Chapter 19: Chapter 19

The day of Abigail’s fashion show finally arrived. Grayson and Kendall hurriedly prepared themselves to leave the house to witness this important day. As they were taking strides outside towards the garage, Kendall moved closer to him and held his arm when she unexpectedly realized something. Grayson gave him a confused look while she returned it with a serious one.

“Grayson, I suddenly am having second thoughts about this.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I feel like something unwanted is going to happen to you…”

His pupils shook a bit, showing a gradual nervousness building up in him. Somehow, he took the courage to continue the topic and stare at the woman as he spoke, “W-Why? What do you think will happen?”

“I-I think there’s a big scene that will start...”

His nervousness increased as he took a deep breath to try to swallow what his acquaintance meant. “What scene? W-what are you talking about?”

“Grayson,” she continued and looked him directly in the eyes. “I think Abigail and Cady will clash tonight so you need to get ready for it.”

For a while, Grayson was unable to speak, trying to comprehend Kendall’s thoughts. She, however, couldn't read his expression properly. He looked like he was in the middle of wanting to laugh or shout.

Grinning, he removed her hand from his arm and sighed. “Seriously, Hailey, can you control your stupidity from time to time? You’re not supposed to do it always.” He gave out a quick laugh. “I didn’t plan to die out of a heart attack just because of a nonsense thought!”

He put his hands in his pant pockets and continued to walk past the woman.

She chased him and protested, “What nonsense? Don’t underestimate my instinct. The possibility of my guesses coming true is as high as my hit score in the shooting range, so we must first plan how you, Mr. Grayson Hoffman, will deal with it once it happens. The only way to be prepared for the unexpected is to expect them.”

“Let’s not talk about that, Hailey! That’s not going to happen, okay?” Annoyed, he threw the car key at her.

As they navigated through the road, Kendall reopened the topic, “What if it happens? What are you going to do?”

“It’s none of your concern. Just drive so we won’t be late.”

For several minutes, the woman kept her focus on the road and remained silent, until she spoke again, “But really, Grayson. What if Abigail and Cady starts a fight? What if they do it in front of you? Which side will you be on?”

Grayson threw her a sharp look and hissed, “Are you still gonna push this? You’re not planning to stop or what?”

She was about to say something but immediately closed her mouth instead. Smiling, she gave him a glance until she blurted out her thoughts again, “But, Grayson, when that happens, make sure you choose Abigail, okay? Because Cady is someone who would stick by you and remain no matter what. But Abigail... you know her. She’s patient. But once she’s had enough, she will definitely turn her back and not give you another chance once you make her realize who you’re choosing. She’ll certainly realize that you favor your ex more than her.”

“Hailey!”

“Just an advice,” she said, shrugging.

They arrived at the venue on time, but the place was already crowded. Fortunately, the show was yet to start. The stage curtain was still down and all the lights in the audience area were still on. They positioned themselves in the second row from the stage, sitting beside each other.

"Is this your first time watching a fashion show?" Grayson asked.

Kendall nodded.

“No wonder.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have a great fashion sense,” he spat, still with a serious expression.

“I think fashion is objective. For men like you, who are after the too-feminine types, you will really say the way I dress is ugly. But for men who like the more strong, boyish ones, I don’t look bad, do I?”

The man scanned her from head to toe. She wore her usual attire: a black jacket, white body-fit shirt, black tights, and black leather boots. He was actually surprised to see her pair it with simple accessories such as a small pile of silver earrings on one ear while three contiguous small ones on the other. She would also tend to wear layered wristbands sometimes.

He couldn’t deny it. Kendall looked good.

An aura of sexy boyish with a hit of femininity on the side was eye-catching.

Chester was right. There were times Kendall looked so cool. Maybe such styles are just not his type. He was more attracted to women in dresses and moves in a seductive feminine manner.

“I don’t see anything attractive on what you’re wearing,” he said directly.

“I don’t care,” she replied obliquely and shrugged.

Turning her head the other way, Kendall was suddenly stunned by what her sight hit. Cady was coming, her arm slithered around what seemed to be…

‘Inspector Green!’ Kendall’s eyes widened in surprise.

They were walking, and the woman was visibly flirty. They got closer towards their direction and stopped opposite their seats. She stared and watched the two talk with each other. She also felt Grayson become silent while looking seriously at the newcomers.

Before sitting down, Cady accidentally looked at them. No greeting took place as she just threw a glance at Grayson, who at that time was still silent and observing them.

