CHAPTER 35

Logan smiled as his Chinese associates settled down to his meal. The man; Mr. Yuan and his wife smiled at the full table, nodding appreciatively at the dishes. He was sure from their happy faces that he had gotten it right. Knowing the first course had been done right, Logan breathed out and settled down to his meal too. Yesterday, he had brought in a Chinese chef for their dinner at La Mirage. The chef would be on duty for two days his Chinese associates would be around. And with the smiles on both their faces, Logan felt like he was doing great so far. He had learnt with years of working with the Chinese that they take pride in their culture, and food was one way to show you understand their tone, even if you cannot speak their language.

A typical Mexican or Chinese chef would pick offence if you pick at his food. To them, food is an art, and they love art. For tonight’s meal, the chef had prepared Yangzhou rice, served with hot soup, alongside some side dishes. Each person was served the rice in Chinese bowls, and their soup was placed beside the bowls with chopsticks laid aside the bowls. At the centre table is peppered beef with broccoli, diced and arranged so attractively. Other side dishes were placed on the table too. There were steamed noodles, garnished with prawns, and beef. In another big tray were sweet, and sour king prawn, and crunchy spicy chicken, chilli ribs, black pepper beef, and pork.

Logan mentally applauded the chef. He had neatly presented the meals and set the course. He could tell the couple were impressed. One goal down. Looking towards the entrance at their side of the table, he saw a flicker. He should have been bothered had he no idea what was going on. The flicker was from a hidden camera behind Mr. Yuan. He smiled, as he pulled Audrey closer to himself, and kissed her, hoping the cameraman got a good view. He had told the young man to stay at that entrance so he could get a good view of himself, and his date. Mr. Yuan and his wife would remain unknown; their faces are hidden away from the camera. But it would be a good view of himself, and Audrey, which was exactly what he wanted.

When he released Audrey, she looked spectacular, and he literally counted in his head to three to stop himself from kissing her again. She was dressed in a flowing wine gown, slit up to her inner thighs, leaving her legs opened to the thighs. The gown clung seductively to her body, showing her beautiful curves. She was heavily crested in the backside, with a sizable portion in the front, making her a perfect figure eight. He hadn’t expected her to look this amazing. Yesterday, when he had gone there for their rehearsal, she didn’t look all that into it. He wanted everything perfect, so he had gone there to make sure they were on the same page about their story. Like always, she had been dressed in her office wear which was always too serious, covering almost every part of her body. He admitted he was used to seeing her all cramped up, that he had almost forgotten she is a woman. Tonight though, she had taken time to dole herself up. Her makeup was flawless, and her hair was neatly curled into short curls around her face.

Seeing her walk to his car, he had almost swept her off her feet and carried her off to bed. Instead, he grabbed the wheel tightly and told her she looked amazing. She had smiled, and thanked him. And now, as she sat beside him, all he could think of was her alluring body, and how hard she was making him. He smiled apologetically at their guest. “I couldn’t resist.” he said, apologizing to their company. The couple nodded in understanding, smiling lovingly into each other’s eyes. Curtsying, Logan gestured to the table, “Please, enjoy your meal.”

“Oh, we should say that.” said Mrs. Yuan. “These are Chinese meals. You didn’t have to go that far”

“I aim to satisfy.” Logan said, smiling briefly. “Moreover, my girlfriend thought it would be a good idea”

“She did? Well, that’s a woman who knows the best way to a man’s heart” smiled Mr. Yuan at Audrey, who blushed, and said, “Xie, Xie ni” translated; Thank you. The man smiled at her, impressed. His wife, on the other hand, helped her sound the word better. As she explained the tone, Audrey kicked Logan for lying. There had never been any conversation involving the dishes between them. The only thing they had said was, the couple were Chinese, and they would love an enlightened girlfriend. So, she had read a few pickup lines. So far, she could only say thank you, and farewell. And from their grins, she could barely sound the first word right. Logan looked at her with an amusing smile, knowing what she was pouting about.

