The Second...Argument?

He was in his study going through some of the documents Dimitri sent to him through his PA. It was about the Chinese proposal from Mr. Wu Cho. He opened each file and read through them, he nodded thinking of considering the proposal. Dimitri told him how profitable it would be if they did invest in the upcoming project Mr. Wu Cho and his team are working on.

He was about to move to the next file when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

“Sir, your guest has arrived,” Maya, one of the maids said when she came in.

He looked up and smiled.

“Great, please make them feel at home and let them know I will be out in a few minutes,” he said to her.

“Okay sir,” she said and left his office.

He was happy his friend accepted the offer and invitation to have dinner with his family like old times.

He stood up from his chair and walked around his table to go out of his office to greet his guests.

“Hello my dear friend, it is so nice of you to come to have dinner with my family,” Donald said with a wide smile. Kingsley stood and they shared a hug. “Oh Moana, how have you been?” Donald asked and they both hugged.

“Radiant as ever and you?” she smiles.

“I can see that, I am very much okay. Pat told me you bumped into each other the other day” he said.

“Yes we did, it was nice seeing her after so many years of not seeing each other” Moana replies.

Then he looks behind Moana to see a once pretty girl now turned into a gorgeous woman.

“Audriana dear” he went towards her and she stood up too and they both hugged each other.

“How have you been my dear?” he asked her.

“Good evening sir, I am very much okay, how are you doing sir?” Audriana asked.

“Very well dear, just look at you, the once little Audriana now a full-grown mature decent woman, I have heard a lot about your inventions and great work in the Tech industry. I must say Audri, you are a very talented woman” he said.

“Thank you very much sir” she blushed a little.

Hearing people praise her for her works gives her great joy and happiness.

Moana went to the kitchen to help Patricia and the maid set up the table for dinner since it was ready.

“Dinner is served” the maid announced.

“Thank you, Maya, you can retire for the day,” he told her.

“Thank you, sir,” Maya said and went out of the door.

“Please come eat,” Donald said, leading them to the dining table.

The table has been set, the food dished out almost covered the whole table like they were having a feast.

Donald took his seat at the head of the table, while his wife sat at the left beside him, Kingsley was at the right with his wife beside him, Audriana sat beside Patricia. Patricia wanted her close to her during the meal, she had missed her so much and wanted her close.

“What of Dimitri?” Donald whispered to his wife.

“He is coming, he was with the boys, you know how inseparable they can be?” Patricia answered and he nodded.

“What of Dimitri?” Kingsley asked the same thing Donald asked his wife.

“Oh yeah, he is coming” Donald answered.

He wonders why Dimitri isn’t here when he knows fully well his presence will be needed here.

“Okay,” Kingsley said and they continued talking.

***

“Okay, guys I am off” He gulped the entire drink and put the cup down when he was done, then stood up and took his keys, wallet, and phone putting them in his pocket.

“So soon?” Aiden asked.

“You got here like thirty minutes ago” Caleb states.

“Yeah, yeah my parents need me home early” he checked his watch “And it is almost eight pm, so I gotta go,” Dimitri said.

“Okay, I know how your Mum hates when you aren’t home early when you are asked to come in early,” Aiden said finishing up his drink.

“Do send my regards” Caleb stood to go to the kitchen.

“I will, bye,” Dimitri said and left.

***

“We are having desserts and he isn’t here yet, I am going to call him,” Donald said to his wife taking his phone from his pocket.

“Wait, I think he is here,” she said, looking at the door.

Everyone’s head turns towards the door awaiting his coming.

A man in black slacks, a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, black leather shoes with his jacket on his shoulder, and the ever-good-looking messy hair, walked in checking his phone. He looks like a model that just came out of a magazine shoot.

“Oh, there he is” Patricia stood up to go to her son.

He hugs her and kisses her cheek.

“Good evening Mom,” he said and they both walked to the table.

Patricia sat in her seat and Dimitri beside Audriana.

Audriana looked at him and immediately looked away when his eyes met hers. He did look familiar, but she can’t point out where she had seen that face.

“Good evening Dad”

“Good evening son, remember Mr. Bernard, my dear friend? And his wife?” Donald asked his son.

“I was really little, so I am not sure I can remember you too well but it is nice to meet you again sir, ma’am,” Dimitri said politely.

“Nice to meet you too dear,” Moana said

“Nice to see you, Dimitri, you have grown to be a powerful man like your Father,” Kingsley said.

“I am glad about that too.” Dimitri smiled then looked at the young golden brown-haired woman sitting beside him.

“This is Audriana, Kingsley’s daughter” Donald introduced them.

Audriana looked at him to say ‘Hi’ but he was already looking at her which caught her by surprise and her eyes widened a little looking at him in the eye. Hazel eyes...pointed nose...black hair…

“Hi,” he said, interrupting whatever was going on in her head.

“Uh...hi” she replied and looked back at her food, her face flushed at how handsome he is and to have kept eye contact with him for a long time.

He served himself some deserts and scooped some in his mouth, he noticed how her face turned red and smirked while still looking at her. He knew the effect he had on the female gender and her flushed face just shows how much he had affected her. She did look familiar.

