Chapter 196 Karma Is A Bitch

A white Porsche pulled up in front of a certain five star restaurant. George's long legs appeared as he alighted from the car. He passed the keys to the valet and walked into the restaurant. He did the button on his jacket belonging to the black suit he wore as he took leisurely strides in.

"Good evening, sir. Did you make a reservation?" The female attendant asked.

"George Stewart", he answered as he straughtened his jacket.

He looked extra handsome tonight. He had gotten rid of his glasses and turned extra heads than normal. Unbothered by the whisperings and admiration, he followed the attendant and was led to a table where a lady sat. Some women have envious looks when they realized she was his date. The woman stood up and stretched out her hand.

"Stacy Campbell", she said with a pleasant smile.

"George Stewart", he shook her hand before gesturing for her to seat. "Please."

They both sat and a waiter came over to take their order. George skimmed through the menu as did the lady.

"How about I order for us?" She asked.

"Sure", he said, seeming amused as he closed his menu. He watched her list out what they would have before the waiter disappeared. She knew what she wanted and she was straightforward.

"So, you were late", she started.

"Yes, sorry. I meant to apologise for that, I had a few things to take care of", he said.

She smiled, "It must be hard working in such a big corporation."

The corners of his lips lifted in amusement. He was about to respond when the waiter served them their order. They thanked him and started to prepare to devour their meal.

"Every job has it's challenges", he said while setting a napkin on his lap. "And what is it that you do?"

"I'm an editor at First News", she answered whilst doing the same. "Bon appetit!"

"Thank you. You too."

'Not bad', George mused as he cut through his steak before forking a bite. Now that he's really giving it a chance, the blind date was looking up much better than he expected.

Brunette with hazel brown eyes, milky white skin, wearing a red bodycon dress that wasn't too revealing but complimented her beauty. Trust Victoria to find a good girl for him. He smiled to himself at this thought.

"I understand that you're an executive assistant so does that mean you work for both brothers?"

"I guess it depends", he said.

If Zach was absent, like when he went to West Village for Amy, George had to answer to Xavier in his absence. He was about to explain when she asked another question with evident curiosity.

"So..... what's it like, working under Xavier?" She had completely deserted her meal and looked at him with curious eyes. Elbows rested on the table and her chin on top of her intertwined fingers.

"Xavier?"

"Yes, what's he like?" She could barely suppress her excitement.

George's brows furrowed as he picked up a napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth. His appetite had gone South. The girl waited for a response in anticipation, unable to read the room. Suddenly his phone rung from his jacket pocket. He didn't bother excusing himself and answered.

"Hey.... Where?.... Okay." He ended the call and willed an impassive expression as he looked at her as he put the phone back. "Something urgent has just come up. I need to leave."

"So soon? We haven't had a proper chat", she complained.

"Hm. Sorry I'll have to leave you alone. I'll take care of the bill, enjoy yourself."

He hastily left like his pants were on fire. She watched with her mouth open in shock and shifted in her sit, grumbling to herself. He didn't even look sorry nor set a second date. Was she too obvious that she was digging info on Xavier?

About twenty minutes later, George arrived at high class appartmenr building. He took the elevator leading to the sixtieth floor where Xavier's penthouse was. He soon arrived at the luxurious four bedroomed penthouse. He punched the door code and walked himself in going to the bar.

There he found Xavier sitting on the stool of his bar with a bottle of Scotch and a bowl of snacks on the counter. George removed his jacket and hanged it on the counter, poured himself a drink and settled on a stool beside Xavier.

"I would have called Zach, but you know..." He started quietly.

He was in low spirits and in desperate need of company. He knew he couldn't call Zach for obvious reasons and George understood him.

"How was the date?"

"Saved me actually. I met a fan of yours", he said making Xavier chuckle before he sipped on his drink. "Want her number?"

"I don't think I can deal with any more women", he downed his drink and poured himself some more.

"Did you guys have a fight?" George asked curiously before sipping on his drink.

"Fight?" He let out a humorless chuckle when he remembered Nicole's words. "Karma is a bitch."

"What's going on?"

"My past is making her insecure, that's what."

"Hasn't she seen how much you've changed because of her? You don't give any other women any time of your day except for her. Anyone can see this", he pointed out something everyone could see.

"Well, I don't have to do anything. If a woman looks at me, it's a problem. Today, was worse."

"That's stupid. So are you blaming yourself? Is that what this is?"

How could he not? He believed every word she said was true. That question she asked: knowing his history, would he believe him? He sighed and sipped on his drink. George also sighed.

It seemed he would be spending the night there. He too, he needed a drink. His luck was running out on finding a woman for himself. Life has never been easy. The two men simultaneously sipped on their drinks.

The next day, they made it to the office despite the terrible hangover. Xavier's spirits were still low but he got on with the day. Besides him, also in low spirits was Henry. He arrived at Zach's an hour early than usual. He had breakfast with the couple and soon got to work with Amy while Zach left for work.

As she had liked the sun room, they were currently sitting there. She sat with her legs stretched out on one sofa while Henry sat on another. She kept her eyes peeled on her laptop that was running a certain program that was related to their project. She internally sighed when she saw Henry zoned out with papers in one hand and a tablet in another.

"Madam", a maid called out earning their attention.

Amy watched as the girl served her juice and a plate of vegetable nuggets while Henry was served a beer and roasted nuts.

"Thank you Rita", she said earning a smile from the girl before she left. She dipped her first nugget into a cream dip and chewed on it while watching Henry take a swig on his beer. "Are you okay?"

He thought back to the argument he had with Victoria the previous night. She allowed him to live with her but she gave him no say in her decision. He simply couldn't get through to her. He gave Amy a sad smile at this thought. "I'm sure Zach told you about my issues with everyone."

"I'm sorry", she said feeling embarrassed.

"No, you're part of the family now. As embarrassing as it is, you can't be kept in the dark", he took another swig then sighed as he looked at the bottle with a forlorn expression. "I guess karma is a bitch."

Amy chose to keep quiet though she felt sorry for him. In truth, there was nothing she could say about the matter and simply watch on the sidelines. Wanting to distract him, she decided to change the subject.

"Anything on the list I gave you?"

"Yes", he put down the beer and tapped on the tablet a few times before giving it to her. "I was supposed to give this to you yesterday but it slipped my mind. See if anything means something to you."

She quietly went over the information scrolling through the page until her eyes fell on something. An amused chuckle resounded from her lips making Henry look up at her with brows raised.

"Found something?"

"Oh! Yeah", she said with a happy smile stretching on her lips. "We finally got something."