by Alexia Praks
“Holy shit!” Soriya exclaimed in excitement the moment they stepped into the presidential suite of the Harrington. “You’re staying in this room? Awesome!”
Alex laughed. “It is nice, isn’t it? The view is breathtaking. Oh, and I heard they have a five-star restaurant as well as very flashy bar and club on the ground floor.”
“We should totally go there for drinks tonight after dinner,” Dara said, nodding.
“Agreed,” Soriya added.
Chan and Alex looked at each other and laughed. The two liked to argue but also liked to agree on a lot of things.
Chan’s eyes widened in delight as she looked around. The place was classically decorated with modern furnishings of sofas and armchairs, large crystal chandelier, and granite and marble floors and wall columns. There was a panoramic view of the city to the west side of the room. It was simply beautiful.
“Oh my gosh!” Dara said, throwing herself onto the sofa.
Soriya collapsed beside her sister and rested her head on Dara’s shoulder. “I’m in heaven.”
The sisters stayed there for a moment, soaking in the coziness of the sofa and the feeling of being surrounded with luxury.
Chan dropped her bags onto the floor by her feet and walked to the window. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it’s a beautiful view and a beautiful city,” Alex said, folding her arms across her chest.
“Mrs. McCartney, you’re back.” Margaret, the nanny, appeared at the door of a bedroom with a bundle of a very cute toddler in her arms. “And you’ve got friends.”
The moment they saw Andy, both Dara and Soriya rushed off the sofa and came over to the baby with smiley faces.
“Hi, Margaret, how’s Andy doing?”
Soriya said, “Oh my God, he’s even cuter in real life. Look at his chubby face and chubby little body.”
“Look at the blue eyes. He has very blue, blue eyes.”
“Like his father,” Alex said. “I thought the color would change. But it’s been a year now and it hasn’t. Actually, it’s even bluer than when he was born.”
“Alex,” Soriya said, “you’re so lucky to have such a cute baby with such beautiful blue eyes. Oh, I want to kiss you, darling. I just want to eat you up.”
Alex laughed. “Then kiss him, but you’re not allowed to eat him up.”
Dara laughed at that remark. Soriya accepted the offer by gently taking the baby into her arms and kissing him on the cheek, on the forehead, on the nose, and again on the nose, and again on the nose.
“That’s enough,” Dara muttered in annoyance. “Let me kiss him, too.” That said, she gave little Andy tiny kisses everywhere on the little boy’s face.
It was a full hour later when Chan managed to have her turn at holding the baby. And when she did, little Andy started giggling and jumping on her lap with joy.
Dara looked heavenward. “There she goes again. What does she have that we don’t?” she muttered, seeing how happy Andy was in Chan’s arms.
It was one o’clock by the time they—Chan, her sisters, and Alex, and her little son Andy—headed out for lunch. They met with Georgina Price, known to them simply as Georgie, in a café across the road from the hotel.
Georgie was, as usual, lovely in her summer dress, petal-white skin, and pale-blonde hair. Every inch of her shouted beautiful Scandinavian. Her gray eyes were twinkling when she greeted them with, “Guess what?”
“Georgie!” Chan rushed up and gave her friend a hug.
“Happy belated birthday,” Georgie said. “I got you a present.”
“You know you didn’t have to,” Chan said.
“Don’t be silly,” Georgie stated. “Here you go.” She gave Chan a tiny box that was beautifully wrapped in pale pink and purple ribbons.
“Thanks,” Chan said.
Georgie moved over to Alex and gave her a tight hug, too. “Andy,” she said sweetly. “Cute little Andy. I have to hold him.”
She eagerly took Andy from Soriya’s arms and cuddled him. “He’s the cutest baby in the world.”
“So what was your guess what?” Chan asked.
Georgie looked up and said, “I just graduated.”
“Oh my God! Congratulations!” This came from Alex and Chan in unison.
“Hurray! Does that mean you’re going to continue your PhD?” Soriya asked.
Georgie shook her head. “I’m done with studies. A master’s is enough for me.” She sighed. “Now I need to find a job.”
“Good luck,” Chan said. “And work hard.”
“Thanks,” Georgie replied, smiling.
Soriya cleared her throat and asked, “Did you know Chan went out on a date last Sunday?”
Georgie shook her head in the negative.
Chan looked heavenward. “That’s not important, Soriya.”
“But Jeremy is a hunk,” Soriya protested. Turning back to Georgie, she asked, “Any advice for our dear Chan?”
Georgie laughed uncomfortably. “You’re asking me? I’m still a bloody virgin and haven’t even gotten myself my first boyfriend yet.”
Dara looked shock. “Seriously?”
Chan said, “But you’re so beautiful. What guy wouldn’t want to date you?”
Georgie sighed. “I don’t think I’m beautiful, Chan. You and your sisters are the gorgeous ones. That long, glossy hair and flawless skin.”
Alex said, “You guys don’t need to worry about that. When the time comes, it will come.”
