Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 45: Robert Is back I

Sarah was busy watering her flowers when she noticed a red Ferrari parked in front of their gate. Since when do such cars appear in this area? The luxury car sparked her curiosity and she hid behind a tree, waiting to see the owner. What she didn't notice was that the tree trunk wasn't big enough to hide her whole body.

"Hey, you can come out now." The car window rolled down and Sarah heard someone laughing. "I can see you." Robert, who had a black leather jacket and blue jeans, stepped out of the car and headed towards her.

Embarrassed, Sarah walked out of her 'hiding', covering her face with her hands while peeking through the spaces between her fingers. These two liked to act silly around each other. "Ahem..." she cleared her throat and acted as if she wasn't caught hiding. "I was wondering which rich kid had to be this flashy. Turns out it was you, young master Chen."

"Who else if not this handsome boy here." Robert teased and outstretched his arms, waiting for a hug. Sarah dodged his open arms and headed straight to the gate. Robert's expectant face collapsed and he held his chest dramatically, "I've just returned home and my wife doesn't even want to see me. How can you break my heart like this?

Sarah stopped walking and turned around to face him. One could almost see black lines on her face. "Who's your wife?"

"You, of course," Roberts answered without thinking. Sarah glared at him and he corrected his sentence in time, "Okay fine, not yet. But it doesn't mean you won't be in the future."

"Okay, let's talk about that in the future." Her face relaxed and she folded her arms across her chest. "So, what brings you here?"

"Ai, so heartless," Roberts said, pretending to be hurt. "Can't you even invite me to your house, maybe, offer some tea and cookies."

"That's for guests. You are not a guest."

"Okay fine," Robert stopped joking and leaned on the car. He put one hand in his pocket and smiled. "I'm here to pick you up."

"Where are we going?"

"Just get in the car." He opened the door for her and ushered her to get in, imitating how the Chauffers would do in the movies.

"So secretive," Sarah said but still got into the car anyway. Robert smiled, looking pleased with himself, and walked to the driver's seat.

About half an hour later, the car pulled over in a leafy suburb east of the city. There was an approximately twenty or twenty-two-storey luxury apartment complex. Sarah peeked out the window and couldn't help but widen her eyes. "Wow, this is amazing! Where is this place?"

"My house," Robert answered with a smile as he rolled down his window. He stretched out his hand and tapped a card on a small square-shaped spot on the pillar along the driveway. With a beep, a green light flashed and the automatic gate opened. He drove straight to a basement parking where Sarah saw many other luxury cars she had only seen in advertisements.

They took the lift to the eighteenth floor. There were only two apartments on this floor, with Robert's on the left. Robert swiped a card over the lock, and with a beep, the door opened.  He dragged her to the kitchen full of groceries before she had a chance to admire the magnificence of such a luxurious apartment.

"Hey Sarah, see I've bought all the necessities. Could you please make us a plate of delicious pilau? It's been a long time since I tasted your cooking."

Sarah's face darkened. "Wait... you dragged me all the way here just to cook for you? Where are your manners? You could have ordered a takeout, why trouble me for such a thing?" she rested her forehead on her palms and sighed. "And here I am, thinking that you missed me."

"Hey, how can I order a takeout? No expert chef is enough to rival your cooking." He patted her shoulder with a flattering smile plastered on his face. He got even more shameless and assumed a begging posture. "Can't you take pity on this poor soul? I haven't tasted that delicious food in nine years. Nine whole years! I've been thinking about this entire time. Please fulfill this one wish of mine."

Sarah pretended to be upset and Robert massaged her arms while looking at her with puppy eyes. "Remember you owe me one." It was true that Sarah had promised to make him her grandma's specialty that year before they separated. Sadly, that never happened because of an unexpected twist of events.

"Fine," Sarah said, dragging the vowel.

"Whoa!" Robert cheered, "I knew it. There's no way you could say no to your good brother here."

Sarah rolled up her sleeves and got to work while Robert would occasionally pass something to her or help wash the vegetables when needed. The happy chatter of two friends filled the room and occasional laughter could be heard. The sizzling delicacy in the pot emitted a sweet aroma that made one salivate. The happy atmosphere was interrupted by a doorbell.

"He's here." Robert sprung up from the countertop and headed to the door.

"Who?"

"My good friend," Robert answered without looking at her. "I invited him," he added when Sarah frowned and proceeded to open the door.

Sarah was stunned to see Henry walk into the kitchen with Robert. Robert decided it was a good time to reintroduce his friend. "This is my good brother who shared life and death experiences with me when I was studying at Havard. Don't underestimate his capabilities, he has helped our Chen company a great deal. He's qualified enough to be my sworn brother but he'd been too busy this past two years to meet me. We couldn't even chat at the reunion."

Robert placed his arm around Henry's shoulder. "I heard you were in Malaysia a few days ago. Did you come back because you knew I was coming?"

Henry smirked. "No matter how busy I am, I still can't resist seeing your annoying face."

"Ha, I knew it!" Robert smacked Henry's shoulder and smiled. "I knew you missed me too." He ushered Henry to the living room while Sarah stayed in the kitchen to finish cooking.

Ten minutes later, Sarah turned off the heat and headed to the living room. She found them in the middle of a conversation. She plopped on the nearest chair and listened in on them. Since Robert invited both of them, she could be part of this conversation.

"Why did you decide to go home?" Robert crossed his hands on his chest and leaned back on the sofa. "You had managed your Xian Company well over the years and then suddenly, decided to take over the Salva Corporation. No matter what, you shouldn't leave your life in Boston over a woman."

Henry pursed his lips and remained quiet.

"How good was it back then," Robert sighed as he looked at Henry, who seemed undisturbed. "I haven't gone car racing since you left. What is the point of owning a Ferrari if I can't race?" Robert leaned forward and clasped his hands. "Was it worth it losing your freedom over a woman?"

Sarah felt that it wasn't appropriate for her to be here. No matter how curious she was about the woman Robert was talking about, it wasn't something she deserved to know. She got up and went back to serve dinner for everyone.

 Robert and Sarah sat on the same side while Henry sat on the opposite chair during dinner. These two wouldn't stop teasing each other at the table. Henry looked at the two figures that acted so intimate with each other with a calm expression. He remembered the little girl Robert had mentioned to him years ago.

'I'd had enough of life at G City. At that time, the Chen family already had a huge business company, but becoming the CEO wasn't my dream. My biggest dream was to stay with that girl...'

'The girl is stubborn, but I liked her character. I loved to tease her and watch her lose her temper. It was hilarious. But on the third day of the first month that year, my father forced me to board that plane to America and we got separated...'

Everything Roberts had said replayed in his mind. He lowered his head and no one could see his expression.