Lyne's cue slipped out of her hands as she tried to hit the ball and the white object veered away on the green grass, missing the intending target which is a hole, many meters away.

"Ow!" She pouted.

Zeidan grinned, leaning against his cue, and dug his other hand in his pocket. He stared at Lyne who was in a white short tennis skirt and black long-sleeved top, wearing a white sneaker to top it and a white face cap. The skirt revealed her nicely curved fair legs and his stomach tingled. "Maybe, you'll get it right if you bend a little."

Lyne glared at him from behind, her eyes narrowed as if suspecting his intention. She gave him a long, hard stare before moving toward him. "Nice shot, mister. But you ain't getting a peek, not today." She patted his shoulder and walked past him, her hips swinging by gracefully. 

"There's nothing better than to stare at you all day." He followed her out of the park. They had just finished playing golf or barely played golf as Lyne kept losing. She grabbed their kit bags and swung them on her shoulder. "When we married, I surely knew you were going to be fun. Despite your annoying defiance and urge to always go against my words, you turned out to be interesting."

"I'll take that as a compliment, except the defiance part. I feel like you're calling me stubborn." Lyne muttered as they both walked side by side out of the park. The sun was high and checking his wristwatch, he realized the time has just struck 9:56 am and they haven't even had breakfast other than the cup of tea he had his staffs make for the both of them in his suite. 

"With your beauty, I'll still root for defiance and strong will. Wait up, Lyne, you're steps ahead of me." She paused and turned towards him, his face slightly inches taller than hers. 

"I'm feeling bored here. I think going somewhere bubbly will be alright. What do you think? I mean, Los Angeles is supposed to be the City of Sinners."

Zeidan widened his eyes at her words. He was shocked beyond words.

"Don't be shocked. I overheard two ladies saying that nearby."

"Oh." He nodded. "Let's go to the beach."

"Yeah, that should suffice. But first, we need to take breakfast. I feel like a huge pit has been dug in my stomach."

"Funny how I didn't even realize that." 

They both chuckled and moved back to their suites to prepare for the beach. In the car, Zeidan couldn't stop stealing glances at his beautiful wife who looked physically tired and covered in beads of sweat. Her hair was a messy ponytail and she smelled of strawberry shampoo. He could kill for her or go to the farthest depth of the ocean to prove his love. And he knew that she felt the same but he is afraid it might not be as powerful as his. What if she woke up one day and decided to leave him?

Never.

He would never allow that. Losing her is like losing a huge part of him. They drove into the driveway of the huge skyscraper that stood beside the road in Los Angeles with Palm company boldly inscribed on the top. Different exotic cars had begun to move in and out of the building with distinguished men and women dressed in pantsuits and suit jackets. 

The company is open which explains the sudden arrival of people.

"What do you do in this company?" Lyne's question pulled him short as he was about to step out of the car.

"A lot of things. I am in charge of importing and exporting artifacts and auctioning them at certain times. I also auction people's artworks and when they are bought, we receive a commission for it, giving the exact money to the owner of the artwork."

"Sounds like cheating to me."

"Why?" 

"I mean, I spend hours or days or even months to create something of value and you place a price on it so it can be sold off?" Her brows were slightly furrowed and Zeidan thought of how best to explain to her.

"No." He sat up gently to face her. "Those works are not just sold off. They let the creators earn a lot of money and they even get credit for it. Imagine being known around the world for your work because you sold it to a popular person..."

"What are you even saying?" Lyne widened her eyes. "Isn't it better that these people can just have a glance at these works and ask for another one to be done for them because they can see how good he is and also promote his talent? How hard can that be?"

"What are you even saying? You know what? You're right and these people who buy artworks and I are wrong. Let's just go and eat, okay?" He exhaled as he got down the car. Lyne has a lot to learn about human ways. Her family had been so cruel to have kept her confined for a long time. 

"Hey, little girl." He heard her tiny voice behind him and he closed his eyes wondering what she could be doing again. He turned and saw her talking to a redhead who wore a red pair of trousers and an orange striped t-shirt. She had a small necklace around her neck and if he was to guess correctly, she must be around thirteen or fourteen. Lyne called this teenager a little girl?

He moved closer to them.

"Lyne, what are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to check out her necklace. It seems out of this place."

"What? We sell artifacts. Her parents must have gotten this from one of those."

"Wait. You sell treasures that should be kept as people's heritage too?"

"That's not how we see it," Zeidan replied.

"What's going on here?" The girl chipped in sharply and from her attitude, he could tell she was one of those rich man's kids who have little regard for adults.

"What's your name?" Lyne replied with the same tone and the girl seemed to flinch a little.

"If I didn't know Zeidan as the owner of this company and your friend, I could sue you lady for crossing my path or..." She tilted her head. "Kidnapping."

"Oh," Lyne folded her arms and he rolled his eyes. 

"Let's see who is gonna win when I prove how that jewelry on your neck is a stolen object."

Zeidan shot her a look and at once his hunger vanished. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"What are you saying?"

"This necklace has the symbols on it and not written words which indicates that it's a gift being shared when two Vampires get married." 

"I know all that already but what do you mean by it was stolen?"

"I can perceive Chloe's scent."

The color on his face drained and he looked down at the girl.

"Hey. You know me, don't you?"

The girl nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I do."

"What is your name?"

"Tina."

"Good, Tina. I'll ask my secretary to take your name and I'll write you a check and a free treat for a day at the mall. I might need the necklace to clarify something." His eyes pleaded and although she wasn't too sure or she was thinking of what her parents might say, she removed the necklace and handed it to him. 

He checked the pendant and saw the symbols on it.

"Who gave it to you?"

"Well, I saw this on the floor." Tina lowered her eyes and she drew something on the floor with her shoes as if guilty.

"Oh." He muttered and Lyne looked at him.

"But I did saw who dropped it. I didn't want to inform her because I fell in love with the jewelry the moment I set my eyes on it."

"That's the job of the Kryst. It lures whoever loves jewelry but that doesn't stop your free treat and money only if you tell me who dropped it."

"It was a woman. She was wearing a black overall coat but I couldn't see her face."

Lyne and Zeidan looked at each other before he muttered.

"A woman?"