Chapter 41: The box of our memories (unusual meeting) 1

Eight years later.

Flight number 0206588.

Ad-Din Denarius sat in the business class of the flight onboard to Cosmos. He was tired as he relaxed and slumped his base on the seat, closing his eyes in the process.

The woman seated next to him tried to make a little conversation but he completely ignored her.

"Had a rough day before boarding the plane?" she asked and heard no response but she still continued.

"Same here with me. I attended the California Fashion Week Celebration. I saw you there. Didn't think we would meet again like this. Must be destiny pulling us together, right?"

Ad-Din Denarius slowly opened his eyes and directed a cold gaze at the woman next to him making her turn silent for a while as he asked her.

"Did Mona Lisa send you to me?" referring to his mother's antics of sending one girl after another to him in the last one year.

Ever since he recovered from his near death accident and started working on his own, his mother had taken it upon herself to find him a woman because according to her, he was wasting his life away on working tirelessly.

Upon been asked such a straightforward question, the lady turned mute and Ad-Din Denarius chuckled. He wasn't usually one to embarrass make it hard on a woman, so he relaxed his facial muscles and added.

"no need to panic. Just tell her that I have a girlfriend and she is actually on the next seat. You see that girl and the woman behind us?" Ad-Din Denarius asked the lady and casually pointed at a woman at the back seat who also had an eight year old girl sitting next to her. Coincidentally, the girl also stared back at that moment and flashed a smile at them. Ad-Din Denarius smiled back blowing a kiss at the girl in the process before turning back to the woman "that's my daughter whom I am taking to go and introduce to my family"

"Oh, I see. Then, I am very sorry to hit on you like this in front of your girlfriend and daughter" the lady apologized.

"Is alright, I totally understand" Ad-Din Denarius said and smiled.

The lady nodded apologetically before turning back to her seat.

Ad-Din Denarius smiled and went back to closing his eyes knowing he was not going to hear the end of it from his mother but that could be handled with a little coaxing.

Cosmos Airport.

A slim woman with beautiful chocolate skin walked out of the exit holding an 8-year-old girl in one hand while the other hand held their luggage bag.

They were both in dark coloured shades and wore the same coloured outfit combination of light pink blouse and black skinny pants pairing them with black sneakers.

They looked eye-catching even the more because of the contrast in their skin colour. The small girl was a typical blonde while the woman was typically dark skinned but ironically they looked like a mother and daughter pair.

The woman's phone buzzed and she stopped, leaving the girl's hand, she removed the phone she had stuffed into her purse and answered the call.

''Kobby, we just arrived. Okay, we will be there right away. Tiana is here…not here, I will call you back''. Maria Portia Lee hung up the phone immediately and turned looking for the girl that was with her just seconds ago. That little mischievous brat was playing hide and seek with her again.

Maria turned around and didn't find her. She got even more alarmed because this was a crowded place and the little girl's first time of being there. Maria got worried by the minute as she searched crazily around the airport lobby.

The little girl was surely going to get it from her when she finds her. She opened the small luggage and stuffed the purse and spectacles inside and was about to send it for safe keeping before going to look for the child.

She bumped into a few men in black and her luggage fell. The men ignored her as they were busily protecting their boss. Maria fell with the luggage. She was lucky she didn't twist her legs then because she was wearing sneakers but still it hurt any ways because she didn't prepare to fall at all.

Maria stood up and cussed before screaming at the men walking away ''Hey!! Are you people a bunch of bullies? How could you push a woman down without helping her to stand up or apologising? Has Cosmos Town become such an unruly place where people could just do whatever they wished and wanted? What a jinx''.

Maria said all those words in one breathe making the men to stop walking. She was already frustrated as it was because she couldn't find her niece and now a bunch of men in black wanted to bully her. She only realized her actions after it was already said and done.

Maria didn't know when she was surrounded by the men in black again but she suddenly found herself in the middle and started walking backwards. She clutched her fist into balls as she spoke.

''What are you people doing? Don't think I won't fight back just because I am a woman. I have a blue belt in taekwondo or is it a black belt? It is rather a black belt, so be careful I don't break your legs'' Maria said questioning herself and stepped back and tripped. The scene of her accident came to mind and she froze and she stiffened, getting ready to feel the impact when strong arms suddenly caught her from behind.

She hit her back against the person's strong and broad chest and got startled. The person's chest felt like that person's chest. She felt a certain familiarity with the chest and her whole body turned cold and her face became pale.

She knew it was impossible to meet him at this place of all the places in the world but the chest just felt too familiar for her to ignore it. Then a voice as cold as ice spoke from behind her.

''Do you intend to sleep in my arms, woman? Do you not see that people are watching us and some are even taking pictures?'' the voice said and pushed Maria Portia Lee away.

Maria steadied herself feeling more relaxed. Surely the voice didn't belong to that person. She turned ready to speak and was startled to see the person she had being praying not to see's face. Maria's face turned ashen.

Familiar face, familiar eyes, familiar nose, familiar lips but a different body and a different aura. Maria felt goosebumps spread all over her body as she looked at him. The way he looked at her, she wasn't sure if he had recognised her or not but, for she who had dreamed of seeing that face again even after eight years, there was no way she couldn't recognise him. Maria sworn she could almost recognise him even if he was turned into ashes.

''Hey, how dare you bully my mother the moment I leave her to go buy ice cream?'' A voice rang from behind them making the two people who felt time had stopped for them to turn and look towards it.

Little Tiana ran towards them with a hand dripping with ice cream. She stood next to Maria and Maria glared at her saying ''Tiana, what did we say about running off without permission?''

''You were speaking with my father and I saw the ice cream cart going away so I went after it. Please don't be angry, I bought some ice cream for you too''.

Tiana said and stretched her hand that held the ice cream towards Maria before looking at the man and asked ''but, who is this uncle? Why does he look like he wants to kill you?''

Maria looked up at Ad-Din Denarius but he didn't say a word and walked away with his bodyguards. And just like how they met, they parted same way.

Maria almost ran to him to explain but decided against it.

''What are my ladies doing in the middle of the airport?'' Kobby Brian spoke and walked towards them.

''Dad!!!'' Tiana screamed and ran into his father's arms. Maria's gaze was still fixed on that person's back who just walked away.

It has been eight years already. What was she expecting? A warm welcome by him? He wasn't someone she even wished or expected to meet again yet she did and everything felt like it was just a day ago when they sat in the same car and breathed the same air.

''Portia, are you alright?'' Kobby tapped Maria's shoulder worriedly and she snapped back to her senses.

''Oh, nothing. Let's go. Our luggage is over there…here'' Maria saw their luggage at a distance.

Kobby took the luggage and held Tiana with the other hand and smiled ''let's go. Mom and dad are waiting for us at home"

''Okay''. Maria smiled and walked away with Kobby and Tiana.