The Way to a Man's Heart

Chapter 11

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

I would like to thank reader @pg0004 for brainstorming with me on this chapter. Thank you so much. I shamelessly look forward to more collaboration with you, pg0004 😁

Tae's POV

When my father announced that he and Mr. Ratthanaphast had been planning a merger, my first reaction was excitement. A merger would make our company stronger than the new land developer that was threatening to take over the real estate industry and wipe out our business.

Then the realization hit me. Forming the merger would mean close encounter and constant interaction with Dome. Dome the very person who hated me with every fiber of his being. The thought of seeing him again caused me great anxiety.

But then again, I looked at it as a chance to redeem myself to him. To let him know once and for all that the accusation he had hurled at me on the day when he returned from the UK was absolutely false, that he had jumped to a wrong conclusion, that he had judged me wrongly.

I assured my father that I would help with the business in every way I could.

Mr. Ratthanaphast and my father had set the day for signing the merger contract on the first day of the following month. My father's secretary had made reservations for the important meeting at the executive lounge of one of the top rank hotels of the country. We could have easily chosen our own offices or the Ratthanaphast executive conference room for the contract signing but we wanted to meet in a neutral environment.

I woke up bright and early on that day. We were going to meet at eight in the morning. it was going to be a breakfast meeting.

I nervously adjusted my tie and combed back my hair and styled it in the fashion that made me look best before I drove over to pick up the documents from my father's secretary.

My father met me at the entrance of the hotel lobby. His trusty driver was punctual as usual. I was delayed by five minutes because traffic got snarled up at the corner of the road just one block before turning into this street for some reason.

"Did you bring the documents?" my father asked me in lieu of a greeting.

I raised the red ribboned folder that I was holding in my hand.

My father motioned for us to enter the hotel.

"The Ratthanaphasts are already at the executive lounge waiting for us," my father said as we walked towards the set of elevators. "Mr. Ratthanaphast texted me earlier when they got here."

The information knotted up my stomach. I was going to see Dome again after all these years.

Mr. Ratthanaphast rose from his seat as soon as he saw us walk into the room. Dome slowly followed suit but he was looking straight ahead. He was looking at no one in particular.

My heart skipped a beat. Dome was looking even more handsome than he did the last time that I had seen him.

My father extended his hand to Mr. Ratthanaphast. They shook hands heartily.

"Excuse me," Dome said even before my father could extend his hand to Dome.

"Where are you going?" his father asked in an edgy voice.

"I'll be back shortly," Dome said before walking away from the table.

My father took the documents from me and set them down on the table.

"We have brought the merger contracts," he said to Mr. Ratthanaphast.

Just at that moment, a uniformed waiter approached our table with a trolley of assorted china and carafes and shiny white pitchers of different sizes and containers of assorted tea bags and sugars.

My father and I took our individual seats.

"Coffee or tea, sir?" the waiter asked my father.

"Black coffee, please," my father replied.

I asked for hot tea to calm my nerves. Mr. Ratthanaphast asked for the same.

Just at that moment Dome walked back to the table. He was looking very pale.

When the waiter asked him what he wanted to drink, he asked for a glass of whiskey.

Mr. Ratthanaphast placed his hand firmly on Dome's shoulder.

"Don't do this, Dome," he said reproachfully.

"Give him a cup of black tea," his father said to the waiter.

Our two fathers exchanged the usual pleasantries as the waiter started placing a batch of ciabatta rolls and small containers of seasoned olive oil for dipping the ciabatta. He then placed a platter of assorted cold cuts followed by assorted cheeses.

I noticed that Dome was not touching any food. He just silently sipped his coffee, looking around the room but never at me or my father.

My father tried to draw him into our conversation.

"So what's keeping you busy these days, Dome?" my father asked.

"The usual," Dome replied tersely.

"And what is the usual?" my father insisted on knowing.

Dome picked up his cup of black coffee and placed it to his lips. He sipped very slowly.

Mr. Ratthanaphast broke the awkward silence by turning to me and saying, "I'm guessing you're still cheering for Manchester United."

He always never got it right.

"Liverpool," I corrected him.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know why I always assume that you're rooting for the same team as Dome's"

Dome started to cough.

I was almost a hundred percent sure that memories of that fateful night had come rushing to his head.

I had been watching the game between Manchester and Liverpool with my friends who were all Liverpool fans of course. We had all been drinking beer and passing around assorted finger food while watching the match.

One of my friends, Singto, had been a bit more soused than the others. He was sitting close beside me and had rested his head on my shoulder.

I had thought nothing of it at that time. I had always discarded the inkling that he had some kind of thing going for me.

Suddenly he snaked his arm around my neck and placed a wet kiss on my cheek.

At that exact moment one of my friends had stood up to open the door when it buzzed.

Dome walked in, still holding his suitcase in his hand. He had come to my apartment straight from the airport. He had meant it to be a happy surprise for me by not telling me in advance that he was coming back from Yorkshire that night.

I extricated myself from Singto's clingy arms and tried to run after Dome who was already on his way out the door.

I was not prepared for the kick box that he dealt me and which sent me reeling to the ground.

All my attempts to communicate with him were futile. Up to this very day.