His Dad told him they have been hanging out when they were little, but he had little or no remembrance of her. But he has seen her recently but is trying to get the exact place he did see her…

“...right Dimitri?” Patricia called her son.

“Uh...yeah” he looked at everyone to notice they were all looking at him, he looked at Audriana, and at that moment she turned to look at him and turned her eyes away when their eyes met. “What’s right?” he asked after clearing his throat.

“I was saying you do remember Audri, right?” she asked again.

He looked at her again and remembered.

“No...not really” was his reply.

“Okay,” she just says.

They were done with deserts in no time. Donald whispered something to Kingsley and they excused themselves. They went to Donald’s study and sat on the sofa.

“Thank you for honoring my invitation” Donald starts.

“Don’t mention my friend, I could remember the last time our families bond like this and I feel honored to get your invite” Kingsley said.

“I am glad you considered my offer, did...did she consent to it?” Donald asks.

Kingsley sighs “Yes she did, she feels like she was responsible for what happened because the model was her idea and we haven’t done something like this, so investing so much on an idea that we are not sure will give us result was not wise and we have learned our mistakes”

Donald nods “Yeah, experience teaches you” he shrugged. “It makes it better that we are familiar with each other, not like it’s going to be strangers coming together”

“Yeah, she feels guilty that’s why she agreed to it,” Kingsley sighs again “I always wanted my baby girl to marry for love, that she would bring home the man she loves and want to spend the rest of her life with” he smiles “I don’t want marriage to be a burden to her, I met my wife and fell in love and that’s what I want for my princess”

“Kingsley, I am sorry I brought such up. Dimitri was never like this, it was Cade’s passing that changed him. He wasn’t the sweet guy girls will want to bring home to their parents,” he scoffed. “Instead girls cuss at him and try getting pregnant with his baby and I know that would make him worse. He needs to settle down and with a well trained, cultured, and mannered girl who will bring out the best in him”

He looks at Kingsley.

“We both want the best for our kids,” he said.

“True” Kingsley agreed.

“Does Moana know about it?”

“No, she will be so mad at me if she knew I mastermind this” Kingsley said.

“Patricia might make me sleep on the couch for the rest of our marriage” he chuckled. “But with the way Dimitri looked at Audriana, I am sure her charms caught his attention and this will be better”

“I hope so, I hope so”

***

Audriana, Dimitri, Patricia, and Moana were in the living room drinking wine. Patricia excused herself, taking Moana along leaving Audriana and Dimitri alone.

He was looking at his phone and sitting on a sofa opposite her while she at intervals took a look at him and when he raised his eyes, she immediately looks away.

“Do you want to say anything?” he asked her.

She looked at him when he spoke but he wasn’t looking at her. Then he raised his eyes and looked at her, their eyes met and she widened hers before looking behind him.

There is something about his look that makes her shiver.

“Uh… you were the one from that day” she let out in a hoarse voice. She couldn’t even recognize her voice.

“The one? Which day?” he gave her a confused look.

“The other day we bumped into each other,” she clarified.

“Or more like you weren’t watching where you were going and bumped into me” he stated.

She slightly scrunched her face and looked at him with a not too pleased look.

“I bumped into you?” she asked “More like you didn’t see where you were doing and almost knock me off my feet” she sat up.

“Oh please, I saved your ass, you should be thanking me, honey. That’s no way to treat your savior” he said with his usual smirk.

“Well, pretty face it takes two to tango,” she said.

“Pretty face eh?” he said and that’s when she realized what she just said. Her face was now red with embarrassment. He leaned back on the chair and put his phone on the stool beside him.

“I see why you were so dumbfounded when I saved you” he gestured to himself and gave a short laugh “Like who wouldn’t be interested in this”

She rolled her eyes and muttered ‘Prick’

“Excuse me what did you say?” he asked.

“I called you a prick,” she replied.

“I don’t like that language you use on me lady” he sat up too

“Well ever heard of ‘First time for everything?’” she asked sarcastically.

“Don’t feel special Love, you aren’t the first to call me that. Well, I am not in support of this union” he states blandly.

“Stop with the endearment, and I am not in support of it too”

“Why then did you agree?” he asked.

It was foolish to ask that when he knew the full reason why she must have agreed, he had no choice when his Dad told him he was getting married to his friend’s daughter. He immediately refused but was stopped because of the leverage his father had on him. He had no choice but to agree. He was thinking she might not be good-looking, and it would be easy to ignore her, but what he saw this evening surprised him.

He remembered her from that day they bumped into each other, nice eyes, full pink lips, golden-brown hair. He never remembers any woman he meets or even details of their body or hair color. ‘Why did she seem different?’ He asks himself. She is a beauty and seeing her angry turned the hell out of him…

“I am hoping your Dad explained everything to you or...” she replied then leaned in with a small smile “...the famous billionaire has a low memory” she state

He glared at her, “Haha very funny”

She just scoffed. Like...what the hell? They haven’t even made a simple conversation without bickering at each other. She took a look at him, he wasn’t looking in her direction. Is this how their marriage will be like? They haven’t even talked for ten minutes without one having something to say to the other.

“For Bernard Tech” she mutters.