Chapter 8: The Order

Brandon Cornwall's POV

I smirked as I looked at the phone when Barbara, my fiancée hung up on me. I cannot believe her, no one dares to do it but she did it in less a day of meeting me and knowing me.

Well maybe not personally yet but I will be working on it once I was back in NYC.

"Your appointment is here, sir," Sabrina said as she was allowing my next appointment to come into my office at the branch office.

"Mr. Hayes, what a surprise," I said as I was trying to be formal with so-called Mr. Hayes.

"Brad, come on. Your acting was unnecessary right now," Cameron said as he was rolling his eyes at me. I laughed before I went to the bar to offer him a drink.

"What are you having?"

"Whiskey please," he replied before I poured whiskey for him and brandy for him. I went to his side as I held the two glasses of our choice.

"Here," I said before he thanked me for the drink.

"So, I heard you did something crazy," he said as he was staring at the city. I sipped on my brandy before I was looking at him.

"Please, do tell," I said as I went to sit on the sofa. It was for my company to have a chat and do some business. Strictly business only.

"I heard that you were talking with someone just now. If I was not mistaken, her name is Barbara," he said as he turned to look at me with interest. I scowled at him as he took his seat in front of me on the sofa.

"Get your own damn woman," I said as I was trying to control my anger. I don't know where it came from but seeing Barbara in another's man's hands was too…sickening for me. Cam was looking at me with amusement in his eyes.

"Well, I did have a choice but unfortunately, she was seeing someone else," he said with a longing in his eyes. I can see that he was smitten with her but I don't press for more when I know it was not like something that Cam cannot handle.

"So, what do you have come down to the Foggy City in this time of year? I heard Seattle is nice for hiking," I said as I was taking a sip of my drink. He sighed before he sipped on his drink as well.

"I have come here since you were just exposing some discovery that you ought to tell WWF," he said as he was looking at me. I smirked at him.

"I thought you only care about wildlife,"

"It never hurt to listen to hear about other scientific discovery, you know," he said as he was putting his glass on the coffee table. I looked at Cam before shaking my head.

"Whatever you say, Cam,"

"So, shall we begin this interview?" Cam asked me as he was readying his recording tape for our interview.

"Well, I can never say no to the director of WWF magazine. That would be rude," I said smugly before we began our interview with my best friend to ask the questions.

The next day, I was making my rounds at the field sites that were being under my companies' control. I need to make sure if they were doing the right procedure for the minerals that they were looking for and I have asked for my geologists that were consulting on each site to be careful and be thorough with everything.

I was taking some break after the site visits when I was walking down the pavement in downtown. I was stopping in front of the jewelry store, a renowned Danish company that exported and imported the jewels to make fine rings, earrings, necklace and any other jewelry that you might need.

I think my companies deal with them once in a while for raw minerals.

I was looking at the necklace that was holding the citrine at the center of the pendant. It reminded me of someone and there was a set of it. With earrings and bracelets. I wondered if Barbara would appreciate such a gesture.

Then I looked at the rings in displays. It was gorgeous but nothing speaks to me. I was smiling as I was trying to figure which one will be the best suit for Barbara for our dinner on Monday with my parents. If we wanted them to stop bothering me, I need to make it looked real.

I went inside the store, Vok's Vow, and make some requests for rings with citrine as their main gem. I smiled as the salesperson was giving me the latest design for it and I looked at the rings that would suit Barbara's long, thin fingers.

"What will you need it for?" The salesperson asked.

"What do you think when a man was asking for a ring?"

"Engagement?" She said as I was looking at him. She was not that smart by the looks of it. I sighed before I asked for the ready stocked of the designs before I looked more deeply on how it would look on her fingers. I looked at the salesperson's finger and it was the same delicate hands.

"Give me your hand," I asked the salesperson.

"But, sir—"

"Come on, I need to look if it fits her or not," I said before I snatched her finger and put it on. There were some that I liked and some I don't like. I narrowed it down and it was up for two.

The first ring was a diamond at the center with the small diamonds were circling it. The second one, the diamond was a princess cut and the small diamonds were aligned along with the band. I think I know which one was my pick.

"Can I have this design but the centerpiece in the princess cut must be citrine," I said as she was recording my order. I said my shipping address and she arched her eyebrow.

"Why don't you pick it in NYC then?" She asked before I control the urge to roll my eyes at her. I smiled at her before I was setting up my payment and I was on the streets again. I went to look at the sky and suddenly, my heart was blooming.

I don't know why but it did.

I went back to my hotel as I was trying to pack all the necessary things for my departure. I have my flight tonight at 11 PM at San Francisco International Airport. I sighed as I packed the luggage but my heart was blooming to go back to NYC.

Was it because I will be seeing Barbara tonight or just simply the adrenaline rush.

A phone rang and I went to the night table where I left it. It was a number that I know so much. It was Alex but I don't know why he was calling.

"Hello?" I asked as I was getting ready for my flight. I heard Alex was smiling on the phone.

"When will you come back?" He asked me as I was smirking at him. He can never function if he did not have anything to do without me.

"Why are you asking?"

"Cause I'm bored," he whined like a dog. I chuckled at him before I cleared my throat as the bellboy was pushing my luggage out of my room. I went to search the room for one last swipe.

"Do you have to?" He asked as I was smiling. My thought went back to Barbara's nice face and her uncanny amber eyes. It was too captivating.

"Well, sorry. Why don't you go with your fiancée?" I asked him. Surely he has something planned with his bride.

"Hmm, I don't know. All Lea think about was a proposal and she ran away from me," he said as I was laughing. I can sense that he was scowling.

"Why don't you do something good with her? Woo her you know. So that you will not be miserable right now," I said before I was paying up my stay and I went to the car that was waiting at the lobby.

"Hmm, that's sound nice," he said. I chuckled.

"I know because it was my idea. Okay, I have to go. I see you later. Ciao," I said before I hung up and we were off to the airport.

I was sitting in the business class on the plane that will be leaving for NYC. I was reading some journals when I saw someone plain was boarding the plane. I think she was transiting to New York.

"Sorry, excuse me," she said as she took a seat next to my right. She smelled nice but I don't think it can win over Barbara's blood orange signature scent. The stranger was more of a spicy type. I went back to the reading when the plane started to leave and I will be in NYC then.

After some time when I was dozing in and out of the plane, I was looking at the night setting of the plane when Sabrina was typing away on her iPad.

"We will be landing soon, sir," she said as she was typing away before I was dozing off again. Maybe being in the fields were getting at me. I think I was old now, like my dad.

And that thought gave me a shiver down my spine.