Chapter 97 - The Grieving Process

Halia soon returned to the living room with Emerson's jacket. After she handed it back to him, she went to make him a cup of tea as promised.

But, while she was busy in the kitchen, Emerson placed his hand inside his jacket pocket and revealed a mischievous smile. He then got up from the sofa and started walking around.

By the time Halia returned with his tea, he was seated back in the sofa like nothing had happened.

"So...how's work been?" Halia asked awkwardly.

Emerson smiled. Was she attempting to start a conversation with him?

"It's been good. My father retired last year and handed the entire casino to me," Emerson replied. "It was tough at first, but I think I've settled in fine."

"Is that why you got yourself a new assistant? You finally figured out the kind of help that you needed?" Halia asked.

"Yes, Thomas is a very smart guy," Emerson replied.

"Isn't he supposed to stay by your side? Where is he now?" Halia questioned.

Emerson laughed and replied, "He's not a bodyguard; he doesn't have to be with me all the time. Besides, I told him to socialize a little. He's new so he should develop some relationsh.i.p.s on his own."

Halia squinted her eyes and looked at the man in detail. If he was the one that told Thomas to socialize, was he also the one that told Thomas to speak to her?

"Did you know that I spoke to him earlier?" Halia probed.

"Oh really? What did you talk about?" Emerson asked.

"He invited me to visit your casino," Halia replied.

"Haha, that guy's too passionate about his job. His meant to be an assistant, not a promoter. Anyway, why do we keep talking about Thomas?" Emerson asked.

"Oh, I was going to check if he was waiting for you downstairs and if he was taking you home," Halia lied. She had a feeling that Emerson was involved with the entire junket operation and possible money laundering business, but she had to lay off on the questions to avoid suspicion.

Emerson put down his tea cup and looked into the woman's eyes. "Are you worried about me?" he asked.

"We're childhood friends, right? Of course I'm worried about you," Halia replied.

"Then, I better get going," Emerson said with a satisfied smile. Even though he didn't want to leave, he knew it would be inappropriate for him to stay any longer.

But, just before he walked out the door, he quickly handed Halia his phone. "Can I get your number? I don't want to lose contact with you for another 12 years," he laughed.

Halia smiled and typed in her phone number, even though she knew she'd be seeing him again in Macau very soon.

But, she had no idea that the man couldn't wait that long...

After Emerson left, Halia quickly reported everything she discovered that night to Sean and kicked him out as soon as she was done. She had to make it clear that it was strictly business between them.

Sean was a little disappointed.

With a frown, he left The Peninsula and returned to his lonely hotel room. As he sat down on his bed, he noticed that the room was quiet and all he heard was the sound of his own thoughts. He glanced at the empty bed beside him and his heart sunk. Only a few days ago, he was excited to share a room with Halia, but it was clear now that things weren't going the way he expected. Halia already had a partner and she made it clear that she was not interested in him.

He grabbed a can of beer from the bar fridge and poured it down his throat, suppressing the sadness he felt inside; the sadness he had been trying to contain and distract himself from for quite some time.

It had almost been 2 months since Sara died. Everyone grieved differently. For Sean, he occupied himself with work every single day, and when he found that Halia was similar to Sara, he piled his emotions onto her and treated her as a substitute. He stubbornly convinced himself that he was OK and he was moving on. But now that his mission was over in Hong Kong with no lead to follow for the next 5 days and he was all alone in his hotel room, he could finally see everything clearly and reality hit him hard. He was a man, he wasn't supposed to cry, but tears began to fall from his eyes. There was no mission nor Halia to distract him anymore. It was just him and his memories of Sara.

"I'm sorry Sara. What have I been doing?" he cried.

Perhaps, this was the real reason why the Captain sent him to Hong Kong with Halia. It wasn't just so Halia could get some time off, but he realized that Sean also needed some time to properly grieve and accept that the love of his life was gone...

...

While Sean was finally accepting the truth, over at The Peninsula Suite, Halia was staring up at the moon that was glowing brightly in the sky and thinking about the man that was in her heart. "Is it night time where you are?" she whispered as she held onto the heart pendant on her wrist.

While she was deep in thought, her phone suddenly beeped.

She had received a message.

Halia quickly picked up her phone to check who it was from. It was Emerson: [I think I dropped an earring at your place. It's probably wedged between your sofa. Can you return it to me tomorrow?]