Ariel shook his hand, and smiled, “Yes, I'm Ariel. How did you know?”

“Well, Kira told me her best friend would be around, and with the way she describes you, I know it's you. You’re beautiful just like she said. How are you doing?” Marcus said, staring into her eyes with his piercing gaze.

“I'm fine,” Ariel said, trying to break the handshake but Marcus clung to her hand.

“Can you let go of my hand, sir?”

“Oh sorry, my bad,” Marcus said, taking his hands off hers.

The way he was looking at Ariel made her feel uneasy and she knew he had held onto her hand deliberately.

Ariel...