EpisodeTwo
1166 Words
Special invitations
“Oh hi, Dad! Fancy meeting you here.”
Both the 45-year-old man and 23-year-old divorcee looked up in unison at the smiling female blond passerby who had just paused in front of their cushion-lined lounge seats.
“Hello, Katya. Aren’t you supposed to be overseeing our guests’ buffet lunch?”
Hailey’s thin right eyebrow rises considerably. OUR guests again? She thought to herself.
“The new Head Chef you hired is now in charge of that, Daddy,” the perky lady remarked as she flipped her long wavy hair out of her face because of the strong ocean winds. “Have you forgotten about Gustav, your newly hired multi-awarded French chef? Come on pops, don’t tell me you’re getting senile on me!”
Alexander laughed bemusedly at his spunky daughter’s answer, “Sorry, I just forgot. But will you tell Gustav that I’d prefer to have my lunch in my suite later? I’m not eager to talk to too many people right now, Katya,” the elderly man sheepishly admitted.
“But this batch of cruise participants are all members of your Golden Yacht Tourist Group which you put up, father. They will be so disappointed if they don’t see their founder and president.”
“They always see me during our monthly meetings, Kat. Besides we will be on this tour for a quarter of a year. I’m sure they’ll be able to see me before we all go home…”
At this point, Hailey suddenly interrupted with an instant light bulb moment, “I knew you looked familiar! You’re the great travel and tour tycoon Senyor Alexander Conall! I saw you being interviewed in an episode on World Business for your exclusive tourist group made out of billionaires and business magnates in the world,” the enthused redhead cried out with an intensely impressed voice.
“Guilty as charged, madame,” acknowledged the green-eyed billionaire with a small bow and a naughty grin. “I was hoping that you wouldn’t figure it out until the end of this trip.”
“Father, with the number of times the media has given you their full attention, I doubt if your friend here would have taken that long to find out who you are,” giggled the travel magnate’s daughter as she held out her hand to the young woman in the one-piece red bathing suit. “I’m Katya Conall by the way but knowing my pappy, he already told you who I am.”
“Hello, I’m Hailey Brown. I’m newly divorced and needed a break from it all, which is why I booked this tour,” the young fashion designer replied while shaking the blond’s dainty hand. “And I’m sorry but Alex only told me that you are a manager here.”
Both father and daughter laugh out loud…
“Sorry, I didn’t want to give myself away so I couldn’t tell you too much about Katya,” confessed Alex as he continued to chuckle. “And you didn’t tell me you just got divorced, Hailey.”
“Well, now you know,” the curvaceous female remarked with a shrug. “I’m not exactly announcing it anyway.”
“Then, I should really invite you to lunch so we can talk some more about you and why you’re here. Katya, please send a lunch spread for two to my suite please?”
The top-heavy “manager” hid a knowing smile as she replied, “OK Dad. I’ll go inform Gustav.”
Katya’s thoughts as she held back a giggle: And I just bet that it’s not just the lunch that my dad would like to get familiar with later. Wait until I tell Erica and Marc about this…
+++
“And I’m telling you, Eric can easily afford it, Justin,” Mira yelled into her phone while motioning to her secretary to place her jasmine tea on her table. “Sorry, but I’m not backing down on that amount!”
“One billion dollars! Are you insane, Miranda? My client isn’t liquid enough to have that amount right now!” the high-pitched male voice on the other side of the call exclaimed, intense annoyance ringing in his tone. “I will have to suggest that she takes one of Eric’s mansions or even a building in one of the city centers as payment for your client’s alimony.”
“Sorry not sorry, Justin but my client was quite specific that she will not accept any properties as part of her divorce payments,” insisted Atty. De Narra as she took a sip from her man-sized white porcelain mug. “So he either pays it
In a lump sum or he chooses to pay it in instrumentals for a year, which will cost him more if he will consider the state taxes that he has to deal with. This means he either pays less with a single go or chooses a bigger share because of the government! ”
Not waiting for a reply, Miranda cuts the call. A part of her wishes she used her office landline so she could slam the receiver down with all her strength. But after finishing off half of her hot drink, she thought better about it and decided that her college pal did not deserve such an aggressive move from her.
After all, it’s not Justin’s fault that his billionaire client is an absolutely stingy asshole cheat who deserved everything that Hailey is doing and demanding from him. So yes, Miranda was glad that it’s a mobile call but no way in hell is she backing out from the price that she’s demanding! No, as far as that philandering bastard is concerned, Eric might as well be asking for the moon.
A soft knock on her office door brought the extremely annoyed attorney back from her niggling thoughts. Mira looks up at once and stares into a familiar pair of dark brown almond-shaped eyes.
“Marion, you’re early…”
“No, I’m just right on time darling,” the clean-shaven broad-shouldered male cut in with a mischievous grin and a sly wink. “You texted me to pick you up at 7:30 PM and it’s now exactly that time.”
Miranda groaned as she checked her David Yurman Cable Watch with 18K Gold accents, “God, where did the time go,” the dark-haired female lawyer complained and then finished off the rest of her tea in one gulp.
“Why? Did Justin give you a hard time?” asked the heavily bronzed half-Asian man standing in front of her, who was fully aware of the details of her best friend’s divorce proceedings. “Do you want to tell me about it before our usual monthly date?”
“If you plan to do that, then you better take a seat first.”
It would be one and a half hours later when the De Narras were able to get to their chosen restaurant…
- Writer
