”I understand, I’ve put you out enough” the calm reply however had her reaching for her coffee cup to push it down quickly

”No not really,” she protested hastily before adding “just a suppliers meeting coming up”

”Where do you work at?”

”I actually own it. I’m the CEO of SHIMMERS” Yue Yan directed a confused gaze at her and she quickly explained “it’s a jewelry company”

”No!” An outburst of pure delight that had her smiling

”Yes!” She replied the mood infectious

”This keeps getting better, I love pieces of jewelry” Yue Yan announced in pure glee.

”They would look stunning on you,” Yan Mei observed, taking more than a cursory look at her guest. She noted that she looked better than the day before, her wan expression gone, the only thing that remained of her ordeal was the lost look of someone who struggled internally when she thought no one was looking.

The expression tore at her heart and she didn’t even know when she made the decision to extend the invitation “why don’t you come by for a visit sometime and browse?”

She didn’t give the invitation lightly; many people saw her business as a merely successful venture and nothing could be further from the truth, her company was a testament to her resilience, her survival and making it big all by herself. It was also a talisman she used to ward herself, sure Lei Zhao loved her and made her happy but when the dark thoughts came, she held up her business as a shining example of being strong, capable and powerful.

She knew how it felt to be stripped down to the basics, to be reduced to a weak creature reacting viscerally to what life threw at her. So, she wanted to share that part of her with the lost waif perched at the edge of the breakfast table.

”You don’t know the monster you’re going to create with that show and tell stunt so let me just stop you there,” Yue Yan warned solemnly but there was no missing the look of excitement in her eyes, she fairly buzzed with the anticipatory energy.

”No seriously” Yan Mei countered

Yue Yan rolled her eyes at this point “I’m the one who is serious, how do you think I’ll be able to walk away from anything sparkly and beautiful.”

The other two occupants of the room laughed at the open greed on Yue Yan’s face, little did they know it was not feigned at all, that it was much darker.

”I think I’ll pass and find something else to do in the time being.” A small sentence filled to the brim with vulnerability.

”Three years is a long time” Yan Mei offered; she couldn’t even begin to fathom the effect of losing three years could have on the human mind.

”And a lot of new things to see right!” Yue Yan answered, her face lighting up with new cheer

”As long as you’re taking it easy”

”Who me? All I do is sleep.” She smirked

”You’ll miss it soon” Yan Mei replied I’m the same tone

”I can’t wait.”

The conversation continued in light banter until she left to go prepare for work.

Yan Mei dressed up in another practical pantsuit with a hint of seductive flair as while her thoughts centered on her house-guest, of course, she had her misgiving when she heard the story from Lei Zhao but only for a second.

It had triggered a remembrance of her former plight and all of a sudden, she was tripping over her own feet to make things better for the poor girl.

Of course, the doubts still came but every encounter with the lost wait trying so terribly to be brave made her heart ache. She had gone in trying to help her husband, trying to ease the pain of another human being, now she was doing it for no reason other than for the fact that she rather liked the girl.

As she completed her ensemble, Yan Mei wondered how she was going to keep this girl in her life. Sure, it was too early to be making such plans but she felt a kinship with the girl who had laughed uproariously at her coffee addict ways.

And when she did anything, she was all in so why not now? By the time she had added the finishing touches to her attire and was heading out of the room, she had a tentative plan that she knew would work.

When she walked back into the kitchen, it was bustling. Yue Yan still sat in her spot but she had been joined by the live-in nurse, the housekeeper who was bustling around, between the four of them, the large space was considerably smaller.

She headed straight for Yue Yan who was laughing with her nurse. It happened so fast, one moment the chef had flashed her a small smile while he picked off a pot of boiling water off the stovetop and headed for the sink, which was in her direction; in the next second he was falling and a wave of scalding water was headed straight for her.

She froze in shock, her limbs rooted to the tile while watching the steaming splash headed for her face, she heard someone scream, it could have been more than one person but she was not paying anything but her impending doom.

Then suddenly Yue Yan was there, tray in hand diverting the flow of that water so that it splashed in multiple harmless directions, most of it streaming to the tiled floor

She was so shaken she didn’t even register the little burns and small dots of hot water passed through the fabric of her suit trousers and scalded the skin lightly.

”Jesus Christ!” The sudden shout from her housekeeper jolted the entire occupants of the room.

”Are you alright? Are you okay?” I