NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

As Kyle walked out of the Convention Centre, he almost stumbled when Kay's voice came through unexpectedly.

[Just what was that?]

[What was what?] Kyle asked innocently.

[That whole 'cold and detached' person I just watched on television]

[Wasn't I impressive?]

Kay snorted. She actually snorted, Kyle thought in amusement.

[The way you shot down those reporters was impressive though] Kay admitted [So is this going to be the new Kyle or something?]

[Nah, of course not] Kyle replied [That was to mess with Mum. All the nagging about being more responsible and need to set an example and whatnot. You should have seen her face. I think she thinks I'm a monster or something]

[You are]

[Oh come on. I ... wait. Mum's calling. Later]

[Be nice to Mum, okay? She was just worried] Kay admonished him.

[I know, I know. Got it] Kyle grumbled. He couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled though. Being treated like a kid who didn't know anything rubbed him the wrong way, even though that person was his Mother. Or rather, the person who gave birth to him.

One of Kyle's regret in this life was his inability to love his parents as they should be loved. Especially his Mother. He was grateful to them and he would never mistreat them, and he DID love them. To a certain extent. But it wasn't the same.

The bond that a baby has with his biological mother is due to his recognition of her and her care for him while he is helpless. When he was still in the womb, he could already make out her unique smell. A baby, who had nothing but the steady rhythm of the mother's heartbeat and her smell while in the womb, would naturally bond and get calm when these two factors were present upon birth.

As for Kyle? Not only did he have Kay with him in the womb to keep him company, but he was also mentally an adult and didn't rely on his mother at all after birth. He did in terms of being bathed, fed and so forth but he wasn't relying on her per se. He couldn't even accept being breastfed. The moment Delilah guided her nipple into his mouth, he would spit it out.

He couldn't help it. It was reflex. He preferred the stiff plastic bottle teat anytime. Kay often scolded him for it, telling him that it was the best. The texture and the softness of the natural teat, the taste of milk and the smell of their mother made everything like a gourmet meal.

Kyle shrugged mentally. Since hitting puberty though, he couldn't deny that those soft orbs did offer more fascination for him but he didn't know whether it was mere curiosity or it was a prelude to something more than that. After all, so far, Kyle Jr didn't react in any way every time someone accidentally (or not) brushed against him.

"Yes, Mother?" Kyle answered after realising that his mother was calling him again. He had been so lost in thought that he forgot to reply to her the first time. As the Cold CEO persona, he would use formal language in front of others. He did, however, give her a warm smile.

"You did well," she praised him.

"Yes," agreed his father, "The way you handled the questions showed shrewdness and aptitude of a CEO. I am impressed by your knowledge of all the news agencies. How did you know?"

Kyle shrugged, "You need to know your enemy in order to face them."

Patrick laughed and patted Kyle on the shoulder, "Good, good. A good start."

When Delilah said "good", it was bad. When Patrick said "good", it was actually good. Kyle laughed internally at how different - yet the same - his parents were.

.:*?°☆...:*?°☆...:*?°

Meanwhile, in another part of town, a lone figure could be seen in an empty room. The television was on and the Press Conference by Mall T was being shown in the 9 o'clock news. As the news was just about to end the man stubbed out his cigar and said softly, his deep voice echoing in the room, "Drako."

Silently, a man dressed all in black appeared and stood behind the figure. The man didn't turn but instead, pointed at the television and said, "Get me everything you can about this Kyle Smith. I want the report on my desk by tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Sir," the man responded and disappeared.

"Is he a threat, Sir?" another voice sounded in the room.

"He might be, Nitocris," the man answered.

Nitocris looked at the young man in the television, "But he's so young, Sir. How could he possibly be a threat to you?"

The man looked up at his trusted aide, the man who had been with him for the past 10 years and said with a sneer, "He spoiled my plans. That alone is enough for me to eliminate him. The fact that he was at the right place, at the right time and with the right skills to do so? Bah!"

"But isn't it just mere coincidence, Sir?" Nitocris insisted, not afraid of angering his boss.

The man stared at him and said simply, "There is no such thing as coincidences, Nitocris. Remember that. Coincidences are merely Fate's way of trying to stop me. Since Fate has shown me this boy, then I will eliminate the boy. I have reached where I am through blood and sweat. NO ONE will topple me. NO ONE."

