King of Mine: Book 1 In the King Of Mine Series)

CHAPTER 59

At exactly 12.19, Katya picked up her bag from where it had been all morning, competing for space with her documents, laptop and printer, and headed out of her office, sighing out loud as she gave the hanging surveillance camera a side glance.

Before Felix had left earlier on, he had brought in a cleaner to sweep off the glass pieces that were scattered on the floor.

The cleaner had not flinched or said a single word as he carefully picked up the big pieces of glass, carefully disposing them in the bin he had brought along with him, and then sweeping the rest of the smaller pieces out of the office and into the hall.

Katya had avoided eye contact with the cleaner all the while he tidied her office, how could she not have. He might not have said a word, but it was clear that he must think of her as a raving idiot for destroying office property, not so much because it was against the rule to do so, but more likely because it was only an idiot that would sacrifice her paycheck for the replacement for anything destroyed in the office.

As Katya walked down the narrow office corridor, she clutched onto her bag in a tight grip as she noted the dozen or more surveillance cameras that were stationed in the hallway, something she had not really noticed before. Yes, she had seen a couple of these cameras, but had never taken note that they were these many. Why would a firm, a law firm for that matter saturate its hallways and offices with cameras? What were they looking out for? Katya had not seen any of these cameras in Damien King's office and she wondered whether the cameras were installed to monitor only junior employees of the firm.

Walking briskly down the corridor, Katya once again opted for the stairways instead of the elevator. She didn't want to bump into Damien King or Chris for that matter because it would end up in a long excuse about why she was sneaking out for another appointment when she was supposed to have lunch with him, an excuse she hadn't even thought about yet. She still didn't know what excuse to give Chris but she was sure that before her lunch break was over, a believable excuse would pop up in her mind, an excuse she prayed Chris would accept as true.

As soon as she walked out of the towering Wilson and Wilson building, Katya heaved a sigh of relief. Lately, being inside this building was becoming similar to the feeling that a convict would have in prison- caged. Pity really considering that a lot of young lawyers, and senior ones for that matter would give anything to work within the walls of Wilson and Wilson, a law firm that was known to produce the best lawyers in litigation in the country. Very few lawyers could compare to the expertise and high profile clients that Wilson and Wilson had and only the brave dared to stand neck to neck with them in open court for whatever matter that arose.

Katya flagged a taxi down and quickly boarded its warm interior as she gave the taxi the address she was heading for and quickly took a look at her office building as her mind raced in different directions. Eric had asked her to meet him in a restaurant not too far from Wilson and Wilson, alone and at exactly 12.30, no sooner, no later. Katya wondered whether Eric had taken into consideration the traffic that was unavoidable at this time of day or the fact that she worked for people and that at any time her attention might be required, break time or otherwise.

As the taxi maneuvered its way through the chaotic traffic, Katya wondered what exactly Eric had up his sleeves. What she was most concerned about was to know how she had met Tara King without having any memory of such meeting and what other gaps in her life were missing and most especially why?

Miraculously, as the taxi stopped in front of Gateway Restaurant, Katya looked at her watch and it was 12.29pm, one minute shy of the time Eric had asked her to be here.

Katya heaved a sigh of relief as she paid off the Taxi driver and alighted from the car.

Looking up at the tattered grey coloured signage of the restaurant, she wondered why of all places, Eric would arrange for them to meet here. The neighbourhood in which the restaurant was situated was decent enough, but certainly not as posh as where she would have expected the likes of Eric to dine in. Eric certainly did not strike her as a hungry , just-getting-by sort of fellow, so to have invited her to this part of town, where most of the buildings, though not utterly run down, looked as though they were constructed at the turn of the century and needed a major face lift, seemed unbelievable.