A/N: For Warning and Disclaimer, refer back to the PROLOGUE

Chapter 6: Façade

All eyes focused on the newly-arrived couple. Their eyes flowed over the young man and woman with appreciative glances. The young man, they knew, was responsible for numerous scientific breakthroughs in their society, and beside him, was his simple yet striking young wife.

They were the perfect couple, they'd say; the man and woman being opposites of one another. He, being on top, while she, beneath him, supported his endeavors. He provided her with all the luxuries and comfort that life could possibly offer but she took from him only what she needed and still decided to be independent. Everyone knew that Serph Sheffield was very proud. He knew it when he was right, and when people were wrong. He wouldn't hesitate to tell them that either. But she, she was a down-to-earth soul that would provide the gentle touch and sensation that would rouse him from his delusions of glory and grandeur. Yes, they were the perfect couple.

Argilla was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable as she saw that many pairs of eyes were fixed on them; fixed on her. Argilla's life, before she had Serph, had been a simple one. She had never gotten to attend a social gathering that had this sort of importance and significance in her life. But, after marrying Serph, she had had the privilege of attending such gatherings. And it wasn't easy for her. It was not easy for her then, and it was not easy for her now. She felt insecure as her mind began to delude that the people around her were evaluating her silently, yet cruelly. She followed Serph through the elegant crowd, his hand gently tugging at hers. She forced herself to not show her insecurity; not to these people. She should be proud.

Serph, who was holding her hand in his, felt the warmth quickly seep from it. He felt her hand slightly tremble. He knew what it was; she was tensed. She had always been tensed around these kinds of things. He couldn't blame her though, for some of these people occupied high ranks of office in the city, and being negatively evaluated by them was slightly traumatic. But, he was Serph Sheffield, and he couldn't care less what they thought.

Still, it was one of the things that made him fall in love with her in the first place. She was a humble person; a gentle soul and an incorruptible child. She wasn't going to let money or wealth stand in her way of thinking and her way of feeling. He looked at his wife momentarily, silently evaluating her as well. True to his opinions, Serph knew that she simply was the most beautiful creature that he ever laid eyes on. He thought it then and he thought it now. She was dressed in a black corset, giving a clear exposure of her collarbone and broad shoulders. The edge of the corset was tight around her chest, and was positioned just so that there was a hint of her cleavage. She also wore a matching long skirt to finish her ensemble. The satin fabric flowed gracefully as she walked and it gave his wife an even more elegant visage. Her hair was once again done in her favorite style, the two Chinese buns. But, in addition to it, she had put traditional Japanese geisha hair pins on her hair, the silver chains and ruby jewels dangling carelessly from her hair. To protect herself from the harsh weather outside, Argilla had worn her maroon shawl. To Serph, she was simply beautiful.

He led her gently across the ballroom and towards the tables where they were assigned to sit. He courteously pulled a chair for her and sat her down gently, as if he was afraid that she might shatter.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked as he kneeled in front of her, taking her hand in his. Argilla blushed at his antics. It was the same in all the gatherings that they had went into. She being nervous, him kneeling in front of her asking her what was wrong. Argilla could feel the eyes once again and she flushed a deeper shade of red.

"Nothing…it's just that…Serph, they're staring!"

Serph chuckled, "I know. And I don't care."

His eyes burned intensely on hers, "What's wrong?"

He noticed how pale his wife had gotten and he slowly rose from his position, "Would you like something to drink?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes, thank you…"

He chuckled once more, touching her face, "I'm your husband Argilla. You don't have to be so formal with me."

His grin widened, "Besides, when you do that, it makes me feel old!"

She smiled back at him and in that moment, she began to feel at ease in her surroundings. Serph had always done that for her. He always lightened up her mood whenever she felt tense. "Hey! Where's my drink?" she teased and he held up his hands as if in surrender, "I'm going, I'm going."

Argilla watched her husband disappear through the sea of people and her eyes took to wandering instead, waiting for him to come back.

xxxxx

Heat regarded the people in front of him with little interest. Why was he here again? Oh right, because he was invited. Heat was a socialite but for some reason, he didn't feel like coming to this inauguration. Why would he when his mind was in turmoil, his heart restless?

As of before, he knew that in the center of the whirlwind of his troubles, lay one woman. Her. His best friend. A married woman. A work colleague, Mrs. Argilla Sheffield.

