Chapter 55

55 55. Cute Couple

Separated from the ballroom, William, Mark, and his wife entered the VIP room together. The atmosphere around them seemed relaxed, although the tension was still felt.

“Oh, William, this is Gaby, my wife!” Mark introduced his wife to William. “I forgot to introduce her to you earlier.”

“Hey, Gaby! Nice to meet you,” William greeted Gaby and offered his hand, initiating the handshake to the gorgeous red-haired woman. She accepted his hand and answered his greeting in a friendly manner, the total opposite of her husband. The three of them then sat around the table and the waiter immediately served water and the appetizers for them.

“Personally, I really want to thank you for your effort for my son,” Mark said with a genuine smile. The first smile William saw. “I am really happy finding him.”

“The pleasure is mine,” William replied with an equally sincere smile. “This is because your son is very brave. He asked me for help in person.”

Mark and Gaby laughed. William was glad because even though Alan was not Gaby’s own son, she seemed to love Alan sincerely.

“Mark always wants a son, but I can’t get pregnant again,” Gaby said, explaining William’s confusion. “Alan’s presence is a real blessing for our family. At first, we wanted to adopt a son and even considered surrogacy. But since there is Alan, we don’t have to do it.”

William nodded as a sign of understanding. Louisa and Alan were the same age. It meant that Gaby and Alan’s mother were pregnant at the same time. It seemed that Gaby chose to put Mark’s affair aside. She was such a great woman.

“By the way, I like your business proposal. However, after I re-read it, there is something I still have to learn. Your concept of building a tower that accommodates all entertainment facilities is very good and at the same time very risky because we need a large sum of capital,” Mark said with a serious face. He did not hesitate to say this in front of his wife because it seemed that she was also handling Mark’s business.

.....

“Okay. No rush. I understand your situation,” William replied sincerely. He didn’t feel at all that Mark was such a wishy-washy because only his representatives came to the presentation yesterday. It was natural when they didn’t notice one or more points.

“Do you mind if I ask for more time to learn more about this project?” Mark asked again.

“No problem,” William answered, still trying to be professional. “You can contact me anytime if you need more explanations.”

A feeling of disappointment of course remains in William’s heart. However, he was able to hide it as best he could so that no one would notice.

Mark smirked, glancing at his wife. Gaby then nodded with a smile. William certainly didn’t understand what it meant, but he didn’t think it was a bad thing.

“You don’t mind having my wife around when we talk about this business, do you?” Mark asked then.

“No problem at all. I also often do it with my wife. She ... you could say that I learned a lot from her,” William answered.

“Then, where is she now?” Gaby asked curiously.

William’s face suddenly changed. “Hmm, she is ... busy. I am really sorry for that.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, my question must be too personal,” Gaby replied when she understood what William meant.

Not long after, a woman approached Gaby. The woman informed her that something happened with the kids.

Not long after, Gaby excused herself. “I’m sorry I had to leave early because Lou and Alan need me,” Gaby said. “In a moment, the waiter will bring the food for you.”

William and Mark had dinner together while discussing simple things about family and life.

“To be honest, I never knew that Regina was pregnant with Alan. She knew I was getting married to Gaby. Because of that, maybe she chose to leave me without saying anything,” Mark suddenly told William about the past. William did not expect that Mark would share his personal affairs.

“You and Regina?”

“I love Regina. However, because of business matters, I was forced to marry Gaby. Regina finally relented. However, we kept in touch before I was officially married. After marriage, Regina disappeared and never saw me again,” Mark recalled with regret.

Unexpectedly, Mark’s story was almost similar to William’s story.

“Do you love Gaby?” William knew he shouldn’t have asked that. However, the question slipped through his mouth.

“Gaby is a businesswoman. She is very professional. I am very grateful to have a wife like her,” said Mark, looking at William meaningfully. “However, feelings are another matter. You can not choose who you love.”

William nodded, understanding Mark’s situation.

“Oh, I almost forgot! It’s you and your wife, no?” Mark asked, showing a YouTube video from a few days ago where William carried Paula in the lobby of a hotel. William’s face reddened with embarrassment. At that time, he did not expect that someone would record and upload it on YouTube. “Gaby found this video. She was very hysterical when she watched it and asked me to do the same thing.”

“Ah, Tha-t’s ... Paula was injured. So, I took her to the hotel for treatment,” William replied awkwardly.

Mark laughed amusedly. “If she was injured, you should take her to a clinic or hospital. A hotel is a place for playing doctor.”

William’s face turned beet red. He didn’t know what to say in return.

“See the comments,” Mark said again.

“If my boyfriend carried me like that, I would die for him!”

“They’re so cute!”

“When they’re putting it just for a show, both are great actors because I can feel the chemistry.”

William saw lots of supportive comments. There were only two dislikes among millions of likes.

“They all support you!” Mark commented, encouraging William. “Earlier, my wife invited you expecting you to come with your wife so she could make another great video and interview both of you.”

“But, honestly-”

“If you have a problem with your wife, talk to her. If you don’t communicate well, how can the problem be solved,” Mark cut William’s words, patting William on the back. He knew what happened to William and his wife even if he didn’t say it blatantly.

William’s chest felt full of passion. He no longer cared about business dealings with Mark, fail or not it’s up to him. He did his best.

“Mark, it seems, I’ll excuse myself. Do you mind it?”

“Of course not,” Mark replied casually.

****

The party went smoothly. Mark introduced the presence of Alan in his family with great pride. The media covered the presence of Mark’s son. Instead of getting ridiculed, Mark got a lot of praise. He also especially thanked William. However, the hero was not around.

“Where’s William?” Lisa asked, looking for her son.

“He texted me that he was seeing Paula,” Vanessa replied.

“Paula?” Lisa asked in disbelief. “Paula?”

Shortly after, Lisa’s friend approached her, showing the video on the cell phone. “This is your son and his wife, isn’t it?”

Instantly, Lisa’s face blushed. How could her son do such an embarrassing thing in public?