The sitting arrangement was done in such a way that each man had his wife by his side. It was a round table dinner. Logan was sitting beside Mr. Yuan, and his wife to the right. To his left was Adriana. Beside Mrs. Yuan, sat two of their staff; a man and a young lady. Beside Adriana, Logan’s secretary sat with his logistic head, Daniel. The man was in deep conversation with the Chinese lady, and Logan wondered what they were musing about. The arrangement made Mrs. Yuan sitting directly opposite Audrey. Right now, the couple were in deep conversation. They looked cosy, and in love. It made Logan want something like that. He shrugged, discarding the thought. He wasn’t a believer in love anyways. Leaning towards Audrey, he asked “Enjoying the meal?”

“Yes. It’s satisfyingly spiced, and I love it” she said. Mrs. Yuan looked at her “Our meals are always well spiced. Although, I look forward to having something more Miami tomorrow” said Mr. Yuan, teasing them “That could be arranged.” Audrey told her.

“Good.” said Mrs. Yuan. She read for the broccoli and beef with her chopsticks. Turning to her husband, she asked if he loved the fresh scent of the broccoli. The chef had added a spice that looked new. As the couple discussed quietly, Logan smiled at Audrey, whispering in her ears.

“Are you shy?” he asked.

“I’m uncomfortable.” she whispered back. “I can feel their eyes on me every time”

“You’re imagining things.” he laughed. The couple had been so busy admiring the meal, the chef’s expertise, and had barely looked their way except a few times. “I mean it.” he said loudly, for everyone at the table not to feel secluded from their conversation even though it was a private one.

“Did you have to shout?” she said through gritted teeth and stuffed his mouth with some fried ribs. He chewed happily.

“So sweet of you”

Audrey rolled her eyes. He was intentionally getting her nerves, and expecting her to behave. She decided to curb his excesses, “We could just tell them what I am to you” she threatened, “And what are you to me?”

“A hired girlfriend” she whispered in his ears.

He looked at her like he was thinking that over. “I wonder. What would they think of you now? a young pretty lady who lets herself be hired?” he leaned closer, “They’d think less of you. And to think Mrs. Yuan is already taking a shine to you”

Audrey started to steam. Logan held her hand, excused them from the table, and pulled her away. They went through the back door to the restroom reserved for VIPs. “I’m sorry.” he apologized, “I didn’t mean to get you angry. I was just teasing you”

The apology sounded genuine enough, and the sincerity in his eyes wasn’t for show, she hoped. Sighing helplessly, she apologized too. She must admit, she had been very tensed too. Ever since their sudden kiss, she had been feeling very queasy. “I’m sorry too.” she said to him. It was childish fighting over something so petty. “I have been very uptight about this whole thing”

“You’ve managed so well.” he said, his eyes locked on her full lips. She looked so sweet, he couldn’t resist. And since he had wanted a repeat of their kiss anyways. He leaned over her, and in one quick move took those delectable lips of hers. It was a brief kiss, but intense all the same. When he pulled away, she looked flustered and blushed. “What was that for?”

“To look the part.” Before she could say anything, he pulled her away from the wall. It was a way to get himself together. But he said to her, with a sweet smile, “Let’s get back to our guest before they start wondering what we’ve been up to”

Audrey couldn’t say anything as they walked back to their seat. The kiss had left her longing, wanting more. And she was beginning to hate her body for wanting him. Logan wasn’t someone she could have. Sitting gingerly, she smiled at their guests.

Mrs. Yuan noted her smeared lipstick and smiled tentatively sensing what the couple had been doing. Beside her, her husband noticed it too, smiled at her. Unfortunately, Logan and Audrey missed the exchanged looks. They both were busy staring at each other, smiling shyly. “I’m so filled to the brim.” said Mrs. Yuan, smiling at the couple, then at her husband. “Thank you for the meal. The chef did a wonderful job. He’s Chinese right?”