'I wonder what she's doing right now.' he thought impassively. He fiddled around in his coat. He hated wearing stuff like that! He growled in frustration, 'If I had my way, I'd just show up here in jeans and a shirt. None of this penguin-suit shit style.'

He sighed once again, "I need a drink."

He started to walk over to the stands to get a glass of wine when he brushed passed another man. He immediately apologized, "Sorry man, didn't see you." The man, who he didn't regard with his eyes, apologized politely as well, "That's alright. I do apologize."

Heat, remembering that he forgot his manners, looked at the man, seeing his silver hair and silver pair of eyes. "Say," Heat rambled, "Don't you find these things boring?" Heat didn't know what came over him to suddenly speak to a total stranger, but words just flew right out of his mouth.

The man laughed, "I suppose so, but be that as it may, I must attend these things. You're just like my wife, she doesn't like these things."

Heat smiled humorlessly, "Married huh? I envy you."

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow, "Why is that?"

Heat smiled sorrowfully, "Well, let's just say that my lady wouldn't give me the time of day."

The man patted him gently on the back, "Don't worry about that mate! I'm sure she'll come around one day. Well, it was nice meeting you…Well, goodness! I don't even know your name."

The silver-haired man slapped himself on the forehead at his own silliness and extended a hand for Heat to take, "I'm Serph Sheffield."

Heat felt the color drain from his face as his brain interpreted the sounds and syllables that came from this stranger. Serph Sheffield, his bitter rival. His mind smiled ruefully; how ironic was it that the two warriors fighting for the love of one woman stood here and now, enjoying a casual drink and having a decent conversation? How bitterly ironic was it that here he was, confiding in the very man he wished to destroy, the troubles of his life? And here he was, not having a clue whatsoever upon the other's identity.

Fate was definitely a comedian.

Heat took his outstretched hand without hesitation and shook it firmly, "It's great to meet you; I'm err, Reed O'Brien."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, but, as much as I am enjoying our conversation, I must get this drink to my wife. She might think that I left her there," he chuckled.

Heat nodded in mock understanding, "Sure thing. I'll see you around Serph."

"Would you care to join us Reed? My wife gets terribly bored at these things and I might have to talk to a few people." Heat shook his head vigorously; as much as the idea appealed to him, he just couldn't do it. Introducing yourself to the husband of woman with whom you're having an affair as another man was one thing; but exploiting his trust in you by carrying out the lie by entering their lives directly was simply inexcusable. That is, if having an affair with a married woman wasn't already inexcusable.

"Nah, it would crap your style. You go ahead, my friends are coming over any minute now." he lied.

Serph nodded and soon vanished through the crowd. Heat fixed his eyes on the man. That was Serph Sheffield. That was Serph Sheffield? He blinked once, twice and even thrice to make sure that he hadn't dreamed all that.

'She's got to be here…!' he smiled hopefully. He missed her so. But he knew that if he found her, he'd see her in his arms. He knew that it was the right thing to do; that it was the way it was supposed to be, but despite all that, he couldn't find an ounce of comfort in his thoughts. Why couldn't the right thing be for her to be with him? It just wasn't fair.

So that was the famed Dr. Serph Sheffield; the youngest biochemical scientist to grace the world from the last century, a proclaimed genius and prodigy. Heat scowled. Of course she would pick him; the man was everything every girl could dream of. He was handsome, highly intellectual, he was young, had an amazing job, rich, and profoundly polite and had overwhelming charisma. He was perfect. Heat frowned; who was he in comparison to Serph?

Heat growled in frustration. He may not be as good as Serph, but he had the heart to succeed in all of his endeavors. He may not be a genius or terribly rich, but he was the youngest Chief of Staff for the Karma Society Memorial Hospital. Although he wasn't as sharp as Serph, Heat was also well-versed and eloquent in his speech. He may not have a mansion for a home, but Heat knew that he too could afford one.

'Then…why doesn't she…?'

'Forget it…'

Heat felt as if he was being suffocated. The people clustering together, along with their soft but prominent chattering were driving Heat mad. He needed to get some air. He quickly made his way through the ballroom and there, he saw, the object of his desires.

Argilla was seated on the table in the middle of the other ones with her husband beside her, whispering something into her ear. It must have been a joke for a slight pink tint graced her cheeks and she slapped him on the arm playfully. Heat felt his world freeze; it was a nice scene to behold. She looked so happy with him. He couldn't believe that it was just a few days ago that she seemed so distraught over Serph, but now, here was she, enjoying his company and had the look of love on her face.

