Chapter 359: SS4 06: The Homecoming Secret Package

Richard glanced down at his watch.

The airport bustled with activity—people under security checks, people in a hurry, people waiting for their flight, people flocking the shops. And, somehow, Richard Kingston managed to keep himself more restless than everyone.

His bronze hair sat on his like a palm tree with curled leaves.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. His hands went to his hips, raising the hem of his silver suit jacket. He scanned the airport for the flight announcements. His foot tapped on the floor. Ambryan and Eve should be here by now. 

Except, they were now more famous than Richard could have imagined. Their arrival was meant to be a secret, even to their close family and friends. Ambryan had entrusted him to take care of security and to keep the press distracted.

Richard was more curious about the reason behind their homecoming.

They had about 2 months left for their honeymoon.

Why would they want to return sooner than that? 

"Nothing new, I guess. I still don't understand you sometimes, Yan," Richard muttered with a shake of his head. "What do you even want me to do in the middle of this airport, ah? Dance for the paparazzi on standby?"

He scratched the back of his neck and turned around. The reporters hid their cameras but he felt their eyes. None of his actions so far had been interesting for them to report. He commended their patience. 

"DARLING!" A woman yelled, catching the attention of the crowd—Richard included. 

"OH, I MISSED YOU!" The voice became louder as soon as he snapped his head in its direction. Arms wrapped around his neck and hands squeezed his shoulder muscles. "Have you been working out? Your muscles are much firmer than I remember."

Stunned, Richard took her presence in. Her soft purple hair touched his cheek. His hands had held her waist on instinct. The tips of his fingers nearly touched from how slim she was. He gripped her tight and pushed her back gently.

Lines creased across his forehead. "Who are you?"

Black eyes widened with disbelief.

"Richard!" The woman exclaimed. Then, she stuck out her bottom lip. "How could you say that? I'm no different since we last saw each other… Is it my tan? I lied under the sun a lot during the cruise."

Her wrists crossed at the back of his neck. The amount of intimacy had him distracted. He could hardly process a word she was saying. From how supple her face was, he guessed she was a few years younger than him.

That still didn't answer his question though.

"I had such a good time," she gushed, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "You should go with me next time. You have to go at least once. Even a couple who needed to go home unexpectedly still stayed for an extra night because of the extraordinary experience."

Her words broke Richard from his trance like a bullet through a window.

"Ohhh…!" He gasped, realizing the situation. "I definitely have to try it next time then..."

'What was this?' Richard mulled in his head. He could have used a heads up if they had decided to do it this way. He could have shoved her away by accident and it would have messed up the plan. 

Ambryan just loved to make things difficult for him.

Tiffany giggled. Her thumb traced the bags under his steel gray eyes. "Has work been treating you terribly lately? What are these dark circles? You'd grow bald if you stay stressed like this."

"It's not serious." Richard gulped. His body had turned into a statue. 

Any knowledge he had about romance had ditched him. 

"But prevention is still better than cure!" Tiffany pointed out. Her voice spoke louder than usual. That was when Richard noticed the camera shutter sounds around them. 

Tiffany took a step forward, narrowing the gap between them. A cheeky grin stretched her lips. She wiggled her eyebrows for effect. "And I know just the thing to make it all better."

"W-What?" Richard cleared his throat. "What is it—darling?"

"A magic kiss." 

He blinked. Twice. "Magic kiss?"

"True love's kiss conquers all. Didn't you know?" Tiffany defended. She puckered her lips in his direction. The cameras went wild. The corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement. She was a natural, leaving the rest up to him.

Richard opened his mouth.

Then, he closed it again.

"I—" He said, never more lost in his life. The pressure built up on his shoulders. His cheeks turned red from all the attention. Their anticipation for a kiss rang loudly in his ears. 

Just when he thought that was it, Tiffany had closed her eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

"That was some show, you two."