“Yes, he is.” Logan said, “I brought him in especially because I didn’t want you missing home, even if you were both far from home.”

Mr. Yuan leaned back in his chair, “That was really thoughtful of you.” he said, “I enjoyed the meal” he pushed the plates away from himself. A waitress immediately came over to clear the bowls. After he cleared that away, Mr. Yuan turned to Logan. “How long have you two been dating?” he asked. He had been watching the couple and could sense the attraction between them.

They had rehearsed this. Logan had insisted they make it simple. “Not so long. Barely a year” said Audrey.

“Where?” he asked, “I meant how did you meet?”

This, we didn’t rehearse she said to herself. Better to stick to the story. She looked at Logan, and he nodded. She assumed that meant they should stick to the truth as he had told her. Last night, Logan had come down to the office for a dress rehearsal, he called it. And though she didn’t appreciate being carted off on a lie to get him a deal, she had agreed to it. Now, she had to play the part. He had told her they better stick to the truth as much as possible.

“I cannot predict what question they would ask”

“So, why are you here at all then?” she asked looking irritated by his dismissive tone. She had rushed off her last client on his account. And here he was, telling her he had no idea what would be asked. So why had he interrupted her perfect evening.

“There are some I can predict anyway”

“Like?”

“How long we’ve been together?”

“What should the answer be?”

“Let’s just say barely a year.” he rolled his sleeves up and leaned back against the wall. He was sitting with her in the lobby, and the chairs were placed against the wall. “That way, we are sticking very close to the truth”

“I guess that’s about as close to the truth as it can be”

“No month necessary” he added.

“They can ask what you do for a living” he looked thoughtful, “You’re Evangeline’s PA”

“Not just a PA, I’m a certified accountant. While the others focus on the technological aspect of the firm, I run the finances. That’s majorly what I do.” she announced proudly.

“Wow.” he looked at her, appreciating every minute spent with her. He wanted to know her more. And rather than talking about possible questions the Yuan might want to ask, they had delved into personal gist. He wanted to know everything he could about her. He had asked about her studies, and he got to know she was running a course online too. when he asked about her family, it had ended their conversation. “Any siblings then?” he asked, noticing she didn’t say anything when he asked about her family.

“How does that help your plight exactly?’ she asked, standing. “I’ve got to go home.” she told him. And though he offered to drive her home, she refused.

If only we didn’t swerve into personal stories, she thought, they would have covered this ground. Where you met your partner was a question they should have known would be asked. Since they had both agreed it was better to stick to the truth, she decided to go with the club version. “We met at the…” Logan gently stepped on her underneath the table. She turned to him, wondering what message he was passing across. Maybe the club wasn’t a good place to meet? “We met at a party.” she said, and he nodded with a smile. She had gotten the message right. “It was accidental actually”

“Really, how so?” asked Mrs. Yuan, looking at the couple with interest. The other people at the table were also looking at them keenly too.

Audrey turned to Logan for some help, “We had a masked party, and our partners got switched”

“I assumed she was my date.” Logan said.

“What?” exclaimed Mrs. Yuan. She was a hopeless romantic. She held her husband’s hand, with a dreamy look, making Logan sigh. He decided to come to the rescue, with more spice.

“My date had been inappropriately dressed.” he looked at Audrey, explaining to her as he did everyone what had happened that night. “I collected her purse, and told her to get changed.” he smiled “When she came back, which turned out to be Audrey, we danced, where together all night. When I kissed her.” he said, looking into her eyes, remembering that night, and the intensity of their kiss “I couldn’t let her go”

“Aww.” Mrs. Yuan clapped.

Audrey looking flustered added, “When his partner came, it was…”

Everyone at the table laughed. “I’ll bet she hated you with every breath in her. You had successfully stolen her date for the whole night” said Mr. Yuan, laughing. The evening had gone exciting afterwards. The Chinese couple had told their story too of how they met on a rainy day. Mrs. Yuan had just ended her relationship with her long term boyfriend. While coming home, she had lost her pearls. “I wept as I searched the roads for the one lost earring.”

