chapter four

Chapter four

Intrigued

Andrea's pov

My recollections are tinged with supreme scorn. I swear in my life, I would never make a mistake like Hazel again. In the light of getting past my awful memory with Hazel, I throw my half-eaten sandwich into the trashcan beside my desk. That's where such memories belong. It had been a boy’s mistake. I reminded myself wryly. I am now, by far, less ignorant about the nature of the female sex. I'd never lavished my wealth on a woman who isn't more excited by my money than by anything else I have to offer.

A satisfied smile broke out on my face and loosened the hard line of my wide, expressive mouth when my mind wanders off to my current lover, a gorgeous French fashion model who went to great lengths to please me in bed and out of it. And all without the fatal suffocating commitment of rings or nagging or noisy kids attached.

What was not there to like? I was indeed an extremely generous lover but what was money for but enjoyment when you had as much as I now have? I might as well make something out of this distraction, I pick up my mobile phone and dial the number of a private detective he was introduced to at a networking party two years ago.

Even then, I am tempted to hire the P.D to search for her. But decide to hold himself back. If I must get over this, there are some things I must not do not to mention I already promised and made a resolution to myself, that under no circumstances will I concern myself with anything that has to do with Hazel Kaitlin Moore.

However, now she is back in my life, I see all promises and resolutions I've earlier made fly out the window. I want to know every single thing about how she lives these last six years. I couldn't bring myself to ask her about the past and why she did what she did. Although I know exactly why.

While waiting impatiently for the receiver to pick the call, I tap my slender but long fingers on the mahogany desk.

"Robert speaking" a gruff voice speaks from the other end of the call.

"Mr. Robert, this is Andrea Giovanni we were introduction at a yacht party in Illinois last year".

"I remember, the good day Mr. Giovanni how can I help you?".

I need to run a thorough background check on one of my employees"

"Name and current address of the employee, half payment before I start and a half when the work is completed" his gruff voice echoes through the speaker in my phone. Such a grump! Probably not, it is business. I for one should understand the difference between business model and casual mode. See how badly my judgment has become, just because of her.

" I will send you an email with the necessary information" I reply curtly.

"How fast do you want this?" Mr. Roberts croaks.

"Take your time" she is not going anywhere anytime soon I mutter to myself " I require a thorough check and your utmost discretion".

"That is the foundation of my business, I am nothing without the trust of my clients" he answers professionally."Good day Mr. Giovanni".

"Do have a pleasant day, Mr. Roberts".

Hazel's pov

 

"It's lunch time, do you want to eat together?" asks lily

"Thank you Lily, but I have a lunch date with a friend"

 “Okay, you look a little weary Miss Hazel, are you sick?" Lily asks, her cute face squeezing in consternation

" Just tired, I didn't sleep well last night"

"Sorry about that, do you want me to get you an aspirin on my way back?” lily leans closer to me, her face almost touching mine.

“no, I will be fine, thanks” I plaster a smile on my face for good measure

“I should get going, see you when I get back miss hazel” lily turns and walks out of the office.

Lily is an intern that works directly under me, she started working with stohlman three months ago. A cute petite blonde that is always so cheerful.

Imagine my surprise when I rushed back to the office after work hours three weeks ago, I came to get a file I wanted to work on during the weekend, and found lily sobbing at her desk.

After questioning her for a while she finally opened up to me, she told me that her boyfriend of two years the one she moved to Manhattan for, was cheating on her and she wanted to move out but had no place to go.

So l helped her contact human resources the next day to apply for a salary advance. The very next week she was able to move into a nice studio apartment close to the office.  Bye cheating boyfriend!

Ever Since then lily has become a little more than an intern to me.

This is the umpteen time I am checking my phone, waiting for Maia’s call, she told me she will call when she arrives at the restaurant at the opposite side of my office building. I wonder what is keeping her, knowing Maia she’s probably still at home, in her robe standing in front of the mirror, fussing over her makeup.

Ah! Right on time, her call comes in.

“hazel, I am at the restaurant. I just got to the restaurant I already secured a table for us."

“I am on my way” 

Thank goodness! I am already starving, I make my way restaurant as quickly as I can, I scan the whole area for Maia, she is seated at the far end close to a window with a glass of red wine.

She waved cheerfully as she sights me at the entrance.

"I thought you just arrived?" I point at the wine glass

"I ordered it as soon as I came in before I even called you". She sips from the glass and tucked her chocolate tresses behind her ear.

"So what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Let's order first, I am hungry" Maia signals to the waiter.

 I am burning with curiosity, tapping my foot softly on the trend oak copper laminated flooring, I rein my questions in.

The waiter comes over with the menu plastering a smile on, the lack of eye involvement makes it obvious that he is faking it, he looks bored, like he would rather be anywhere but here.

“what will you have hazel?” Maia passes the menu to me

“I’ll have a chicken salad please and a glass of what she is drinking” I point to Maia’s glass for emphasis.

