3 YEARS LATER…

Dubai, 9.00 am, Thursday

SImple WONders- Office

“ Mrs. Evelyn Tachibana’s office, how may I assist you?” I say to the stern vice on the other side of the line

“ No she is not here yet. She is flying in today from Milan. She will be in the office at exactly 10.19am. Can I take a message?”

Mrs. Evelyn Tachibana, that crazy- ! Damn that woman really makes everyone work just because she wants to works and does not have a social life, does not mean others don’t have one. God, how long have I been tied to this chair! I cant even move a little. She really is a horrible woman.

“ Katy, She is here!! she is here.” I hear Emily’s voice, trembling as she announces the arrival of my boss on the intercom. I look at the time, its 10.18 am. Damn this woman is really on time. I’ve been her assistant for the past two years and I’ve already aged 10 years. The way she makes me work breaks my bone and my brains. The long hours, the Absolutely- No- Social- Life, the crazy bashings, the screaming have all got to my nervous. Yet, I’m here, working for this impossible woman. Why? Because, she has that passion. The same passion that I want, to learn and endure. She has given me the opportunity to travel with her to Paris and Milan the 6^th month I started working at SImple WONders. So that’s awesome. I got to meet the designers and have high class champagnes and meet some hot guys. But when we come back, I have to deal with her work and damn that woman works a lot.  Today is my weekend and after today, im going have two full days of rest. Ill catch up on that guy I met the bar the other night…may be get some action? Hhmmm…lets see.

*Clack Clack Clack I hear her Louboutins heels clack in the halls of SW and I run to receive her.

“ So why was the first print of the ‘Culture meets Edge’ photo-shoot not sent to me Katy? And the shoes, what bloody shoes were those? Ask Mark to send another design. What happened to the seating at Milan? I wanted you to confirm that I got my seat way away from the speakers and what happens I sit next the bloody black boxes blaring into my ears. Good job with the hotel, they took care of me and the briefs you gave me good. Very detailed. Good work there. New male models will be flying in tonight, I want you to sort it out not matter how long it takes and Katy, get me Nancy Rawaq on the Phone.”

“ Tonight…..” I stammer. Oh god! There goes my weekend!

“ Yes Tonight Katherine. Do we have a problem.” Her words are piercing.

“ No…not at all. Ill sorts it out. I’ll sleep at the airport, if situation may call for it.” god damn it!

“ Good, now get Nancy Rawaq.”

She slides into her cold, cold office that is painted and decorated in black. The walls and the artistic pieces- All black. She strides in, with her Louboutins making that annoying-scary clacking sound, her deep purple hair, her Channel glasses and Versace silk dress- Damn this woman knows fashion and how to work it- yet she is the devil right there, in her kingdom. I wonder how her husband is living with her? jeez so dominating!

“ Kathrine!!” she calls out for me making me snap out of my observation. Wonder what she has for me now.

Seoul,

Neon Lights, 10.30 am, Thursday

“ But Ga In, please! I beg of you. Please don’t sell Neon Lights. I worked really hard on it.” I pleaded like a spinless moron. God what did I do to be in such a pathetic situation?

“ Hard on it? Or hard on her? that you called your girlfriend.”

“ Ga In please, lets not do this again. You wanted Choi International and you promised to give me those documents about my dad. I agreed to sing of everything that was under my name to you and now you have 70% share in the company and yet you have not given those documents. Now you want to sell Neon Lights…why Ga In? Why? Is this not enough for you? You made me sacrifice my love, I did. You cheated and bankrupted my dad, you did. For my sake he kept quiet and sat at home. Now he is piece of meat walking around. Is this all not enough?”

“ No it’s not enough! I want everything! Everything. Everything that’s all yours! I want it all.” She said in the most arrogant way.

“ You have it all.”

“ No…till I stop, not everything is mine.”

“ Ga In please. Neon Lights is all I have to say its mine and you already more than 60% shares in its. Please don’t sell it off.”

