Shikera wanted to push him away, wanting to deliver her argument to the end, but she didn’t. Instead, she ran her hands against his chest and unbuttoned his shirt completely. Then she slipped her hands into his shirt and caressed his bare body, moaning into the kiss.

As soon as he felt her hands moving downwards, Ethan was quick to catch them as he ended their kiss.

"Don’t do that, Kera..." he whispered, releasing her hands to button up his shirt. He rose up from the bed and assumed his former position and facial expression.

"Back to business," he began, frowning down at her. "It’s as I said, and you should not try to help Esther with anything that will cause harm to you."

"Hm," Shikera answered, looking away from him. She continued, "What did Krystal say?"

Ethan ignored her question and instead posed his, "What did Mrs Mason say?"

"Nothing much. She was close to my mother when they were young, so I guess she was simply worried about me," Shikera replied.

"Alright. How are you feeling now?"

"Thirsty," Shikera joked, tapping on her lower lips with a smirk on her face.

But as Ethan turned to get the water for her, the smile fell from her face and was replaced by a calculative expression.

★★★

"I intentionally didn’t tell Ethan of this fact, because I fear he will be stricter with your meal planning, but there’s no reason for me not to tell you this," Krystal paused for a while, assessing Shikera’s face before continuing, "Kera, you do know that sugar of such little quantity as the one you described was not supposed to cause you to land in the hospital, right?"

"That’s why I’m confused, Krystal. Does it mean my health is deteriorating?" Shikera asked, with little to no emotions on her face as if they were talking about someone else here.

"You are right. But it doesn’t shorten the five years limit, which also has the condition that you take care of yourself well. The only difference now is that you have to abstain completely from sweets... except ice cream, since your body has been conditioned enough to tolerate that," Krystal informed her.

Shikera nodded in understanding.

"I will try to abstain from it then. Not a promise though," she chuckled out loud, walking out of the doctor’s office.

Even though she had acted as if she was not bothered when she was speaking to Krystal, Shikera’s brain was calculating and formulating plans. She maintained her serious expression and kept to herself all through the drive home, and even after they arrived at the villa. She had trudged absentmindedly into the house and was about to continue up the stairs when she heard Ethan instruct Enoch to destroy the blood stained couch.

"Why?!" she turned abruptly.

"Why what?"

"Why are you destroying the couch? I will just wash my blood off it so give me a few minutes. How can you think of destroying a white colored couch that easily?" she murmured the last question, walking up the stairs.

Ethan exchanged glances with Enoch, asking with his eyes if he was the only one that found what Shikera was saying, weird.

"What’s the use of keeping it when we can just buy another one? Are white colored couches impossible to get these days?" he voiced out, but Enoch answered his question with a blank look. He had enough things to worry about on his own, than to worry with his older brother who seemed to have his married life on stable mode.

Upstairs, Shikera slumped on her bed as soon as she got into her room, and closed her eyes immediately. It wasn’t that she wanted to sleep, but she needed to think without being distracted by the starry pink ceiling in her room.

’It’s happening so fast, Kera. And you have to be fast too..."

The things she had wished to do all her life which has seemed almost impossible, now seemed like she just had to stretch her hand to get it. Her plan was laid out already, and no one was stopping her...or so she thought.

Getting her mother’s name out of the reporter’s and Ethan’s black list by using her position as the show anchor Elovien’s Spotlight, getting pregnant so her father, brother, friend and Ethan could have someone to see when they thought about her, signing her shares in Anderson Corporation over to Ethan, and giving herself a name in history as one of the best reporters their country ever had.

Thinking about it, she realized that all what she listed out could be done even when she gets pregnant and the pregnancy wouldn’t affect her efficiency at all.

She rose up to a sitting position and opened her eyes, a bright smile forming on her face.

"That’s it, Kera! The first thing you have to do now is to get pregnant, and then the rest would follow after!" she encouraged herself out loud.

’And then,’ she continued inwardly. ’I will have the time to think about the person who looked like my mother..."

She stood up from the bed and walked into her closet to pick out a nightgown she could wear for that night, before walking into the bathroom.

She would rest for this night but right from the very next day, she would activate her plans!

Downstairs,

Ethan hung up on the call he was taking, and turned to his three assistants.

"It seems real, but suspicious," he stated. "If she wasn’t really dead, why did her husband pronounce her as dead and why is she back now? Why is she loitering around Anderson Corp. and why did she have to live in the very same apartment Miss Leigh lives?"

His question was not directed at anyone in particular, but his assistants fidgeted for not even having the least bit idea for an answer.

"Ray, you watch her closely from today on. And also pay more attention to the mather with Grandfather," he ordered Raymond.

Turning to Enoch, he continued,"You should be experienced enough to at least make some researches now. Compile a list of the best doctors both in this country and out, not minding their area of specialty and then you," he gestured at Ruth.

"Stay with Shikera. If there are any incidents that makes you think that woman is up to no good, then make sure you protect Kera alone. I will handle her mother myself."

"Yes Sir!" The three chorused, turning simultaneously to walk out of the villa.

"Ray, don’t go with them. It’s been so long we sparred under the night sky, don’t you think?"