Chapter 71: Chapter 71

SARAH

I really couldn't understand how Lorenzo could act this way when he was the one who chose to continue with Rachel, even though I was initially willing to go against my own sister and be with him. But I had to admit that in the end, moving on would have been complete madness since I realized that my feelings for Lorenzo were just a momentary excitement and that I had already moved on.

"I don't understand why he acted like this when whether I date Enrico or not has nothing to do with him," I pointed out.

"I agree with you on that aspect, but based on the contact I have with them, I can say that Lorenzo and Rachel don't seem like a couple," Hillary revealed.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, curious.

"They don't touch each other, they don't kiss, they don't exchange affectionate looks," she began listing on her fingers. "I would even say that they don't even seem like friends."

"I don't understand what you mean," I said, seeking more information.

"Friends have more camaraderie than Rachel and Lorenzo, that's what I mean," she explained.

"I think I'm starting to understand a bit better now," I said.

"I have to go," Hillary changed the subject. "We have a new investor interested in the racing team, and we need to gather appealing information for him."

She finished her coffee quickly, got up, grabbed her bag, and blew a kiss in my direction, leaving me alone with my thoughts. So, is Lorenzo jealous? Of me? If this is really true, I can only be upset with him for all this indecision. I would never agree to be in the middle of a situation like this.

However, being in a fake relationship with Enrico keeps me immune to Lorenzo's "love" because the fact that I'm dating him prevents him from trying to get close to me again. That way, I wouldn't be tempted to be with someone just because he was declaring his love for me, which was the result of a great need.

However, I really was feeling lonely, and needy, and maybe it was a good idea to go out a bit, maybe even kiss someone and try to get people who didn't treat me well out of my head. I shook my head as if telling myself to forget about it and followed my friend's example, finishing my meal quickly, grabbing my bag, and heading to the nearest subway station.

I had barely taken a few steps outside when I felt my phone ringing, it was a call from Ryan, which excited me. I missed my friend, even though talking to him also made me miss Seattle and reminded me of the person I needed to forget the most: Kael. Before answering, I checked the time, and that indeed left me puzzled.

"Hello, my friend!" I greeted him when I answered the call. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be calling me?"

Although it wasn't even 9 AM in London, Ryan was in Seattle, where it was still midnight on a Sunday, and he didn't usually stay up late on this day.

"I missed you," he said, with a smile in his voice. "Can't I call you when I miss you?"

"You can call me whenever you want, Ryan," I replied sincerely. "I'm just finding it strange that you're still up so late."

"I'd say it's still pretty early for me," he said, surprising me.

"So your habits have changed quite a bit since I left Seattle," I teased.

"In fact, everything's pretty much the same."

He was enigmatic now, and I started to feel a strange anxiety, even though I didn't understand why, I felt that something was off about our conversation.

"I see," I said, and decided to change the subject. "But tell me, are you still seeing Madison?"

"We're dating," Ryan told me, making me extremely happy.

"I can't believe it!" I celebrated. "I need to talk to her urgently and complain that she didn't tell me before."

"What do you think about having lunch together?" he suggested.

"I think you're not feeling well at all, my friend," I said, laughing. "Did you forget that I'm in London now?"

"So are we," Ryan said, leaving me speechless.

Hearing that Ryan and Madison were in London completely surprised me. This fact added another element to the strange anxiety I was feeling during the conversation. I started to wonder if it was a coincidence or if there was something more to it.

"Wait a minute, you're in London too?" I asked, trying to better understand the situation.

"Yes, we're all here," Ryan confirmed.

His confirmation only increased the feeling that something was happening beyond what I knew.

"All of you? You mean you, Madison... and someone else?" I inquired, my voice filled with suspicion.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Ryan replied.

"Well, actually, Kael is here too."

The news hit me like a punch. Kael was in London. The fact that he was so close, after all the effort I had made to try to forget him, left my heart racing. Now the anxiety I felt was completely justified. It wasn't a coincidence. Kael was in London, the same place where I was trying to move on with my life.

We ended the call after scheduling lunch among us, without Kael, of course. As I looked at my phone, I felt a mixture of conflicting emotions. Kael's presence in London was something I didn't expect, something that would force me to confront feelings I was trying to leave behind.

Kael

I spent the entire flight from Seattle to London trying to convince myself that I was only traveling across the ocean to negotiate the multimillion-dollar investment deal with the Italian racing team in person and not to be closer to Sarah.

Of course, all the flight hours weren't enough for me to achieve that feat, and upon arriving at the hotel that Ryan had booked for our stay, I was just a hair's breadth away from going out in search of the woman who had been haunting my thoughts since our first encounter.

"At what time is the meeting scheduled with Cecati's executives?" I asked my insubordinate assistant.

"I've scheduled a business lunch, and after that, a visit to the team headquarters," he said, while checking something on his laptop.

"Then, we still have time," I commented, checking the watch on my wrist.

"Sarah is working," Ryan said, out of the blue.

"I don't remember asking anything about Sarah," I said arrogantly.

As much as I really was thinking of visiting Sarah, Ryan didn't need to know that, and I hated how he always seemed to read my thoughts.

"I called her a few minutes ago. She was on her way to the Nessyscar central office," he informed me. "I've scheduled us to have lunch together."

"And how do you plan to assist me during the meeting if you've scheduled this lunch with her?" I asked irritably.

"It will just be a quick snack, and I'll arrive in time to meet the Cecati executives," he explained.

"And where does your girlfriend fit into this?" I asked, annoyed.

"Madison will accompany me; after all, they are friends."