.

Silver had just seen one taxi approaching and reached out her hand to stop it when she heard a familiar voice call out to her. 

"Sil!"

Silver turned around and saw Violet a few steps away from her. Violet was wearing an off-shoulder burgundy blouse, white shorts, and sneakers, and she was waving enthusiastically.

Subconsciously, Silver had the urge to run away.

She still remembered how Violet had ruined her plans of speaking with Daniel that night, and she still held a grudge against her for that. However, being the professional manipulator that she was, instead of showing how she truly felt, Silver smiled sweetly and waved back, waiting for Violet to approach her.

'As always.' Her eyes crinkled with arrogance when she saw the young girl hastening her steps toward her but was quickly concealed by her smile. 

She had never made the first step towards anyone but she would intentionally drop hints from her mannerisms that would make the other party approach her first thus getting what she wants. 

However, she also had to consider the other party's personality as well.

Nevertheless, Silver knew that her way of making people play by her rules had never failed her and worked every time like a charm.

'That was until Daniel appeared.' Silver froze when that thought crossed her mind, her smile turning stiff. 

Only he could make her neglect and abandon all her pride, pretentious acts, and principles and run like an excited puppy toward him. 

 "Sil! How are you? I looked everywhere for you after the auction was over so we could catch up but I couldn't find you! Where did you go?!" Violet, like the walking ball of fire that she was, excitedly pulled Silver into a hug before bombarding her with words.

Silver scrunched her nose cutely, trying to look apologetic, "I'm so sorry Violet. I had to take care of my dad after the auction that night so I forgot that we were meant to meet afterwards." She said but rolled her eyes mentally. 

'What catch up? The conversation we had before the auction began was enough to make up for at least nineteen lifetimes! What more catch-up did she want?!' 

Despite her thoughts that were going haywire, Silver maintained her polite smile throughout the conversation.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Your dad was probably upset that he lost the estate to Daniel right?" Violet worded as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

Silver perceived something was wrong with the way Violet worded her thoughts and frowned but nodded all the same at her question, "Yes, he was quite upset but that is just the way of the business world. You win some, you lose some."

Violet tilted her head to the side, her hair moving to expose her diamond stud earring, "Yeah, but isn't Daniel just awesome?! I mean he competed and won against those experienced wealthy businessmen. Even Dad praised him when we got home and said the respect and honor he will receive after that auction is insurmountable!" She said before releasing a sigh as she looked up at K.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke, almost as if she couldn't contain the love and devotion she felt.

"I simply cannot wait to become his wife," she gushed, her voice brimming with fanaticism.

The intensity of her emotions was palpable, and it was clear that she was completely and utterly in love.

Violet was lost in her world of fantasies and oblivious to her friend's reaction. However, when she spoke, the effect of her words was immediate and profound.

Her friend Silver's face turned pale and her eyes constricted in disbelief as she whispered, "What did you just say?".

Violet turned her attention away from the spectacular K building and looked at Silver with a shy yet affectionate smile, before revealing, "Oh, that. You may not know this yet, as you are new in town, but I am going to be Daniel's wife soon. It was decided about a month ago."

As Violet spoke, her words cascaded out effortlessly, yet they carried the weight of a sudden bolt of lightning that struck Silver where she stood, rendering her motionless and spellbound.

'What?'

'Daniel is engaged?'

'And to Violet?'

'How? When?'