Chapter 381 - President Sanches

Meanwhile, back in Orlando, Florida, it was the last day of the convention, Sato, Fumika, and Celia were finishing all their work so they could all go back to Houston. They haven't spoken to Ashley ever since they left for Europe, and Sato was to follow them while Fumika needs to go back to Houston to be Tanaka's assistant with all the duties he had running the company.

They were having a wonderful time while packing all the advertising materials leftover. Celia had just gone inside the makeshift office when President Sanches showed up looking for Ashley.

When Sato saw him, his face turned sour. 

Sure, he was a good looking guy, but he turned him off. He had a nasty attitude and could be quite the narcissistic person, making even the purest of hearts want to gag when meeting him. 

"Can I help you with something, President Sanches?" Sato asked, rolling his eyes.

His brows rose when he heard Sato's response to his question. Therefore, his voice was louder than usual when he spoke.

"I don't think so! Unless you can tell me where is President Jones at the moment?" Said President Sanches sternly. Which had made Sato much more irritated, he never liked him from the beginning, and he still doesn't like him now. He looked at him straight in the face before he responded.

"Well, you guessed it right, I won't be able to help you since I will not tell you where President Jones is right now. However, I will be kind to inform you that she is no longer in town. She left and went back home with her husband and family a couple of days ago." He then turned around and continued packing so they could get out of there the sooner, the better, ignoring President Sanches in return.

When Sato turned around and left him standing and continued whatever he was doing, President Sanches turned his attention to another person who was busy picking up things. It's Fumika, who was busy with boxes.

"Excuse me, miss, beautiful... If I may bother you for a moment?" He asked so sweetly, his two dimples heavily indented.

Fumika turned to look at who was speaking to her and recognized him as the man that Ashley didn't want to have anything to do with. However, since he was kind to her, she decided to be nice to him as well. She stopped what she was doing and gave him her full attention. Ready to answer whatever he would be asking.

"Yes, sir... What can I do for you? I only have a moment, so please be quick." She stood there waiting for what he was going to ask with a comprehensive eye like a little doe.

His handsome face scowled and was ready to bite her head off, but thought of the consequences if he did. He holds his anger and calms himself down before he says anything.

"I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm a childhood friend of your boss President Jones, and we have a business to discuss. I didn't get the chance to last time, and I got busy and couldn't come until now. Do you, by chance, know how I could get a hold of her?" He said it with the sweetest smile he could conjure. He figures that this is the way he could win the young lady's heart. Not!

Since Fumika knew full well that her lady boss doesn't want to do anything with him, she tried to think of the best way to dissuade him from coming after her boss. "Hmmm, how should I say this without hurting his feelings? He seems to be a nice person, but I know the boss couldn't stand him. How should I go about this?" She mumbles to herself silently.

"Did you say something?" He heard her mumbling, but it was so low that he couldn't understand what she was saying. He only listened to the part that her boss couldn't stand him. Ha! If they only knew that Ashley likes him as far as he could remember. It just so happened that Tanaga was faster than him. He didn't show that he heard part of what she mumbles to herself.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not in the liberty to divulge what my bosses were about. Unfortunately, all I could tell right now is that she already went home..." She could not finish what she was going to say, for the man in front of her cut her off.

"Yea! Yea! Yea! I heard it already from your colleague that she went home with her husband and family. That's fine! You don't have to waste your breath and saliva informing me something I already know. What I want to know is a good contact number that I could call her. Can you do that for me?" He irritably asked Fumika.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't. If there's nothing else, I still have a lot of work. Gooday!" She then turned around and went to the makeshift office without looking back. 

Alden was fuming after that event, and he was about to go after Fumika when Sato raised his head and glared at him. "Excuse me! That area is off-limits. If you don't want me to call security right now, I suggest you go on your merry way. He said it with his hands in the air, and all his fingers were waving like a drama queen.

There was nothing Alden could do but to turn around and leave. However, as he was walking by the table, he saw Ashley's business card and took one. He didn't look at it until he was further away. 

"Ha! You all think you could outsmart me and not give me her information. Well, too bad because I now have her business card, and I know exactly where the THJ Group office. Hahaha!" He was happy as a lark as he made his way out of the convention center. 

===

Once he made it back to the hotel, Alden couldn't wait to call THJ Group. However, once his call got through, it was an answering service that picked up his call. The office was closed for the day, and all the calls automatically went to the answering service.

"THJ Group Marine Division, answering service... How may I help you?" Answer the person on the other line.

"Damn!" He grumbled out loud.

"Excuse me! How dare you curse at me?" The person on the other line said before... *Tut-tut-tut!* She hangs up on Alden.

Since it was an answering service that picked up the call, he figures that the office hours are over. He then decided to call his travel agent and book a flight to Houston so that he could visit the office in person. After making his reservation, Alden went downstairs to the restaurant to have dinner. There's no sense in moping around. He might as well enjoy himself on his last night in Orlando.

While waiting for his dinner to be served, he was in deep thought about Ashley and her husband. He's wondering how did they end up getting married?

When was the first time they bumped into each other in Japan? Where they already married or not? He still remembers that she went to one of their flagship stores, and she couldn't afford to buy any of their clothes. Therefore, they were not married yet. 

The second time they met was in his family restaurant, and they did not look sweet with each other at all. And he still remembers CEO Jones saying that she's his assistant. So how did it happen so quickly? With that, Alden decided to find out as much as he can about Ashley and CEO Jones. 

He will hire an investigator to find out how they ended up getting married in less than a month? If Ashley were being forced, he would do everything in his power to rescue her. A Smile procured on his face thinking of the possibility of Ashley becoming his. Just in time for his dinner to arrive, and he begins eating with gusto.

===

The next day, Alden arrived at the door of THJ Group in Houston. He told the security guard that he was there to meet with the President, and he has an appointment. Since he didn't mention the name, the security automatically assumed that he had a Tanaka meeting. 

However, Tanaka was not in yet. He had an appointment elsewhere, and there's no one inside the President's office at the moment. Therefore, Alden has no choice but to go to his hotel and check-in first. Just as he was walking back towards his rental car... He saw another vehicle arrive, and he glanced to see who's inside. 

When he saw the person inside the vehicle, a wide grin came out on his face. He couldn't' believe his luck; for all the people he could bump into, it just had to be his friend President Koji Hanada in person...