CHAPTER NINE.

"You'll have to ask my program designers." She said.

"I've got only twenty-five points left, what if there's some kind of emergency like just now."

"You can get points."

"I almost forgot to ask, is my third mission still finding one of the bronze pieces?"

"No, your third mission is to quench the firebrand."

"Huh, what does that even mean?"

"Fifty points."

"No thank you, God didn't give me a brain for nothing."

NIKKI'S POV.

"Excuse me, are you looking for someone?" The receptionist asked.

"Just a sec." I said as I ransacked my hand bag for the business card.

"Here." I said giving it to him.

"Do you have an appointment?" He asked.

"Yes, at 7."

"You're?"

"Nikki Tanner."

"Just a minute, I'll inform his office."

"Kay."

He punched some numbers on the telephone and then put the phone on his ear.

He dropped the phone and then said "Miss Nikki, his office is the fourth on third floor."

I excused myself and walked towards the elevator.

****

"Nikki, the agency is so competitive, you've got to give your best shot since you've decided to join this agency."

"I won't let you down Mr Luke."

"I know you won't, you have raw talent."

"Thank you Mr Luke."

"My assistant will send you the details for the shoot before the company does."

"Okay."

"You should know that most models have being fighting for this shoot, so you'll face lots of trouble.

Anything you need, you could just ask."

"Okay sir."

"I'll be going now." Mr Luke said as he hastened his footsteps.

I sighed and was about to walk out of the building when a girl stood at my front blocking my way.

She had dark skin, long black hair and eyes and she was wearing a silver suede gown and sunglasses.

"How may I help you?" I asked.

She laughed out and then said "I heard that the company gave my shoot to someone else, I can't believe it's just a teenager."

I ignored her and wanted to walk away, but she pulled me back.

"Don't think you can humiliate me and go scot-free."

TORY'S POV.

I walked into the building feeling exhausted.

The bags were so heavy.

I walked to the corner of the reception and dropped the bags.

"Why do you look so pale? You haven't even finished your third delivery."

"You won't understand." I said as I started walking towards the receptionist.

"That's fallacious."

"Huh!"

"You can't determine something unless you try it."

"Whatever."

I removed my headphone and walked up to the receptionist and pointed the delivery record to her.

"These are the deliveries ordered in this company, please inform the employees that ordered to come collect it and sign."

"Okay." She said as she started punching numbers on the telephone.

"How did I humiliate you?" I heard someone say.

I turned to the direction of the voice and saw the girl that looks just like me talking to…

"Gina?"

I said utterly surprised.

I forgot, Gina is a model.

Gina raised her hand intending to slap the girl.

I immediately walked forward.

"I didn't expect that the role model aunt Linda proposed to me to act so rude."

Gina turned to me.

"Tory, what are you doing here?" Gina asked.

NIKKI'S POV.

She still answers that name, could it be she didn't forgot but just doesn't want anything to do with me?

"Can't I be here?" Tory asked the lady who I discovered was Gina.

"Are you stalking me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"…"

"Save your breath. But you really need to learn manners, no one's your slave so respect every being, regardless of their status."

"Mind your business."

"Sure."

After Tory said that, she walked to me, held my hand and started walking away.

"What are you doing?" Gina asked as she pulled me.

Tory turned to her, removed her hand from mine.

"Minding my business, my twin is tired and need rest."

Hearing her call me her twin was so nice.

"Your twin?" Gina asked confused.

"Isn't it obvious? Or are you that blind? Could it be you can't see well with those glasses?" Tory said.

I chuckled.

"Tory, how dare you insult me?" Gina said angrily.

"I didn't." Tory said as she pulled me and started walking to the other edge of the reception.

"Thank you for helping me." I said immediately as we reached the edge.

"It's okay besides I'll help everyone."

"That hurts."

She turned to me looking confused.

"What hurts?"

"What you said." I said blinking my eyes twice.

"But that's exactly what I'll do if it were someone else."

I took her hand.

"You're still mad at me right?"

"What did you do that will make me mad at you?"

"You are obviously still answering your birth name, how can you not remember our family."

"Miss, I really don't remember you or the family you mentioned, how can I be angry at you when I'm so unfamiliar with you."

"Even if you don't remember, the necklace and our resemblance could tell that we're definitely related."

"You know, last time, I was so rude to you and that other guy.

I should have made myself clearer enough."

"What is it?" I asked feeling that my heart will just stop if she speaks.

"I'm a very simple person and I decided not to change myself even if I get hurt for my simplicity.

I cherish past relationships but just because we had a past relationships doesn't mean you can easily come back to my life."

"What are you trying to insinuate?"

"My family has taken good care of me and I love them. Did you really think that if I knew we were family, I will just follow you back home?"

"Kinda."

"That's not how the world work, when you showed up and I saw we looked exactly the same, I was quite surprised.

I would normally be happy that someone who looks exactly like me with dimples showed up in front of me.

But you became all emotional and I really don't know how to respond emotionally to someone I'm not familiar with.

So I just did what I could do, get away from there."

"Is that why you didn't stay behind to talk then?"

"Hmm, even if I had something to do, it could wait."

"Then I apologize for scaring…"

"The employees who ordered are here, aren't you going to attend to them." A female voice said.

"I'm so sorry." Tory said as she picked up the delivery bags and went to them.

She was attending to them for a while.

When she was done, she sighed and turned to me.

"I should be going now."

"What, we aren't done chatting."

"I could only chat with you because the employees were delaying, now that I've delivered the take outs, I need to start going to deliver the rest."

After she said that, she started leaving.

I leaned forward, took her hand and pulled her closer.

"Can you leave your contact info?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I believe that we would be so close when we get to know each other, so if our friendship is meant to be, we'll definitely meet again."

With that she gently pushed my hand away and left for the exit.

Seriously.

TORY'S POV.

I walked out the building.

Went to the bike, entered and then set it's route to my next destination.

I put my headphone on as the bike started moving.

"Why don't I have any memory of that girl?"

"The memories you're supposed to remember has being showed to you through the video.

So if you didn't see it in the memory bank, that means you either lost that memory or are too young to remember." Star replied.

"Oh!"

JAYDEN'S POV.

"I'm already there." I said to the phone.

"You're 30 minutes earlier." Noah said.

"I went to a restaurant around this area with a colleague, I just came here after our meal."

"Okay, I'm coming soon."

"Kay." I said then hung up.

I used the key card to open the door then entered the room.

GLORIA'S POV.

"You just had to go shopping." I nagged Nicole.

"You don't have to remind me constantly about it."

"You're right."

"Thank you."

"But now, we're stuck in a traffic jam, we would have to go home, dress up, pass this same road back to the hotel."

"I thought you agreed to stop nagging."

"I did, but I couldn't control myself, it just felt really good reminding you about what you did wrong."

"You…"

"It's okay, I won't nag again."

NOAH'S POV.

I walked out of the apartment building and was heading towards the carpark to collect my car.

Then I saw Nikki entering the building.

"Nikki."

She turned and immediately she saw me, her face brightened up and she ran towards me.

"Noah, you're going out?"

"Yes."

"Why don't I follow you."

"Of course you can…"

I suddenly remembered I'm going to still discuss about Tory with Jayden.

"Of course not." I said trying to match this sentence with the first.

"Why?" She angrily said.

"I'm going to discuss business, you being there would be a distraction for me."

"So you're saying I'm a distraction."