1 The worst that can happen is...
Dara?!- Lay sighed frustrated and banged his head on his father's writing desk, his desk, it'd been more than a year, but still, he wasn't used to fact that he was now the president of the «Moon Hotel group».
Following your parent's footsteps can be a difficult burden to handle, especially if your father is Wu Yifan, and all eyes were on him to how he would do...
Lay loved, idolized his father, being likened, compared with him was a pride and privilege, but it was also a challenge, especially when trying to achieve the perfection his father had reached, not only as the role of ethical and socially responsible, or a busyness man but as a family man.
He was trying, at least when it comes to the business part, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint his family or to tarnish the good name of everything his father and grandfather had built ...
Maybe that was why he panicked and babbled the biggest blunder that ever got out of his mouth, Dara, Dara, of all the names why had he had to say, Dara ...
Now he had a problem and he needed to get a solution before the issue gets bigger, he buried his face on the desk and grunted.
- Hi ass-face, slothing around, lazy bum- he didn't even realize when Cao had entered his office, like usual she didn't bother to knock.
- Show more professionalism and respect, I am your boss, and It's not my fault to be this perfect, frog face
- Yaha, you hear what you want to, don't you?
- I heard you, is just that I only know my ass, and let me tell you it is perfect- Cao stuck out her tongue, then she chuckled and shook her head, no matter how old they were, or what position they had, she would always be his spoiled younger sister, and for her he would always be her annoying older brother.
- What do you want brat?
- About the summer retreat...- she started, during Kris's "reign" he had changed the masked ball for a day with the employees and their families, that year was the first after Lay took over as CEO of the Chinese group, and it was up to Cao, as HR manager, to organize it ...
- How's it going?
- Well, Dara is helping me out...
- Who?!- the change in his heartbeat after hearing the name was not because of any special feelings towards the girl itself but because it remembered him that he had created a real and huge problem by just mentioning that name, now every time he heard it, it gave him chills, that was the only interpretation for it.
- Who!?- Dara couldn't believe it- OMG, you didn't just ask who Dara is, Dara, my friend Dara, she's been working here for months now, that's why she thinks you're a snob.
Lay held the annoyed sigh, always the drama queen that sister of him, of course, he knew who the damn Dara was, that was the problem, and, BTW, it shouldn't, but even so it bothered him that she would think he was a snob, that is to say, to be honest, he never cared about that shy, clumsy girl, with the big glasses, always walking around like she had something important to do, and she dressed like those nerds, and worst she couldn't even have the guts to look him in the eyes, why would he care about her
Although it seemed that he knew her his all life because all his sister could talk about when she's not talking about Mek was about Nya and Dara, the truth was that he only met her last January when she literally hit him at the hotel hall, which made it even more strange that he had said her name at that crucial moment, he shook his head, again chills.
Flashback
That day Lay was looking for Cao, for what, now he couldn't remember, when someone went against his chest, he was angry, he also did not remember why, so he asked more harshly than necessary
- Who the hell are you?
- Dilraba- she said in a controlled and calm voice, he had never talked to her, after all, she was Cao's friend, not his, and he had only seen her from the photos that Cao had, the last image he had of her, was from almost 10 years ago, before he went to Canada, but for some reason he knew that she was Cao's girl, after all, how many Dilrabas could exist in the world.
- The Dara?!- he said more for himself- what are you doing here?- ah right, Cao said she was going to take someone to work with her
- Ms. Wu asked me to
- Where is she?- he cut her again with an impatient hand gestures
- I do not...
- What do you want, boss?- the last word clearly sarcastic, Cao stood beside her friend like a mother hen protecting its chick, so he wanted to pick on her like any good big brother would do
- Is this your new doll?
- Yaha, watch what you say, Dara is my friend.
- Yeah, I know, and does your friend have any ability or she's just another charity project, she didn't even know where you were and what kind of person talks without looking at the other person's face?
- Someone with self-preservation, I wouldn't want to look at your disgusting face either
- Nerd, I'll keep an eye on your «project»
- Yaha, don't talk like that, you sound creepy, and FYI, Dara is pretty capable...
- That, I'll be the one deciding, you have the awful habit of picking up stray cats and then letting others take care of them.
- Dara is not a stray cat- Cao said outraged- she is my best friend, and better than that, she is intelligent, effective, loyal, diligent and she will stay here for a long time, what is with that silly smile?
- Whos?
- Yours, who else, oooh, don't you even think, about it, I'll kill you, and not figuratively, if you upset Dara even just a little
- I'm not thinking anything of what your stupid mind should be thinking, and I will not upset her, she can stay here forever
- Creepy...
- Weird - he and his sister kept picking on the other and he completely forgot about the girl, so, not really a remarkable first encounter for him to...
- You 're listening to me jerk ?- Cao brought him back to the present
- What idiot?