“ Listen here Siwon.” she came forward like a prying tiger so close that her breath was on me. NO! “ I am your boss and your everything. Don’t you dare argue with me. you talking with me like this now, is irritating me. you open your mouth again, and remember, I know where your precious little is. She is dead with one phone call I make and I can add in your old man who has been irritating me for a while now.  Understand? Your dad was stupid to commit such a mistake and now he is suffering. You , she well, was just a . I can kill both anytime. Just remember that.” she staring down at me. I don’t know if what she saying is true or not. I don’t have another choice. I have to keep dad and Dara safe.

“ Do you understand?” she screamed at me.

“ Yes…” I submit to her again with my head down.

“ Good. Now that we understand each other, I want to you to meet someone today.”

“ Who?”

“ Maxime Andree”

“ Max?!” I whispered. My fight with him for Dara at Jeju all came back as a nightmare.

“ Yes the very same…the one you punched in the face for that . He said he has some ‘unfinished business’ with you.” she snickered.

Oh god, I screamed in agony.

8.30 pm, Dubai

Jumeriah Beach Side Condo:

“ Daddy, when will mommy come home?”

“ She will be here in a few minutes darling. Now eat your broccoli I’m watching you.” I feed the little piece of vegetable to the angel in front of me and protesting

“ But I hate ‘ccoli.”

“ But its good for your health sweety.”

“ But its not nice. I want apple pie and apple are good.” smart little one!

I smile at the little angel’s cute argument. Ah, my life would be so bland without her.

“ Eat what your dad has given you Sasi.” Ah! There she is. Dara has come home. Sasi, turns her head almost immediately and runs to her mom.

“ Mommy!!”

“ Hey baby!” Dara picks her up with a grand smile and kisses her cheeks to which Sasi giggles. I bet that’s the first smile of the day she has had.

“ How was your day?” she brushes the dark back hair of her two and half year old. Dara makes such a lovely mother.

“ It was ok…I play with dolly.”

“ Oh you played with dolly? Good. Now go finish your dinner. Dad is waiting with the spoon in the air. Let us not make him wait longer.”

“ Ok…” she nods in the most adorable way and come into my embrace. I kiss her head and make her finish her dinner.  after I try my level best to empty the plate into Sasi’s stomach, which I miserably failed, she runs off to play again. That kid!

“ Do you want something to drink Da-“ I stop and look at the shocked expression of Dara. She hates anyone who calls her Dara. Absolutely hates it. Why? She still can’t get over the man she loved, loves and will always love, who called her that way. She can’t stand anyone else call her with the same name that he called her for his every breath.  now she is Evelyn to everyone. Not a single person here knows her as Sandara. She said she wanted to forget her past, and I try my best to keep that up. I understand, After all, I love her too. Its just, I hope she understands that. We have not spoken about him after we moved to Dubai three years ago. SHE has not spoken about him. With her work, her daughter and me, life is just going on for her without any ‘life’ in it.

“ Eve, do you want anything to drink?” I rephrase my question. I see her physically relax.

“ Uumm…no let me go change first.”

“ Have you had dinner Arata?”

“ Waiting for you.” I tell her and she smiles at me.

“ Give me two minutes, we’ll have dinner together.” She says and walks up the stairs.

Sandara Evelyn Day, has become Evelyn Tachibana. Yes, we married- A marriage of convince if you may will. Our marriage is contractual, an agreement between two friends who have to abide to a few social standards. I agreed to this fake marriage because, well, I love her. I could not see her standing alone depressed, broken and alone. She would have killed herself. When her daughter came into this world, she was completely lost. She did not know what to do. That’s when, on the advice of the few people she still believes and trust’s in, we got married just for the society. I, with my full heart wanted to do this for her. she is a wonderful woman and to see her like this was just not right. So I married her, to protect her, to save her, to make her live life. We are just husband and wife on paper. Just on paper- nothing more.  She wanted to forget her past- she changed herself. her appearence and her name and with our marriage she without complaint took my name. Now she goes by Mrs. Evelyn Tachibana. But the truth, lies deep within us. In these three years, she has become a great friend to me. A moral support for me. She has become my strength in my life and my profession. When her daughter came along, she had a small reason to live again and build a little world. I protect her, she protects me. That’s our balance. We respect each other and we love our little angel Sasi.

