Memories of Tomorrow

60 - Allen Smith

I've heard Oliver's parents don't approve of Lee because of her non-background. I hope them knowing I'm her brother will make them treat her better.

"Are you really Lee's brother?" Mr. Taylor asked.

"Yes, sir. I'm the youngest." I answered while browsing a file Clara gave me. It's a proposal on what they plan to do with the property.

"Where do I sign?" I asked. If it's for Lee and Oliver, I really don't need to be bothered by the details.

"Aren't you going to read it? We have the feasibility here, and our proposed share in the profit of the venture." Clara explained.

"It's a wedding gift for my sister and her husband. They can do whatever they want with it." I clarified. This is no business to me.

"Oh, okay. Uh, here's the draft of the contract. But there are details there you might want to remove if you're going to give it as gift."

"Can you do that for me?" I returned the paper to her.

"Yes. Just give me five minutes." This woman works efficiently, but she must know I'm not here on business. I raised an eyebrow and showed a small smile.

"I'm in no rush. We're not at the office. Take your time, please."

She stopped for a second, then. Just staring. Then, a "yes, sir" which made her blush.

"I heard you're a self-made millionaire. Your family isn't from a wealthy background, is it?" Mrs. Taylor posed.

"I wouldn't say that. Technically, it was Lee who's from a wealthy background. I assume you're familiar with Henry Sanders?" I sat comfortably on their sofa. I eyed a small pot on the table.

"Would you like some soup? Lee made this." Clara offered. She's instinctive.

"Sure, Lee used to burn the kitchen. I'm glad she actually learned to cook." I can only laugh. She did offer to cook for us the last time we hang out together. We all declined and forced her to stay on the living room.

"Henry Sanders of the Sanders Corp? My son bought that company from his granddaughter."

I smiled. "If I remember correctly, Lee cursed your son for a full day after the purchase was said and done."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Taylor didn't catch up.

"Lee. Leandra Sanders. She sold the company she inherited to your son, yes?" Every one of them stared at me, including Clara.

"No way." Mrs. Taylor and Clara both said.

"I thought you said you're her brother?" Mr. Taylor spoke up.

I shrugged. "Half-siblings. Family secret. I'm sure you understand." I'm glad they didn't bother to pry on that.

"We were tempted to tease her when she said she's marrying Oliver. But I'm sure she let it go already. Lee's not the type to harbor resentment. The next day after she cursed Oliver, she didn't mention him again. She understands business, but she's sentimental when it comes to Henry."

"I heard Ms. Sanders requested to retain the name of the company." Clara quipped.

"That she did. We were planning to register a new company under the same name, but... it wouldn't be the same, so we didn't push through. Now, if we can purchase the building back from Oliver..." I let that hang.

"But why didn't you just manage the company then? Why sell it?" Mr. Taylor asked.

"I was still in college when it happened. My brothers are just starting out on their own, and they're in a completely different line of business, so... Lee didn't bother us. Lee's not into business. She likes to travel. She invests here and there, whatever she sees to have potential. She shared her inheritance with us. So, I'm not really a self-made millionaire. I feel that I wouldn't have made it if she didn't provide that support. She clearly didn't put pressure on us. She said we can spend as much money we need until we learn our trade. It will be failures at the start. It took quite a while before I actually learned, have set standards, set policies, and that's when we started operating properly. There were a lot of improvements we've made over the years. It was fun and challenging. Lee's a good mentor."

"She's been with Oliver for almost two years. Didn't you search for her?" Mrs. Taylor asked, an expression of concern on her face.

"Trust me, we did. I lost count how many private investigators I hired just to search for her. My brothers did as well. When I think about it, I feel stupid for not searching for her here, in the city. I mean, her house is just five blocks away. I'm not sure where we went wrong." I was suddenly in deep thought. It will really have you thinking. Two years, and we didn't find her. I'm thankful Alex found her.

"She lost her memories, right? It's not like you can ask about her based on what you know, since she's a blank slate." Clara stated. She shrugged when I turned to her.

I shrugged as well.

"Who knows." For the longest time, I actually have reason to suspect she's doing something else aside from just travelling. A classmate of mine saw her on the streets when she's supposed to be abroad. One time, I think I saw her as well when she's supposed to be on vacation. She was wearing something else. I thought I misrecognized someone for her.

"She doesn't socialize frequently, does she?" Mrs. Taylor had to ask.

"No, ma'am. She hates it. She likes to be left alone, mostly. She values our privacy. And as Oliver's family, I hope you can keep everything I've said as secret outside the family."

"Of course." It was Mr. Taylor who responded.