CHAPTER 4

DEVANCE immediately sat on the black leather couch when they arrived home in Bhaktapur. The house was only a ten-minute drive from the airport. The traffic was tolerable, and they didn’t have a stressful trip.

“Shall I call Vijay to check the chopper for tomorrow?” Austin asked. He referred to their private pilot, who maintains the family-owned choppers in Nepal.

They had two helicopters at home. Both were parked at the helipad of their mansion on the sixth floor. They often used it when the whole family was on vacation here and usually when they wanted to see the Everest Region from above.

“Yeah, let him check the engine. I’ll pilot the chopper going to Lukla.” Devance breathed out. 

Devance might be easy-go-lucky, but he was a licensed private pilot. He had the rank of captain, carrying four stripes in his uniform. He attended a prestigious aviation school in Amsterdam a couple of years ago. 

They paused for a moment when the house’s caretaker came in. She was Bilhana, in her early fifties. A pure Nepali who had been serving the Chaudhary’s for quite a long time.

“Sir, shall I prepare your tea?” Bilhana asked after she greeted them. 

“Yes, please. Thank you.” Devance lightly smiled. 

Bilhana arched her head and quickly turned, going to the kitchen.

“All right, I’ll equip our gears. Are you sure you want to trek at EBC, not the summit?” Austin sat beside him. 

“I would love to. But I didn’t train for the summit. I want to ease my mind for all these shits!” Devance groaned. He was not in his best mood when he thought about the arranged marriage. His dad must be out of his mind! Yes, it was part of their tradition, but he was very vocal that he would never practice such a thing.

For heaven’s sake, he only just turned twenty-nine! He hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed his single life, and he would make sure not to marry a stranger.

“Sir—I mean, Dev, don’t get me wrong, but I’d be happy to settle down if I were you. Your father wouldn’t choose just anybody. He picked the best for you, I’m sure.” Austin cleared his throat. This was the first time he gave a piece of advice about Devance’s personal life. Austin knew him well. Girls typically flocked to him because of his status and good looks, which he was also affected by it since he would be the one to show up on a date if he didn’t like the girl.

“Whose side are you rooting? Come on. You’re just a year senior to me. We’re still young!” Devance clicked his tongue. 

“Well, If I find the right woman. I’ll get married right away. I want to see my offspring as soon as possible.” Austin gently shook his shoulder. 

Bilhana came back with two cups of hot jasmine tea.

“Dhanyabad,” Devance said politely. It was the Nepali term for ‘thank you’.

Devance smelled the aroma of the tea. It made him feel relaxed. He slowly sipped it and felt the warm sensation inside his throat.

“This is why I like tea better than coffee.” He put his cup on the glass table, “Anyway, I’ll swim a few laps later. Then I’ll sleep early.”

Austin nodded while holding his cup of tea. “All right, I’ll meet Vijay after this.”

Devance exhaled and glanced through the high glass window of the living room. From his location, he could vividly see the exhilarating view of the Himalayas even at a far distance.

“WHAT the hell is the meaning of this?!” Triana’s eyes broadened in shock when they reached their trek’s jump-off point in Lukla. She was astounded to see the approaching familiar face with a shy smile. It was none other than Nehan—Lara’s ex-boyfriend!

It appeared he would also join the trek since he brought a blue hiking bag with a folded trekking pole in the side pocket.

“Hello, Ria!” The man greeted her but couldn’t look straight into her eyes.

He glared at him and grabbed Lara’s arm. She confronted her a few meters away from Nehan.

“Are you out of your mind? I knew it! This is why you were so excited because you will have a tryst with your ex-boyfriend!” Triana did not conceal her disappointment.

“I’m sorry, I just want to talk to him.” Lara averted her gaze.

“Lars, why? He is married now! Are you planning to be his mistress? What were you thinking?”

Lara bit her lower lip. “But we were in a relationship a month ago, and he is just trapped in an arranged marriage.”

Triana hardly closed her eyes to control her temper. It seemed Lara wouldn’t even listen no matter what she said. Honestly, she felt sorry for her. Especially when Lara raised her head, her eyes welled up in tears.

“I want closure. Please, don’t get mad. I know what I’m doing.”

Triana heaved a sigh. “Fine! You’re not a kid anymore, Lars. But make sure it’s only on this trek. I will not tolerate you acting as his mistress after this.”

Lara’s lips turned up, and she smiled. “I know you’ll understand me. Thank you!” She was so happy that she even kissed Triana’s both cheeks.

Triana rolled her eyes.

Nehan cleared his throat when he approached the girls. “How many joiners are we expecting?”

Their male guide answered. “This is an exclusive private trek. We only accommodated five people.”

Nehan nodded. “All right. Let’s wait for the others.”

All of them were startled when they overheard a sound of an approaching chopper. They all looked up and witnessed a red helicopter preparing to land.

“What the hell?” Triana was annoyed as hell when the thick dust had covered her face. She had to rub her eyes since she hadn’t worn her sunglasses yet.

Her eyes narrowed when she glanced at the pilot, who looked down at them. The pilot wore brown aviation sunglasses, and he slowly removed it after the landing.

A white guy went out from the passenger side, holding two large hiking bags. He looked familiar. Triana had to think about where she had seen the man. It took her a while before she realized who he was.

“What the heck are they doing here?” Triana turned to Lara, who only shrugged.

“They are the remaining joiners,” Nim said, their Nepali guide. Beside him were their two porters in their early thirties.

“Wait, aren’t they the two hot guys on the plane from Kuala Lumpur? What a small world!” Lara exclaimed when she recognized the newcomers.

“What a showoff!” Triana whispered in displeasure. It seemed these men had another pilot because the chopper immediately flew when they got out.

“The other guy looked familiar,” Nehan said, trying to recognize the tan-skinned man.

“Are we late?” asked the pilot earlier when he reached the group.

“Just in time,” Nim answered as he gave a furtive glance to his gray sports watch. The guide looked at everyone, and he added, “Before we proceed with the trek proper, let’s introduce each other. Oh, that’s quite a nice rhyme.”

Everyone giggled.

Then all titled their heads in agreement.