Chapter 53


    That was the main objective but the hidden agenda that I tried to keep suppressed and hidden away in


    the corner of my mind was because I needed something to keep my mind off the fact that Kyle is


    supposed to be getting married today. Of course, I wasn’t invited to his wedding, and I had no idea


    where he was getting married. Not that it mattered, I wouldn’t turn up anyways even if he did invite me.


    We were not supposed to have a close rtionship at all in the eyes of others who knew us.


    That was the curse of our forbidden and secret rtionship.


    In an attempt to avoid thinking of that any further, I focused on my research as I sat in front of my


    wasn’t difficult. What was more challenging was looking into the various viewpoints that people had


    regarding the controversial topic. Of course, people in the west were clearly opposed to it because


    dogs were considered ‘a man’s best friend’. The idea of consuming dogs as food was just unthinkable


    to many people and I had to say that that applied to me also. To me, dogs were pets to be taken care of


    and loved. Dog wasn’t food for me.


    However, there were still many people who did not share this belief which is probably why the trade still


    exists to this day in many countries around the world. There are many cultures where dogs are


    considered as a normal source of meat for consumption simr to pigs, chickens and cows. Simr to


    how there are chicken and other livestock farms, there are farms that raise dogs for meat. However, the


    conditions of those farms and some shady activities associated to the sources of the dogs still exists.


    After more reading, I became genuinely interested in the topic and I could see even clearer why many


    people and foundations are working to put a stop to this meat trade. That doesn’t mean that the line


    was simple to draw, and the topic was definitely a wild mix of various shades of grey rather than just


    ck and white.


    So how are we supposed to get people to support ending this trade?


    I paused to stretch my arms above my head before leaning by head back on the headrest of my seat.


    My eyes stared up nkly at the white ceiling of my room.


    Kyle is probably getting married in some church right now…


    I closed my eyes to rest them. Staring at theputer for a few hours was starting to take a toll on my


    eyes already. When I closed my eyes, my mind automatically conjured up a beautiful and romantic


    scene of Kyle exchanging marriage vow with a beautiful woman that I have never seen before. They


    both smiled at each other before leaning in for a kiss. Kyle wore a formal white tuxedo that perfectly


    They look so happy and so well-suited to each other…


    **ring ring ring**


    Huh?


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    My eyes snapped open, and that image was gone when the sound of my phone ringing brought me


    back quickly to reality. Who could it be?


    Maybe it’s mum. She might be wondering if I’m going back home to see her this weekend. My hand


    grabbed my phone and connected the line without bothering to check who was the caller. It was


    probably my mum or some telesale spam because there was on one else now that I have broken up


    with Kyle.


    “Hello…” I saidzily.


    “Sorry to call you on a weekend but…I sort of need your help right now…” a man’s voice said in a


    seductive drawl.


    Ace?!


    My eyes widened in shock as a hand flew to cover my open mouth. I removed my phone from my ear


    and checked the caller ID. It really is Ace…


    He needs help?


    “It’s not a problem. What do you need help with?” I asked in a panic, sensing that it was urgent.


    Did something happen to him or something?


    I stood up from my seat in a panic as I gripped my phone tighter in my hand.


    “Where are you right now?” Ace asked through the phone.


    “I’m at my ce…” I replied.


    “That’s great. Perfect timing! Can youe out to your balcony for a bit?” Ace asked and I could feel


    his relief.


    “Sure…but…why?” I asked in slight confusion as I slowly approached the exit to my balcony.


    Do I need to be on the balcony to help him with whatever he needed help with?


    I stepped out onto the balcony of my room while still confused with what Ace really wanted. He seemed


    troubled and whatever problem he was encountering must be quite serious for him to call me on a


    Saturday like this. He must have felt guilty for it too because he did apologize first thing in our call.


    “Rina!”


    That’ can’t be…


    “Ace…?” I gasped in surprise when I looked down from my balcony towards the front of the building.


    What is Ace doing here?!


    Ace was standing there in front of yet another eye-catching sportscar as he waved a hand at me. He


    seemed perfectly fine, and he was even smiling so…


    “Why are you here?” I asked through the phone as I took a step by from the balcony railing.


    “I already told you. I need your help…” he replied casually.


    “What do you need help with?” I asked, suspiciously.


    “Why don’t youe and meet me down here first? Or are you still in your pajamas?” Ace asked


    teasingly.


    No, I wasn’t in my pajamas but that didn’t mean that I was in my office clothes either. I was in a simple


    t-shirt and jeans because it was a Saturday. Ace wasn’t in his suit either and I guess this might be the


    first time that I saw him in casual clothes in real life. The loose white shirt that he had on along with his


    light blue jeansplimented his tan skin quite well.


    “Umm…ok…” I mumbled, too confused that I didn’t quite know what to react.


    --To be continued…