LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 18: Getting Ready
When Rayne arrived at the gym, Brent was doing warm-up stretches, followed by some basic fighting stances.
Rayne watched in awe as he performed these movements with seemingly effortless precision.
"Ah, Rayne, you're here. Come on over, and let's begin from where I left off last week," said Brent, waving Rayne over to him.
She put her whole heart into today's lesson, engraving every movement and word Brent said into her memory.
Brent looked over at her, noticing the seriousness she displayed. He could see the fire in her eyes; she seemed almost desperate to improve with every motion.
"Hey, did something happen these last few days? You seem a bit different from last week."
Rayne paused and looked up at him. Although this was just her second class, she considered Brent her teacher.
She calmly recounted her experience on the mountain and how she narrowly escaped death.
Hearing the story, Brent's expression turned serious, even more so after he had Rayne describe what the two men looked like. She unfortunately never got a good look at the man who was restraining her, but she described the lawyer-looking man named Tek.
Brent's gaze turned cold. He knew this person. Tek was part of Damien's group, and although he wasn't someone high up in the rankings, he was still a small-time leader in the group.
"Rayne, you were smart not to report this to the park rangers or the police. Such people have no morals, and if they found out you reported them, the only outcome would have been your death," said Brent.
Rayne was a little surprised to hear this. Brent gave off a strong ex-military vibe, and she thought that he would have scolded her for not doing the "right" thing.
After hearing about the close call Rayne experienced, Brent changed a few of the moves he had been teaching her. He was originally going to wait longer until her muscles were more adjusted, but seeing her determination, he began to teach her ways to protect herself.
Rayne requested to learn how to break free from being held, so Brent spent the rest of the lesson demonstrating and teaching Rayne various ways of breaking free.
After the self-defense lesson, Rayne left feeling a little sore but empowered. She successfully managed to break free from Brent's grip, marking a success in having learned her first self-defense move.
She quickly went home to shower before heading to the salon for her beauty appointment.
Brent stepped into his office after Rayne left and called Ian.
"Hey boss, I have some new information. My self-defense student ran into Damien's men at Three Falls Park. Based on what little she heard, it seems like they're scouting land for something."
"Why would they scout land at a country-owned park? Something seems off," replied Ian over the phone.
"I am also curious about this, but if Tek is involved, then we can assume it's important," said Brent.
"Hmm, thank you for telling me about this. I will let Julian know," said Ian before hanging up the phone.
Ian grabbed the keys off the counter and left for REN Corp. headquarters.
The moment he arrived at the large office building, the experienced secretary had already alerted Noah of Ian's visit.
Ian curtly nodded at the secretary and stepped into the president's elevator, heading towards Julian's office.
Noah greeted his older brother as soon as the elevator doors opened. "Hey Ian, what brings you over today? It's unlike you to simply visit," asked Noah.
"I have some information for the boss. It seemed important, so I came here as soon as I got off the phone with Brent," replied Ian.
"From Brent? Interesting how he came across some information we haven't heard already," questioned Noah as he led Ian to Julian's office.
Julian was a little surprised to see Ian in his office but figured that only meant he had something important to discuss.
"Noah, postpone the meeting for another 30 minutes. I want to hear what Ian has to say."
Noah picked up his cell phone and stepped out to make a call, returning shortly after.
"Boss, Brent called me just now with some interesting information. He has a new student at his gym, and she had an encounter with Tek over the weekend at Three Falls Park," said Ian.
"How do we know it's Damien's Tek and not some other guy with the same name?" questioned Noah.
"Brent asked the girl to give a description, and what she described was undoubtedly that Tek. The thing I am more curious about is what they were looking for up in those mountains?" said Ian, glancing over at Julian.
The office was filled with silence for a few minutes while the men thought of reasons.
Julian looked up and said, "I'm not totally convinced of this, but I think Damien is looking for a place to hide off the grid."
He frowned and then continued, "Looks like our plan B will have to go into effect sooner than I thought. Noah, you will go to the PRISMA gala tonight and find the most talented and suitable architect to design the bunker. We need to begin construction as soon as possible."
"Are you sure, boss? I was going to let Manager Ross handle the event. Don't you need me at the business dinner with S Corp. tonight?" asked Noah.
"I can handle the business dinner myself. It's just that old greedy pig who keeps trying to win me over to get some funding. Finding the right architect for this job is very important, and I only trust you with this," replied Julian.
He then turned to Ian, "I'm sure you already know what I'm going to say. Send your men out to locate and tail Tek. I also want people sent to Three Falls Park ASAP to see what they were looking at over there."
"Got it, I'll go take care of that right now," Ian nodded and walked out of the office.
"I can't help but feel like something world-shattering is going to happen soon," sighed Julian.
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Rayne made it to the salon a few minutes before the time for her appointment. The salon was fairly new and not very well known, which allowed Rayne to make an appointment on short notice.
The décor was very earthy, with wood accents and green potted plants. It created a fresh and calming atmosphere that Rayne really enjoyed.
She was soon greeted by a young man with pink hair and piercings. "Hey, gorgeous! Welcome to my salon! My name is Kellin, and I have the honor of being your stylist today."
Rayne immediately fell in love with his fun personality and was very happy that he was her stylist!
"Hello, Kellin, I'm Rayne. I am here today to get prettied up for a gala I will be attending tonight!"
"Oh, how fancy! You brought your dress with you, right? Let's have you put that on so that I can see what hair and makeup will suit you best!" said Kellin enthusiastically.
He led Rayne toward the back of the salon to a dressing room.
While Rayne carried a white paper bag with her, she actually forgot to pack the dress! She was so thankful to have the system once again and pulled out the forest green evening gown and black stiletto heels.
She walked out of the room and heard Kellin gasp.
"Wow, you are absolutely stunning! You will really make my job too easy!" exclaimed Kellin!
He went over and examined her thoroughly, noting her face shape and skin tone.
"Okay, love, I have the perfect hairstyle in mind for you! Go back and change into your normal clothes for now. We will start with a facial and massage first. Once we get to the hairstyling stage, I'll have you change back into your dress," said Kellin.
A little over two hours later, Rayne came out of the spa room with glowing skin. The esthetician was very knowledgeable and skilled in various techniques and massages.
It was finally time for Kellin to take over with the hair and makeup, marking the final stretch of the beauty treatment.
Rayne went back to the dressing room and changed into the evening gown, as Kellin instructed. Her heels clicked as she walked on the tiled floor toward the salon chair where Kellin was standing.
As soon as she sat down, Kellin went to work, trimming and styling her long blonde hair.
"Wow, I've never seen hair this beautiful before," marveled Kellin, picking up a small strand. "You must tell me what brand of shampoo you use."
Rayne laughed as her mind immediately pictured the cheap bottle of shampoo from the hospital that she'd been using.
Laughing nervously, she replied, "I don't remember the name, but next time I will bring the bottle with me."
An hour later, Kellin turned the chair to have Rayne face the mirror.
"What do you think?" he asked, confident in his work.
Rayne gasped! Her hair was meticulously styled into tight side-swept waves, cascading down her shoulders to her waist.
"It's gorgeous! How could this be my hair? I love it!" she exclaimed, turning her head side to side.
"I was originally going to do an updo, but your hair is too good not to let down," explained Kellin.
After giving Rayne some time to marvel at herself in the mirror, Kellin sat her down at the makeup counter.
He applied makeup mostly to the eye area because Rayne's skin was radiant and blemish-free. He chose to do a dark smokey eye, highlighting Rayne's light green eyes.