“I could tell she wasn’t weeping just for the pearls.” said Mr. Yuan, looking at his wife, a pained look in his eyes. “I searched with her even though I knew it was a hopeless situation.” he said, “The roads were flooded. There was no way we could see the pearls”

“He took me to a diner, and we stayed there until it stopped raining” Mrs. Yuan was all bright eyes. “We stood up to leave, and that’s when I saw the man walk into the diner with a box of a lovely set of pearls. He replaced the lost one with another set. They were better and lovely. Just like he replaced the bitter love with his own shimmering, sweet love.”

When they finished their story, Audrey was in tears, as were the other ladies. “That’s so sweet.” she said, “It’s the sweetest love story I’ve heard in a while”

Logan pulled Audrey to himself as she sniffed, “Hey.” he whispered in her ears. “You okay?.” Though she nodded, he stared down at her. She gave him a reassuring smile. Around them, the conversation had shifted to the new government policies, and how it seems to favour a few sets of individuals. Dessert was served. Almond jelly was served on small plates around the table. And in cupcake wraps were egg tarts. While conversation flowed freely, everyone who wanted a piece of the sweet dessert reached for them.

Finally, the conversation died down, and it was time to leave. As everyone exited the La Mirage, Mr. Yuan had called Logan aside and handed over the signed document. He stretched out his hand, shook hands with Logan. “I hope we have.” he said, “And many more in future”

“Thank you Mr. Yuan.” said Logan excitedly, “This is great news.”

“And that beautiful lady you have, don’t let her off the hook.” Mr. Yuan said, “She’s a good catch”

“Oh, I know that.” Logan said, with all sincerity.

Mrs. Yuan came out with Audrey then to join them. The ladies hugged, and it was time to leave. “Whenever you find yourself in China, please spend the night with us.” she said, giving Audrey their home card. Then to Logan, she said, “I mean both of you.”

Logan nodded, “Yes ma’am” then he asked, “Sounds like you’re leaving tonight. I thought we have a breakfast scheduled”

“Our flight is due at 6 a.m.” said Mr. Yuan, “We already had a splendid time with you both” he added. Holding Audrey’s hand, he said, “He’s a good man” he winked.

Logan pulled Audrey to his side, and they both waved as the couple got in their car with their staff, and drove off. They stayed that way even after the car was out of sight. His secretary and Daniel also got in the cab and left. Finally, he turned Audrey to himself. “I got the deal.” he said excitedly, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the cheek, “Thank you.”

“Congratulations, you got what you wanted.” she said and started to walk away. “I should get a cab”

“I’m dropping you off.” he told her, taking her hand. “And please don’t turn down this offer again. I owe you”

“No, you don’t”

He said nothing as they walked to the parking lot. Opening the car, she got in. He went around the car and got in. “I’m so happy.” he said, starting the car. The drive to her house was a quiet one. He stopped at her gate and turned off the engine, suddenly wishing she would stay with him. “I’d like to take you out on a real date, Audrey”

She smiled, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea” Audrey replied, even though the suggestion made her stomach knotted happily.

“Why not?”

“I can think of two names; Mary, and my boss”

“You know where I stand in both cases though”

Sighing, she nodded. It was true he wasn’t seeing any of them. Her boss is pregnant with another man, and Mary? Well, Mary was still in the picture somewhere. “Mary?”

“We’re not together.” he told her calmly, “And tonight, I made sure of it”

“What did you do?”

“Let’s just say I pulled her trick on her.” he said, smiling at her. “Please, go out with me.”

Even though she didn’t want to, she found herself nodding to his request. He swooped her up in a tight hug and kissed her passionately.

*****

Noah knelt by their bed, holding his wife’s hands. She wasn’t looking at him, tears dripping down her eyes. He reached for her face, wiping it off. “I’m sorry.” he said, “I’ll do better by us.”