About half an hour later, Richard and Tiffany rode in the same vehicle as Ambryan and Eve. They split into pairs and sat down, facing each other. All the windows were tinted black. Richard's security team occupied the front seats.

A deep sigh flowed out of his mouth.

He had lost years of his life in that airport.

"Mr. Kingston turned out to be a better actor than I expected," Tiffany responded to Eve. She relaxed in her seat, unfazed by it all. The incident almost convinced her of an acting career.

"How low were your standards exactly?" Richard asked, wiping a sweat off his brow.

"-0.99%"

"Sounds about right then." He nodded. Deposit her comment, it did feel like a -0.99%. He had frozen on the spot. Tiffany had salvaged the situation and pretended she had just noticed the cameras. She buried her face in his chest in embarrassment.

Then, they made their escape.

Eve tilted her head sideways. "Have you met before?"

She and Ambryan held hands while he spoke on the phone. They still had arrangements to make for their sudden return home. It was unfortunate that they couldn't finish their trip but Eve also looked forward to their home stay vacation.

"No, we just met today," Tiffany answered. She propped her elbow on the backrest and angled her body towards Richard. "But we already call each other, darling. Can you believe it? It's a whirlwind romance like no other."

Eve pressed her lips together and covered them with  her hand. She dropped her gaze to the floor, suppressing her amusement. It wasn't the best but she was glad Tiffany joined them on their flight back. The distraction idea couldn't have been better.

Richard pinched the bridge of his nose. This whole sequence seemed like a dream.

A dream he wasn't about to wake up from any time soon.

"Just so we're clear, I'm not really your darling, okay?" He told Tiffany, annoyance laced in his tone.

She fluttered her eyelashes. "Whatever you say, sugarplum."

"I'm not—" Richard stopped abruptly. He looked out the window, whispering to himself. "I think I now have a glimpse of Mikael's life."

Unfortunately for him, Eve had heard it. She chuckled and winked in his direction. "Just catch a bouquet and a garter and you're both good to go."

Richard ignored her remark and focused on Ambryan. Although the two were married and he was good friends with Eve, he had done this for his best friend. The least he could get was the explanation he wanted.

"So, mind telling me why you guys are here?"

Ambyran noticed his displeased gaze. He ended the call quickly and nudged his head towards his wife. "Eve has a serious condition."

Richard looked at Eve, his eyes popping out of their sockets. "Are you okay?"

Ambryan grimaced. "I just told you that she has a serious condition."

"Right, right," Richard corrected himself. He rubbed his temples with one hand. When he stopped, his eyes landed on a pair of violet ones. "And you want to keep this from everyone you know?"

"I know we're back but we'd still like some privacy," Ambryan repeated. Richard had raised the same question when they discussed the matter over the phone. It was better to be close to home because of the baby but who said they couldn't still have their honeymoon?

"And how does my house come into the picture?" Richard asked even if he sounded like a broken record. 

If the two had wanted a vacation while in Maize City, they could have gone to any hotel. That was where they would have stayed anyway if they continued their trip. His residence was in one of the best suburbs. He actually quite liked it and if the two were staying over…, between their lovey-dovey phase and his house, safe to say, he'd rather not be in the same house as them.

"If we went to the penthouse or our residence, people would know we're back," Ambryan explained. "Also, I'm not about to spend money on hotels when there's perfectly good residential homes to stay in."

Not all of their cancelled appointments gave back full refunds. 

They had a budget to follow and they would stick to it.

"Wouldn't they think you're at my house?" Richard rebutted. He didn't like this. He really really didn't like this. Since privacy and secrecy were factors, his hands were mostly tied. Ambryan wouldn't agree to have another person know more about this.

"Nonsense." Ambryan snorted. He exchanged side-glances with his wife. Even Tiffany joined in though they didn't look her way. "They'd be too busy following you from the office and to Tiffany's apartment."

Richard nodded. Of course, Ambryan had an answer. He was thorough that way.

"You really thought that ahead—HUH?!"