Day Three

Day Three
Zara’s POV…

A brand new day has been reborn out of the failures of the previous one. I think the Bible says something about the righteous man falling down seven times and getting back up each time. Well, I may not be righteous, but I fell. However, I wasn’t down and out. No, it was time to get back up.

As much as I wanted to have another joust with Malcolm today, there was a part of me that wasn’t expecting a real battle to occur. With how Monday and Tuesday went, it just felt as though today would head down a more professional path, and to be honest, I was fine with that. In case I haven’t made it obvious yet, dealing with this more adult version of Malcolm was a huge pain in the ass. He wasn’t making things as easy for me as I had thought he would. He was more sturdy than how I knew him in the past—more rigid, less flexible. 

Anyways, I arrived at the company at the allotted time and when I got there, Kay and Tee were there as well. We stayed in the waiting room, just as we had on day one. I was anxiously waiting for Malcolm to enter and address us before we’d head out for the next tour, but it wasn’t to be.

The one who showed up was the CEO, Jack Gardener. He entered the room, smiled at us and began speaking, “Ladies. Gentleman. You’re welcome to the third day of our seven-day tour.”

Kay immediately cut him off with the first question of the day. “Where is the President?”

“Unfortunately, the President will not be joining us today or tomorrow for that matter. I’m sure he’ll make an appearance on Friday, since that’s the date we’ve rescheduled the tour of the greenhouse. But not to worry. I will be your guide for today and tomorrow, and I promise not to get slime or mud on any of you.”

His last statement got a laugh out of Kay and Tee, but not me. I was in a completely different headspace. If Malcolm wasn’t going to show up today, then what would be my main objective? This scoop was important, but not as important as getting back with my Malcolm.

“For today, we will have a tour of our food factories. Among all our other products, we’ve gotten more scrutinizing reports concerning the quality of our food items, ranging from canned goods, to pasta, to cooking oils and the likes. You’re all going to see the process with which we make these foods, so you can have an insight on how high our quality is. The tour will begin in ten minutes.”

He stepped out and left us to get ourselves ready. I decided to go wash my face, seeing as I was almost asleep due to the boredom. I left the waiting room and went to the ladies bathroom, but before I could get through the door, I felt a hand grab me from behind and pull me away from the door.

“Come with me. Now…”

It wasn’t a request. He practically dragged me along with him. We went further down the hall until he took me into an empty room, and then he locked the door.

“What do you want now, James?”

“The past two days have basically been a vacation for you, Zara. Now, it’s time to get to actual work. Malcolm isn’t here today, so it’s the perfect opportunity we need to do some damage to him and his stupid China Expansion,”

Oh, the look in his eyes. He was ready to unleash hell today, and I was meant to be his Hellhound once more.

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Malcolm’s POV…

Today was a cheat day for me, which meant that I could have chosen to do whatever it was I wanted today, anything at all. There were about a billion things I could have engaged myself with—many of which included going to spend time with both of my women. However, the winds of fate decided that today would be the day I finally host Kendra in my home, after helping to exorcize her demons last year.

It was fine though. I was more than willing to help her out today. If it hadn’t been for her, Cherilyn and I probably wouldn’t have gotten back together in Vegas. In many ways, I owed her—and today, I intended to settle that debt.

She was quick to arrive, showing up much earlier than I had anticpated she would. When the doorbell rang, Steven was on hand to answer it and usher her into the house. I was already dressed, wearing all-white, and I went downstairs to meet her. As soon as I reached the living room and set my eyes on her, I instantly knew exactly why she’d come; the specifics, I mean.

“Hello, Kendra. Welcome to my home.”

“Thanks for having me,” she said, quickly rising to her feet. “I need your help.”

“I’m sure you do. But would you like something to drink first?” I started heading to the bar, but my walk was halted by the voluminous sound of her voice.

“I didn’t come here to drink or be entertained by you, Malcolm. I came here for answers. I told Cherilyn that my plane would be leaving for Vegas at ten this morning.”

I closed in on her. “And that was a lie?”

“Yes, it was. My plane actually leaves by nine in the evening. I wanted her to believe I was gone so she wouldn’t try to interfere with what I’ve come to you for.”

She seriously needed my help. I could see it in her eyes. I knew what she wanted, but it was important to hear her ask for it, so it would be clear that we were operating on the same frequency.

“What do you need help with, Kendra?”

She moved closer to me, and now we were standing right before each other. Her eyes softened. Her shoulders became relaxed. And her tone got humbler. “I tried to keep them out. For as long as I could. But they’re back. No one else seems to be able to help me. You did it once before. Can you do it again, please?”

I smiled at her. “Of course I can. And this time, we’ll do it right so they won’t ever come back. This time, we will attack the root of the problem and I will give you the true remedy, and not a quick temporary fix. Are you ready to begin?”

She nodded her head and I ushered her forward. It was time to share the Good News with her.