Heat knew that he had lost. There was no way of taking that feeling away from her. He couldn't succeed even if he tried every method there was. But still, he wanted to speak with her once more, perhaps the last time as well. He needed her to hear whatever he had to say; he needed her to feel whatever he felt. He would never be free unless this was done.

He wanted her so badly but knew he could do nothing about it. His chest burned and his muscles tightened. He really needed to get some air.

He moved towards the door that led out of the ballroom; it was the door that was only a few feet from her table. Luckily for him, she was now seated across from Serph and was towards the direction of the door. He gazed longingly at her and by some hand, as if she sensed his presence, her eyes found his and were locked in an intense stare.

Heat held her gaze for but a second before casting his head down and practically trudged out the door.

xxxxx

Serph made his way through the people and towards were his wife sat. He gave her the drink, "Here you go."

"Thanks." she smiled gratefully.

"What took you so long?"

"Ah!" Serph remarked with much enthusiasm, "I met a gentleman by the counter."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow at this. Truly, her husband was at higher spirits.

"Yes, it seems that he was rather bored of this whole thing. I couldn't blame him though…" he chuckled.

"I offered him to meet you," he continued, Argilla now being genuinely curious of the stranger of whom her husband spoke, "But he said that that would 'crap my style' and he went back to his drink."

"His name is Reed O'Brien."

Argilla raised as eyebrow, O'Brien. It couldn't be Heat right? It couldn't be. Shaking her mind off of Heat, she smiled once again, "Well, Reed is right. This is sort of boring!"

Serph moved closer to her now and whispered, "If you're that bored, I could just take you somewhere and make sure that you're fully occupied."

"Pig…!" she whispered back as she slapped him playfully on the arm.

Serph shrugged his shoulders, then proceeded to laugh as he shifted his position in front of her to meet her eyes, "Hey, it was just a suggestion you know. Either you will or you won't; take it or leave it."

"But," he whispered again, "if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Argilla blushed once more, "Is that all you think about?"

Serph laughed, "You should know that topic rather intimately Argilla."

It was then that something or rather someone had caught Argilla's eye. She had had a feeling of being watched and thanks to her intuition, the source of her unwanted tension had been pinpointed. A man stood by the door gazing at her. She inwardly gasped as she saw that the man who was now gazing at her was none other than Heat.

He only looked at her for but a second before turning away out the door. She needed to talk to him. She quickly stood up, "Serph, I need to use the little girl's room. I'll be right back."

Serph stood up as well, "Would like me to come with you?"

She smiled gratefully, "No, it's alright. I can manage. Besides, I think one of your colleagues is heading this way."

Serph turned to where Argilla nodded to and saw that she was right. There, walking towards them was none other than Colonel Terrence Beck. He was a very tall man, who had signs of middle-age setting in. But his physique was anything but middle-aged. He had a stern look on his face and walked briskly, commanding respect.

"Colonel Beck," Serph said smiling, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Beck's stern face and piercing eyes went from Serph to his shy wife, "Indeed. So, is this little lady Mrs. Serph Sheffield?"

Argilla blushed at that and smiled. Serph wrapped an arm around her, "Yes. Colonel Beck, I would like you to meet my wife, Argilla."

Colonel Beck held out his hand to her, which she took, and lifted it to his lips, kissing the tip of her fingers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." he said; his stern look vanishing from his features.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Colonel," she said earnestly.

"Please," the colonel protested, shaking his head, "call me Terrence."

She smiled unsurely, "Of course…Terrence. Well, if you both would excuse me," she slowly and politely said, taking her leave of Serph and the colonel. She took small but quick steps and headed for the door.

'It's a good thing the colonel showed up when he did. It would keep Serph preoccupied for a while. I must make this quick.' she thought with urgency.

xxxxx

She found him on the upper floor, at the balcony, leaning on the railing, lost in his own thoughts. She carefully studied him; he had a far away look on his face, his hands gripping the railing tightly, his body leaning forward. Her eyes softened as she also noticed the cool breeze running through his brilliantly fiery red hair. Truly, Heat O'Brien was an attractive man.