“ Lets eat Arata. Im starving.” I hear Dara, as she comes down the stairs.

“ Why? did you not eat lunch?” I scold her. She gives me that shy smile that really tells me her age.

“ No…..i was busy with the recent Milan trip…so”

“ How many times should I tell you to eat your lunch? Why wont you listen Eve?”

“ Mr. Arata, are you scolding me?”

“ Yes I am.” I laugh at her. I just can’t be angry with such a silly girl.

I place the udon soup noodles in front of her. As usual she eats and drinks just a coupe of spoon and protests not to eat more. I scold her again and she eats the rest. Its sometime I’m feeding a kid. Only that the kid is older and is managing an entire consultancy.

“ Here…” Dara hands me a glass a wine as I enjoy the evening breeze from the sea.

“ How was your day?” she asks me.

“ Good, the hospital had some good business. I met with a scholar, who is interested to doing a research on my medical procedures.” Ive been able to continue my work as a Japanese medic here in Dubai and people find my medical approach very different and effective. I’ve had the opportunity to even treat some of the royals. Thanks to Nancy as well.

“ That’s great to know. I hope you will get more international recognition.”

“ No…I don’t want that Eve, I just want people to healthy and safe and happy. That’s all.”

“ This is so you Arata. Always caring for the world. I’m very proud of you.” she said with a fulfilling smile.

“ So Nancy called me today.” I informed her.

“ Yeah…I spoke to her.” Dara dragged her response.

“ Oh good. What did she say?”

“ ummm….” Dara hesitated.

“ What is it? What did Nancy say?”

“ She….uumm… she is in Seoul.” In Seoul, this will be interesting.

“ In Seoul?!”

“ Yeah..the International fashion conference is being held there. She is representing Morocco there.”

“ Uh-hn- was Neon Lights present at the conference? Did she say something about it?” I carefully put my question forward. Dara immediately tenses and goes pale. Very pale.

“ Arata, please stop…I don’t want to talk about this.”

“ Eve…please…” this woman… just does not want to go there, but wants to bottle up everything and cry on her heart.

“ Arata stop. I said I don’t want to talk about it and I dint talk to Nancy about it, even though she started with it. she is coming into Dubai next week. I told her not to visit me, if she is going to talk about Seoul.”

“ Eve, its been three years… “

“ Yes Arata, its been three f***ing years and its f***ing annoying that a few people such as your self keep reminding me about the most horrible time of my life. So please stop. You are a good friend and I cant thank you enough for what you did and what you are doing- I owe my life to you, I’m begging you please stop.” She snaps. She more than snaps. She gets furious. Her emotions turns into a pleading fury and she walks back into the kitchen. I’ve been trying to get her out of this feeling for these past years, but I’ve just not been able to. She is not trying to get herself over the year she has been in Seoul, she has been with Neon Lights, she has been with Siwon. She has locked her self into the box and is coving up with the fake emotion of happy and the true emotion of fury. She is young, she has to live her life- happy not angry and sad. She has to get out. I want to help her.

I want to get her back to Sandara Evelyn Day- the Sandara I fell in love with in Japan. 

(P.S: the weekend in the Middle East is Friday and Saturday. The last working day of the week is Thurday.)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A fake life...

For the both of them...

What will they do?

____________________________________________________

Hello everyone!

Here is an update for you guys.

So Dara has married and Siwon is stuck in his trap of blackmail...

Thank you very much for your support,

Please keep commenting and let me know your thoughts.

Also a big thank you for all the new Subscribers!

You guys are awesome!! :)

________________________________________________________

To Be

______________________________

Continued