Not trusting her voice, Adriana nodded and smiled. This was the first step. Since he had finally admitted to shutting her off, and drowning himself in drinks, they could move ahead. Their day was ending on this sour note because of their therapy session with Ms. Bethany. The last session had ended with their consultant telling them they had been able to bridge an important aspect in their marriage; trusting each other despite their issues. “That was applaudable” Ms. Bethany had said, starting the session from where they last stopped. The kids were with their grandparents on vacation for the weekend. And the parents had the home and the session to themselves for the day.

“Today, I’d love us to talk about something deeper.” she looked at Noah. Since arrival, she had noticed he already had two glasses of wine. The man was spiralling, and he could see the fear in his wife’s eyes each time he took the wine glass. Now, she had asked the wife to place cold juice instead beside them, including herself. But not once had Noah reached for the drink. “You lost your cousin.” she began, “Have you come to terms with that?”

Noah started into the space over their therapist’s head. How did one come to terms with losing family? “I’m not sure I get what you mean.” he said, his eyes finally shifting from the walls to rest on her face “Did you talk to anyone about it?” she asked, “Since that day”

Shaking his head, he told her no. “My cousins all wanted a quiet burial afterwards.” he swallowed, “There was nothing to talk about”

He was in denial. She jotted that down. “Nothing to talk about? You’d just lost someone.” she stopped when he drew in some ragged breath at that statement. “Someone close to you had just died” she stopped talking, giving him room to ponder on what she had just said. Noah looked terrible. He was probably thinking of Nate had that moment. “How close were you both?”

“Nate.” he said, fighting off the tears threatening to fall, “He was the closest I had to a little brother.” he began, holding his wife’s hand tightly for support. Ms. Bethany noticed that and nodded a few times before writing in her pad. I lost my siblings and parents in an unfortunate accident. And he was the next thing I had to a family. We did everything together. He looked to me for guidance. I was supposed to protect him”

Ms. Bethany noticed how he stopped talking drastically. Knowing he somehow blamed himself for failing the late man. Pursuing another course would calm him down, so she asked, “What about with your wife? Friends? Why didn’t you see the need to speak to someone about your loss?”

Adriana stiffened, waiting for his answer. While they had been apart after discovering his true identity, she had often wondered why he didn’t tell her about his parents. He had kept the bulk of his past to himself. And that meant he didn’t share that with anybody. If he had all those pain bottled up, she shook her head wondering just how much pain he had tucked away.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone about…”

It was as she feared. Noah had said nothing to anyone about his pain. She tried to imagine what it would feel to lose everyone around her in one hopeless day, and not having anyone to share the pain with. His cousins; Samantha, Gaby, and Nate must have had a nice time with it. She shifted uncomfortably, still holding his hand, but said nothing.

“Go on.” the therapist urged, “Say the name. you have to come to terms with it”

It was harder than it seems, he realized, “Nate” he called, almost in a whisper. His fist was clenched angrily, and he started to sweat. Adriana got a handkerchief and wiped off the tears. Holding his hands, she rubbed the fist. “Nate died.” he said again, and the tears began to flow. Hugging his wife, he wept quietly. His cries came in sobs and groans. And as Adriana silently calmed him, she knew she had never seen her husband this way before. He sounded broken. She turned to their therapist, asking for help. Ms. Bethany mouthed she should simply hug him. It was all they could give him now. finally, when he was done with letting out his emotions, Noah released his wife. “I’m sorry.” he said to her, “I didn’t know he needed this so much” he smiled.

“Did you ever talk about your family? They all died the same day” Adriana said, wanting to know. She looked at their therapist, asking if that was okay. The woman nodded, giving her the go-ahead. “Have you ever spoken about it with your cousins maybe?”

His hands started to shake, “No, Adriana.” he said, “We never really spoke about it. Gaby’s father helped us escape. And he was in a terrible state.” sniffing, he continued, “The first few days were spent trying to get him better. But he died” he swallowed hard, looking away from his wife and the therapist. He withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair. “When he died, we all just wanted to bury him and be done with the deaths. And once we buried him, I guess we all just buried the others with him”

“You never spoke about them?”

