Born For This

Chapter 003: A Different Kind of Smile

For a moment, Kyle stood still–staring at the woman in the car.

Dora. Of course he knew that name.

Anyone with even the slightest exposure to the business world knew it. The acting CEO of Transcorp Enterprise was practically a legend–young, brilliant, and notoriously distant. Newspapers often described her as a woman carved from ice, one whose smile was rarer than a solar eclipse.

There had even been wild and persistent rumors that the richest man in Florida City had once pursued her relentlessly, only to be turned down without as much as a second glance.

And yet, she was before him–smiling.

There was even a trace of relief in her eyes, as though she had finally found something she had been searching for.

Kyle frowned slightly.

"You've got the wrong person," he said at last in a calm voice.

Dora let out a soft chuckle, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. "No, I don't think I do, young master."

Kyle's folded his arms. "You just called me young master the second time.”

"Yes." She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "Uhhm, you really don't remember me?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "Should I?"

For a brief second, something quite unreadable to him flickered across her eyes.

"Of course," she said simply, her smile widening a bit. "We've met many times."

Kyle was puzzled. Many times?

His mind instinctively began searching through his memories. But no matter how he tried, he could not recall a single instance where he had ever crossed paths with her.

Seeing his confusion, Dora reached across and pushed the passenger door open. 

"This isn't the best place to talk," she said gently. "Please, get in."

Kyle glanced around the quiet street, then back at her. There was something about her presence that made refusal feel unnecessary.

After a brief pause, he stepped forward and slid into the passenger's seat. The door shut with a soft click.

Moments later, the sleek black car pulled away.

-----

The ride was quiet.

Kyle leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting out the window as the city moved past. His mind, however, was far from calm.

His mother's words from the previous night kept echoing faintly in his head.

'I wish to transfer full ownership of Transcorp Enterprise to you.'

But Dora claimed to be acting CEO of Transcorp Enterprise.

He exhaled slowly. Things were indeed moving faster than he had expected.

"Still thinking?" Dora's voice broke the silence as she glanced at him.

Kyle turned his head slightly. "Just...trying to–"

"–catch up," she completed, smiling faintly. "Yeah, right. That's understandable."

He didn't respond to that. Instead, his gaze lingered on her again.

Up close, she looked even more different from the version the media portrayed. There was this calmness in her demeanor–not the cold detachment that was associated with her image.

If anything, she seemed approachable. Familiar, even.

This unsettled him in a way he couldn't grasp.

"Have we met before?" he asked again.

Dora's lips curved slightly. "Yup. More than once."

"Then why don't I remember you?"

She glanced at him briefly before returning her eyes to the road. "Well, because you weren't really looking at me."

Kyle frowned slightly. Before he could press further, the car slowed and came to a smooth stop right in front of an upscale café.

-----

The interior of the coffee shop was quite refined, with soft jazz playing in the background and the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the air.

They took a table by the window.

A server approached, and Dora calmly ordered before turning her attention back to Kyle.

"Do you remember a banquet three years ago?" she asked with slightly squinted eyes.

Kyle blinked. "What?"

"You attended it with your lady," she continued. "Vivian...that's her name, right? It was one of her early corporate events. Not so many people knew her back then."

Kyle's expression shifted slightly.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I remember the event now."

It had been one of the first major events Vivian had insisted he accompany her to. He hadn't wanted to go at the time, but she had convinced him.

Dora nodded. "That night, Vivian drank a bit too much, and someone thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of that."

The memory hit Kyle instantly, and his jaw tightened slightly.

He remembered the man–a mid-level executive who had shamelessly tried to drag Vivian away under the guise of helping her rest.

Kyle had seen it, and acted.

"I knocked him down," Kyle said quietly.

Dora smiled faintly. "Not just that. You also humiliated him in front of everyone."

They both chuckled, and Dora's gaze softened slightly.

"I remember thinking, at the time...that Vivian must be the happiest woman in the world. The luckiest too."

Kyle let out another chuckle.

"Happiest?" he repeated, his fingers tightening slightly on the table.

Images instantly flashed through his mind–waiting for Vivian late into the night, enduring her brothers' mockery, giving up his own family, becoming a freaking live-in son-in-law.

And to cap it all, she called him a mere puppet in her last celebration banquet.

Kyle's smile faded completely.

"She deserved none of it," he said flatly.

Dora paused, and Kyle caught a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. But it disappeared just as quickly. She leaned back slightly, her expression becoming more thoughtful.

"Then your return...it has something to do with her, doesn't it?"

Kyle's silence was answer enough.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Dora clasped her hands lightly on the table.

"In that case," she said calmly, "it's best we pull off Transcorp's support from Vivian Group."

Kyle looked at her. "You already know the situation, don't you?"

Dora gave a small nod. "Of course. Your mum happens to be my senior business partner. For the past three years, Vivian Group's partnership with Transcorp Enterprise was never a coincidence. Your mum spearheaded it all for your sake."

Dora paused, then added, "We provided them with resources, connections, and even personnel at times."

Kyle frowned slightly. "Personnel?"

Dora's lips curved faintly.

"James Carter," she said.

Kyle's expression darkened instantly. "That bloody scallywag of a–"

"One of our technical experts," Dora cut in. "He was assigned to Vivian's Group under special instructions."

Kyle let out a quiet breath, and for a moment, he said nothing. He just couldn't believe that Vivian chose a contract worker over him.

He leaned back, his gaze drifting toward the window.

"I don't want to waste any more time on her," he said finally.

Dora watched him carefully. "Well, then I'll proceed with the withdrawal accordingly."

Kyle gave a small nod. "Handle it however you see fit."

Dora nodded. "Understood."

Just then, Kyle's phone buzzed on the table. The screen lit up.

It was Vivian calling.

Kyle stared at the name for a second before picking it up.

"Kyle, have you lost your goddamn mind?!"

Her tone was sharp, unpleasant, and laced with boiling anger.

"How dare you hit James like that? Do you even know who he is?"

Kyle said not a word.

"Look, you better come back right now and apologize to him!" she snapped. "Do you hear me? Apologize properly!"