Dara nodded wholeheartedly at that. “I agree, Alex. And I know in my heart that Chan’s time is here.”
Soriya nodded furiously in agreement. “Yes. It’s her time.”
Georgie smiled and turned to Chan. “So how was it? The date?”
Chan said, “It was okay. He took me to StarFish Café for lunch.”
“Did you guys have a good time?” Georgie asked, her eyes twinkling. “Come on. Give us all the juicy details.”
Soriya nodded. “My words exactly.”
“Yeah,” Chan said. “Look, guys, why don’t we order first?”
“Oh, Chan, come on,” Alex said excitedly.
Dara said. “She’s so stingy with information.”
“That’s not information, Dara,” Chan said. “It’s just that… I don’t know. Talking about a date. Isn’t that, like, boring to you guys?”
“No, of course not,” Soriya said. “We’re interested in your dating life.”
“My dating life, right,” Chan said, laughing. “It was only one date.”
“So you’re saying he hasn’t asked you out for another yet?”
Chan shook her head. “It’s the end I think.”
“Has he phoned or texted you?” Georgie asked.
Chan nodded. “We spoke on the phone, and he texted. And come on. It was only last week.”
They continued to tease Chan about her date for a little while longer before moving on to catch up with Georgie’s life. The girls and little Andy, who were most of the time the center of attention, enjoyed their lunch catch-up, until Georgie had to leave to do some other stuff. She promised to meet with them again that night for dinner with the rest of their friends.
When the Chandler sisters, Alex, and little Andy returned to the hotel room, they found Jayden there sipping a beer.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Jayden said once the door opened and the girls filed into the room. “And sweetheart’s son and friends.”
The moment they saw Jayden, Dara and Soriya became awestruck, their eyes bright. So this was what the kind billionaire who donated millions to charity looked like. Gorgeous to boot! Alexandra was a very lucky gal.
The two glanced at each other and giggled delightfully, promising themselves they’d get all the juicy details out of Alex tonight about how the two had met and fallen in love and everything in between.
Once Margaret took away sleepy Andy, Alex pulled her husband forward and introduced her friends to him.
“Jayden, this is my friend Chandra and her sister
s, Dara and Soriya.”
Jayden moved over to shake Chan and her sisters’ hands. “Good to meet you. Alex is always talking about you guys. You didn’t come to the wedding.”
“Yeah, so sorry about that,” Chan said, her face just a little pale all of a sudden. “We were a little busy with other stuff at the time.” She felt her stomach fluttering sickly, and her mind, once again, went toward Dave, Amie, and Lisa. Yes, it had been at that time when her and her sisters’ lives were hell.
Oh God, Chan, stop thinking about them, she reminded herself.
Alex, noting Chan was a little pale at the reminder of her past, jabbed her husband in the side with her elbow and glared at him. Jayden understood immediately and turned to give the girls a handsome, apologetic grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up. Drinks, anyone?”
“We’re good,” Dara said. “We just had lunch.”
The girls moved to sit on the sofa, and Alex turned to ask her husband, “How was your meeting?”
“Good. Looks like it’s a go. We’ve got all the houses, and the demolition is due to take place next month. The building is going to go up, and viola, two years later, it’s done.”
“Sounds like a big project, Jayden,” Chan said.
“Yeah, a very big one. Building a hotel and resort is always a big project,” he said, matter-of-fact.
“Jay, darling?” Alex said, batting her lashes at her husband. “Chan and her sisters are staying here to get ready for dinner, just so you know.”
Jay laughed and waved aside her concern. “I’ll be out of your way soon. I have a ton of stuff to do and a long dinner with the gang.”
By the gang, he meant his friends and business partners, Alec Hasting from Scotland and Sam Harrington from his hometown of New York City, who owned this very high-class hotel. Of course, Jeremy White, Sam’s cousin, would be joining them as well, as he was the man from this point on who would be in charge of the whole project, with Sam and Jayden himself behind the scenes to give advice and lend some helping hands if need be.
The girls relaxed and played with Andy while Jayden showered and changed. Once he was done and dressed in a very tasteful suit and ready to leave, he kissed his son and promised the boy they’d be spending all day together tomorrow. Then he came over and kissed his wife in front of her friends, causing Dara and Soriya to giggle delightfully.
Chan, on the other hand, felt this longing ache within her heart. In that instant, the picture of Lilly dad’s kissing her before leaving for work in the morning appeared strong in her mind, and she wanted to cry out so badly. It was a picture of them living as a couple, a happy family, full of love and devotion, and his kiss was beautiful and tender.
What a dream, right? And Chan was pretty sure she was sick in the head, all right. She was disgusted with herself.
She managed to hold herself in check. Then because she didn’t want her sisters or friend to see how pale she was, she got up from her spot and headed to the spare bedroom where the sisters had placed their belongings. There, she took a few deep breaths and told herself to calm down. When she did, she unzipped her bag and started taking out her dress for tonight.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 17