They were still not noticed by Noah. He went directly to sit without looking around. Kendall raised her hand, about to call Noah's attention, but Grayson restrained her.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a whisper.

“Greeting a friend,” she explained.

She gave him an assuring look and turned back to Noah, tapping him lightly on his shoulder. Turning, the man was surprised to see her.

“Hi, Noah!” she greeted first.

Immediately getting the meaning of Kendall’s casual call, Noah looked at her companion and was met by Grayson Hoffman’s serious face. He turned his eyes back to Kendall and smiled briskly.

“Hailey!” he greeted back in a confident tone. “Nice to see you here. I didn’t expect we’d meet again soon, obviously not in this place. What are you doing here? I didn’t know you’re into fashion these days.”

Cady, who has been watching them since they talked, had a questioning expression painted on her face.

“I just went with my friend. We were invited,” Kendall gestured to the man sitting next to her.

“I see.” Though still wanting to continue the conversation, Noah broke off from any further words when he noticed that Grayson was throwing him an uneasy look. He then smiled at Kendall and ended their small talk, “Okay, Hailey, ‘talk to you later. I’m really glad to see you here.”

“Me too. Alright! Later, then,” she nodded, smiling sweetly.

When Noah went back to converse with Cady, Grayson immediately turned his head to Kendall. “Who is that guy?” He asked in a tone almost like a snap.

“Noah.”

“Noah? Noah, the one who keeps on calling you?”

“Yes.”

“Noah, the guy who gave you a ride to the bar before?”

“Yes.”

Grayson was silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Well, he’s not bad. I mean, I didn’t expect him to be that good-looking. What confuses me is that, why is he with Cady?”

“I don’t know, either.” She shook her head. “Let’s think about that later, the show is starting.”

The audience’s light went out. The huge thick curtains were opened and various lights shone all over the stage. Lively music began to play as a cue of the show commencing. One after the other, models came out wearing designer clothes to excite the audience. When Abigail came out, Kendall applauded loudly.

“Wow! Abigail is stunning!” she raised her voice on purpose to make the former hear her compliment.

However, Grayson’s eyes were focused on everything but on the stage. He was watching Noah, who had his eyes on Kendall. He would smile every time the woman clapped happily.

“Grayson, come on. Join me in cheering for your girlfriend. Are you even watching her?” Kendall commented while elbowing the man.

Realizing that he had been throwing Noah a death stare, he immediately pretended to be happily clapping for his girlfriend, who then was conquering the catwalk.

Abigail first came out wearing a blue fancy gown, followed by an anime-style dress. She also wore a modernized national costume suit, walking like she owned the runway. When she came out in swimwear, Kendall was left speechless with admiration.

“Seriously, Grayson. Abigail doesn’t seem human. Look at her, she looks like a living mannequin! She’s beautiful from all angles. How could you still be confused about things if you have such a striking girlfriend?!”

Unintentionally, Kendall’s voice came out louder than she expected, catching Cady’s attention. The latter suddenly turned to them in a side glance, so Grayson secretly kicked the former hard.

“S-sorry,” she whispered, and they just continued to watch and enjoy the show.

The show ended in a blast as all the models came out with the best designs in comparison to the earlier clothes. The audience gave loud applause until the curtains closed again.

...

It had been thirty minutes since the end of the fashion show, but Grayson and Kendall remained in their seats, not leaving the venue yet. They watched almost all the spectators leave the area. Kendall understood that Grayson wanted to avoid the crowd when they exited, so she remained and waited for the people to disperse, including Noah and Cady.

After a while, she spoke in an impatient tone, “Grayson, aren’t we going out yet? There is no more crowd at the door, and few people are just left here.”

“Why? Are you excited to meet Noah outside?”

“What are you talking about?” surprised, she frowned at him. “Okay. If you don’t want to go out, then let’s stay here! Are you challenging me? Let's not move at all, then.” Kendall leaned back against the chair, rested her feet on the front seat, and closed her eyes.

“Fine, you can go out now!” he raised a finger. “But wait for me at the entrance, I’ll just go backstage for Abigail. Don’t you dare wander around!”

“Do you hear yourself? Me? Wandering around?” she scoffed as she stood. “You’re the one who shouldn’t. Make sure it’s only Abigail you’re checking on and not anyone else.”

She didn’t wait for his reply. She hurried out, hoping that her work colleague hadn’t left yet. Grayson’s guess earlier that she was worried she wouldn’t be able to talk to Noah was true. She wanted to talk to him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kendall spotted the inspector standing alone under a tree opposite the theater. He might have felt that someone was watching him as he immediately turned to her, smiled, and waved. Or maybe he was waiting for her; who knows?