She felt a lump on her throat when he turned towards her direction, holding her gaze and locking her in an intense look. Neither spoke nor made a move toward each other. It was as if time had frozen still. Argilla felt her legs move, as if they were being commanded by a higher power. She walked towards him and stopped just in front of him, without breaking eye contact.

He still remained silent and his eyes continued to pour into her soul. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came. She tried again and there was no result. On her third try however, her voice had returned.

"Heat…" she breathed.

Heat still remained silent but moved closer to her, until their faces were only inches apart. She continued to stare into his ruby eyes and once again, she found herself mute. She had thought of all the things that she had wanted to say to him, but now that she was literally toe to toe with him, she realized that all of those words had flown out of her head.

Heat grasped her upper arms drawing her nearer to him as he walked backwards, towards the railing. The cool breeze had slowly blown the doors that led to the balcony that they occupied shut. Argilla tensed; she was at a balcony, in the arms of her best friend and with the doors shut, there was no getting away from him.

Heat leaned in and closed the small space in between them. He kissed her softly, so sweetly that Argilla's mind froze. Her body tensed up against him and he felt this. He massaged her arms and the small of her back, in an attempt to alleviate her of her tension while his nimble tongue coaxed her lips to part and grant him access.

Argilla melted in his arms. She felt his kiss; it was different. It was not that it lacked passion or interest, no, it was something else. As she parted her lips to invite him in, she immediately realized what it was. Heat was kissing her goodbye. He knew that she had already made her decision. He knew that she had chosen her husband.

Her mind and her heart panicked. So, what was to happen now? What of their friendship? Will he go away again? Will he avoid her as she did him? She didn't want that. She just wanted things to be as they were. But both knew that the moment they had shared their first kiss, neither of them can ever return to what they were in the past. Whatever would happen in the near future concerning their friendship would be a direct result of their indiscretion.

He slowly broke away from her, and sighed, still holding her, "Argilla…" he breathed out, taking in her scent of cherry blossoms.

"Heat…"

"I'm sorry…" he suddenly said. Argilla pulled herself away from his chest to look into his eyes, "Why?"

"Because I fell in love with you…because I told you how I felt and because…you chose him and not me."

Argilla felt her eyes water, "No…you shouldn't be sorry Heat. I should be the one apologizing…I…love you Heat."

"What?" Heat asked, confused and at the same time, relieved to hear her say that even at the slightest measure, she had reciprocated his feelings.

"I don't want to lose you Heat…Please don't leave me…" she pleaded, her tears now running on his shirt where she buried her head.

"I love Serph too…but I…I can't…You can't ask me to choose Heat! I can't! I love you both…!"

Heat pulled himself away from her tight embrace, steadying her by grasping her upper arms, looking intently into her eyes, "I'm sorry Argilla. But that's where I can't help you. You can't have both of us…It's not fair to either me or Serph."

He smiled sadly, "I know that you love me…I feel it. I saw you with him, and I just…I dunno, I just lost it I guess. That's why I'm up here. I saw the smile that he brought you. You love him. But, seeing you here with me, having you here with me, I also know that you are confused. I shall wait for you Argilla until you tell me to stop. I'll always be there for you." he cupped her face with his left hand while the other brushed her tears away.

"Heat…I…"

He held her face with both his hands drew her closer again, whispering, "You will never lose me Argi…Never."

Her trembling lips drove him to lose control of himself as he again kissed her, but this time with urgent ardor. Argilla held his face in her hands, kissing him back with equal passion. He backed her towards the wall and continued to ravage her. His lips left hers then and found their way to her jaw line and finally to her neck. She moaned as she felt his hand brush against the exposed part of her breast. His other hand touched her thigh and she moaned once more. She tilted her neck sideways to give him further access and he accepted her offer without question.

He nipped and gently kissed the skin; careful not to break it. She may be within his arms now, but sooner or later, she would have to go back to her husband.

She groaned and pushed him away gently. "Heat…I…I have to go."

Heat backed away from her, heavily panting, "I know…Argi, should you need me, I'll be there."

Argilla said nothing more and turned around, opening the balcony doors. Heat watched her go. He finally believed with outmost certainty that she felt something for him. She felt what he did; a mixture of raw emotions- of need, want, lust…and love. He shook his head; he knew that it would never work between them. Serph was the person she truly loved, while he was the object of her confusion. It was true that she felt emotions for him, but as to which ones, she herself didn't know. She was confused about him; that was why she still clung to him and couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

They were both wrong; this was far from over. He knew that they were wrong but he just didn't care. All that mattered to him was her happiness. If it would bring her happiness to be away from him, then he would give her up; if she decided to pick him, then he would fight Serph for her to the ends of the world; but if she was undecided, then he would wait.

