Chapter 43 Business trip
Squeezing the cup hard, some of the hot liquid spilled on Jackie's hand, snapping her back to reality. Instinctively, she dropped the cup to the floor and winced at the sting.
Yazmine averted her gaze from the two figures to Jackie, a worried look on her face.
"Are you okay?" Yazmine asked.
"Uh... uhm... I..."
"Jackie?!" Candy's familiar voice sounded from a distance. Her face brightened as she ran to give her a hug. "It's so nice to see you. Gosh, I've missed your adorable face!"
Jackie's smile returned. "I'm glad to see you too, sis." Her gaze went to the man behind Candy.
"Hey, troublemaker," Jameson greeted, and got a glare in return.
"By the way, what happened to you? You looked disturbed a while ago," Jackie said.
"It's nothing. Since you're here, let's have lunch together," Candy suggested, and Jackie nodded. As they left, Yazmine turned her gaze to her little brother.
"What was that?" she inquired.
"What?"
"You know what I'm talking about, James."
"I was just consoling her, nothing more," he replied, walking away. Yazmine took a deep breath and followed.
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"Divorce her."
Silence dragged on as Old Mavis's words repeated in Diego's head. Divorce? His aura became incredibly cold.
"You should try to understand, Diego. Marrying someone who can't give you an heir is—"
"Mind the way you complete the sentence, or I might never speak to you again," Diego warned coldly. The old man on the other side must have sensed his anger. He sighed.
"Son, let's see each other and talk," the old man's voice came soft and pleading this time.
"Let me clear this right now. If I get a divorce, then I'm never going to get married. Mark my word," with this, he ended the call.
___
After work, Diego got home late as usual. He felt strange as he walked in. The house seemed empty. He stepped into the dining room and, to his surprise, he didn't see any dinner. Frowning, he went upstairs to check on Candy.
After knocking twice with no reply, Diego opened the door and found the room empty.
Drawing out his phone, he decided to call her but saw her message, which she had sent five hours ago.
I WON'T BE HOME TODAY. I'LL BE STAYING AT YAZMINE'S TO PREPARE FOR THE BUSINESS TRIP TOMORROW.
He sighed deeply, staring at the message as he went to sit on the edge of the huge bed. Did she decide not to come home because of him?
Meanwhile, Candy was staring at the message too. It had been five hours, and Diego hadn't replied yet. What else could she expect from a cold man who didn't appreciate her effort?
Her mind drifted to the swimming incident, how he had protected her, the cinema, games, and the gentle moments she had with Diego. Was that the real him?
"What are you doing?" Yazmine walked into the room. Candy averted her gaze from the phone. "Missing your husband already?"
Candy scoffed. "No, I'm not. I was just wondering when I'll get to know him better. He is just too distant, that's all," she mumbled.
"You know, I once dated the hottest guy in college. He was every girl's crush in school. He treated other girls like shit, but when it came to me, he was gentle. He had this strange character that made me feel like he was hiding something. No matter how hard I tried to know what he was hiding, he mostly shrugged me off or changed the topic."
Candy scoffed. "Sounds familiar," she mumbled.
"Something happened. He came running to me one night. That was the first time I saw tears in his eyes. He opened up and poured out everything. He hated his father for beating up his mother until she left and married another person. That night, his father had an accident, and he was surprisingly scared. I helped calm him that night..."
Candy was a hundred percent focused on her.
"We visited his father. Fortunately, he survived. They loved each other again. Even his mother was on good terms with them. You just have to be patient. I'm sure Mr. President is going to open up later on."
"What happened to him? I mean the guy... you didn't finish the story," Candy pointed out.
"He decided to study out of the country since he was wealthy, and I, on the other hand, didn't have much at that time. When he got there, he broke up with me, saying he didn't want me to wait too long for him. He offered me money, but I didn't accept it. It was just a normal college date. I didn't get in touch with him ever since then," she completed.
"Forgive me for saying this," Candy spoke.
"Saying what?"
"He is such a jerk for letting such a wonderful woman go."
Yazmine burst into laughter at Candy's statement. The sound of the doorbell interrupted their discussion.
"It's the pizza, girl!" Yazmine exclaimed, taking the rectangular box in. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Let's watch some movies!" Candy exclaimed.
"Yes!"
___
(AIRPORT, 10 AM)
Candy and Yazmine stood at the airport, wearing badass outfits and shades. They both had smiles on their faces with their heads held high, carrying their travel bags.
"Hmm... why do I feel like this is a fun trip rather than a business trip?" Candy spoke first.
"Yeah, you got that right. The business won't take long, so after it, we'll have some fun," Yazmine declared.
"There are so many things I want to try in New York. So many things," Candy said.
Yazmine turned her head towards Candy and removed her shades.
"Has that punk texted you? Why isn't he here yet?"
"I don't know, maybe his car broke down or some—" Candy paused, spotting three figures. "Oh, he's here."
Yazmine turned her gaze with a glare, but it disappeared when she spotted the third person walking behind Jameson and Einstein. Aiden?
'What in the world? Why is he here? Wait, why do I even care?' Yazmine thought to herself. The three gentlemen wore suits hugging their bodies perfectly.
As they approached, Yazmine gave Jameson a kick on his leg.
"Why did you make us wait so long? My precious legs are crying," she glared.
"Actually, it was my fault. I had an emergency. I'm deeply sorry," Aiden spoke from behind.
"Now my legs are the ones crying. You hit me pretty hard, sis," Jameson whined.
"Why are you here?" Yazmine ignored her brother and faced Aiden.
"I thought of bringing one of the best workers, and I thought Aiden was the most preferred option. Gosh, sis, you hit me pretty hard," Jameson whined again.
"You're coming too?" Candy asked Einstein.
"I have someone to visit over there," he answered. "You look pretty, by the way," Einstein ruffled her hair gently, and Candy chuckled. Jameson hit Einstein's head.
"Stop acting like you're single. Are you trying to cheat on your woman?" Jameson stated.
"Huh? You have a girlfriend?" Candy asked the man beside her.
"He has a wife and a son," Jameson corrected, and Candy gasped. Einstein hit Jameson on the head too.
"I'm not cheating on my woman; I'm just complimenting Candy, you idiot," Einstein glared at him, then returned his sweet gaze to Candy. "My wife and son are currently in New York. That's why I'm going there."
"Aww, that's great," Candy grinned beautifully.
"Hey, how could you hit me like that?" Jameson glared.
"You hit me first," Einstein said.
Yazmine shook her head with her arms folded below her breasts. "Men," she muttered, shaking her head gently.
"If Candy wasn't married, then she'd think you're hitting on her. That's how you made Yazmine think she was crushing on you..."
"It wasn't like that!" Yazmine and Einstein both yelled at him at once.
Candy chuckled. Gosh, she loved this.
"Hey guys!" A tiny voice sounded from afar. Jameson's face dropped seeing the person.
"Jackie!" Candy waved her hand at her. Jameson faced her with a confused look.
"Why is your sister here?" Jameson asked