Chapter 43 Encounter At The Airport
Chapter 43 Encounter At The Airport
As soon as Colby entered the VIP lounge, his eyes caught sight of a woman in a white sleeveless lace top and black skirt sitting in a corner. She was also wearing a bucket hat, sunglasses, and a face mask. She looked so fashionable yet mysterious. No one could tell what she exactly looked like. But Colby had recognized her at once.
When Maria saw Colby, she raised her left hand and waved at him. She was wearing a branded watch and a bracelet on her wrist.
Colby tidied up his suit and walked towards her. He then sat down beside her and asked, "Did I make you wait for too long?"
Under the face mask, Maria's red lips curved into a smile. She then replied in a euphemistic and sweet voice, "Nope. I've just arrived."
Colby was quite satisfied with Maria's attitude and appearance. As a matter of fact, he was a little disappointed that she had her period. He couldn't make a move on her although they would be together for two days.
But he was not in a hurry. There could still be other opportunities in the future. What mattered now was that he could be with her. In less than ten minutes, they boarded the plane one after another.
When they entered the first-class cabin, Colby happened to meet an acquaintance, so he told Maria to find her seat first.
A stewardess then led Maria. There were only eight seats in there, so it wasn't that difficult to find it.
Her seat number was 3, and Colby's was behind her.
Maria didn't mind Colby at all. She knew that as a well-known businessman, he would definitely meet some acquaintances during the flight. So when the plane was about to take off, Maria decided
to take a nap. She had just closed her eyes when she heard Colby's voice. "Hello, Mr. Xi! What a coincidence!"
Maria's eyes opened wide in surprise at once. She knew that the man Colby greeted was James. She wanted to roll her eyes. Did they really have to be on the same plane?
Eventually, Maria decided to stand up. She turned around, smiled, and greeted James, who was shaking hands with Colby. "Good afternoon, Mr. Xi!"
When James saw Maria, he glanced at Colby calmly. He immediately guessed who she was with.
He just nodded to her lightly and sat in the seat next to hers.
Although the seats were wide and spacious, Maria was still overjoyed to see James sitting beside her. She felt like she was so blessed.
Colby, on the other hand, couldn't help but slightly frown. Since he was the one who asked Maria to go with him, he felt like he gave her and James an opportunity to be together.
Lorenzo, who was with James, sat next to Colby at the back. But he didn't mind who was sitting beside him. Instead, he enjoyed his comfortable and cozy seat.
Maria had been wanting to start a conversation with James, but she restrained herself a little. After all, she was with a different man on this trip.
When the stewardess started to serve drinks and fruits to passengers, Maria took some fruits. She then switched on the screen in front of her, chose a movie, and watched leisurely.
Before the movie started, she took a glance at James, who was now reading a document. Then she heard the stewardess ask him if he needed anything in a more enthusiastic tone.
Maria snorted before putting on the headphones. She then leaned against the back of her seat and focused on the movie.
The flight from L Country to T Country was about two hours. She could finish the movie, and she could eat a lot of fruits that would be good to replenish herself. But thirty minutes later, Maria felt the call of nature. So she took off the headphones and stood up to go to the restroom.
It was only then that she noticed that James was not in his seat.
When she turned to look at Colby, he was sleeping soundly under a blanket.
Maria just shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the restroom.
There were two restrooms in the first-class cabin. One of them was empty, and the other one was occupied.
She didn't enter the empty restroom. Instead, she leaned against the wall and patiently waited for the person in the occupied one to come out.
Soon, she heard the sound of the water inside. In her mind, she concluded, 'James has just flushed the toilet and is adjusting his belt now. He will then wash his hands.'
It took James a long time to wash his hands, so she surmised that he had become more fastidious in the years that passed.
Click! Finally, the restroom door opened.
Maria plastered a smile on her face and said, ''Hello, Mr. Xi!"
James glanced at her indifferently, intending to ignore her.
She stepped forward and blocked his way. Then with a cunning smile, she said, "Excuse me, do you have cigarettes? Can I have one? I really want to smoke now."
James didn't say anything but just pointed at the wall expressionlessly. When Maria's eyes followed his finger, she saw a "No Smoking" sign posted on the wall.
She curled her lips and said, "Why do I feel like you have become a boring old man? I'm bored, so I just want to talk to you. If you don't talk to me, I'll definitely have a bad breath."
James frowned when Maria called her an old man. He looked at her up and down. When he realized that she had also grown more mature now than six years ago, he said, "If I have become an old man, then you have become an old woman too, right?" Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
Maria didn't like what he said, so she pouted and countered, "Of course not! I am not even thirty yet. But you are already thirty years old. So you are the old man."
James didn't want to waste his time talking to her anymore, so he impatiently said through clenched teeth, "Get out of my way!"
"Humph! You are the one blocking my way. Don't you know that I'm in a hurry to use the toilet? But you've just dawdled inside, so I have to wait for a long time." Maria then bypassed James and hurried into the restroom.
When he heard her lock the door, James turned around and glanced at the other restroom. He saw that it was empty, so he wondered why Maria had to wait for him to finish. And why did she say that he stayed there for too long? As far as he could remember, he was inside for only two minutes. Such a stupid woman!
The plane arrived in T Country on time. Maria went out of the airport with Colby and James, who were chatting all the way. Based on their conversation, she found out that HL Group and HM Group
would be participating in the same bidding.
She had a feeling that it was a big project. Otherwise, these two CEOs wouldn't personally come here and do the bidding by themselves.
Two exclusive cars were already arranged outside the airport to pick them up and take them to their hotel. After saying goodbye to each other, Maria and Colby got in the same car. James and Lorenzo took the other one. They then went separate ways.
When they arrived at the hotel, Maria found out that she wouldn't be sharing a room with Colby. Perhaps his secretary had really told him that she had her period, so he booked two presidential suites for them.
Maria was delighted that her trick worked. She didn't intend to sleep with Colby in the first place. She just enjoyed accompanying him on some trips and events.
Colby told her that they would attend a dinner party two hours later, so she went to her room to freshen up. There was no enough time to rest. She locked the door and walked to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Since the hotel was located in the high-tech zone, there were not so many people and vehicles outside. It was surrounded by greeneries and still rich in nature, so the air was really fresh.
After standing on the balcony for a while, Maria went back to her bedroom. She then took out her phone from her bag, dialed a number, and said, "The CEOs of HL Group and HM Group are in T Country right now to join the bidding. I want you to check what project it is. Get back to me the soonest time possible, okay? Bye."
She then tossed her phone on the bed and relaxed. She had to enjoy everything inside this presidential suite of an international five-star hotel.
An hour before the dinner party, Maria changed into a long gown, put on some make-up, and walked out of her room.
James was also coming out of his room, which was opposite to hers.
When their eyes met, she gave him a graceful smile before she turned around and walked towards the elevator. All the bigwigs at the dinner party came with their dates. Of course, Maria was with Colby. And she was surprised to know that James didn't have a woman with him. He was with Lorenzo all the time.
The dinner party was not related to business at all. Everyone was there to enjoy and get to know each other. The main event, which was the bidding, would be held the next evening. Thus, business tycoons like James and Colby didn't intend to stay there for a long time.
Colby was about to meet an important client, and he didn't want to take Maria with him, so he handed her a bank card and told her to go shopping.
Maria took the bank card from him, kissed it, and waved goodbye. "Thank you, Mr. Zheng. Good luck with your meeting."