216 Quest of Love

After discussing a few work related things, he walked away from her desk and went straight to the receptionist. Time to turn on the famous charm, which the men in his family were known for.

"Uh… hi Camilla, how are you doing today?" he bestowed his bright smile upon her.

Camilla fluttered her lashes in return. So he had finally discovered her, huh! Only to frown at his next words.

"Per chance, did you get to see who sent those lovely flowers to Ms. Lin?" he asked, his wide smile still intact.

"I am paid to work here, not snoop into other people's business, Sir. I have no idea who sent her that bouquet," she replied, with her teeth clenched.

He was put out by her reply. Why did she have to sound as if the milk had curdled in her mouth. He tucked his smile back in and walked away.

"So the jealous lover has come snooping on his girlfriend's activities. Do I look like his personal detective? Why the hell should I bother with either of them?" she harrumphed and went back to playing 'Angry Birds' on her mobile.

"Would you like me to pick you up from work?" Wei was calling to check on Jia Li.

It was 6:30pm and she was ready to leave office. She told him that there was no need. She would see him directly at the pre-decided place.

Wei disconnected the call and his phone trilled back immediately. He hesitated, looking at the screen.

"Hey Tang, what's up?" he asked cautiously.

Tang's cheerful voice came through, "just called to check on Uncle Wang. How is the recovery going? When are you guys coming back? The city and its weekends feel a bit boring without you here."

Wei felt a sliver of guilt go through him as he replied, "he is doing well. I am, umm… have just stepped out to grab a bite. The doctor has given him at least a two-week recovery period before he can travel. So you will have to be at the helm of matters, single-handedly, a little longer."

Tang assured him that it wasn't a problem and he needn't worry about it. He put down the phone and thought back to the previous night when he had been framing the mail to Jia Li. He had wrestled with himself before writing the words which informed her about Wei's presence in London. He didn't want to be defeated by the demons of his past. Wei had been her good friend and could probably use her support right now.

If he was going to lose in this quest of love, it would be because of Jia Li rejecting his affection and not because of another person. He wanted to be brutally honest with himself and her. Nothing else mattered. Brave sentiment but was he capable of seeing it till the end?

London

"You look lovely, albeit a little different. I don't think I have ever seen you in formal office attire. It suits you, makes you look the part of the Boss Lady," Wei said as she walked in to the restaurant.

She made a face at his words and said, "there was no time left for me to change clothes by the time I reached home. So I quickly freshened up and left. In hindsight, I should have chosen a place close to home. But then I have been meaning to come and eat at this Mexican place for really long. And from what I remember, you like the cuisine too."

Wei's heart smiled at her words.

"Ah, so you still remember something about your old friends. That's a relief. Here I had braced myself for starting afresh with you," he said in a serious voice.

"Stop pulling my leg with every sentence. Oh! Before I forget, thank you for the flowers but can you not send them again to my work place? Please don't misunderstand my words. It's just... justthat Earthly Matters is a small office with a close knit community and I don't want to attract unnecessary attraction towards myself. I am trying to create an identity for myself there as a serious, committed employee and…" her voice trailed off, looking at Wei's reaction.

"You have changed," he said cryptically, without offering any further explanation.

"Ok, no more flowers. Now, can we order. I am starving," he picked up the menu and started to browse through.

Jia Li breathed in a relieved sigh and paid attention to the menu card in her hand.

"Surprise surprise… how did our dear Jia Li land up here, so far away from home?" a familiar voice made her look up.

"Eric! This is indeed a surprise. You had raved about this restaurant all those weeks ago and since then I wanted to come here. I finally made it today," she got up and told him with a smile.