8 Europe

June 29, 20xx

Naples, Italy

An elderly lady took her time as she swung her golf club. Her eyes lit in excitement when the ball flew to where she directed it at. In her head, she was close to winning.

Yet to her disappointment, it dropped a few feet away from the hole.

'Urgh!' she blurted out like a child while she fisted in frustration.

Another woman with blond hair laughed at her childish reaction. Both of them are past their prime but it doesn't stop them from playing sports.

A man cleared his throat to get their attention and both turned at the same time.

The woman wearing pink cap grabbed a bottle of water and walked away after saying " I'll take that as my cue to leave."

When she was no longer in an earshot distance, the woman who groaned like a child eyed her assistant with cold expressions.

"What is it?"

His eyes met those grayish eyes before retracting them. He's been her assistant for more than 5 years however, he still trembles around her. Because despite her frail looking appearance, there is that fierceness in her that cant be hidden by her wrinkled face.

"Chairman, your granddaughter's plane will arrive in Paris this evening."

Her appearance soften but instantly returned to the original expression seconds later.

To the woman, this piece of news evokes dread in her.

A minute later, she said "Make sure she will never find out anything."

He nodded in response and left.

The elderly lady put her hands behind her as she looked into the horizon.

Regret was in her eyes.

****

June 29, 20xx

Paris, France

The repeated ringing of phone took the man's attention to the pile of documents on his table that accumulated over the last 3 months and answered without checking who the caller was.

An ecstatic voice on the other line made him move the phone away from his ears and put it on speaker mode.

"Hey cousin, I need your help. Could you pick a friend of mine at the airport? Her flight lands at 8 pm today."

"And why should I do that?"

The woman on the other line could picture this man's eyebrows raising with the tone he used but, she ignored it.

"I have a solution to your problem."

The crease on the man's forehead deepened. He has no idea what she was talking about.

"And what's my problem?"

She sighed and spoke "Have you forgotten? It's Vivian's wedding in 2 weeks in Greece. Both grandmother and grandfather will be boarding on the cruise ship in Montenegro."

Vivian Li and Tang Qi have planned different activities in Europe. When the pre-wedding banquet in a Château in Bordeaux tomorrow night ends, the Li Family and close knit friends of the couples will set off to sail to Greece from Italy and making stops along the way for these organized festivities.

The last sentence made him groan inwardly. With the presence of their grandparents, everyone in the Li family must attend as both elders spend their time travelling overseas and only on important occasions do they see them. It's a rule in the Li's to put importance in reunions.

"Even your father and his second wife will be there."

She heard nothing from him but she knew, they are both thinking of the same thing.

Because of the wedding, putting his mother and stepmother on the same space is inevitable.

The groom's second mother is Shen Qiao who is Li Jie's biological mother. She wedded Vice President Tang three years after her divorce whereas his father, Li Hong re-married even before the ink on his divorce paper dried up. It was a lengthy and bitter battle of property division because there was no prenup.

The ex-wife and current wife of his father could never coexist, let alone stay in the same room for a long time.

But that isn't the issue. Let his father deal with it.

The old lady's turning up meant trouble for him.

"Have you found a woman to introduce to Grandmother? You are not going to hire a hooker, are you?"

Li Jie noted the worry on her voice. It was a reminder of what he did two years ago.

To annoy his grandmother, he took a club dancer to attend a family event without checking her background for she came highly recommended by his long term pal, Gu Yao Ting.

It left a bad taste in the mouth because the woman not only tried to seduce his 50 year old father but also his grandfather, sending the old lady to the hospital due to heart attack.

There was silence on the other line and half a beat later, her cousin said "Don't worry about it."

"I --" but she stopped.

It is best not to let him know of her plans. Though he is the most easy-going person in the clan, his temper is not something she can afford. If he discovers she plotted something against him, she's a dead meat.

"Just do a me favor, could you? My friend's travelling to France for the first time and I am afraid she'll be lost. Don't send your people. Pick her up personally. I'll send a photo of her. She's really important."

The last sentence was said in emphasis that the man agreed in the end though he's overloaded with work.

Miles and miles away from him, she bagged her phone and smiled for a long time as she watched her friend enter the Departure Hall.

This word came out of her lips painted in rich ruby.

"Perfect!"

****

June 29, 20xx

Paris, France

An announcement on the aircraft stirred the woman who had been sleeping since they left India 12 hours earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Charles De Gaulle Airport and the local time is 10 in the evening. The city is enveloped with drizzles. Make sure to have your rain jackets and umbrellas ready. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until we turn off the Fasten Seat Belt sign."

Yan Shi stretched lazily as she realized her body was stiff for staying in one position for too long.

She glanced at the woman on the other side of the cabin whose intent gaze was making her uncomfortable somehow. It crossed her mind that she looked vaguely familiar but she didn't bother placing where she'd seen her face and removed her sight on her because it is impolite to stare at people for a long time according to her mother.

A happy tone sounded again and the Fasten Seat Belt sign was turned off. One by one, passengers started to disembark but she took her time to fold the blanket before reaching the overheard cabin to get her medium sized hand-carry, oblivious to the pair of eyes following her every move.

After getting cleared through airport officials and collected her luggage, she headed for the exit.

The continuous vibrating stopped her from her tracks and pulled the phone inside her shoulder bag.

"There's a blue car, plate AB *** AC waiting for you in front of Lane 2-B. The man will drive you to my apartment building. Take the keys from him. It's been empty for two months but a lady goes there every week to air it out. Use the place with ease." a woman's voice said on the line and without waiting for her to respond, there was a beep.

Shaking her head, she whispered "As always."

As Yan Shi stood outside, she looked up the sky. Like the captain had said, the city is blanketed with drizzles and the temperature has cooled down. Oddly surprising as it is still summer.

But in reality, the weather was least of her concerns.

"Mom, I'm back!"

***

Tidbit of Info:

Charles De Gaulle is the largest international airport in France and the second largest in Europe. It is also called Roissy Airport.It is the 10th busiest airport in the world according to recent statistics.It was named after a French Army officer and statesman who led the French Resistance against Nazi Germany in World Ward II. He eventually became the President of France in 1959. (Source: Mr. Google)