Diana Nicolson gazed at the sky which was a beautiful blend of yellow, orange, violet, and blue from her windshield. Some part of her wished she had brought her camera along to capture the scenery of hustling and bustling of a busy, untidy street at sunset. Yet, she knew that stepping out with a camera in such an area would only conduct so much attention to her, and for the first time in a while, she would rather go unnoticed.

She turned off her ignition and put on dark sunglasses before alighting from her white Mercedes. Of her flock of flashy cars, this was the least. 

It wasn't surprising that as soon as she stepped out, she could still imagine people stealing peeks at her. Those were some of the perks of being beautiful, rich, and famous. However, she candidly hoped no one would recognize her.

"Hi," Daniel greeted with his mouth agape as he took in her spotless, glowing skin. Even though they'd been having these meetings where she would just throw on a kimono over jeans and a casual T-shirt, he still couldn't get enough of her, staring at her longingly like the forbidden fruit that she was.

"You sounded urgent over the phone." Diana subtly reminded him that she was not here to exchange pleasantries.

She scrunched her nose, taking a better look around the crowded, dirty-looking street, and quirked her brows as if to ask him why on earth he'd chosen to meet her here.

"Yes." He sounded excited as he took out a yellow file from his briefcase and handed it to her. "I followed a trail relentlessly and interestingly, it led me here," he announced. "Diana, if that boy is still alive, you're going to find him. You're going to be with him as soon as possible."

Diana felt as though she couldn't breathe as she let her imaginations run wild on whatever details the file contained.

She'd been obsessed with the idea of looking for her son because it gave her something to think and dream about. Something to be hopeful for. But that was where it ended. Never had she intended to find him or be with him.

Her son was a distant memory she clung unto that made her feel alive. Nothing more than that.

"How can you be certain it's him?" She inquired, ensuring that her emotions could not be read off her face. She took out a cigarette, lit it, and brought it to her lips.

Daniel smiled proudly. "I have a strong inkling and I'm almost always right." He paused as though noticing the look of doubt that flashed on her face. "We can find out right now. There's a phone number in that file. I didn't want to go further without you. Your orders."

"Well..." she said, extending her hands and collecting the file from him. "I would like to think about it first."

"But..." Daniel tried to protest, but she pursed her lips and folded her hands across her chest. She didn't have to do anything else to shut him up.

He was stricken and watched her keenly. Knowing well that this was a woman that had spent a fortune trying to find someone, he couldn't help but wonder why she suddenly being hesitant. However, he knew better than to question her.

Daniel nodded and walked away after stealing one lustful glance at her, hoping it wouldn't be the last.

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Diana walked into a dimly lit bar with dark glasses, a face cap, and her head bowed, all in the bid to not be recognized.

She'd ordinarily not be in a place like this even though she loved to drown herself in alcohol sometimes. Because the music was irritatingly loud and she didn't want drunk men hitting on her without minding the fact that she was wearing a ring. Worse still, one could never tell when one of those fable spreading nosy bloggers was lurking around.

There had been so many unsolicited opinions concerning her marriage to Harry. Most, outrightly writing her off as a cheap social climber that slept her way to the top. Since then, it had been one article after another, waiting for what someone had once called 'an inevitable doom'.

How easy it must be to judge and condemn her when they knew nothing of who she was and what she'd been through.

She took a seat at a corner one could say was satisfactorily hidden. It provided a bit of hope that she could sit in peace, think and clear her head before going back to her beautiful mansion that drained every bit of her strength and offered very little in return.

One might be tempted to ask why she was hell-bent on saving a marriage that did not make her happy. But for someone who had only known pain, ennui and emptiness were a welcome consolation. 

"Hello, would you like anything to drink?" She was pulled back to earth and raised her head to stare at the adorable brown eyes looking down at her.

It was easy to tell he was quite young even despite his height and broad shoulders that were being hugged tightly by the shirt he was wearing. He had a well-chiseled jaw and cute pink lips smiling at her.

