Possible Reconciliation
994 Words
“Al, I’ll just go to the restroom.” She excused herself.
As she made her way to the hall leading to the restroom, people were congratulating her. She shook their hands and smiled at them.
When she entered the restroom, a woman with a long black hair was putting on some make-up. The woman smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Congratulations.” She said while extending her hand to Emily.
“Thank you, Ms.?” Emily looked at the woman questioningly.
“Oh! Vanessa. I’m Vanessa Lee.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lee.”
“How does it feel being hailed at the Businesswoman of the Year and the eyes of people, especially men, all on you?” Vanessa teasingly asked.
Emily felt a little bit awkward as she stared at the smiling face of Vanessa.
“Well, I’m honored, of course.” She didn’t make any comments on “the eyes of men.”
Suddenly, Vanessa’s phone was ringing.
“Oh! Nice to meet you, Ms. Fort. I need to take this call.” She didn’t wait for Emily to say anything as she left the rest room.
Emily put some lipstick on and fixed her dress. When she was done, she made her way back to Albert.
But before she could, someone called her.
“Emily Fort.” That deep and masculine voice.
She didn’t dare look behind her. She knew that voice too well.
She continued to walk, ignoring him.
But he wouldn’t be ignored. Kai Stevens? Hell no.
She felt his hand on her left arm. She had no choice but to turn and look at him.
He had looked more handsome, if that’s even possible. It somehow irritated her to see that he looked so sure of himself, as if he knew he could still make her fall for him. And his eyes? Those eyes could still penetrate anyone’s soul. But not hers. She was done with those eyes.
“Let go of my arm.” She said with a bored voice. To her surprise, he did as she said.
“Nice to see you, again.” He was staring boldly at her. His eyes were going over her face.
He was so near her that she could smell his masculine perfume and even the warmth emanating from his body.
She was just looking at him with no emotion at all. He was never going to get any kind of emotion from her anymore.
“Well, are you not going to say the same?” he asked her without taking his eyes off her face. He moved a little away from her.
“I don’t see any reason why I should lie, and I most certainly don’t see any reason for me to talk to you. If you’ll excuse me.” She left him, feeling proud of herself for she was able to act that way to him.
She could feel his eyes on her back, the same feeling that she had the first time she met him.
**
“She has changed.” Kai thought as he was looking at the disappearing figure of Emily. He didn’t expect that.
He expected to see the play of emotions on her face the way she used to when they were together. He expected her to somehow feel uneasy seeing him again. He wanted to see how she would bite her lower lip whenever she was nervous.
But he saw nothing.
She had become more beautiful. More womanly. But looking at her, anyone could sense an aura of confidence and excellence.
“We’ll see, Emily Fort. Let’s see if you’ll be the same on the next days to come.”
**
“He’s making it difficult for us to get the company back.” William Fort was almost resigned to the thought that he would never be able to regain his wife’s own established company.
Forgive me, Elise.
“I’m very sorry, Father. I know it’s my fault.”
Almira felt so guilty. She could see the sadness in her father’s eyes. The last time she had seen that was when their mother died.
Damn you, Jacob.
She had been cursing her ex-husband’s name since she learned about what he did to their shares.
“It’s not your fault. Good thing, you got rid of that man.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Sir?” William Fort’s secretary called through the intercom.
“Mr. Kai Stevens’ lawyer is here to discuss some important matters to you, Sir. Should I let him?”
William and Almira looked at each other.
Almira stood. “I’ll go now, Father.”
William motioned her to stay. “Let him in.”
Atty. Hans Deyno entered and greeted the father and daughter.
“What brings you here, Atty?”
They were all seated with Almira and Atty. Deyno seated across each other.
“My client wants to relay to you that he is considering making bargains with you in exchange for the Elise Enterprise.”
Almira looked strangely at Atty. Deyno. “What does he mean?”
“My client is willing to give back to you the Elise Enterprise.”
William looked so serious. “On what condition?”
“I cannot discuss with you Mr. Stevens’ conditions, Mr. Fort. He has specifically requested to discuss the conditions with your daughter, Ms. Emily Fort.”
Atty. Deyno had left for quite some time already and William and Almira were both thinking about what had been said.
Almira decided to break the silence.
“Father, what do you think?”
William shook his head. “I don’t want your sister to see or even talk to him again, Almira.”
“What about Elise Enterprise, Father?”
William stood. “I guess we just have to accept that it will never be returned to us anymore.”
Almira felt sad as she looked at the defeated figure of her father. It had been four years of endless negotiations with Kai Stevens, and still, nothing happened.
“I’ll go now, Father. I’ll see you on Sunday” She kissed him on his cheek.
They would have a family dinner with Emily on Sunday. He didn’t say it, but they - Marcus, Amelia and she - knew how proud he was of Emily. He just didn’t want to show it to them.
She didn’t know what changed him, and it was not important. What mattered was the possible reconciliation of her father and her sister.
- Writer
