As Kiba shook Kirstie’s hand, Leyla was nervous. Unlike what Kirstie expected, she didn’t have the luxury to admire Kiba’s drooling features.
Her young miss was naïve to not understand the danger this handsome man represented, but she did.
Suppressing her nervousness, she glanced at the door far away, praying the guards would break it and rush in. But no such thing happened.
"How’s this possible?!"
Leyla started trembling.
This vast room and the surrounding area were one of the most secured zones in the mansion.
No one was allowed here without permission. Suffice to say, intruding was impossible, and in case the impossible happened, the hidden sensors would warn Rebecca and others.
Yet no such thing happened.
It was like no one except for her and Kirstie noticed Kiba’s presence.
"Could he have jammed the sensors?!" Leyla thought of the possibility, and she broke into a cold sweat.
Taking care of Kirstie was her prime responsibility. If something happened to her, she would be held responsible, and the punishment would be far worse than death.
"Leyla?" Kirstie looked at her with confusion. "Why are you sweating?"
Leyla opened her mouth to answer, but she then noticed Kiba also looking at her. His eyes were glittering, and there was a smile on his face.
Frightened, she closed her mouth and didn’t dare reply.
Getting no response, Kirstie moved towards her in the wheelchair.
"Could she be sick?" Kirstie wondered.
"Let me check," Kiba’s body flickered, and he appeared before Leyla. "I have worked as a biological professional, so I would be the best to judge."
"Oh!" Kirstie stopped. "Does that mean your top-secret job requires biological knowledge?"
"...You can say so," Kiba replied and slipped a hand on Leyla’s forehead. "She’s indeed sick."
"Ah!" Kirstie was startled. "Is it anything serious?"
"Nothing I can’t handle."
Kiba reassured her while sliding his hand down Leyla’s face, bringing it to her throat.
This made Leyla’s trembling and sweating worse.
"Oh god! I’m going to die!"
Leyla concluded her worst fears were indeed valid! This handsome man was going to kill her and then kidnap the young miss!
Kiba smiled further and then suddenly snapped his head in the direction of the window to look outside.
"What’s there?" Kiba wondered with his eyes narrowed.
"There?" Kirstie followed his line of sight, wondering what he saw. She squinted her eyes, and when she didn’t notice anything surprising, she picked the binoculars to look ahead.
"Young miss! He’s distracting you!"
Leyla wanted to shout because Kiba has turned back to her in the same instant. Before she could, his hand slipped to the back of her neck, pulling her face close to his, making his warm breath graze her lips.
Her eyes widened because the next she knew... he was kissing her!
There was burning passion in his lips, something that melted through all her worries. The tension left her, and the kiss intensified.
She felt as light as a feather, as if she floating in heaven with all the pleasures she desired.
She yelped in delight she couldn’t describe and found herself responding to the kiss.
She was clumsy and seemed to lack experience. Still, nevertheless, as her lips mashed with his, she felt a surge of electricity in her. It raced through her heart, and she felt goosebumps all over her.
This was the best moment of her entire life, and she wanted it to last forever.
Alas, Kiba broke the kiss and leaned back.
She was disappointed and a bit angry. She thought of closing her lips to his to resume from where they ended, but just then, Kirstie turned towards them.
"There’s nothing there!" Kirstie told Kiba.
"There was," Kiba replied. "But it was nothing that concerned us, so don’t worry."
"I see!" Kirstie nodded and was surprised when she saw Leyla. The latter was no longer sweating. In fact, she seemed to be full of life!
"Wow! It seems you weren’t boasting when you claimed you could handle her sickness!"
Kirstie exclaimed with admiration.
"Well, it is nothing I hadn’t dealt with before, so it wasn’t difficult," Kiba replied honestly.
Leyla’s face turned crimson.
"Oh! So what was the sickness?" Kirstie was curious.
"Let’s say it is a sickness associated with barely a.d.u.l.t women," Kiba answered. "But I have cured many older women with it."
