9. Sweet and Sour

After a heated kiss in the lounge, Alex escapes, pushing Davina away from him. The sexy woman gasped. Even the straps of her dress were already down her arms.

Alex corrects her breathing, which has been exhausted by the rhythm of the kiss. They then stare at each other stiffly amidst the instrumental house music with low beats and dim lights between them.

Davina chuckles as she fixes her dress. "What the hell?"

Alex then wiped her lips with her hand. The sight made Davina feel humiliated. But she couldn't do anything but just stare in annoyance.

"I've told you, right? Slow down!" Alex said in low tones. Even the blush on his face looked very cold.

Indeed, Davina could not accept any excuses. After all, Alex also enjoyed the short kiss. But she surrendered as she let out a rough breath. "Okay... let's approach slowly."

"And I think that's enough for today," Alex concluded, turning to leave Davina in disappointment.

But suddenly, Alex's steps stopped before opening the door. "Ah..." Both his hands were perched on his pants pockets. "Slow down doesn't mean it's going to end in a courtship or even more."

Alex waltzed out of the room with Chou readily following behind him. The man looked cool and charismatic in his suit. He entered the car where Chou had opened the door.

"Do you want to go back to the office or home, sir?" Chou confirmed.

"Why would I come to the office after having so much fun here? Huh?" snapped Alex.

Even Chou complied. Even the boss was unpredictable. Sometimes even in the middle of the night, the boss wanted to be driven to the office, sometimes to the laboratory. So, Chou needed reassurance even though he was always yelled at in the end.

On the way, Alex started to get restless. He pulled his tie to relieve his neck while thinking about things. For some reason, he was still thinking about Celine. Every time he came into contact with a woman, Celine's figure always loomed large.

But with that woman, it didn't happen.

Alex touched his lips. Memories of the past replayed in his mind as his lips fused with the lips of a woman who turned out to be a spy. Even so, it felt very different. Alex could taste a biting sweetness.

"Argh!" Alex rubbed his face roughly. "How can she be different? Even Celine isn't like that."

"Chou, did you check the identity of the woman I asked the other day?" Alex asked.

"We didn't manage to get any leads on her, sir."

Alex straightened his seat in surprise. "How can that be?"

"We've asked the club, but they don't know who she is either. She wasn't caught on CCTV either."

Alex chuckled. "That's impossible."

"But we don't have any leads."

"What if she's cooperating with the club?"

"No, sir. We can guarantee it because she's wearing different from the actual club uniform."

Alex exhaled slowly. He looked at everything that passed along the street through the glass. "That woman intrigues me."

"Who does she work with... why does she dare to touch me so much? Why is she so intoxicating?" he continued squinting, remembering the incident the other day. "Her lips... why are they so sweet?"

+++

Aunt Sarah wiped away her tears. "I'm very sick, Miss. But I still deny the doctor's explanation."

"You want to live a long life?" asked Irene seriously.

Aunt Sarah nodded with conviction. "Tell me the solution. I want to see my nephew get married first."

"I can't increase your life span but I can make you use the rest of your life more meaningfully," said Irene.

At first, Aunt Sarah was shocked and even wanted to protest, but in the end, she gave in. "All right."

"All I see is that you have one year left."

Aunt Sarah widened her eyes. "How did you know that?"

"So, the only way for you to see your nephew get married is to introduce him to the right woman immediately."

"But the thing is..." Aunt Sarah moistened her lower lip for a moment. "My nephew is not that easy to negotiate with."

"Don't spoil him!" said Irene.

"What?

"You're always spoiling him. It makes him even more stubborn," Irene exclaimed with annoyance as she pictured Alex's face in Aunt Sarah's memory. "You have to be strict with your nephew. If necessary, tell him you're sick and he can't throw a tantrum. You must ask him to live a normal life," Irene continued meaningfully.

Even Aunt Sarah was dumbfounded. She didn't blink, just continued to freeze as if slapped, knocked down, and rolled by Irene's revelation.

"Madam, you must be firm."

"A-ah..." Aunt Sarah scratched the back of her head which did not itch. "All your words... why are they so realistic?"

"Since I'm a tarot reading expert, then I will make a golden opportunity for you with useful considerations in the future," Irene said confidently.

Aunt Sarah sighed deeply. "I'm already late. My age is getting shorter and my nephew is getting more brutal. I should have stopped him from the beginning."

"It's not too late."

"What?"

"You can still change things unless you're going to regret it."

Aunt Sarah was stunned in thought. Then she approached Irene. "Do you know what my nephew is doing with his business?"

Irene grinned slightly, then immediately smiled. "Like the agreement signed at the registration that the tarot reader will not pry into the customer's privacy."

"Alright. I trust you, Madam Tarot."

"So, you're going to be more assertive?"

"That will be very difficult." Aunt Sarah smiled softly as she envisioned the figure Alex had grown up with. "But I will make a little effort."

"Why a little?"

"Al..." Aunt Sarah quickly corrected herself as she almost missed the words. "I mean... my nephew has been through a lot of hard times in his life since childhood. If I were to be more strict, I'm afraid she would get hurt." Her tears melted. "She was abandoned by both parents when she was young. She also lost her best friend. Then he got frustrated and was once swept away by the waves." Bibi could not bear to tell her niece's poignant story.

+++

"Oh? Alex?" Steve, who was relaxing in front of the television in his pajamas and some snacks around him, waved at Alex's arrival.

"Why are you here?" Alex took off his suit.

"I met my aunt and I'm too lazy to go home. So, I'm staying."

"Ah, right. Where's my aunt? I don't see her." He walked to the refrigerator to get some cold mineral water.

"Then she's still at home reading tarot," Steve replied casually while snacking and watching television.

"What?!" snapped Alex. "My aunt reads tarot?"