153It was the last day of the vacation and everyone had been through the wringer. Bruce's clients were beginning to call in to see the CEO. Enough meetings had been postponed, enough presentations had been rescheduled. He packed his things, placed his laptop and pads into his back pack and rolled everything out of the room. He could hear Claire and her mother exchanging words down at the lobby. He shook his head. Those two only became close when they had an equal goal. He could not wait to leave Beijing. It had been a great vacation and he had enough time to avoid the toxic duo that had found a way to stick to him like bees to honey. He took deep breaths as he stepped into the elevator. Claire had been right for one thing. He had needed this vacation. He was renergized and ready to get back to his projects.He had felt bad for Claire's mother. After the showdown at the cinema, she had been silent and withdrawn for days. Her daughter tried everything she could to make her better but
Bruce looked at the side of her face and was perplexed by who he saw."Jade?" He said in a whisper. She fled from his side and got into a car that stopped by immediately she got to the other side of the house. He stood rooted at the spot. He never expected that he would meet her again. The honk of a car shook him out of his daze and he hurried away to his car. He drove off absentmindedly and soon he was at the company. His assistant hurried to the doors as he was approaching. He bowed slightly and took his briefcase from his hand."Where is he?" Bruce asked. He took fast strides towards his office. His staff members scurried away if they were in his path. He did not even have to say a word. He got to his office and there was there client on a video call with someone who sounded like his wife. Bruce cleared his throat and the man dismissed his wife almost immediately. "I did not mean to break up that family moment. But, I am sure you did not come here to portray a living example of g
Bruce could hear noises coming from below. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to sit up. He could hear voices. He wondered what might be making his house staff make so much noise. He slipped his feet into his slides and put on a robe. He walked downstairs and into the living room. There was Claire and her mother at the living room, barking orders to the maids for their luggage and lunch. "Hey, treat that bag nice. I have breakable objects in there." Claire yelled. The maids scurried around in anxiety."You really do not have to yell before you are heard." His voice boomed over the hall and they all looked at the end of the stairs. Claire plastered a false toothy smile. She rushed to his side for a hug. He did not hug her back but stood stiffly as she detached herself from his side. She stared at him confused. She had thought the vacation had sparked something between them. The lack of emotions on his face as he stared at her made her realize that whatever she had thought t
Bruce recalled how she stole and disappeared without a trace. He wondered why he was always unfortunate with the opposite sex. He couldn't differentiate who was loyal as even the ones he trusted and loved betrayed him. He kept scrolling on her page and saw an old picture of her. He had taken the shot when they were together back then. He closed his eyes to relive the moment.“Bruce dear, where are you? lunch is ready” Claire called out to him as she made her way through the stairs to the room. She found him coming out from the restroom. Bruce had heard her call out but didn't want to stay in a closed space with her. He then locked his room and hurried to the restroom to make her believe as though he was in there.Bruce looked at her, “ Any problem" he asked staring fixed at her ignorantly.“Oh, there you are. I was calling on you to come downstairs for lunch and I didn't get any reply, so I came up to check on you. I didn't know you were in the restroom, since you're here, let's go do
“Why is he acting so difficult? I don't even get to spend as much time as I did when I was working for him. How will I be able to win him or be close to him with everything going on now?” Claire cried out, feeling frustrated by Bruce's actions.“You need to be calm. You just need to play your moves better and you will see. Don't wear yourself out with his behavior. He is wounded and hurt by the betrayals and everything he has experienced. How does a lion act when wounded?” her mother said, cheering her up from the thoughts bubbling up in her.Claire looked at her mother and didn't say a word."I have told you what you need to do. Get yourself pregnant and you will see the changes in him. He will come to accept his child. After all, that's what he wants and would accept you too. This is not a time to mourn when you haven't done anything yet. Cheer up my dear. Your mother is with you in every step” she added, engulfing Claire in a warm embrace.Claire hugged back tightly, feeling relieve
Bruce drove off, humming to the song that played in the car stereo in the background.“What's going on? Why the hold up?" Bruce said with a hoarse voice, angry over the impending traffic that he was caught up in. He honked his car, drawing the attention of the passengers in front.“What's going on over there?" he asked as soon as he saw the owner of the vehicle in front of him, and stepped out of his car.“I heard a diesel truck fell in the side pit while trying to swerve at the roundabout and they are trying to get it out. Right now, they are going on a one-way track, that's why we are in this situation” the old man replied, leaning on in his car to rest up."Thank you," Bruce said to the man and proceeded to step back into his vehicle as the line started moving.Taking a quick pause, he turned to his left and saw a figure seated in a taxi.“Jade," he whispered to himself, then shook his head. "No, it can be." He took another look. "She has the same hair color as Jade and her bracele
"What are we going to do?" Claire's mother asked herself. "I need to tell Claire about this, she will know how to handle it," she said and returned to her room shocked by the scene before her.Claire finished with her call and walked into the parlor to find Bruce seated in a corner with his eyes on his iPad and glancing at the TV.“So, he watches TV," She muttered to herself. Since she knew him, it was the first time she saw him watching T. V. The fact that it was a popular romance drama baffled her the most."What was going on in his mind? This was the almighty Bruce Ace for crying out loud," she mattered, shrugged and walked up the stairs to find her daughter.She found Claire lying down peacefully on her bed, looking through some fashion magazines scattered around her.“Claire, what have you got there? You are so engrossed in those magazines. Do you want to open a fashion house?" Claire's mother asked.Chuckling at her words, “Well, as a young lady I need to keep up with my fashion
Claire had gone to bed with a heavy heart she woke up cheerful. She sat on her bed, her eyes wandering around, and she frowned on remembering that Bruce slept in the adjoining room leaving her no chance to make an advance at him.She walked into the bathroom and quickly freshened up. She thought of the previous day's activity and her plans for the days ahead. She had to do something. There was no time to wait any longer to delay her plans. She moved hastily to her mom's room, knowing fully well that Bruce must have left for work. Claire frowned. He probably did so to prove the point that he had a tight schedule ahead to avoid meeting her for the date. She knocked on her mother's door. It was the beginning of the day things would change for the better between her and her husband, Bruce. The door opened, making a small sound.“ What's wrong with you? It's unusual for you to still be in bed till now. Is everything alright?" Claire inquired, her tone bearing an affectionate tune. The moth