Holding Summer lest she be traumatized, I said calmly, “What do you want?”
“We only need half an hour of your time!” The two men said coldly.
I did not react for fear of putting Summer in harm’s way, so holding her, I came down from the car and looked at the two men as calmly as I could. “Show the way, then!”
It was a good thing that they wasted no words but led the way, one in front of me, one behind.
“Where are we going?” A cool and clear voice was heard. It was almost devoid of emotion but the tone was loud and clear so that the listener could understand each and every word well.
The two men stopped in their tracks and I looked in the direction of the voice. It was the man we saw at the grave just now.
“Damn, who the hell are you? It’s none of your business.” The two men burst out in anger and spoke roughly.
The man smiled just as calmly and coldly as before. “This is broad daylight. Please be cautious of what you do.”
“What’s it to you?” The two men were unreasonable.
“If you are inviting a guest, you should show the necessary courtesy. Here you are behaving like abductors. Can I understand it as you’re up to no good?” The man pulled his coat leisurely and his expression was cold.
When the two men saw that he wanted to get involved, they said no more and just moved forward to beat him up.
Unexpectedly, this tall slim man was a skilful combatant. With just a few moves, the two burly men were beaten to a pulp. Humiliated, they looked at him and threatened, “It’s better you mind your own business.”
The man nodded, “Well, I rarely bother others but when I see something unjust, I have to barge in because I have an obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
“Damn!” They knew they were no match for him so they just threw the tied-up Joseph out of their car and drove away.
I busied myself untying Joseph. After Joseph was freed, I turned to thank the man but he was gone.
Without making a fuss, I looked at Joseph and said softly, “Are you good?”
He shook his head, got into the car, and drove straight to the airport.
All the while in K City, Anthony had arranged for bodyguards to be with me but this time, in J City, we had only planned a short stay and so he thought Joseph would do.
What happened today was unexpected but it had been a close shave. Joseph, being a vigilant person made sure I did not stay in J City longer than necessary.
Hence, the air tickets to K City were booked immediately.
By the time we reached K City, it was eleven at night. Summer had fallen asleep and Joseph carried her in his arms.
As soon as I got out of the airport but before I realized what was going on, I was pulled close by a pair of strong arms and held in a tight embrace.
After getting a whiff of his familiar scent, I realized that it was Anthony. Joseph must have told him about the incident at the cemetery.
Without saying anything, we got in the car. He asked Joseph to go home and rest well. Then we went back to the villa in the eastern suburbs.
Back at the villa, he put Summer in bed. In our bedroom, he hugged me tightly and gazed deep into my eyes.
He said, “I missed you so much.” Adults express their love in ways that are different from children.
When little children say they miss someone, it is said directly. When adults say that they expressed it in a totally irrelevant way, such as, ‘The moon is beautiful tonight.’
I looked up at him and laughed. “That’s not romantic at all.”
He smiled. “What should I say?”
I thought about it. ‘The moon is beautiful tonight’ would sound awkward coming out of his mouth. Maybe a straightforward sentence would be better.
Finally, I laughed, tugged at his hand, and said, “I miss you too.”
In fact, I did not want romantic phrases. If we could look into each other’s eyes and just said simply, ‘I really miss you,’ we could understand what we really felt.
After taking a shower and lying on the bed, I felt I had to talk about what happened in J City.
Resting my head on his arm, I confessed, “In front of my Grandma’s grave, I met a man who was cold and distant. He saved us today, but I don’t know his name.”
I chose my words carefully to make light of the situation. Anthony turned his eyes on me. His worries were well-hidden. “Joseph is investigating now. This won’t happen again in the future.”
What he meant was this narrow escape from abduction.
I had learned to stay calm a long time ago after experiencing several disasters. Leaning on his arm, I smiled, “Grandma said that in everyone’s life, there will always be some disasters and she called these incidents challenges.”
He laughed softly, “You’re great at consoling yourself.”
I took that as a compliment. I had thought it over but I really could not understand, so I said, “Who would want to see me so badly?”
He pursed his lips and his gaze darkened as he changed the topic. “Aunt Sally wants us to go over and have dinner with her tomorrow. Shall we?”
I nodded. When All Souls’ Day came around, we were expected to pay visits.
Perceiving his reaction, I felt a little tired. I looked at him with a pitiable expression on. “I’m so tired!”
He nodded slightly, still holding me, and said in a low voice. “Okay, go to sleep.”
I felt scared because if it happened once, it was an isolated incident but if it happened a few times, it was not normal.
I don’t want to see the blood on the bed every time I wake up. That means I may not be as healthy as I thought.
Perhaps I was too tired, or perhaps it was his warm embrace; I slept peacefully.
This time I fell into an unusually deep slumber.
The next day, it was Anthony who woke me. I had no idea what time he had gotten up. He was holding a mobile phone in his hand and looking rejuvenated.
Apparently he had just taken a shower. “Someone’s calling you.”
I was still groggy as I took my phone, accepted the call, and put it next to my ear.
“Are you back? Do you have time today? Let’s go out for coffee.” It was Emery.
I spoke but my voice was a little hoarse, “Oh, I am sorry! I have an appointment today so I can’t make it.”
She cursed. “The day after tomorrow, then. Don’t make any other appointments.’
I agreed and hung up the phone. Then I noticed Anthony was staring at me and I blushed. Instinctively, I asked, “What’s up?”
“Are you hungry?” As he asked, he placed some clothing on the side of the bed. Apparently, he had selected them for me.
I sat up and shook my head. Then, I got up and changed quickly as if I was in a hurry.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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