The long-awaited day arrived. Because the charter plane they ordered couldn't fly due to the sandstorm, Nicolae and Terry were forced to drive to the nearest airport yet still missed their flight to Italy.
"Are there no empty planes that we can book to go to Rome?" Terry asked the check-in clerk who refused to let them board the plane that had just departed earlier.
"You mean an empty seat?" the officer asked, confirming Terry's words. "Uhmm ... the next flight to Rome leaves tomorrow afternoon."
Terry shook his head impatiently. "An empty plane, I want to order one to take us to Rome."
Nicolae just laughed at the clerk's confused look. The girl must have thought the young man in front of her was crazy because he wanted to book an empty plane.
Terry had no other choice because they couldn't ask for a private plane to be sent to Ulaan Bator from Europe or the United States. The distance was just too great that when the plane arrived, they would be too late to come to the important party that Lauriel had painstakingly organized.
The clerk looked stunned and speechless for some time until Terry forced her to call her manager.
"What's the matter, Sir?" asked the operational manager with a frown. He did not understand why these two rather shabby-looking young men called out to him while his staff stood still.
"We missed the flight to Rome, and we had to attend a very important event. We could not fly to another city first and then continue to Rome. I want to book one of your planes to take us there. Is there one available?"
It was the manager's turn to be stunned upon hearing the request of this strange and handsome young man. At first glance, Terry and Nicolae looked like students going on backpacking vacations in Mongolia.
Both of their clothes were rather worn out because they had to cross the desert in a jeep to reach the airport due to the delay in the chartered plane they booked. They didn't look like rich people who could book a private plane.
Eventually, Terry was forced to take out his business card and make both the manager and the check-in clerk widen their eyes in surprise.
Terrence Chan - VP of Schneider Group.
Someone this young was the vice president of the giant corporation group? Was this for real???
After making a phone call to confirm everything, the manager hurriedly guided Terry and Nicolae to the VVIP waiting room and prepared their drinks himself.
"Uhmm ... there are currently no empty planes, Sir. But there is a plane heading to Paris in two hours. We will ask the pilot to fly directly to Rome and take you there. After you land, the plane can then proceed to its original destination. What do you think? "
Terry nodded. "It's OK, but will the passengers come with us to Rome? Won't they protest then?"
"Don't worry, Sir. We explained to them there is an emergency situation so the plane had to make a stop in Rome."
"All right, you can charge everything to my assistant, Lee." Terry handed his assistant's business card to the manager.
"Oh ... it's okay, sir. We will only charge the airport fees to you, for the landing in Rome. As for the rest, just think of it as a gift from us to the Schneider Group."
Smiling sweetly, the manager resigned from the lounge.
Nicolae smacked Terry on the shoulder while laughing, "Gosh ... you're a big man now, huh ..."
"Hey, if I didn't do that, we won't arrive on time for your own birthday party, okay..." Terry said angrily. "I told you not to delay the booking of the flights because the weather in Mongolia is unpredictable. Because of you, I almost got us a private plane for 300 passengers and lost a month's worth of salary at that."
"All right, dear VP. I'll listen to your words," Nicolae responded with a laugh.
"By the way, later in Rome we have to buy new clothes," Terry commented, looking at Nicolae from head to toe with eyes like a fashion editor who was disappointed upon seeing how a country bumpkin looked like, "Uncle Lauriel would hate me if he knew I took you home looking like a tramp."
Nicolae agreed that this time their adventure made both of them look miserable and pathetic. He just laughed while hitting Terry's shoulder. "Apparently, you need a mirror!"
"Hey ... I don't have to look handsome, but you do. Don't you know Uncle Lauriel invited many beautiful girls to your party to find you a match?"
Nicolae spat some of the wine he was drinking into Terry's face in surprise.
He did not think his father would go that far.
"Wait .. what did you say ???"
"Oops ..." Terry pretended to have forgotten that he had just blurted out to Nicolae that Lauriel was actually throwing him a birthday party to find him a match. He wiped his face with a handkerchief. Terry had heard from Aleksis about the impressive invitation list. So many beautiful girls are coming ... This should have been a surprise to Nicolae.
But as usual, Terry and his big mouth messed up the situation.
"Dad has gone too far. He thinks I can't find my own girlfriend?" Nicolae complained.
"Uhm ... I don't think that's the issue, Nic," Terry said earnestly, "Uncle Lauriel is afraid you're still heartbroken because of my sister. He just wants you to feel happy when you come to the party."
"Oh ..." Nicolae finally understood.
"Are you still heartbroken?" Terry asked him attentively.
Nicolae did not reply. He immediately remembered the beautiful girl with blue and green eyes who had always filled his heart. He loved the girl and was willing to do anything for her. But alas, he was too late, Aleksis had fallen in love with another man, married him and now had two children from him.
Nicolae went away to heal his heart, and for nearly six years he had gone on adventures around the world to keep himself busy. He tried not to look at any news about Aleksis at all. As long as there was no bad news about her, he knew the girl was fine.
But was his broken heart now healed? He himself did not know.
Two hours later, they finally boarded a plane for Paris which first headed to Rome. During the trip, Terry felt comfortable sleeping on his first-class seat. On the other hand, Nicolae fretted about how he should behave once he saw Aleksis at his birthday party. The girl would definitely come because she was Lauriel's favorite child.
And she must be coming to the party with her children. Nicolae did not know whether he would be able to look at the two children of the man who had taken Aleksis from him.
Gosh ...
"Go to sleep ... You have no one to blame if later at the party the girls run away from you thinking you are a vampire after seeing you with those eyebags," snorted Terry before turning to another side and going back to sleep.
"Vampire? I don't mind." Nicolae snapped at Terry, but in the end, he forced himself to sleep too.