Is this destiny?

Once Sarah locked the door behind her, she remembered that she had ongoing file copy. She dashed into the bedroom and checked laptop. She sighed in relief to see that file copy completed before time ran out. 'Now to see what he sent me.'

Sarah took few minutes to crack the encryption on the archive and did multiple checks that it does not contain a virus. When she was confident that it's nothing malicious, she opened the archive and saw hundreds of files.

She opened one document at random and read through it. It was a police report. A young lady M.R. filed a report against Philip Simmons, accusing him of spiking her drink with intention to get her into sex trafficking ring. Sarah's attention got pulled to the fact that lady's name is put as initials only. That means that her identity is protected because either Philip was successful and got her into sex trafficking, or she is a minor. In any of these two cases, Philip is not playing games.

Sarah opened another file, and it was another police report. Young lady K.P. accused Philip that he tried to drug her.

She opened another one, this one is a police report filed against Mimi, accusation is that she drugged K.L. and sold that person to be used by three men for one night!

There are hundreds of files here! Are all these police reports?

Sarah noticed that some are picture files.

She opened one, and there was a picture in a bar, showing Philip with his hand over a drink, and pouring something inside. 'Is this him spiking the drink?'

Sarah opened another photo; it was Mimi with some powdery substances and few syringes in front of her. 'With all these reports and pictures as proof, how come they are not in jail?'

After few seconds, Sarah got stunned by a thought, 'Is that what Philip and Mimi want to do to me? To drug me and sell me for someone to use me???' Sarah's head was spinning. She could feel her anxiety level shooting up through the roof.

She closed all files that were open and decided to keep her laptop aside. She will continue checking these later when she is in a better state of mind.

She got out on the terrace and let the cold December air envelop her. She took few deep breaths and found the icy air soothing. After few minutes Sarah calmed down thanks to the cold air. Her phone vibrated, and it was a message from her mom.

[Stella]: "I'm glad you like the apartment. Enjoy!"

Sarah remembered that she wanted to send the receipt from her car purchase to her mom. She stepped inside and found the receipt for her purchase of 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo. She scanned it and attached a copy to the email addressed to her mom:

"Hi Mom,

Attached is the receipt for the car I purchased.

You said I can get myself a car, right?

If you deposit this amount on my account, that means that dad approved the transaction. Please don't do it behind his back.

~Sarah"

'There... now I just wait and see what his move is. If Edward approves to reimburse me money for the car, that means his ice is melting. Otherwise I don't care. I will not crawl back. I have my place now, Aiden is with me, I almost finished school, and soon I will even start working. On my side everything is fine...' Her thoughts got interrupted by a doorbell. Sarah remembered that she replaced locks, and that Aiden still does not know his code. Sarah rushed to the front door and opened it with a wide smile.

She looked at the man in front of her, and her smile froze.

"Hello, Miss Hill!" Hugo was standing in front of her, showing off his dashing smile, and holding a ceramic container with a lid.

"Hi, Hugo…" Sarah's smile faded she was unable to hide that she is not happy to see him. 'Why is he here? What did I do to deserve this? If Aiden comes now it will be troublesome...' Her mind was racing.

Hugo looked behind Sarah inside apartment. "Is your boyfriend in?"

"Are you looking for him?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Hugo shook his head. "I'm just curious if he is in."

"He stepped out for a bit. He will be back any minute." Sarah repeated the same thing she told King about an hour ago.

Hugo's smile widened.

Sarah felt her mouth twitching. "How can I help you, Hugo?"

"I just stopped by to give you a pound cake I baked. Please accept it as a gift to welcome you to our humble building." Hugo extended his hands offering her the container.

Sarah was suspicious. She didn't take the container. "Are you baking cakes for all new tenants?"

"My famous pound cake is reserved only for a special few. But I make sure to welcome everyone." His smile widened, and his hands are still extended.

Sarah felt a headache coming. She does not want to send him away rudely, but when she is giving him hints that she is not interested in him, he is either not getting them or ignoring them. 'Maybe if I take the cake, he will go away'.

She took the container from his hands, "Thank..." Her words got stuck in her throat. As she was taking the container, Hugo quickly released it and placed his hands over hers that took the container. He applied pressure with his hands, if Sarah wanted to pull her hands out, the container would probably fall and break.

"It is my pleasure for you to accept my humble offerings." Hugo talked like he didn't do something outrageous. And he is still holding her hands!

Sarah was losing her patience. "Let go of my hands, Hugo!"

"Is this making you uncomfortable? Consider it as a handshake. But since your hands are full this is almost the same. Yes?" His voice had a hint of mockery, and it seemed that he is enjoying.

'How shameless can you be?' Sarah was speechless. Next thing she knows, elevator door was open, and Aiden is watching two of them holding hands in the hallway.

Hugo slowly let go of Sarah's hands and with a wide smile. "I see your friend arrived, so there is no need for me to give you company anymore." He walked off toward the exit door opposite from the elevator. As the door closed behind him, she heard him say, "I will see you later, sweet Sarah!"

Sarah was not able to respond. 'He actually took the stairs! Did he just address Aiden as my friend? Did he just call me sweet Sarah??!'

Sarah looked at Aiden, and his expression was so cold that she felt like temperature dropped in the hallway. He slowly walked toward her and stopped about one step away from her. "Can you explain this?" His voice was colder than his expression.

Sarah just shook her head, not sure what to say. She moved the ceramic container in one hand, and with other took Aiden's hand slowly pulling him inside the apartment. He didn't move, Sarah's heart stopped. 'He is really upset. What if he believes that I got something going on with Hugo? What if he leaves?' Sarah was not able to breathe.

"Please…" Her voice was almost a whisper.

His legs moved and he got inside.

Sarah led him to the living area and on to the sofa. She placed the ceramic container on the coffee table and sat next to him. Sarah looked at him and she felt a knot in her chest when she saw his cold expression.

She took a deep breath. "Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" His voice was cold and flat.

"That you don't believe that there is something between me and Hugo..." Sarah's voice was breaking.

"I don't."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, but the knot in her chest was still there.

She felt chills as Aiden continued talking. "But that does not mean, that it doesn't hurt... to see that someone is holding your hands and acting intimate with you."

Sarah felt pain in her chest, like her heart broke. She moved closer to Aiden and hugged him as hard as she could. She felt hot tears falling silently down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…", she whispered.

He hugged her back and they stayed like that for a long time.

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