Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress Chapter 136 - I'm here to collect interest.

Damien brought Katherine to the restaurant where he had reserved the best seating with an unobstructed view of the mountain ranges and stars from the window.

"Onyx…" she mumbled, catching Damien's attention.

He looked at her and wondered what she was thinking about as she stared at the view outside. He took a sip of his red wine and asked, "Do you know what that is?" 

"Isn't that like a black stone?"

Nodding, Damien set his glass down. "Actually there are other colors. However, onyx is the most traditional black gemstone."

"I like black… but doesn't it look kind of—"

"Sad?" he finished her thought, smiling when he remembered a certain memory. "Someone told me that black onyx means sadness and that in ancient China, nobody dared to touch this precious gemstone because they fear to have bad dreams, bad luck, or bad energy."

"So why did they choose this name for this hotel?"

"The owner doesn't believe in that. He always believed in what he learned when he was a child - the symbol of Onyx which absorbs and transforms negative energy — that it helps with emotional, physical, and spiritual strength… even stamina."

"Huh…" 

They stared into each other's eyes.

"So… people come here in the hopes that they could destress and unwind…" she continued.

"That's right. And this hotel has been successful ever since it opened." Damien held the glass of wine and brought it to his lips, taking another sip.

"This isn't your first time coming here?"

He shook his head and a smile appeared. "I… Um…" He glanced at Katherine and contemplated on what he should tell her. "I came here before. A few years ago."

"You tried to buy this hotel, didn't you?"

He softly chuckled. "Yes. I met Mr. Bergmann on one of my business trips back then. He invited me here and I fell in love with the place."

"I see… And I guess he didn't sell it to you," she formed an amused smile.

Damien shook his head. "I did everything but he was never willing to sell it. The old man rather give me privileges instead."

"You should build one," Katherine suggested before she drank her sparkling water.

He stared at the wine in his glass as he swirled it around. He was lost for a bit, thinking about his past before he responded to her. "I haven't found the perfect spot yet."

"I see…" Katherine didn't know what it was but she felt that he was being a little sentimental just now. Reaching across the table, she held his hand in hers and gave him a sweet smile. "We should travel some more. Who knows? Maybe you'll find that perfect spot that you're looking for."

Bring her hand to his lips, he placed a soft kiss at the back of her fingers. "We should. I'd love that."

The rest of their dinner was enjoyable where a pianist serenaded their night. Though there were a lot of guests in the hotel, the place was spacious — so it didn't feel packed and crowded, making their experience a pleasant one. 

After their dinner, they headed towards The Lounge Bar which was located outside on the west side of the hotel. Because they were on a mountain, the night was chilly despite it being summer. Damien immediately removed his suit coat and covered her with it as they walked hand in hand towards the bar.

Before they reached the place, a man in his 70s came out of The Lounge Bar and grinned at them.

"Mr. Park," he called.

"Good evening, Mr. Bergmann." Damien shook hands with him and exchanged a brief hug. "I'd like you to meet Katherine, she's—"

"Oh, is this the woman that you've talked about this afternoon? My, it's nice to meet you." Mr. Bergmann offered his hand to Katherine, in which she received. "It's my pleasure, Mr. Bergmann, this place is wonderful."

"Ah… yes, it's my pride. I'm glad that you like it. Oh, before I forget-" he turned to Damien and told him, "I need to speak with you for a while."

Damien glanced at Katherine as though he was asking permission and saw her nod. "Sure," he said before he told her to wait for him inside the bar.

She turned around and was about to head towards the door when she heard a faint sound of music from the side. She turned her head and noticed a function hall that was brightly lit and saw a few people moving inside. Katherine got curious. She glanced at Damien and found him immersed in a conversation with the owner before she decided to take a peek at the party. 

She sauntered towards the entrance which was about fifteen meters away from where she was and craned her neck to see what was inside the hall. The double doors were made of glass, half of it was frosted while the top part was clear. 

Katherine peered and saw that there was a wedding reception happening inside. Unknowingly, the corners of her mouth curled up upon seeing the bride and groom dance in the middle of the dance floor. The ambiance was romantic and the guests were all focused on the pair.

She scanned the entire room, wanting to appreciate the rest of the event when her eyes landed on a certain corner. In the rightmost part of the room, there was a bar where the bartenders were busy pouring drinks for the guests. She narrowed her eyes and focused on it — for some reason, she was particularly pulled towards that area.

All of a sudden, she started to hear a familiar voice that rang in her ear.

"Six months," the voice said.

Katherine's head snapped to her left and saw that Damien was still talking with Mr. Bergmann at the same spot. She furrowed her brows, unsure of what she just heard. She found herself looking back at the bar, wondering what that was.

"It took you six months to show up in front of me again," the voice said again.

Her breathing hitched. Why was she suddenly hearing Damien's voice in her head? With words that he had never told her before?

Katherine's heart started pounding in her chest and her vision became hazy as she tried to keep her stare at the bar. Her hand slammed on the wall, trying to steady herself while she tried to catch her breath.

She continued to look at the bar and out of nowhere, images started flashing in her mind and she was brought back to a memory that was locked away somewhere in her head.

Onyx Mountain Hotel, December, 5 years ago.

Katherine saw herself sitting at the bar. She wore a gold dress with metallic threading detail throughout and black bows on her shoulders and had a deep V neckline. On her face, was a black lace mask that covered only her eye area. 

She didn't know why she was there but she was alone and nursing a glass in her hand. Her brows were knitted but she couldn't read what she was thinking. It was as though she was looking at her past self as a third person - not knowing the whys but could feel what she was feeling — and at that time, she felt drained. 

"Six months."

She turned her head to the left and saw a man in a black suit with a black shirt underneath it and a black mask that covered his eye area. She didn't have to guess, she knew that it was Damien Park's voice.

"It took you six months to show up in front of me again," he added just before he sat down on the stool next to her.

She was impressed that he recognized her despite the mask. "Mr. Park, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "What are 'you' doing here? Wait… Actually, the better question is, shouldn't I have you arrested for not fulfilling your end of the deal?"

A chuckle escaped from her lips. "Are you still hung up on that deal, Mr. Park?"

"We had a verbal agreement. I'm a businessman, I take agreements very seriously. Should I have drafted a contract instead?"

She swiveled her stool to face him diagonally and a smile appeared on her face. "I don't go back on my words. You will still get that five minutes."

"Hmmm… it's been a while though, so I'm here to collect interest." He tilted his head and exchanged sultry looks with her.

Lazily, Katherine rested her chin on her hand and asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"I'd like to buy you a drink." He signaled for the bartender. 

She chuckled, "Mr. Park, this is an open bar."

"Right. Then, let me order one that I think you would like."

"I'm not actually a good drinker," she said as she shot a look at the glass of gin and tonic. She hadn't had more than one sip yet.

"I see… Ditch that. I know the perfect drink for you."

Seemingly interested, Katherine straightened in her seat and gazed at him as he asked the bartender to make him a cocktail. 

"I have a better idea," she said, making him turn his head. "Mr. Park, can I interest you in a drinking game?"

Chapter end