That Day

34: The Mysterious Investor

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Morning came, and I encountered that guy from my review class again. This time, he was driving a car.

"Hi. Want a ride?" he said, smiling smugly. Dwayne was right; the guy had an irritatingly self-satisfied grin, as if showing off because he was driving a Toyota Hilux Pick-up.

I didn't respond and just shook my head. Then, I texted Dwayne to come pick me up.

Sigh. I thought I could avoid my ex-husband, but now I seem to rely on him more because of this guy.

"Looks like your ride won't show up," he said arrogantly, grinning wider. "What's the deal with you and him? Are you his wife? Why don't you live together then?" he added.

I glared at him. I really despise people who meddle in others' lives.

After a while, I breathed a sigh of relief as Dwayne's car arrived. The arrogant guy's face paled when he saw the Rolls-Royce Phantom my ex-husband was driving.

I had never noticed Dwayne had such a car before. He must have borrowed it to impress.

"Well, I'll be off then, Ma'am. Looks like your ride's here," the guy said hastily, driving away without a second glance.

"Good morning," Dwayne greeted me with a huge smile as he stepped out of the luxurious car, holding a bouquet of flowers. What a waste of money, I thought. Couldn't he just buy diapers and milk?

"For the most beautiful woman in the world," he said, handing me the flowers.

"What are these for? Should I bring them to the review center?" I asked, accepting them anyway.

Flowers don’t make me blush anymore. He should have done this before.

"I’ll put them inside. And I can get a good morning kiss from Baby," he said, taking the bouquet from my hand.

"You didn't shave. Don't kiss the baby; her skin will turn red," I scolded him.

"Ahh," he responded sadly. "So, should I kiss the Mommy instead?" he teased, slowly leaning in.

"Put those inside, or I'll be late. I might have to take a tricycle," I said, stepping back to avoid him.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, quickly going inside the house.

Two minutes later, he came out, locked the gate, and opened the car door for me. I buckled my seatbelt immediately, wary of his antics.

"Shall we have lunch together later?" he asked as he got into the driver’s seat.

"I have to go home to nurse Baby," I replied.

"Lucky Baby Shanaiah," he muttered under his breath, which made me frown and glare at him.

"What?" I demanded.

"Baby Shanaiah is lucky to have you as her Mommy," he said. But I knew he meant something else, like our baby is lucky to be nursed by me, and he’s not. What is he, a child?

"So, how was your meeting yesterday?" I changed the topic.

"Not good. Some investors are thinking of moving their investments," he said, his face turning serious.

"Ahh," I replied, unable to relate this investment thingy.

Soon, we arrived at the review center. I unbuckled my seatbelt, and he got out to open the door for me. I felt a bit lazy for not even having to open the door myself.

"I’ll pick you up later at 11:30," he said, suddenly kissing my cheek.

I didn't have time to react as he quickly got back into the car. I just glared at him as I walked into the review center.

He honked three times before driving away but I didn't look back.

At noon, the persistent guy was surprisingly quiet. When I left the review center, he didn't offer me a ride, especially since Dwayne's car was parked outside.

Who wouldn't be silent when competing with a Toyata Hilux against a Rolls-Royce Phantom? He knew his car couldn’t compare to Dwayne's when it comes to price.

"Hi," Dwayne greeted me with a big smile, standing by his car and opening the door for me like a bodyguard.

"Ahh, how I wish to have such a sweet and handsome boyfriend," I heard some of my female review classmates say. I gave them a shy smile and quickly got into the car.

"I just came from home. Baby Shanaiah was asleep and had already been fed," he said, smiling. "Maybe we can have lunch out?"

I gave him a stern look. "Sure? Maybe you just told the nanny to put the baby to sleep so you could have a move to me," I mouthed glaring at him.

"Ahh. N-no. We can even go there to check now," he stammered.

"Hmm. Let's see," I said and he started the car.

As he drove, his phone rang. Since he was driving, he put it on loudspeaker. His car was high-tech, automatically connecting his phone to the system.

"Hello, May?" he answered, glancing at me. "She's just my company secretary," he whispered to me explaining his relationship with whoever is valling him.

I rolled my eyes and pretended to look out the window. Like, who cares?

"Sir, there's an emergency. The Board wants an urgent meeting with you," the secretary said nervously. "Some of our stockholders want to sell their shares to a certain person."

I raised my eyebrows. Her voice was cute; she must be pretty.

"It's their right to sell their shares. Why the urgent meeting?" he replied, still driving. His smile faded.

"Because, Sir, the person buying the shares will hold the most in the company, putting your position as the Majority owner and CEO at stake," the secretary explained.

"What? So they want to sell their shares to a single person?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes, Sir. The Board thinks someone is trying to take over the company by buying the investors' shares at a high price."

"Okay. Set the meeting for 1 o'clock. I have an important appointment now," he said, ending the call.

His smile vanished and was replaced with a worried one. Despite the car’s cold air conditioning, he was sweating.

The situation sounded serious, and his position as CEO was in real danger. Whoever was buying the stocks seemed to have ill intentions towards Dwayne.

I glanced at him. He was clearly affected, gripping the steering wheel tightly and sighing deeply. He didn't look at me, silently driving into our subdivision.

"I’ll eat at home. You need to go to that meeting," I said, feeling sorry for him.

"No, the meeting is scheduled for 1 o'clock. It's okay," he replied, forcing a smile.

"No. You need to go," I insisted. This wasn’t a minor issue. "We can have dinner together later," I said, smiling for the first time since we separated.

He sighed. I thought he’d be happy, but he seemed very serious about the company issue.

"Promise?" he asked, looking at me seriously.

"Yeah," I replied.

We stopped in front of our gate, and he quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, got out, and opened my door.

"Thanks," I said. "Go on now," I urged him, entering the gate.

"I love you," he said, slowly approaching and kissing my forehead.

I didn’t avoid him this time. I just smiled, closed the gate, and walked away.

####

I have a mixed emotion now. Should I feel thrilled of their growing feelings? Or should I be worried for Dwayne's company?