Rhea froze under his stare. She tried to pull her hand free but he held on tighter. His gaze flicked to Yuan Yu, then snapped back to Rhea. Yuan Yu gave a knowing nod and left the room.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" His voice cracked with both confusion and fury. It was evident that he didn't like this. Rhea didn't reply as she was out of words.
He tilted her chin up, frustration in his eyes. "Say something."
Rhea opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her pulse thudded in her ears as her thoughts scrambled for words that didn't exist.
Then, a tall figure entered casually.
"What did I just walk into? How did you manage to provoke the saint-like Ryan Jin?", the new guy curiously questioned. The voice was familiar. Ryan reluctantly let go of her and turned toward the door. Liam stepped fully into the room.
"You have no business here, Liam," Ryan groaned.
"Well, I do. I am here to meet Rhea," Liam said, nodding toward Rhea.
Ryan's frown deepened. Liam Huan, his best friend and a sincere doctor, was here. During work hours?
"What the hell do you want with her?" Ryan asked nonchalantly.
Liam pretended not to hear his question as he drifted his gaze to Rhea, especially to her slightly red wrist.
"Hospital or police, your call."
Ryan didn't have time for Liam's theatrics. He had too many questions. Ryan had no idea she was even in Shanghai, let alone how she knew Liam. Unable to solve the puzzle, he led her out of the room.
"Don't follow," he warned Liam in a cold tone. He walked her through the fire exit door and stopped near the stairwell.
His mind was spiraling.
He never agreed to sign any film. Hearing his name in that meeting room was a complete shock. He'd only come to meet Yuan Yu. But from the waiting room, he'd heard everything. When he entered, it was just to confront whoever had dragged him into this mess. He didn't expect to see her.
"What are you doing here?" Even though his voice was harsh, she was strangely pleased. It had already been two years since they last met. Despite everything, it startled her. He had remembered. Her name. Her face. Everything.
"You remember me?" she asked in a little voice with all the courage she could gather.
Her eyes hadn't changed, still bright, still unreadable. They unsettled him now, more than ever.
"I'm..." she tried to say something, making him realize what he had been doing. He realized that he was out of line, once again. He stepped back.
"I'm sorry."
Rhea hesitated, unsure if she heard him right. Her brows drew together slightly, but she didn't speak. His mood swings were quite new to her. Although Ryan was very well known for his cold nature, he was not hot-tempered. If his rage is visible, that means he is extremely angry. She couldn't understand what made him suddenly apologize.
"Why are you here?" His voice sounded extremely calm now. "How does Liam know you?"
"The movie," he paused, closed then opened his eyes. There were so many questions to ask.
He summed it all up and asked, "Why are you doing all this?" His questions grew louder, until the last came out as a near roar.
She didn't say a word. She stood there, startled.
Seeing her like that twisted his chest. He hated it.
He wanted to stay angry. But for some reason, it just hurt. The stubborn ache in his chest refused to go away. He closed his eyes to calm down. After a long while, he spoke more clearly and calmly.
"If money is the problem, I can invest in my film." he halted.
"I didn't want to act anymore. I was done."
"I don't want you to do that," she cut in. Still afraid, she kept her voice steady and her gaze didn't waver.
"As a fan who admired you for more than four years, I don't want you to retire."
If he wanted to retire, Rhea didn't have any problem with that. But Liam had already told her what happened and how the scandal broke. She couldn't bear this.
"I know what happened," she added. He understood. It must be Liam who told her everything. He was the only one who knew. Ryan fell silent. He was still confused about the reason for her interference in his business. He couldn't find any valid reasons for her to go this far.
He gritted his teeth. "You don't have a say in that Miss Frank."
Rhea nervously bit her lip. She knew this would happen but she had to face it anyway. He avoided looking at her lips again.
"What do you want from me? Don't tell me you are here to tell me this. I'm not stupid."
Ryan had lived long enough to know kindness always came at a cost.
The question stung more than she expected. Her fingers tensed at her sides, but she didn't look away.
She swallowed hard. "An answer."
"For what?"
"Two years ago. The last night of your trip in Alaska…" she paused, daringly looking him straight into his eyes.
"Did you kiss me?"
Ryan had braced himself for her question, but this one took him by surprise. All the other questions in his head disappeared, replaced by four words echoing in his mind: How did she know?
The stolen kiss haunted him. He had never meant for her to know. The guilt tormented him for more than two years. He'd sworn never to see her again, even though he wanted to. That's why... That's why he clearly didn't know how to react when he first saw her in the boardroom. But when she confronted him like that, he couldn't help but become a stone then and there.
No one else was around in that snowy clearing. He was lying on the hood of the car, stargazing. When he turned his head to see what she was doing, he found her peacefully sleeping inside the car. Her face was serene, her breath fogging up the window in soft puffs. He had watched her for too long. He shouldn't have.
Her lashes rested like quiet shadows against her cheeks. A breeze stirred her hair through the open window.
His heart pounded harder as he leaned closer, against better judgement. Before he could stop himself, he brushed and pressed his lips softly, reverently on hers. A heartbeat later, he pulled back, heart pounding with guilt.
'What have I done?'
The memory still made his chest tighten. He looked away.
He had to be honest. He had to take responsibility.
"I did kiss you," he finally agreed.
Rhea didn't expect him to agree that easily. That was quick.
'Why had he done it?' He didn't even know. All he knew was, if it were her again, he'd do it all over.
He didn't want to answer that question anyway. So he came up with another.
"What does it have to do with today's incident?"
"Why do I need to explain myself, when you won't explain your actions?" she shot back instead.
She did make sense. He couldn't answer her question. He couldn't expect her to answer.
When both of them were staring at each other, speechlessly, Liam barged in between the two.
"I was so worried about you Rhea."
"You are that close with her?"
"We're partners," he said, then paused just long enough for Ryan's eyes to darken. "We share the same goal," he added quickly.
"Damn, you're actually angry. Never seen you like this." Liam turned to Rhea, "Impressive," he said with a crooked grin, part teasing, part serious.
Rhea didn't know if that was a mockery or compliment, so she stood still without replying to him.
"Shut up," Ryan responded on her behalf.
After a moment or two, he spoke with so much determination.
"I'm not going to give in, whatever your plan is. Just stop this already."
Liam still clung to hope, thin as thread, watching Ryan's every flicker but disappointment shadowed Rhea's face.
The way Ryan behaved clearly told her how much he hates to see her there.
"Then," she lifted her head, "I have nothing to do here." With a stiff bow, she turned and walked away before her voice could crack. She blinked quickly, refusing to let the tears fall. She wouldn't give him that.
Rhea had never imagined their reunion would be like this. On the verge of tears, she left without a word. He didn't call after her. He couldn't.
Both of them watched her back without words.
After a few seconds, when she was out of earshot, Ryan asked quietly, "Will she leave for America?"
Liam didn't answer right away. Then, flatly, "Maybe you should be asking yourself why you care."
Ryan didn't answer. He just watched the stairwell for a moment, jaw tight. A faint draft stirred the stairwell, but he didn't move. His arms remained stiff at his sides, fingers curled into fists. The silence, this time, wasn't empty.