Chapter 294 - Dinner On The Beach

After waking up from a long nap, Halia and Jackson went to have their first dinner in Boracay. 

Tonight, they were eating at the restaurant in the resort and Halia was extremely excited.

But...when they arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, the waitress that greeted them did not seat them inside, instead, she pointed outside and led them down some stairs towards the beach.

Halia glanced at Jackson in confusion. Weren't they eating inside this restaurant? Did they go to the wrong place?

But, she quickly noticed that Jackson did not look confused at all. Realizing what may be going on, she tugged on her husband's hand asked with a slight smile, "Did you plan this?"

Jackson held back a smile and tightened his grip on his wife's hand. "It's our honeymoon, after all."

Halia smiled sweetly. She had definitely married the right man.

Soon, the couple arrived at the beach and Halia spotted a white cabana decorated with flowers and a white table underneath it. Candles lit up a path to the cabana and there were some candles on the table as well. It looked extremely romantic against the purply-pink evening sky. 

The weather was still warm at this time of night and a light breeze brushed past Halia's nose, carrying with it the smell of the ocean. They had been spending so much time in the resort that this was their first experience of the island's nature. At that moment, everything felt so surreal.

All of a sudden, Jackson kneeled down on the floor, lifted one of his wife's feet onto his knee and gently helped her remove her shoe. He then did the same with her other foot and removed his own shoes as well.

Carrying the shoes in one hand, he offered his other hand to Halia and led her across the sand towards the cabana. 

Halia could feel the warm sand between her feet and it warmed her heart.

Soon, they reached the table and Jackson pulled out a chair for his wife. "Please, Milady," he smiled charmingly.

Halia adjusted her dress a little and sat down with a pleased smile, "Thank you, Sir."

Jackson then walked around to sit opposite Halia.

"Would you like some Champagne or wine?" the waitress offered after she saw that the couple was seated.

Jackson looked at Halia, gesturing for her to make the choice and Halia quickly answered, "Yes, Champagne please."

After the waitress left to fetch their order, Halia took a deep breath and looked out at the vast ocean before them. "So beautiful..." she said as she rested her chin in her hand. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

Jackson glanced at his wife. She was dressed in an off-shoulder white dress today, her short hair was slightly curled, and her cheeks and lips were light pink in color. As she admired the ocean, the warm light from the candle on the table flickered on her face and made her eyes sparkle.

"Yes, I've never seen someone so beautiful..." Jackson said lovingly.

"Someone?" Halia asked as she turned back to look at her husband.

That's when she realized he was staring at her. While she was staring at the ocean, he was staring at her.

At that moment, even though they were already married, his gaze still made her heart flutter...

...

Over in Hong Kong, a man stood outside the Interpol office and glanced up at the only floor that still had its lights on. The building was already closed to visitors but someone was definitely still inside. Who was it? Was it the person he was after?

He had done some research on Trisha Hua. After returning to Hong Kong from London, she was promoted to the Head of the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol and, apart from home and work, she never really went anywhere else.

She was a complete workaholic.

He glanced up at the building again. If anyone was to stay back, it would have to be her, right?

He had suffered a lot because of this woman and it took him a lot of effort to track her down. Had he finally found her?

At that moment, he received a message on his phone. He quickly glanced down and clicked on the message, "Did you find her yet? Make sure to grab onto her and not let her get away."

The man frowned and replied, "I haven't found her yet, but I have a feeling I'm getting close."

...

Not too far away, at the AsiaWorld-Expo building, the crowd was cheering.

Meanwhile, onstage, Avaleigh was not cheering at all as she endured the cramps in her stomach with all her might. She didn't want to disappoint her fans, but the cramping was becoming unbearable. She hadn't felt this kind of pain for a long time. Did she eat something wrong? But, all the girls ate the same thing today, why was she the only one that was feeling this way?

She glanced at her members and they all looked perfectly fine, especially Mimi who had a huge smile on her face.

Avaleigh continued to sing and dance the best she could. She knew she only had one more song before her break, so she continued to hold on. But, her legs began to feel wobbly and her voice started getting shaky.

A few people noticed this small detail, but they simply thought she was getting tired. However, Emerson knew there was more to it. Avaleigh was serious and hardworking, she would have definitely prepared herself for this concert and made sure she was in the best condition. She couldn't possibly be tired after just 30 minutes on the stage, especially not when the other girls looked perfectly fine.

Just before the last song in their introduction came to an end, Emerson immediately ran into the backstage to check on Avaleigh.

Sure enough, as soon as she left the stage, her legs gave up and she fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Ray asked worriedly as she bent down to help Avaleigh up.

But, a person suddenly rushed over and gently nudged her aside. "Let me help," the man said.

Ray looked at the man in surprise and walked around to check his face. When she saw who it was, she was shocked.

"President Wu?!" she exclaimed. Ray had also noticed Emerson in the audience with the press and media earlier so she was surprised to see him in the backstage.

Why was he here?

But, the thing that surprised her the most, was the man's next move. Emerson suddenly bent down and swept Avaleigh into his arms effortlessly as though that was where she belonged. Avaleigh bit her lip in pain and gripped onto her stomach.

As Emerson carried her towards the change room, he asked dotingly, "Are you OK?"

Ray, Olivia, and Nana watched as the man carried their leader away and looked at each other.

"When did President Wu and Avaleigh become so close?" Nana asked.

Ray subconsciously glanced at a screen above their heads that was broadcasting live footage from the stage and saw Mimi, Ara, and Chu performing at that moment. With a sigh of relief, she replied, "I don't know, but I'm glad that Mimi's not here to see this..."

The other girls nodded in agreement. Everyone in the group knew that there was an unspoken grudge between Mimi and Avaleigh. If Mimi saw how close Avaleigh and Emerson was, she was bound to throw a fit.