Nicole stood outside the bar with her heart racing as fast as a sportscar. The place was where she had had a steamy night with Evan, where she had treated him as an escort.
Scenes of that night replayed inside her head, and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to forget about the fateful event. She reminded herself that she was here to meet someone.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Mrs. Seet.”
Nicole hated the maids addressing her as “Mrs. Seet” when she was married to Evan. Yet, now, when he was gone, she requested them to address as such instead. She wanted everyone to know she was once married to Evan and would be his wife even after death.
Yoda followed Nicole until they arrived in front of a private room, where the bodyguards standing outside stopped them from entering. “Ms. Lane, our master is waiting for you inside. I’m afraid your guard will have to wait outside.”
So the woman turned to Yoda and instructed him to wait outside while she went in.
“Yes, Mrs. Seet.”
Meanwhile, Juan noticed a debit card sitting on the table and frowned. “Did Mommy put this here?”
“Mommy never leaves her debit card here. Did she forget to take it when she left?”
“What if Mommy needs to use it?”
“Should we bring it to her?”
The four children looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.
“But who should go?”
Maya pondered the possibilities and suggested, “How about we draw lots again?”
“Again? Maya, you’ll get lost before you even get there. There’s no way you’re going,” Nina scoffed.
Hmph! Maya pouted angrily at her older sister. The little girl had been hoping for a chance to take the card to her mother and enjoy a big meal together.
Kyle noticed that Maya was feeling down and quickly comforted her, “Hey, how about you come with me?”
Juan agreed to the idea as well. The little girl’s mood immediately brightened up and nodded excitedly at Kyle while licking her lips as she thought of the foods she was about to enjoy. “Thank you, Kyle.”
Nina felt a little depressed because she had only been worried that Maya would get lost, just like Juan and Kyle. Instead of looking like a caring older sister, she was now viewed as the bad guy. “Why don’t we all go together?”
Maya was even more excited after all of them came to an agreement. Everyone changed quickly and was ready to depart, only to realize that they had no idea where their mother was.
Juan came up with a solution upon remembering that his mother had not gone out on her own. He quickly texted Yoda, and after receiving an address from him, all four children left the house.
When Nicole entered the private room in The Passion, the first thing she saw was the well-decorated table with red roses and an exquisite dinner laid out on it.
“You’re here. Come, have a seat.” Levant smiled as if he was greeting an old friend.
Nicole took up his offer and sat across from him. She had come only because of an agreement she had made with the man when she broke the most expensive wine in Levant Winery when she was there.
She’d received a call from Levant a couple of hours ago, saying that he had thought of the thing he wanted her to do. The man had asked her to meet him at the bar.
Just as she was about to ask what he wanted her to do, Levant spoke first. “You don’t have to be so tense. All I want is to become friends with you. I hope this dinner will make you happy.”
Nicole did not reply. After the passing of her husband, happiness was a word that had disappeared from her life. It had become more of a luxurious thing to have.
Knowing that it was all pleasantries, Nicole replied with a polite smile and asked, “Mr. Levant, what do you want from me?”
Upon seeing the sadness in her eyes, he could tell that Evan was still living deep inside her heart. It was a sign that the woman sitting across from him was a sentimental person. He poured her a glass of wine and stared at her affectionately.