Kirstie was bewildered.
What was this sickness?
Leyla’s heart thumped, and she squirmed while glancing at Kiba. She understood the double meaning that was aimed at her.
How could he know I’m a v.i.r.g.i.n just with a kiss?!
She was embarrassed.
"Don’t worry, I would heal you fully," Kiba beamed at her. "You only need one shot to become forever free of that terrible sickness."
Leyla’s cheeks seethed.
How could he be using innuendo so openly to tease her?!
Still, she was relieved that he has no nefarious intention like she initially believed
Kirstie was curious about Leyla’s condition, but she didn’t enquire further.
"Kiba, can I ask you something?" Kirstie started.
"Sure," Kiba looked at her.
"How’s the world outside the mansion?" Kirstie asked. "Be honest, though. Those I ask, they only brush it with negativity, but I have a feeling they are lying to me."
Kiba sighed inside.
He realized people lied to her to suppress her desire to step outside. Perhaps, they have good reason to do so.
"It is both good and bad, just like how life is," Kiba replied honestly. "There are many amazing places full of life and wonder, something that would make you praise nature and men. But there are also bleak places, full of poverty and sufferings that would crush your spirit."
Kirstie nodded. She opened her lips to request him to elaborate, but before she could, her hands started shaking.
"Young miss!" Leyla’s body blurred, and she appeared before Kirstie.
"I’m fine," Kirstie smiled as the wheelchair infused energy into her. "But in need of some rest."
Leyla nodded and placed Kirstie on the bed.
Tubes and wires automatically emerged from the medical appliances nearby and connected with her body.
Kiba looked at her with a complicated expression. She was different from what he expected, yet he felt she would be like this.
"It doesn’t matter. She has nothing to do with me."
Kiba reminded himself.
Just then, his eyes caught the items on a nearby shelf.
There were two small frames; in one, Kirstie was with her family - Rebecca, Kurtis, and Steve. It was the other frame that caught his attention which had only one person – Zed.
Looking at the picture, it seemed to be taken without Zed’s notice.
By now, Kirstie has stabilized enough. She wanted to resume her conversation with Kiba, but she noticed him looking at the frames.
"They are my family!" She introduced everyone in the first frame.
"And the one in the second frame?" Kiba asked nonchalantly.
"He’s my brother," Kirstie replied with a big smile. "Technically, half-brother, but a brother nevertheless!"
Kiba: "...."
"I wanted to have a picture with him, but since he never visited me, I couldn’t," Kirstie added with a trace of sadness in her voice. "So, he’s all alone in that frame!"
"I see," Kiba replied.
"Well, just so you know, he’s an expert in the medicinal field as well!" Kirstie added with pride. "Far better than you!"
"Really?" Kiba was amused.
"Yes! My condition used to be really bad before, but he sent a gift that improved my condition!"
Kirstie was beaming with pride. She knew how terrific her brother must be to achieve such a feat.
She could still recall how everyone here was dumbstruck when her condition improved and her blood source surged with vitality.
"He must be talented then."
Kiba replied while examining the serum injected into her.
It was made of multiple streams of colors, seemingly forming a rainbow, just like the serum Zed gave Rebecca to return her favor.
Rebecca had accepted the serum, but not as a return of her so-called favor. She took it as a gift from a brother to his sister.
Back then, he didn’t really care what she wanted to believe as long as he didn’t owe her.
"Yes! He is very talented!" Kirstie nodded excitedly.
But then her face sank as she recalled something. Tears started building up in her eyes, and she lost all her cheerfulness.
"What’s wrong?" Kiba was startled.
"It is my fault!"
Tears started trickling down her face.
"If I wasn’t created, he wouldn’t have suffered nor hated mom!"
"Young miss, stop blaming yourself!" Leyla quickly pacified Kirstie.
Kiba’s eyes narrowed, and a frown appeared on his face.
Created?!
Why would she use that word instead of born!?