Chapter 269 - You are quite creative, aren't you?

After parking the car, Tezuka Kohei steps out of the car. He glances at his wristwatch. He's fifteen minutes early. It's been a year since that day. It's the same parking lot where she told him that she had no plans for marriage. He hasn't been able to forget about her. For a year, he's been trying to get close to her, but she has always avoided him. Finally, she's giving in. 

With a smug look on his face, Tezuka Kohei walks toward the entrance of the restaurant. 

Woman are usually like that. They like men who pursue them relentlessly. In the end, they choose the one with money, power, and security. Love is just an illusion. 

For whatever reasons, Kinoshita Iori and Kamiyama Takeshi are not together anymore. Now, she has realized that he's the best man for her. 

Inside the restaurant, he sees her sitting at the same table. Biting her lower lip, Iori is looking at her phone anxiously. She's wearing a knee-length black dress that is hugging her body like a second skin. Her hair is tied up, revealing her b.a.r.e collarbones. 

"Did she doll up for me?" Tezuka Kohei mumbles to himself, amused by what he's seeing. She must be serious about marriage then. 

Tezuka Kohei doesn't notice a pair of stormy grey eyes that have been watching him since the moment he entered the restaurant. Her eyes turns colder when she sees him taking a seat with the woman in a black dress. She mutters under her breath, "Has it changed this time?"

A lean man with average height and dark curly hair leans closer to her and whispers, "Is he here?"

"Don't attract attention," She warns him with a lazy voice. The woman in a black dress is smiling at Tezuka Kohei. In her previous life, she met that woman when she went to Tezuka Kohei's son's birthday party. That woman was Tezuka Kohei's wife. They didn't exchange any words, but she could tell that the woman was not living a happy life. Tezuka Kohei's beautiful wife's used to wear fake happiness as her makeup to remain the perfect wife and mother. 

It's strange that Tezuka Kohei and this woman aren't married yet. Did she affect this woman's relationship with Tezuka Kohei in some way? 

Her eyes narrow on the woman. She knows about the butterfly effect. But seeing it manifesting this way is kind of annoying. She has the knowledge of future events from her past life; however, all the knowledge will slowly become useless if things change in this way.

What else is changing? 

"Why is a kid here?" The manager roars at the staff, pointing at the girl who is standing near the door with her emotionless eyes fixed on Tezuka Kohei and the woman in a black dress. 

"She's my niece." The waiter rushes to the manager. "I am sorry. My sister is in the hospital.  There was no one to take care of her."

"Why are you..." The manager glances at the girl with inky black hair and grey eyes. She seems to be around seven-year-old. Compared to the waiter, the girl is quite pretty. He frowns at the waiter. "Is she really your niece?"

"My brother-in-law was a foreigner," The waiter replies to him with a rushed tone. "My sister told me that he was from U Country."

"You!" The manager scrunches his nose and reprimands him, "Do you think that this is your playground? You should have left her at the house. She's old enough to take care of herself. Do you not know what kind of clients we have?"

Mira ignores what's going on behind her. She stares at Tezuka Kohei. Born in an average family, this man rose to heights quickly. Everyone thinks that it's his talent. She sneers at him. He's nothing but a lowly dog of the Consortium. The company that he's managing is only a subsidiary of the Consortium. 

She's been following him for weeks. He always brings his dates to this restaurant. Since she's a child, there is a limit to the things that she can do. It's been difficult for the man beside her to get a job in this restaurant. 

Tezuka Kohei is going to be her message to the Consortium.

***

"Tezuka-kun, it's surprising to see that you aren't married yet." Iori smiles at him brightly. 

"I fell for you that day, Iori." Tezuka Kohei leans forward and puts his elbows on the table. His gazes at "I was happy when my mother told me that you wanted to meet me."

"I thought about you a lot, Tezuka-kun." Although she had sent a text to Takeshi, guilt is itching her conscience. This is not cheating. It's work. Kinoshita Iori brushes her hair behind her ear and looks down shyly. "I thought about meeting you a few times, but I didn't know how to face you after that day. I said a lot. My cousin was also…"

She pauses when the waiter appears. Iori takes the moment to check her phone. The message has been read, but there's no reply. 

After the waiter sets up the table, Tezuka Kohei takes the bottle of wine from the waiter and pours the drink for her. The waiter leaves after giving them a polite bow. 

"You were saying…?" Tezuka Kohei probes her.

"A lot happened that day." Iori sighs. "Our date was ruined because of my friends and cousin. I realized that I misunderstood you completely. I am sorry for my behaviour, Tezuka-kun. I didn't know how to face you again. That was why I was reluctant… Shit!" 

A tall figure is furiously marching in their direction. Iori swallows hard. Takeshi's expressionless face is scarier than the expression that he showed to her the day he dragged her out of his house. When their eyes meet, she shakes her head at him. Don't come! But the man doesn't stop walking. 

"Why are you here again?" Tezuka Kohei scowls at Takeshi.

Takeshi ignores him and takes a seat beside Kinoshita Iori. "Same place, same table… You are quite creative, aren't you?"