FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

In as much as Kiaraa's business knowledge was vast, she still couldn't risk her company being in the black books of a giant multinational corporation like Vertigo Inc and since its president never came to light, she couldn't comprehend what kind of powerful backing that it had.

It was better she avoided it than deal with the unknown.

And now, things were sailing smoothly between Crystelle and Vertigo Inc until now when the mysterious CEO helped her. She couldn't account for his reasons and her head swirled in bewilderment.

'Could it be that he took a liking to me after seeing my face? But why would the president of Vertigo Inc watch a live stream of an idol group? Even if he watched it, how did he know my problems and why did he help me?'

She wracked her brain to match the dots but she still couldn't come up with a perfect answer.

Arin's voice broke her out of her trance, "Queen, I can help you..."

"It's ok Arin, you really don't have to trouble yourself too much. Thank you for trying sis but I'll take things from here, I don't want those people to link my connections with you."

Arin bit back a comment and agreed wordlessly. She knew her sister was doing this to protect her image and she couldn't help but feel guilty. She was the eldest, she was supposed to be the one protecting Kiaraa but roles changed and Kiaraa had to carry all the burdens on her little shoulder and she felt really sad about it.

"Alright queen, take care of yourself," her usual cheerful voice was solemn as she ended the call.

Kiaraa put down her phone slowly, her eyes stared ahead in a daze and her lips trembled subtly.

She felt an unknown fear grip her heart tightly. Fear... the feeling she had never experienced before was now rushing towards her like an oceanic wave.

She was already trying her best to deal with some unknown people who were after her life and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get their identity. Her father and her brother still felt hopeless about the situation. They were one of the most powerful families in the whole of Asia but they couldn't get even a single glimpse of a clue.

Kiaraa let out a deep breath of exhaustion. Her problems were more than enough, she wasn't sure if she could handle them anymore.

'Vertigo Inc'

Just the thought of it gave her vertigo itself. Her head was spinning, her gaze became blurry and she suddenly felt dizzy in an instant as her deep amber eyes were clouded with unshed tears.

Her chest heaved up and down with each deep breath she took and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She felt suffocated and she fought tremendously with her brain to keep her state in check.

But in as much as she tried to calm her racing heart, her worries kicked in instantaneously. Her head swirled. The surging of various thoughts in her head was rather overwhelming and her heart felt like it had been shifted to the other side of her chest.

Although she acted brave and witty most of the time, she was still a teenager. She dreaded the fact that she didn't know who was after her neither did she know their strength and truly, the fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.

Tears welled up in her eyes and they prickled as tears threatened to fall down.

Adrian observed her expressions intently and there was a hidden gleam in his unfathomable eyes of his. He must have known what the call was about because he didn't bother about it but what ripped his heart mostly was her forlorn expression.

He had always known her as a bubbly and smart girl, though it was just a short time but his silver orbs were truly observant. He knew that nothing could faze her easily or maybe that was just the mask she decided to fool everyone with.

But looking at her as she fought not to spill her tears, he knew that the situation was more than what he comprehended.

His countenance blackened bitterly as he watched her pitiful expression. He felt his heart was being stabbed by countless tiny needles as though someone was holding it tightly and dragging it out of his ribcage.

He couldn't sit still... No, not when it concerned her. Out of the blue, his hand reached out to hold hers. His warm hand rested lightly on her cold, trembling fingers radiating warmth to them with his thumb rubbing them softly.

The warm sensation marveled her and she turned her head slowly to look at him. Her small red lips parted, trying to generate words out of them but she felt tongue-tied at the moment. Her eyes held a river of unshed tears and her rosy pink skin was flushed.

Looking at her innocent face, he felt really helpless and he tasted a bitter feeling in his mouth. His chest felt tightened and he couldn't help but cup her slightly flushed cheeks.

Her smooth skin in his hands felt like silk. He used his thumbs to graze over them, rubbing her face gently to calm her down and he felt like he could get addicted just by the feel of her skin.

"It's ok Kiaraa," his usual cold tone was hoarse but calm and somehow, it touched the deepest part of her heart as his hands moved softly on her cheeks caressing her delicate skin trying to soothe all her worries.

She closed her eyes, delighted in his warm palms that were resting on her cheeks softly and her heartbeat accelerated.

Adrian stared at her face intently with an unhidden warmth. He watched as she tightened her closed eyes trying to compose herself. He breathed out a loud breath and gently pulled her into his embrace with his warm hand stroking her silky hair softly.

He inched his head closer to her left ear and she felt his hot breath fanned it and she drew in a sharp breath.

He got a whiff of her lavender scent that was floral, delicate, herbal and evergreen woodsy at the same time and it had a great sedative effect on him. He placed his face on the crook of her neck just to get a scent of her and with each passing second he felt that he couldn't get enough of her sweet smell.

His voice was calm as he spoke, "You don't have to hide your fears from me, Ara. Don't hesitate to tell me everything that's bothering you. Don't hide your true self from me, feel free to show me everything. Your worries are mine, your problems are my burdens and I won't stop to take a breath till I conquer it all."