Kendall dismissed the thought and smiled as she approached him, jokingly acknowledging him with a salute.

“Psh! Someone might see you,” the young man uttered between his laughs.

Smiling, she put down her hand. “How are you, Inspector? I miss the headquarters already. I hope I can come back soon. Is there anything I missed, any news?” she said bluntly.

“There’s no new information that came, not anything you didn’t know yet. We miss you in the office too! It’s sad when a naughty and stubborn colleague is gone for a while,” Noah jested and then looked at her from head to toe. “You, Inspector Whitlock, how are you? You look better. You seem to be enjoying this mission.”

“I guess it’s because I feel like a teenager again,” she replied, laughing. “How’s Chief? Can he still remember me? I haven’t been called much lately.”

“Tsk, his forehead’s frowning most times,” he answered. “You’re the only one who can lift up the mood there.”

“Why? Weren't there any blood-thrilling operations lately?”

Shrugging, he enumerated what he could recall, “The usual cases still. Drugs, clubs, prostitution... Not that I was hoping for more serious cases, but you know what I mean. Oh, by the way, we’re boiling some raid plans. I might join the operation soon.”

Kendall’s eyes widened after hearing Noah. “Really? I hope we would be together in that assignment soon once I get back. I’d like to see how much you have improved in combat.”

Laughing, the young man dismissed her, “You want to see? Then come visit us in the shooting range sometime. I want to check if I can already beat the team’s famous sharpshooter Inspector Kendall Whitlock.” He smirked and threw her a challenging look.

The woman smiled wistfully, looked down, and kicked a small rock that was resting below her. “If I can, then why not? You know how much I miss doing that thing too, but I can’t really find time these days. Not now, I can’t leave Grayson. I need to keep my eyes on him all the time, he shouldn’t be anywhere without me. Else, anything could happen and this mission is ruined.”

"Are you getting along with that kid already?"

Nodding, she replied, “It’s safe to say that it’s gotten better, at least a little bit. But I still get anxious sometimes.”

Just then, Kendall spotted Cady standing not far from where they were positioned. She was occupied with chatting with her friends. Kendall noticed her stealing a look at them for a moment, then immediately returning her attention to her companions.

“Inspector, I’ve been curious about this... Why are you with Cady? Are you two seeing each other? Is she your girlfriend?” Realizing something, Kendall then gazed at the man beside him. “She might observe me more, especially now that she’s seen us together!” She uttered in a low, troubled voice.

Noah laughed out loud. “Girlfriend? Do you seriously think I will date a kid? For God’s sake, no! She’s my younger sister.”

Stunned, Kendall looked at him in disbelief. “Y-you two are siblings?!”

The young man nodded with a smile. “Yes. Why?”

“But you’re aware that she was Grayson’s ex-girlfriend?”

As if the information was not new to him, Noah nodded again. “Yes, I know.”

A bewildered expression was apparent on the woman’s face as she tried to understand the situation. “Wait... wait. I’m confused. Aren’t we going to be screwed up because of that? I mean, if you think about it, Cady might find out that I’m a cop. And she might see this as an opportunity. She might tell Grayson.” Again, in a troubled tone, she voiced out, “Do you know Grayson personally? Does he know you?”

“Relax, Inspector. Don’t panic, no one’s going to be reprimanded. We’re professionals here, remember?” Noah tried to calm her and just laughed it off to lighten her mood.

“But how? Cady knows you’re a cop. Once she finds out I’m working with you, she could go her way and let Grayson know about it.”

“How will she find out we’re working together? If someone’s going to tell her, it’s definitely not me. Unless it would be you. And besides, she wouldn’t tell Grayson about my job. She likes him so much that she wouldn’t risk letting him know that her brother was in the police force.”

“You also know that Cady loves Grayson until now?”

Noah sighed before answering, “Yeah. I know how persistent she is just to win that guy back. She might also be jealous of you and Grayson being together most time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she was mean to you. You might not believe this, but my sister is an extremely sweet girl. She usually comes to me and confides in a lot of her personal issues. Sometimes, I don’t put much attention to those kinds of stuff. I’ve even heard her complain about you always following Grayson,” he laughed as he recalled that moment.

Kendall was silent for some time as she thought deeply about the situation.

“What are you thinking about, Inspector? I told you, there’s nothing to worry about. Our mission will not be jeopardized simply because of this thing,” he assured her with a smile.