He increases the watts of his smile and turns to Maia questioningly

She taps her pink manicured nails on a number on the menu “I’ll have this thank you”

As soon as he is out of ear shoot, I grab her hands

" I can't wait anymore get it over with Maia"

"Fine, you remember the gentleman I went on a business lunch with last Sunday?" she replies

"The one you said was a potential investor?"

"Yes him, well we had another meeting this morning and he asked me to forward the necessary documents to his secretary so he can go over it  and sign" her smile widenes "He agreed to invest Hazel!" She squealed

"Wow!,that's really nice Maia" I am so excited I do a happy dance, swinging my hands in the air and shaking my ass in rhythm.  Maia mirrors my actions and throws her arms around my neck grinning from ear to ear, I press my nose to her hair the scent is like wild roses, I noticed a few pointed stares at our direction.

A middle aged couple seated at two tables to our left, probably out for their anniversary or it's a birthday celebration,one the table in front of them sat down an enormous white cake with gold toppings. The man is staring at it like an unknown object, the wife is looking at our direction with sad eyes.

A slice of that cake to go with our glass of wine would totally complete our celebration, I have half a mind to go over there and ask them for some, I am sure they wouldn’t mind they are not doing much eating right now.

Just then our waiter arrives with our food and we pull apart.

"I just need one more investor and I am a certified business owner" Maia beams, she looks smug like a satisfied cat that licked a whole bowl of cream.

My eyes are burning as hot tears full them.

" I am so happy you are getting everything you ever wanted Maia"

"Thank you" Maia mouths across the table.

I met Maia when I was sixteen at my third foster home. I was ultimately counting down to my eighteenth birthday when I would finally be able to escape the abhorrent system.

There were three other kids when I got there, Maia was the oldest just a few months’ shy from her eighteenth birthday and freedom from where I was standing. She took one look at me and decided to keep me. She became my family.

Maia moved out weeks after becoming an adult, we hung out all the time and made grand plans to move to Phillipsburg  together when I turned eighteen, she worked as a cashier in a gas station, and I worked as a part timer in a restaurant after school so we saved money and scouted for an affordable da place to live, it was going to be me and her against the world. While I was floating with no future plans or career goals Maia always knew what she wanted; she wanted to own her own business. She had no plans of going to college neither did I, we had no way of paying so we did not encourage pipe dreams or try to delude ourselves.

It was always move to the city, start a business and I would be the account manager I was always good with numbers. The very day I finished high school we skipped town and moved to Philipsburg and paid for a small studio apartment we had secured weeks before. It was small and the street was less than ideal but all that matters was that we had each other and our dreams.

One year later our living conditions did not improve, from paying bills and our basic necessities, our menial jobs as waitresses barely kept us afloat, I began to lose hope completely, I was tired of our routine life, I wanted something more. But I felt stuck.

Hope came in form of a colleague that got a scholarship into California state university (Chico). That fall, I was inspired, she gave us useful information on how to get a scholarship in any university we desire to study at, it was an oasis in the desert.

I poured myself into my application and visited libraries and made an extensive research on scholarships application and requirements. I finally had something to look forward to. Unlike me, Maia maintained that she did not need to attend college to fulfill her dreams of becoming a business owner, so she took online classes to boost her business acumen and for certification purposes.

 The Next fall I got accepted into UCLA, I was over the moon I never expected it, I was given a partial scholarship that covered just my fees, I would have to pay for everything else, my books, and a space at the dormitory, but that was a small price to pay, I was confident that I would be able to get a part time job to cover these expenses. I moved to L.A that fall to start my journey of a thousand miles.

Over the years I have watched Maia work towards her dreams and celebrate small wins in matters relating to her business, she is so resilient, I love that about her, and now things were finally falling into place I couldn’t be happier.

 Early this year, she bought a big space in an office area for a shop, it is a story building, the ground floor would be used as a cafe and upstairs for a luxury day spa. We’ve renovated the space gotten our license and all necessary documents.

 I advised her to get investors, she used her savings to cover all the expenses and paying for the space alone costs a fortune and now she was on the brink of going broke, so she got in contact with a few potential investors and now one of those investors has responded positively.

The ringing of Maia’s phone brought my walk in the memory lane to a halt.

“hello, yes this is she” her eyes on my face as she furrows her brows in concentration, trying to figure out who is on the other side of the phone. 

“Yes I can make it to the bank in less than 15mintues I am close” her red lips slowly transforms into a smile as the call ends.

She finishes her wine and picks her Ted baker lead crystal top purse from the table.

"I have to go Hazel, that was from the bank , they want me to come in to fill a few forms, about the loan I requested for, let's talk more when I get home" she hurries out

I might as well leave too, signaling the waiter for the check I realize with horror that I did not leave the office with anything; no purse, no cell phone I have no means of paying for our food.  In my haste to come join Maia I forgot to take anything.

How do I leave here without looking like a thief?

I am beyond mortified. Oh God! Oh God!