- The elders aren't coming this time
- Did you think they were coming?
- Mom said they will finally be honeymooning, yack, just the thought, shiver- they start laughing- but I understand, they have all right, they raised 5 children, we are all adults and normal, we are normal, aren't we?
- Lol, yes, I think, no, I am sure we are normal
- Lol, -You're going to bring your girlfriend?
- I don't have a girlfriend
- Which of your friends... with benefits will you bring?
- I don't have those either
- Yeah right, but good then, we'll be a couple
- Yack creep, why would I?
- We'll have some couple games and it's natural for members of our family to play, mom and dad always did.
- Don't you have a boyfriend to bring, call «Mouse»
- I don't even know which country he is now
- You are scarier than Auntie Miso, you made Mouse run away, maybe he thinks that it was better to be in a war zone than to be with you
- Is that what you guys think, well, no more, next time you talk to him you can tell him that I don't want him anymore, he can't stop running away
- You, you gave up on Mek, right?!
- I did, I even have a date
- Sure, with whom?
- I don't know yet, I am studying my options, there are many, but I will choose someone much more handsome and intelligent and sexy than Mek
- Caooo, nooo, please, I know I am all this, but I am your brother, you can not fall in love with me
- Who would fall in love with an idiot in a suit, I'm doing you a favor Shrek
- Unlike you, I can find someone to be my date, it's sad to be paired with your stupid sister, for anything
- No one would want to be your date
- You know that it's the other way around, but even if it was, I can only ask Dara- «shit, again, wtf»
- She's going to bring someone- Cao said arrogantly
- Boyfriend?
- I don't know, and I'm not as indiscreet as you to ask
- She doesn't have a boyfriend- he said categorically.
- Gosh, you're such an ass, what makes so sure?
- Well let's say that a mix of mouse and a scared kitten like her is not very attractive to all the men
- Not all men are like you, and what makes you say that she is a...
- I have eyes ...
- Well FYI, she doesn't have a boyfriend because she doesn't want to, and I can guarantee that this is going to change soon
- Why?
- Not that it concerns you, but, the three of us- she didn't need to detail the «us», her Nya and Dara, and she didn't- the three of us made a pact that this year we're going to start dating
- Eachother- he mocked
- Pig, I don't want to be your date anymore
- I didn't want to begin with, and Cao?!
- What?- she asked rudely
- The three of you date thing, that will not happen, I assure you
- You wanna bet, I'll make sure it happens and rub it in your face
- Yeah but, no but, yeah, not gonna to happen...
- Arrrgh- she turned his back on him and left the office pissed off
Lay saw his sister leaving the office furious, just the idea of seeing someone like Dara going on a date should be fun, what were they going to talk about, books, but, it wasn't funny to imagine other things a man and a woman could do on a date, incidentally, after a date ...
He rubbed his hand through his hair and then his face and with a yawn, he turned the wheelchair of his desk and stared at his office, little by little it was becoming more his than his father's, a glaring difference between the two was the that his father had a «kid's nook» in his office, that place had become a little resting room, with a white sofa and a glass coffee table, as is supposed to be in an office.
Yes, his father was his idol, but idols have feet of clay, and for the world, he was his father feet of clay, the story had been told and retold, changed and romanticized, it became the greatest love story, the hotel tycoon that fell in love with the «girl»...
Not that anything was wrong with that, growing up sometimes he kind of resented when he heard people talking about it, but, he also witnessed the love and truth behind all the stories, his parents loved each other more than any other couple he knew, and that was the most important to him, he knew that no matter how they started, what mattered, was that they loved each other and loved their family more than anything in the world, the children's corner, « kid's nook» as his father called it, was the proof of that, no matter if it was Korea or China, they were his father priority.
Even so, deep inside him, there was something about him that kept him from opening himself completely to the others, he did not know if it was because the women were easy for him, perhaps with the hope that he would make the same «slip» his Father did, well, at least that's what he ever thought, which led him to the recent problem, Dara, of all the names why he had to say, Dara.
7 o'clock he still had things to do but it was impossible for him to focus, so he decided to finish the day...
He wasn't looking for her, but when he saw her standing a little alone in front of the elevator, now that thought about it, she always seemed to be alone, even in the middle of a crowd she looked alone ... her black silk hair twisted up on top of her head, her pale face wearing a polite mask, always aloof, always, sad, yes that was the word, sad.
Women always smiled at him, both for his image and for his position, especially the hotel women, who hoped that with his parents love affair, being employed at the hotel was not a hindrance in a love story with him, she was different, no giggles, no flirting attempts, it was surprising and refreshing, he was not used to it.
The decision was made the moment he blurted out her name, there was no going back, he just needed to take the last step
«Yeah, why not, the worst that can happen is for her to say no, yeah, why not ?!»
- Dara!- he called out her name and took the first step to her