"Hello." Diana mentally cursed herself for staring as she broke off the awkward silence playing between them. "Just a bottle of beer please," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

He nodded, still maintaining the charming smile on his face before walking away. She'd definitely rate him five stars for customer service just because of that smile. It must've been some kind of weapon fashioned against the human heart.

Diana watched him go round other tables and he seemed to greet everyone in the same manner which made her quite uneasy for reasons she could not grasp. The sudden need for his attention began to eat her deeply. And the more she chastised herself about the reasons she had to remain incognito, the more uncomfortable she felt.

It was only inevitable to throw all caution out of the window by taking off her glasses and face cap and when he returned, she got just the reaction she wanted.

A momentary pause with his mouth hanging open was enough evidence she needed to know that she'd taken his breath away.

Diana beamed with joy in her seat.

He walked further, still stunned by her appearance, and dropped the bottle of beer and a glass cup on her table without bothering to take his eyes off her.

Diana reached for the glass almost immediately. His hands had barely left it and lightly brushed against hers. All the while, their eyes were locked on one another.

"You can stop now," she whispered.

He cleared his throat. "Uhh... Stop what?" He asked, licking his lips.

Was he trying to flirt with her? She had to refrain herself from bursting out with laughter.

She frowned. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm a married woman." She flipped her hair and put on her glasses, seductively showing off the twenty-two-carat gold ring and the beautiful diamond stone, that adorned her finger.

"Aren't they all?" He sighed, running his hand through his black, wooly hair before turning and walking away.

Diana smiled to herself as she brought the glass to her lips.

Even after he'd served the others and gone to stand behind the counter beside a boy about his age, he kept watching at her. Somehow, she'd found herself engaged in a staring contest she didn't subscribe to. Although, Diana could not deny the fact that she loved the attention, especially coming from an attractive, young man.

Once she was done with her drink which she sipped as slowly as possible, she got up and walked out. She was about to get into her car when she saw the guy from the bar chasing after her.

She was quite petrified because it was dark and she didn't know if he was going to try and rob her. With her heart beating hard against her chest, she put on a brave face, prepared to scream out her lungs if the need arose.

"I believe you dropped this," he said catching his breath once he approached her and waving her cap in her face.

She'd forgotten all about it.

"Alex," he introduced himself and she looked him up and down as she retrieved it.

He waited and another bout of tension-filled silence washed over them.

"I would love to know your name... If you don't mind," Alex said, seeing that she did not attempt to introduce herself to him.

"Why? What good would that do? You'll never see me again," she said. Even though it posed a thrilling adventure to her otherwise boring life, their encounter was only coincidental.

They belonged to two very different worlds that could not be further apart.

"But I..." Alex appeared confused. "I thought you left that on purpose," he said, taking small strides towards her. It was apparent he was not going to give up so easily.

She smiled, admiring his boldness as she took off her glasses to entice him even further. "And why would you think that?"

The young boy licked his lips seductively, his eyes trailing her body. She was certain he'd already mentally stripped her off her clothes. What a mischievous, horny, young man, she thought.

"Because... you were..." He trailed off for lack of courage to say the words. That was the power of her eyes that she was well aware of.

Diana smiled as she took a step forward to enhance their proximity. There was hardly an inch left between them. She could feel his heart pounding against his chest.

"I was? Flirting with you?" She placed her hand on his upper arm, partly to intimidate him and partly to feel those muscles. "Don't be ridiculous, Alex. I don't talk to boys your age." 'Or boys of any age. I only talk to the most boring 65-year-old man,' she might've added for clarity's sake.

Alex maintained the smile on his face to mask his embarrassment.

"You can keep this if you want," Diana said stepping back and handing the cap back to him and he accepted her souvenir. Evidence of their little encounter worth much more than a meaningless name.

Without even bothering to look back, Diana got into her car and drove away.

A/N

Thank you so much for reading the chapter. I would really love to hear your thoughts especially on the new character introduced.

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