Chapter 78 Wild Imaginings
As the car started, the setting sun outside the window was slowly sinking, its orange glow painting the surrounding scenery in a dazzling light. If only her mood could be as bright as that light.
But her emotions were all over the place, swinging between happiness and sadness, unable to find peace.
The highways abroad were much faster than back home, so they finally made it back to the hotel in the early hours of the next day.
She really didn't want to face it, but there was no avoiding it. As soon as she stepped into the hotel lobby, Aidan appeared.
He wheeled himself over, "Alison, are you okay?" He stopped in front of her, reaching out as if he needed to touch her to confirm she was still alive.
Alison shuddered and instinctively stepped back, "Aidan, I'm fine."
Aidan looked a bit awkward, retracting his hand and forcing a smile, "I'm just glad you're back. Thanks to Jack, he searched for you day and night, otherwise you..."
"Second brother, stop it. It's all in the past, let's not bring up those unhappy things." Jack pushed Aidan into the elevator, and Alison followed them in. Jack turned around, facing her directly.
Jack glanced at her casually, and Alison immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze. She noticed he looked tired, probably from not resting well these past few days. She felt even more guilty but didn't know how to express it.
Not running into Aimée was a small relief. After getting back to her room, she slept for a little over an hour before waking up, having slept too much in the car and now feeling wide awake.
At this time, Jack next door was surely sleeping, given how long he had driven.
Thinking back to that night, she still found it unbelievable that she had walked into Aidan's room. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't understand why it happened.
Her phone had records of her calling Aidan, indicating she had initiated it, but she couldn't remember anything.
She spent the whole day lost in these thoughts.
As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, the phone rang.
"Alison, wake up, time to get to work." The energetic voice on the other end pulled her out of her sleep.
"Okay." She responded softly, feeling a bit anxious about spending the whole day with Jack, afraid of any more unexpected events, which she really didn't want to happen.
After getting ready, Alison opened the door to find Jack standing outside, "Morning."
"Morning." He was wearing a gold shirt and matching pants today, looking like someone who had lived in Paris for years, making her take a second look.
"Let's go." He tilted his head, gesturing for her to follow.
Alison kept a two-meter distance from Jack, walking slowly behind him. She just wanted to complete Aidan's work tasks quickly so she wouldn't have to endure Jack's "pressure" anymore.
This was a multi-billion dollar electronic component outsourcing investment. During negotiations with the client, Jack twirled a pen in his hand, listening intently to the other party, occasionally answering questions thoughtfully. Every word seemed carefully considered. Alison, taking notes, could tell Jack had thoroughly prepared for this meeting.
She wondered when he had found the time to prepare, making his responses so smooth.
"Mr. Winston, everything you said sounds good, but can you fully represent YD?" Mr. Bates asked directly.
Jack smiled slightly, not offended, and calmly said, "If I couldn't, I wouldn't be here today."
"Alright, that's all I needed to hear. We'll discuss the contract details over the next couple of days, and if everything's in order, we can sign in three days."
"OK, looking forward to a successful partnership." Jack extended his hand, shaking Mr. Bates' firmly.
The day's work was finally wrapping up, and Alison put away her pen and paper, her hand sore from writing.
The two men stood up, smiles on their faces.
At that moment, Mr. Bates suggested, "Mr. Winston, how about we go for a drink?"
"Sure, Mr. Bates, do you have a good place in mind?"
"There's a famous club nearby with food, entertainment, and relaxation. Let's go there to unwind."
"Sounds good." After a day and night of rest, Jack looked refreshed.
"Mr. Winston, Mr. Bates, I'll be heading out now." Alison wanted to excuse herself; she didn't like these social gatherings and felt tired just thinking about it.
Mr. Bates suddenly stepped forward, blocking Alison's way, "Miss Fairchild, after a busy day, it's only right to relax and have a bite. I'd like to invite you to be my date." He had noticed Alison's unique grace from the moment she appeared, but work had kept him from expressing it. Now that work was over, his thoughts surfaced.
Alison's face changed, realizing Mr. Bates must have mistaken her for Jack's PR assistant. Refusing seemed impolite, but agreeing felt uncomfortable.
Just as Alison was about to speak, Jack said, "Mr. Bates, having my future sister-in-law as your temporary date is an honor for her, but I have an even bigger surprise for you later."
"Sister-in-law? She's your future sister-in-law?" Mr. Bates looked embarrassed, feeling awkward about his earlier suggestion.
"Yes, sort of, but it depends on her willingness."
"Haha, Aidan is a lucky guy. Alright, I'm looking forward to your surprise. Let's go." Mr. Bates dropped the date topic but didn't say Alison couldn't come. Now, she was stuck between going and not going.
"Come along, relax a bit." Jack lightly patted Alison's shoulder.
When his hand touched her shoulder, she shivered, wanting to tell him "don't touch me," but he had already turned and was chatting and laughing with Mr. Bates as they walked out.
Since he said to come along, she had no choice but to follow.
On the way, she was curious about the surprise Jack had for Mr. Bates.
The car stopped at the club's parking lot, and they walked towards the Gothic-style building. Inside, there was a huge outdoor swimming pool, with handsome men and beautiful women swimming gracefully.
The women wore skimpy swimsuits, and Alison didn't dare to look up, feeling out of place. Mr. Bates, however, couldn't take his eyes off them, clearly a lecherous type.
In a luxurious private room at the club, red wine and whiskey were served, and the door opened.
Aimée walked in with a young woman, greeting Mr. Bates and Jack before sitting down. The young woman sat next to Mr. Bates.
Jack, seemingly influenced by the European atmosphere, pulled Aimée close, wrapping his arm around her waist, and kissed her forehead in front of everyone, saying, "Baby, you're late, you owe us a drink."
"Jack, it's not my fault, blame Cherry, I waited for her forever." Aimée responded.
"Cherry, is that true?" Jack turned to Cherry.
"What's the deal, you want me to drink as punishment?" Cherry picked up a glass, "I'll drink as much as you want, but if I get drunk, you have to take me home." She smiled at Mr. Bates, "Mr. Bates, is that okay?"
"Sure, sure, absolutely, cheers!" Mr. Bates clinked glasses with Cherry.
Cherry's boldness made Alison realize Jack's surprise for Mr. Bates was Cherry.
Cherry's presence indeed helped Alison out of a tight spot, but sitting among the four of them, she still felt awkward. This kind of setting was strange to her, making her feel like an outsider.
She didn't want to watch Jack and Aimée flaunt their affection, but she had no choice, so she sat there, enduring it.