"Yes, Sir," Nitocris answered respectfully and said a little prayer for the boy.

"But this is not the right time to make a move," mumbled the man, "The Smith Industries Heir, huh. Too much heat right now. This must be planned properly ..."

Nitocris listened and started jotting down notes.

.:*?°☆...:*?°☆...:*?°

The next day, things were a bit hectic back at school. Obviously, people had seen the news report and the school forum exploded. Screenshots of Kyle's climbing feat were all over but what got the girls more excited was seeing Kyle in a suit.

He was unbelievably handsome that they could just die. Die, I tell you!

They were also torn whenever they saw his bandaged hands. How they'd love to take care of him but his cold demeanor at the news conference made them feel like ... they could look but cannot touch.

The moment Kyle entered Sage Class, the whole classroom started cheering and clapping. Kyle gave his Million-Dollar Watt Smile and took an elaborate bow.

"Thank you, thank you," he said and then, "Please don't admire me more than you already do. I'm just way too awesome for you to handle."

"Oh please," Ali retorted, "If your head gets any bigger, you won't be able to walk through the door!"

"Can't you think of a better or newer line?" Kyle said with a laugh as he headed over to Beatrice's desk, "Same old boring ones"

Beatrice was busy at her computer, doing some work that she needed to finish. Other than the initial clapping, she had ignored everything else. After all, she had been there during the whole rescue thing and felt that there was nothing else of interest.

She was so focused on her work that she didn't realise Kyle had walked over until her view of her computer screen was blocked. It was a beige coloured paper bag. What caught her eye was the simple logo "D'Amour" on it. She looked up at Kyle curiously.

"What's this?" she asked, not even bothering to take the bag.

"Just a simple 'thank you' for following the Mad Shopping Kay yesterday," Kyle replied as he walked over to his own desk.

"HEY! I was not madly shopping that day!" Kay protested.

"Yeah, right. My wallet says otherwise," Kyle said as he gave a sad look and clutched his heart, "Almost had a heart attack right at the cashier itself"

"Ha ha, very funny," Kay said, then stuck out her tongue at him, "By the way, Liam should have put up the results of the student council interviews. Be prepared to deal with it later."

"Gotcha," Kyle said, "But we still have another 2 months before school ends then official duties start! Should I start running?"

"You're going to have to start preparing for next year's intake, my dear brother. You know, Student Council President speech, the welcoming of new students, the preliminary tests for class allocation, the possibility of more Sage Class members, the ..."

"STOP! ENOUGH!" Kyle shouted, then whimpered then stopped in shock when he arrived at his desk, "What the heck is this?!!"

There, piled up high on his desk, were various gifts.

"Oh, that?" Natasha said, "Just a few gifts for you."

"Er, I can see that they're gifts, Natasha," Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"You asked what they were," she pointed out with a smile and Kyle groaned.

"You sure you're not a guy? You're certainly good at bad dad jokes," Kyle poked fun at her.

"You sure you're a genius? You're certainly dumb enough to ask stupid questions," Natasha retorted back.

While Kyle was busy 'arguing' with Natasha, Beatrice gingerly took the bag and looked inside. She took out the blouse and tears started forming in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. She looked about her quickly and was relieved that no one saw that.

She was touched. Really touched.

No one, other than her parents and Betty, had ever given her anything - not even on her birthday. Now, not only did someone give her something, it wasn't for anything special. Just as a 'thank you'. He had noticed her admiring the blouse and he bought it for her. How many people would be so thoughtful?

Beatrice sighed as she carefully folded the blouse and put it back in the bag. At that moment, Beatrice could somehow understand the confusion and pain Sarah must be under. These little, thoughtful and kind acts of Kyle can really make one misunderstand. Beatrice didn't, of course, for this was just how Kyle was.

What Beatrice didn't know was that Kyle HAD seen how Beatrice reacted to his little present. Which sane person wouldn't want to know how a person reacts to something that they had given? Kyle also knew that Beatrice wouldn't want to show it so he pretended to be occupied with bantering with Natasha.

He had seen her take out the blouse and wipe her eyes. The light smile on her lips made him happy. He really liked the fact that Beatrice was slowly opening up to the people around her. It was only a month and the effects could already be seen.

[Beatrice really liked your gift, brother]

[Yup. Oh. Ya. Which reminds me. Did Sarah like it?] Kyle asked curiously.