Calm Before the Storm

When Jack finally returned, he had a terrified expression on his face and was so pale that I thought he is gonna faint.

"Are you alright?" I stood up anxiously. "Was the meeting a success?" I haven't got the faintest idea what issues they needed to discuss but it must have been serious if he came out of the conference room like this. Or was it harder to do it than he expected and he was reprimanded by his father for not reaching the expectations? Either way, he seems terrified and exhausted at the same time. And I don't know what to say that would set him at ease.

"I should be the one to ask this," he replied and loosened his tie as if he was short of oxygen. He must be really upset since he started pacing around the room.

"When my father didn't show up at the meeting, I was thinking of the worst."

"So, he didn't attend the meeting after all?" I asked calmly.

"He did. But he was late. Very late."

"He wanted to test you," I said and sat back down on the sofa.

"I figured," when he realized what I said, he stopped in his tracks. "Wait a minute, how do you know? Did you talk to him?" He became anxious again, or he still was. As he was standing before me I could see it in his eyes that he is worried all over.

"I did."

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing much. After I reminded him that he should be at the meeting, he just told me that he wants to test you," I said with a blank face and leaned my back against the sofa so that I could look up at him properly.

"God, you scared the hell out of me," he sighed and sat down next to me. "I thought he caught you red-handed."

"He didn't have the chance since I met him way before going to his office. And after getting told that he is not gonna attend the whole meeting, I didn't dare to risk getting caught in the act. But even if I were to have him coming into his office while I was there, I would have hidden under his desk, so that he won't find me."

"And what if he accidentally drops his pen, bends down to pick it up, and sees you squatting there under his desk?"

"Then I would have told him that I was in the middle of debugging his room because I've got intel from a rival company that they're a little too interested in his company policies."

Upon hearing this, he just stared at me for a while, then burst out laughing. His carefree laugh made me laugh together with him.

"You're really something," he grinned at me.

"Thanks," I grinned back.

For a moment, I thought about telling him the other thing his father told me. His father didn't say I shouldn't but the way he said it sounded more like a surprise than something Jack already knows. And if he didn't tell him before inviting them, it's probably because he doesn't want to. Maybe it's for the best.

"You know, it feels good," he said all of a sudden.

"What?" I looked at him. I don't know what went through his mind just now but he seemed a bit more relaxed now.

"To forget about all the responsibilities. Just for a moment."

"Was the meeting that horrible?"

"No, it actually went well. But I felt like they were grilling me to see when I'm gonna break and make a mistake or say something wrong."

"Everyone can make mistakes. It's only human." He didn't look at me but I saw a bitter smile appearing on his face.

"I wish it was this simple," he said. I was just about to say some encouraging words about not giving up when there was a knock on the door and Mr. Liu's secretary came in.

"The chairman wants to see you," she said while looking straight at Jack.

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute," he replied and that was that. The woman left, and Jack quickly tied his loosened tie and got up to leave.

"I'll wait here."

"Of course," he said and he left as well.

Now, with all the time on my hands and nothing better to do, I decided to finally make that phone call. Not that it mattered. They will come even if I don't call them.

The phone rang for a long time. I was about to hang up when someone picked it up at last.

"Good afternoon! I am the assistant to Mr. Liu's son. I was informed of your visit and I would like to check the details regarding your visit," I told the person at the other end of the line. "Thus, I would like to confirm the date and time of your arrival. Would the 13 August, 7:00 p.m. be suitable for you?"

"Yes, of course," replied an older woman, probably the girl's mother. Her English was quite good but I could hear a slight accent when she spoke.

"Then we will be waiting for your arrival. In the meantime, if there is anything I need to know, you can contact me on this number."

"Thank you," she said and hung up.

That was quick. She didn't even have any requests regarding what to eat or what they can eat etc. But I will still talk to Mrs. Nichols about this just to be on the safe side. And anyway, it will be her, who will cook all the food and bake the cake after all, not me. I am sure she knows more about them and their eating habits, likes, and dislikes than I do.

Come to think of it, since she has been working for the Liu family for such a long time, she must know them. Jack's father called them friends, so the two families must be close. And if she knows them, she can tell me more about them.