Raising an eyebrow, Kendall touched her chin. “I’m just thinking. Then this means I can’t totally and openly take Abigail’s side anymore, now that I learned that Cady is your sister.”

Noah laughed out loud again after hearing her words. “Am I hearing things correctly? When have you become interested in interfering with some people’s love life, Inspector Whitlock?”

Realizing what she just said, the woman laughed at herself as well. “I don’t know. These last few days, I just find myself invested in interfering with the women in Grayson’s life. I guess I’m so bored that I even engrossed myself with these things for fun.”

At the corner of her eyes, she noticed Cady looking in their direction again. The latter smiled and waved at Noah, who also gave the same gesture back.

“Wait, did you just say Cady will never tell Grayson that she has a police brother? Is it embarrassing to be a police officer?” Kendall asked.

Shaking his head, Noah looked at her with a serious expression. “Grayson doesn’t trust the police. He blames the forces for his father’s death, which happened during a robbery in a bank. There was a shootout at that time and his father was accidentally shot. According to the investigations, the locust that hit him came from the gun of one of our responding officers. Since then, Grayson has grown enraged and does not trust the police force anymore. When Cady became aware of it, she decided to hide my job until she gets Grayson’s trust again.”

Kendall was temporarily unable to speak. Feeling a pang of pain in her chest, she was suddenly dejected with the thought that Grayson learning about her real job someday, might cause him to hate her too. Especially once her mission was over and she needed to break her pretense. Everything about her would be revealed in front of his eyes, including the lies that she had been keeping and living in for a while.

"Is there something wrong Inspector?" Noah commented when he noticed her lethargy.

“The thought of us willing to die even for people who hate us and our work is both heroic and depressing,” she uttered with a stingy smile.

"Well, that's what we signed up for," the man replied directly.

Breathing deeply, Kendall shook her mind to remove the thought. She didn’t want to affect her good relationship with Grayson now. It was true that one day, he’d be able to find out the truth. But for now, Kendall just wanted to treasure what they have. She would just assume that she hadn’t heard anything.

When the time comes when she needed to reveal her real identity, then that’s when she'd swim in her gloom.

“The information that you got about Grayson, did Cady provide it, Inspector?” she somehow wanted to shift their topic in a different direction.

“Nope. Cady doesn’t even know him that much; they were only together for a short period of time. The information that we have, I researched on my own. Do you have doubts in me, Inspector Whitlock? Do you think I will use my sister for my job to get classified information?” the young man teased.

“It’s not like that,” she said defensively. “I’m sorry, I’m just probably surprised by what I found out today. I know how good you are in this job.” Her voice was in a sheepish tone out of embarrassment.

“Oops. There goes your friend,” Noah gestured at the entrance of the theater.

She followed the direction of her colleague’s sight and saw Grayson leaving the venue alone.

Stepping outside the door, Grayson scanned the area, looking for Kendall. His guess was right, she was with Noah again, and the two seemed like they were enjoying each other’s company. Grayson’s ears immediately warmed, his jaws clenching. Stepping forward to approach the two, he was stopped midway by a hand holding his arm. He turned to look at whoever it might be and was frozen on his spot. It was Cady again.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the statement sounded more like a threat than an inquiry.

“I’m going to Hailey. Do you mind?”

“Don’t disturb them,” the woman commanded sternly.

Grayson scoffed at her, letting out the fakest laugh he could have. “Look at you bringing a date with you just to let him interact with another woman.”

“Why? Are you jealous? Because you sound like it.”

“And what makes you think Hailey talking with that guy makes me jealous?” he replied with confidence.

“I didn’t say because of Hailey, though. I meant that you were jealous because I came with a date.”

Stunned, Grayson just realized what he said. Why did Hailey suddenly enter his mind? Why did he end up blurting her name?

Unable to find answers to those questions, he just muttered, “I-I’m not jealous.” The words came out more like an assurance to himself and not as a reply to her.

“Don’t lie. I can see jealousy in your eyes,” the woman insisted.

Grayson fell silent again. Was he really jealous? He blinked his eyes and shook his head. Cady's accusation was very unlikely. Why would he be jealous?

"You shouldn't be jealous. He's not my date. That man is my older brother," she continued.

"W-what?!"

"He's my brother,” she repeated. “He was the one I told you before who was studying abroad when we were still together."

"So, your brother and Hailey are friends?"

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Cady shrugged.

"What do you mean?"