April 12, 7:03pm. — Study room, Bellingham Penthouse
The storm had mellowed into a lazy drizzle by the time Clara stepped into the room. The gentle tapping of raindrops played counterpoint to the low hum of classical music filling the room. Tony sat alone in his private study—the one room he never truly felt was his. Not yet. A fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting golden shadows on the floor-length curtains and rich mahogany walls.
He glanced up from a document he wasn't reading when he heard the distinct sound of heels clicking on the marble hallway.
Then she appeared.
Clara.
{It was her again}
Blonde hair curled in perfect waves over her shoulders, her bangs framing her sharp eyes with calculated softness. She wore a cute black dress that hugged her like it had secrets of its own, paired with a flared white skirt that swished elegantly as she walked. Her black high heels, each step timed with poise, announced her like punctuation marks. A pair of white glasses sat daintily on her nose—pure aesthetic, he suspected, just another part of the disguise. Her Louis Vuitton handbag hung effortlessly from one elbow, sleek and expensive like everything else about her.
(Perfection)
She didn't wait for a greeting.
With a practiced flick of her wrist, she tossed a thick brown envelope onto the polished desk.
"Sign this," she said with the lazy confidence of someone who already knew the answer.
Tony didn't move. He didn't speak.
He just watched her.
Clara moved to the chair across from him, crossed her legs elegantly, and leaned back like this was her office. Not a single raindrop dared touch her. She owned the moment.
"Relax," she said, brushing invisible lint from her white skirt. "It's just a form. Standard stuff."
(Standard indeed)
He raised an eyebrow.
"Standard forms don't usually get hand-delivered by girls dressed like Paris fashion week."
"Aww, is that your way of saying I look good?" she cooed.
He exhaled through his nose, a smirk twitching on his lips.
"What's in the envelope, Clara?"
"Transfer approval for one of the executives. Dormant investment asset. Your signature, a quick scan, and poof, it's done."
He picked up the envelope slowly and slid the contents out. One form, blank at the signature line. Perfectly clean. Too clean. He didn't read it!
"This real? You sure it's not a trap?"
"As real as you," she replied, chin resting on her palm. "Or whoever you are."
(You already know the truth, why treat me like this?)
The words floated in the air between them. Neither acknowledged it directly. They didn't need to.
She knew. He knew she knew. And she knew he knew she knew. This reminded him of the fight....or rather agruement that took place in cafe noir{Read Chapter 9-11}
(Damnnnnnn!!! This is getting confusing)
So why the game?
He pulled a pen from the drawer and stared at the line. One signature.
His right hand hovered.
Then, instinctively, he switched to his left.
(Apparently Kai uses his Left to sign)
And signed it.
The old way. Compact, crisp strokes. Just like how he used to scribble on his exam booklets. Back when he was still Kai. Back before Tony Bellingham was anything more than a name on a news banner.
He slid the form back across the desk.
Clara picked it up, glanced at the signature—and then grinned.
"Wrong hand, Tony."
He didn't blink.
[Clara! You're just crazy!!!)
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
"Nothing," she said, folding the paper neatly and sliding it back into her bag. "I just wanted to see if you'd lie with your fingers too."
(But you already know the truth!)
Tony leaned back, eyes half-lidded.
"You really came all this way to test my penmanship?"
She shrugged. "It was either that or get bored watching you pretend to be the real Tony's shadow."
His lips twitched.
"Actually You've been doing your best living his life."
She leaned forward again, chin back on her palm, those white glasses now sliding slightly down her nose.
"You know what gave it away or rather, will give it away?" she asked sweetly.
"Humor me."
"That 'K' loop in your signature. Exactly like your old homework. You used to write like that when you were distracted. Plus—"
She tapped her own temple.
"You always sign with your left in your previous life, as Kai. Ambidextrous, but not symmetrical."
Tony said nothing. His silence was answer enough.
"So, what now?" he asked finally.
Clara stood and circled the desk, slow and deliberate. Her heels echoed on the wooden floor until she was behind him. She leaned in, voice soft.
"Now, I watch you try to keep all your secrets from falling apart."
He looked over his shoulder.
"And you? You're just going to... what? Observe?"
She smiled.
"I'm your friend, remember? I just like seeing how far you'll go before you crack. Maybe I'll even help, because I'm not sure I'll ever get use to a boy I knew becoming some else, literally."
(Friend? Friend indeed)
She reached for the doorknob.
"Oh, and by the way... that form? It's useless. Didn't need your signature. But your reaction? That was priceless."
She left without another word.
The door closed with a soft click.
Tony stared at the empty seat across the desk.
Then, finally, he allowed himself a breath.
She knew. And she knew he knew
And she wasn't telling anyone.
Not yet.
That night, Tony didn't sleep. He lay on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling, mind spinning. Clara had always been quick, observant, unnervingly precise. But this—this was different.
She had tested him.
And he'd failed.
Not because he gave something away.
But because she never needed proof in the first place.
He replayed the moment in the study: the signature, the grin, the faint teasing lilt in her voice.
She wasn't bluffing.
The question now was: How did she know me before, what is her real realtionship with the real tony and what would she do with this knowledge?
Next Morning
A note sat on his desk. Elegant handwriting. Clara's.
> "You owe me coffee. Decent coffee. Not the stuff Aaron brews. – C."
Tony(kai) chuckled softly. " Not again."
(Aaron's Coffee is G.O.A.T.E.D)
Then tossed the pen he used last night into the trash.
And he thought to himself
"So that paper was really fake huh!!!!!!! She lied at the end, crazy girl!"
(Crazy indeed)