The Alchemists

"Sorry, are you Killian Makela?" A crisp voice came from the owner of the stunning body, standing in front of him. London immediately looked up and saw the beautiful Sarah Bell smiling sweetly at him.

The girl was wearing a beige body-fitting dress that looked perfect for today's weather, exactly the color he suggested to L this morning, but she went against. Sarah's platinum-colored hair was fashioned into a small bun above her head. Her beautiful emerald green eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled.

Sarah had natural red lips, like L, but the difference was that L's lips were thin and pink, Sarah had full, blood-red lips. She only applied lip moisturizer and thin powder to her face. Still, her appearance was not inferior to other women who came to this restaurant in a full-blown makeup done by professional makeup artists.

For a moment, London was stunned so he could not say anything. Sarah held out her hand and smiled even wider.

"My name is Sarah Bell. We've talked by email several times," the girl said kindly.

"Ah ... that's right. I'm Killian Makela. Nice to meet you, Sarah." London hastily welcomed Sarah's gesture and invited her to sit. "Please have a seat. The waiter will immediately come and take our order."

He opened a chair for Sarah and sat back in his seat. A sharp android waiter immediately approached their table and took notes of their orders. London watched Sarah fluently order the dishes from this French restaurant in fluent French.

For some reason, London was reminded of L. The girl was half French and half Japanese, but she had never gone back to her country since the incident of her family's murder. London already bought her parents' house in Paris and it was completely renovated last week. At first, he wanted to give it to L as a wedding gift, but unfortunately, their wedding plans were canceled.

Gosh, L ...

Look, I'm with another woman now, but all I think about is you ... London muttered to himself.

London immediately brushed those thoughts aside and tried to concentrate again on his date with Sarah. However, he must be responsible and act like a gentleman by treating Sarah well.

The girl didn't know anything about his problem with L, and she didn't deserve to have a bad night because his date's thought was wandering elsewhere.

London ordered the various dishes he wanted in German and handed the menu back to the waiter. Five minutes later, a waiter came and poured red wine for both of them.

"I'm glad to meet you," Sarah said, starting the conversation. She looked happy because the man she met from online dating this time was really handsome, far more handsome than the photos she had received. "I see your profile is quite new. Why are you single? You are quite handsome, and it seems like you also have a fun personality. I don't understand."

"I also think the same thing about you. You're very beautiful, you're an adventurer who has traveled the world, why are you still single?" London asked in return.

"Uhm ... I'm too busy, so I didn't have time to have a serious relationship before. My last boyfriend was my best friend in college and he passed away before I went on my around-the-world trip." Sarah shrugged, trying to look fine. "In a way, my two-year journey was to forget my sorrow and move on. Now I'm back and ready to settle down."

"Ohh ..." London could only nod in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you're all right now."

Sarah nodded with a smile. "I'm fine. My two-year trip gave me a lot of valuable experience. I also wrote a book about my trip and gained a lot of followers on social media. Do you have an account on Splitz?"

Sarah opened her cellphone and showed her Splitz account. London widened his eyes when he saw the girl's profile in Splitz had amassed massive followers of 20 millions. Even for actors and musicians or models, only a few have followers that many.

"Your name in Splitz is different ..." murmured London. He turned to Sarah for an explanation. "Are you Sarah Bell or Sarah Londonderry?"

"Ahaha .. well, of course. I used a different name on social media. This is my brand out there. I took the name Londonderry from Annie Londonderry, the first woman to travel the world on a bicycle in 1895 because I was inspired by her life story. " Sarah explained. "It's normal for artists to use stage names. Did you know Elle Marianne De Maestri? She's a singer who created a brand for herself using just one letter. The letter L. Her name is so unique that it makes it easy to remember."

Of course, London knew Ella Marriane de Maestri or better known as L.

"L is quite famous," he nodded.

"Right. The use of a unique name is part of a good marketing strategy to make someone popular. Unfortunately ... she doesn't take care of her image and let her personal affairs leak out," Sarah commented. She finished the red wine in her glass because the waiter had arrived and seemed ready to refill her glass. "The reputation she has built over the past year just crumbled when she confirmed her pregnancy and the baby she had born out of wedlock."

London almost choked at Sarah's bluntness. Did the news really spread like that? He regretted not rushing to block the news about L in the media. He could imagine how L and Pammy and all of her management were having a headache, trying to think about ways to control the effects of the negative news.

"So what if she has kids? What's wrong with that? Isn't this 2050? Why are people making such a fuss?" asked London hastily. He signaled the waiter to refill his glass too.

"Yes, now is the modern times, but the public's view of celebrities is still quite old-fashioned. Celebrities are public property, and they must remain perfect in the eyes of society. If she does have a boyfriend and they were expecting this child, it should be okay; people can sympathize. But what makes it difficult for her to get sympathy is her unfriendly attitude. She was also despised by fellow artists. It is they who spread the rumor that she slept with many men to help boost her career ... "

"Sleeping with many men??? Who would dare say that ??" asked London, teeth clenching in anger.

For a moment, Sarah frowned at the man's overreaction. Her hand reached out and touched London's hand. The man seemed to clench his glass very strongly. "Hey .. hey .. are you okay? Why are you getting angry? Do you know L?"

London was silent. He realized that he should not be too affected and ruin the mood during his dinner with Sarah. Finally, he shook his head.

"I just hate seeing people who gossip about others. You know, I work in the media, and I often meet people spreading negative news that can ruin other people's lives, irresponsibly." He calmed down and tried to smile. "We should not talk about celebrity gossip here. Let's talk about something else ..."

Sarah nodded. She then chuckled. "Ah, right ... I'm sorry for being carried away. We were talking about name choices. I was explaining why certain people use certain nicknames or stage names ... Now, what about you. Is Killian Makela your real name?"

For a moment, London looked stunned. Sarah's question came so suddenly, and he didn't know if Sarah really asked because she wanted to know, or because she suspected something.

Did Sarah suspect that London was posing as an ordinary person?

.

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>>>>>

From the author:

Volume 3 is about to end. I promise you London and L will soon find their common ground and settle their differences.