“Only when we were angry, and planning revenge. Gaby had a way of taunting us with it, to get us in line” he looked apologetically at Adriana.

She nodded in understanding, “It’s all forgiven” she said, without holding back.

shaking his head in disagreement, he didn’t accept she had forgiven him. Ms. Bethany noted that. “I remember knocking him off once when he brought it up in the most offending way. I couldn’t bear it”

“What were they like? Your parents?” asked their therapist.

He smiled at both women, “My parents are the sweetest ones any son could ask for. I had two sisters, and been the only son.” he shrugged happily, “It came with certain privileges. I was pampered.” he laughed. “They let me get away with everything. And my sisters, they were wonderful”

He was relaxed now. It would be safe now to ask why he felt guilty about his cousin’s death. “Now, can we talk about Nate again?” she asked. He nodded stiffly. “His death would have opened another can of worms about the past. Why is his death your fault?”

“I never said it was” Noah stopped talking, his head bowed tentatively. He might not have said it, but he knew he felt responsible for his death.

“Do you feel guilty for his death?”

For a long time, he simply stared at the therapist blindly. Then he nodded lightly, “Yes.” his answer came out inaudible, but it was heard. “He looked to me to protect him; from Gaby, from the world. But I failed him” he said sadly, “I wasn’t even there the day he took his last breath” and with that, Noah stood and went to stare out the window. The tears fell off his eyes but he wasn’t sobbing. He let them flow. Behind him, his wife hugged him lightly.

“It wasn’t your fault he died” Adriana whispered, “You couldn’t have stopped anything”

He nodded, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to stop anything, “I could have been there though”

“You were here with us, with the kids.” she didn’t need to say he had been here because of Nate, but she said it so he could get his thoughts in the right place, “He was the reason you were here with us.”

Noah turned around to face her. She was right. Without Nate, he probably would still be estranged from his family. And the day they were held hostage, what could have happened had he not been there to alert the security team. He shuddered. “He gave us the best gift before leaving us, didn’t he?.” His wife nodded, and he sighed, “I’ve bottled up all these.”

“It’s why we should talk about these things.” Ms. Bethany said from where she was seated. The couple turned to her. “You were here to save your family. It was what Nate would have wanted”

He walked with Adriana towards Ms. Bethany. When they sat, he thanked the woman, “Thank you, feel light-headed now”

“Does that have anything to do with the wine you haven’t had in about.” she checked her wristwatch, “Forty-five minutes?”

Noah looked lost. “What are you saying?”

“I’m asking if your sudden lightness was because you got off over your guilt of your late cousin’s death, or because you haven’t been eating.” Ms. Bethany said, more aggressively. She knew she was pushing him. But it couldn’t be helped. He needed this.

Adriana held his hand still. She nodded when he looked at her. “You haven’t been eating.” she told him.

He stayed a while, looking lost. Then his expression changed from that of confusion to realization, and then shame. Looking at his wife intently now, he could see her fears. And just that look made him remembered what had happened the last time he indulged too heavily in drinks. He had promised he’s never put her through that again. Ashamed, he covered his face with his hands and sighed. “I’m sorry, Ad.” he said, looking up at her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Now, you know what you need to do.” Ms. Bethany said, bringing their session to a wrap. And as she left the couple that evening, she was satisfied she had gotten through to Noah in a way. The coupled walked her to the car and went back in. She knew then their healing had started.

The first thing Noah had done was to pour out all the drinks. He wasn’t having any of them again. Not after what had happened the last time. And as he knelt beside his wife that night, pleading for forgiveness, he swore never to do this again. This time, he meant it while praying silently that life is fair to him, and his family.

Adriana hugged him, “You have me.” she told him, “And I know we got this handled.”

“Thank you, babe.” he said, smiling through his tears, “Thank you.” He hugged her tightly to himself, holding onto her.