After leaving the office, Duncan was already waiting for Adaline and Tessa in the lobby. The man waved with a friendly smile spread across his sweet face. Yeah, Duncan wasn't handsome. But sweet, and his friendly attitude added to his sweetness.
"Good evening, ladies," he greeted as they approached.
"She's the one who's already a lady. I'm still a miss," Tessa corrected with a sharp tone.
They walked side by side towards the office exit, exchanging greetings with the security personnel on duty.
"Yeah, but you're going to be my lady," Duncan teased, poking Tessa's chin.
"Oh, come on, that's so cheesy," Tessa brushed off Duncan's hand. Adaline chuckled at the scene, although her mouth refused, she could see the blush on her friend's cheek. "Where are we going now?"
"Dinner, then dropping off the boss's lady. Then we can have some alone time," Duncan replied, opening the car door.
Tessa sat next to the driver, while Adaline took the back seat. There was no significant conversation in the car until Duncan parked at a street food stall.
They ordered and chose to sit in a corner. "So, why didn't you go with wherever the boss went this time? Weren't you invited?" Tessa asked, curious.
Duncan shrugged with a nonchalant expression. "Yeah, if it weren't this urgent, I would've joined. But the situation's pretty dire right now," Duncan replied flatly.
"Dire? What do you mean by dire?" Tessa asked eagerly. "Thank you," she said as the waiter placed three plates of grilled chicken and coconut rice in front of them. "Is our company on the brink of collapse?" she asked again.
Duncan tapped Tessa's forehead with his straw. "Be careful what you say. Words are like prayers. Our company is fine. It's even thriving," Duncan replied seriously.
"Then why did you say it's urgent? Hey, do you know something? I mean, as the boss's wife, shouldn't you know everything?" Adaline shook her head. Though she was indeed Altezza's wife, she never inquired about or wanted to know about work matters. In fact, she never knew much about the man's personal affairs either.
"So, between my boss and your boss, there's a big issue going on," Duncan said before taking a bite of his food.
"Aren't they the same boss?" Tessa looked at Duncan and Adaline alternately. Adaline shrugged. She preferred to just listen. "What's going on? I don't get it," she grumbled as Duncan kept on eating without any intention of explaining, and Adaline appeared indifferent.
"Eat first, or the chicken will get cold," Adaline advised. Tessa finally took a bite, though with a pouting expression.
"So, right now, Sir Altezza and Sir Antony are at odds," Duncan continued after finishing his meal.
"Why?" Adaline finally felt curious too. The two men had never been at odds before.
"Sir Altezza wants Sir Antony to come back here immediately to take up his position, but Sir Antony says he can't do it yet. Meanwhile, Sir Altezza needs to leave Coskun urgently. So, Sir Antony came up with a compromise, suggesting that their cousin should move to Coskun and take over Sir Altezza's position," he said straightforwardly.
"Where does Sir Altezza want to go? And why can't Sir Antony come back here? And the cousin who will take his position, is it that male cousin?" Tessa asked eagerly.
Duncan squinted and nudged his girlfriend with his shoulder. "Don't start being nosy. Aren't I enough for you?" Duncan huffed, met with Tessa's trademark horse grin.
"Sir Antony is still waiting for his wife and children to agree to move here. And Sir Altezza is overwhelmed with his own company matters. He feels incapable of managing his father's company and his own, plus dealing with Coskun. Sir Altezza feels he's running out of time. So Sir Antony decided Sir Gian should temporarily take Sir Altezza's position until he returns to Coskun. But Sir Altezza rejected the idea. Not just rejected it, but went ballistic."
"Why? Isn't Sir Gian a good person? He took over Kralligimiz and also became a deputy in the Kansas branch, right?" Tessa's question echoed Adaline's.
"Yeah, even though he seems unserious and flirty, Gian is a reliable worker. And honestly, Sir Altezza knows that. But he refused Sir Gian with an unreasonable excuse," Duncan couldn't help but smile mischievously.
"What's the reason? Stop making me curious."
Duncan then recounted the sequence of events to the two women in front of him.
Flashback On
Altezza, Antony, and Duncan were still in the meeting room while the others had already left.
"What's up, Brother? Is there something important we need to discuss?" Antony asked with his usual flat expression. "Lunchtime is coming soon." Antony glanced at his watch impatiently.
"Yeah, I understand. Honeymoon. But this is also urgent. When are you coming back to Manhattan? Seriously, I'm really swamped right now," Altezza replied, rubbing his face roughly. "After this, I have to fly to Virginia, and then it's on to Alaska. I'm completely drained, Antony," Altezza grumbled.
Duncan observed his boss, who indeed looked very tired.
"Yeah, sorry. I'm not unaware of your situation. And I shouldn't involve personal matters. But I'm still trying to persuade my wife and kids to move to Manhattan," Antony replied truthfully.
"Yeah, but how long will you keep persuading them while my company also needs its owner?" Altezza replied with resignation.
"Here's the thing, why don't you delegate some of your tasks to Gian? Let Duncan help guide him. Duncan understands all the Coskun affairs," Antony suggested.
Instead of being welcomed, Antony's suggestion received a glare from Altezza.
"What? Gian? Are you kidding me?!" Altezza exclaimed.
Antony couldn't help but smile, a rare sight from the man.
"If not him, then who else? Letizia? You know Ferhat won't allow her to leave Italy. And it's not feasible for me to ask my father to come back to work. It's time for him to retire and enjoy his old age," Antony replied frankly. "Besides, what's the problem with Gian? He does good work. He's always focused and serious."
Altezza shook his head repeatedly. "No, Brother. If he moves to Coskun, what about Adaline? I don't want him flirting with Adaline every chance he gets."
Antony snorted. "Come on, Brother. There's no way he's flirting with Adaline. He knows you're married. He wouldn't flirt with his own cousin's wife."
"You just don't know him. Just yesterday, he tried to persuade Adaline to leave me and choose him. And he did it right in front of me. If he really moves to Manhattan to take care of Coskun, I don't know how he'll pursue Adaline." Altezza's face looked genuinely panicked.
Antony laughed, a laugh heard more often after his marriage. "Come on, Brother. Don't take that seriously. He did the same thing with Claire."
"But Claire and Adaline are different."
"Different how? Because Claire loves me while Adaline...?"
"Don't bring that up. The point is, I don't want that bastard Gian moving to Manhattan. Not until I bring Adaline to move with me. I'd rather endure until you return than leave Adaline in the clutches of a lizard like Gian," Altezza replied firmly, choosing to end the conversation.
Flashback off
"Ooh... someone's jealous here... Aww, someone's being jealous... Feeling a bit emotional, huh?" Tessa said, fanning her face with both hands.
"It doesn't make sense indeed, but that's how it is in reality," Duncan replied, addressing Adaline's confusion.
"But where does Sir Altezza want to move to? If Sir Altezza moves, will you move too?" Tessa asked again. Adaline just looked at Tessa puzzled. She herself was still trying to digest Duncan's words.
"Sir Altezza has his own business, Tess. And right now, his company really needs attention," Duncan informed. "He's currently going out of town because of his business matters and also to handle his father's hotel affairs.
"It's tough being wealthy. You've got only one head but your thoughts have to branch out everywhere. Luckily, he's smart, right? Otherwise, Quirino's kids could get a brain overload," Duncan replied casually.
"Are you moving too then?" Tessa asked again. Duncan shrugged.
"Not sure yet. Because in Sir Altezza's company, there are already assistants and deputies whom Sir Altezza trusts."
Tessa nodded along, while Adaline was preoccupied with her own wandering thoughts.