Her actions that night indicated that she was still undecided. He would wait, but would no longer make any attempts to openly pursue her. She knew where to find him should she need him.

xxxxx

Argilla practically ran out of the balcony and took hasty yet petite steps towards the lavatory. She couldn't believe that she had just done with Heat, what she swore was a mistake that would never take place again. Before she had gone to him, she could have sworn that her mind and her heart were made up; she thoroughly believed that she only loved Serph, but as she looked into his ruby eyes, her resolved wavered.

Argilla looked at her reflection in the mirror in disgust at what she saw. Slut. Whore. Scarlet Woman. Adulterer. She knew that Heat was right; neither of them could keep this up for long. Sooner or later, she was going to have to choose. It was fair neither to Serph nor Heat. And above all, to herself. She was cheating herself into thinking that everything would come back to the way it was; Heat being her friend, her being a happy wife and Serph not knowing anything.

This had got to stop. Argilla quickly splashed the icy cold water into her face, making her makeup run on her face. She splashed and splashed until her face became clear once more. She looked at herself in the mirror; she was a mess and she was going to have to fix herself and she was going to fix herself quickly. She had been gone an awful long time and using a re-touch session in the bathroom as an excuse wasn't going to go unnoticed by her husband. After all, Serph wasn't senile. He was as sharp as an arrow. She groaned; that was another problem. Even if she managed to choose Serph, how would she be able to live with herself, knowing full well what she had done? How could she live with herself gazing into the eyes of her trusting husband while she knew that she played him behind his back and he never even had the slightest clue?

Deceiver. Liar.

She gritted her teeth and slammed her fists on the sink in frustration. She needed to think this through carefully.

She fumbled around in her purse, hastily yet carefully re-applying her makeup. "That should do it…I better get back to Serph. He might be worried."

xxxxx

Serph's talk with Terrence had brought back to him, the topic that he had been avoiding all day: his work. The Embryon Project must proceed, he frowned at the thought. But, be that as it may, Serph would never let it get in between his wife and him.

The sudden clap of the audience broke him from his thoughts; Madame Cuvier, the newly elected governess of the city, had begun her speech. He looked around him, looking for any glimpse of his wife. She had been gone an awful long time.

Was something wrong? Did she get lost?

It was then that his suspicion had once again invaded his mind. His eyes only saw Argilla in the arms of a man, a faceless man. He looked around again, looking for her and then also noticed something in particular. Reed O'Brien was also nowhere to be seen.

'He probably got bored and went home.' he thought, dismissing any thoughts on the stranger. Little did he know of how wrong he was.

His suspicions were cut short as he felt warm hands on his own. He turned around to see his wife's smiling face, "Sorry I took so long honey. There was a problem at the bathroom; the faucet broke and it splashed water on my face, so I had to redo my makeup." she whispered.

Argilla scowled at herself; she was lying through her teeth and her conscience was screaming in outmost protest. And here she was, sounding absolutely truthful and convincing.

Serph, masking his own suspicions, smiled warmly at her and whispered, "That's alright. But, do be careful next time. I was just about to follow you." Serph believed her; it was no question, but there was still that nagging feeling at the back of his head telling him to be ever cautious. If Argilla was indeed having an affair, he was going to find out. But, as to how, he didn't plan on strangling her for the information. No, that would be…crude. He had other methods; and as much as possible, as a man of his stature and upbringing, he wanted to involve the minimum number of people, preferably no one at all. For if his suspicions were correct, it would bring his name and reputation to ruin.

He wouldn't have that; he had worked so hard to get where he was and he wasn't going to let something like this ruin it for him. At first, he had wanted Argilla to deal with the problem, trusting her to do right. But her actuations recently had him doubting his decision and so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

'What are you going to do with him when you find him, hm?' the annoying voice taunted.

'I…I don't know…'

'That's so like you; you never know how to do anything…' sneered the voice.

"Serph!" Argilla whispered into his ear, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." he snapped at her.

Argilla remained quiet; he was angry. Probably at her too. He was always like this; his temper could swing either way and in most of the time, it happened instantaneously that there was no warning at all. Well, it happened again, it would seem.

xxxxx