Chapter 10 Just An Old Friend

"Mr. Lucian, this is their team leader. She had just returned from overseas," Lucian's employee whispered. The employee found his boss' actions to be unusual, but he decided to simply ignore them. The employee did not want to embarrass his boss after all.

Lucian came back to his senses. Old memories began to surge back at him. He vividly recalled how Megan left without saying a word. He truly lost his words. Disgust slowly crept into his eyes. Soon, the man's disdain was apparent. "Hello, do you still remember me after four years have passed?" Lucian spoke sarcastically as he gritted his teeth.

Both teams were surprised to hear what Lucian had said. People exchanged glances. Nobody had a clear idea on what was happening.

"Miss Megan... Do you... Do you happen to know Mr. Lucian?" Megan's new assistant asked hesitantly. The assistant was new to that place, and so she did not know what Megan's history with the city was. She had always assumed that Megan and Aron were a couple from the get-go.

Megan withdrew her gaze. She then picked up the half glass of red wine on the table and drank it up. "He is an old friend who shared some history with me... That's all," Megan said as she forced a cordial explanation. Lucian's face grew dim after he heard what Megan had to say. 'How could she regard me as just an old friend?' Lucian thought as he cursed Megan. The man could see that Megan was doing well. It was evident that she had been treated fittingly by her other man.

Lucian felt like he had nothing else to say; Megan felt the same way. The room grew eerily silent. Finally, Megan spoke and said, "Kari, I have another commitment to attend to tonight. Look over the team during the party, okay? I've got the bill covered. I'll be leaving soon." The awkwardness in the air was lifted by Megan's generosity. Everyone began to smile once more.

"Thank you, Miss Lin!" "You are so nice!" "Thank you so much!" Megan's team was in a lively clamor. Megan's team celebrated once more. Lucian's team, on the other hand, stayed silent as their boss sulked. The room had been momentarily divided. It was evident that the two teams lived very different realities. Megan picked up her handbag from the sofa. She carried herself graciously as she marched out of the room.

Lucian turned to his team and said, "You go with them to have some fun too. Don't forget to learn from them how they do things so successfully. As for the bill, the company will have it reimbursed." After some moment of thinking, Lucian left the room and rushed after Megan.

It was night time, and yet Megan had still lots of energy in her. 'After several days, this jetlag will pass,' she reassured herself. As she waited for a taxi, she decided to call Lisa. The lady gladly reported that Eric had just woke up from his sleep. All the drama that had built dissipated as Megan thought of Eric. Truth be told, she was somewhat happy to have seen Lucian. Shelly seemed to have taken good care of him. Megan noticed that the man grew more mature and stable. Still, he remained ruthless.

Suddenly, she felt a tug from behind. Her high heels almost sprained her ankles. She got even more annoyed when she saw Lucian standing behind her.

"What do you think you're doing, Mr. Lucian? Aren't you afraid of what your wife would think if we got photographed together? We both know that the paparazzi run amok in this city." Megan had learned how to expertly mask her emotions. She stared indifferently unto Lucian, as Lucian stared back probingly. All the man could find in her eyes was coldness. They were so near from each other, yet Lucian felt how distant Megan was. An indescribable feeling surged the man's heart.

"What are you doing here? And why are you taking projects from under me? Attention... Is that what you want? You've got it now! So what do you have to say?" The man sounded disappointed. He thought she did it because she wanted to attract his attention, but he was sorely mistaken. Truth be told, he was happy to see Megan. If she claimed that he was an old friend of her, so be it. All he wanted was a decent conversation.

"Mr. Lucian, maybe you should seek professional help. Not everything is about you. Why don't you go home and talk to Shelly about your frustrations? There is not much we can talk about after all. Take care, Lucian. I have something else to tend to." Just as Megan finished talking, a cab pulled over and picked her up. She rode the back seat and left, not even taking a glance of Lucian. Lucian froze. He could not believe how Megan had bested him.

He grew more flustered as Megan's cab rolled farther from him. The man could not shake the unease he felt. He quickly took out his phone and called one of his men. "I need information about Megan's whereabouts. I need to know where she is staying, who she is staying with, and how long she'll be staying in the city. Get every piece of information you can get!" Lucian hung up the phone after he was done giving the order. He blankly stared at the direction Megan went to. He had a sinister spark in his eyes.

Eric eagerly waited for his mother to arrive. The boy sat on the sofa, wanting to greet Megan upon arrival. He had spent the whole day sleeping, and thus felt very lively. Lisa had fallen into a shallow sleep next to the boy. The lady opened her eyes when she felt the boy jump out of the sofa.

"Mommy! Give me a kiss!" Eric was ecstatic. The boy hugged Megan's leg in excitement. Megan bent down and kissed Eric's cheek gently. She then picked the boy up and twirled. Lisa went into the kitchen and came out with a cup of tea. "This kid insisted that we wait for you to come back. Eric truly cares about you, Megan," the old lady gleefully said. Lisa laid the cup on the table beside the sofa and said, "I smell a hint of alcohol on you, dear. Drink this tea so you can sober up. You two can go back to your room after you finish your tea."

Megan sat down on the sofa with Eric in her arms. "Lisa, thank you. You can go to bed and rest now. I'm afraid this won't be the last time I came home late. You don't have to always wait up for me. Once Eric's jetlag has faded, then you can send him to bed early. Thanks again, Lisa," she gratefully told the lady. Megan could see how exhausting that day was for Lisa.

"Don't worry about me, dear. Eric is still a child. There is no way that I'll leave him alone. Besides, the boy is no trouble to look after. He is so well behaved. He just reads and eats his food. But you're right, I am quite tired. I'll be in my room, okay? You two should head to bed soon as well..." Lisa dearly smiled at Megan before proceeding to her room. The lady had lived alone for quite some time; she was truly happy to have someone in that house with her. Once again, the lady reminded Megan to finish her tea. Megan smiled genuinely as she slightly shook her head. She knew that Lisa wouldn't stop nagging if she didn't drink the tea in her face. She picked up the cup and finished her tea. She felt a soothing wave warm-up her body. Lisa smiled as she entered her room.

"Mommy, when will we go back to England?" The boy was adorably curious. He grabbed Megan's shirt as he bit his lips.

"Not soon, dear boy. Did you know that Mommy grew up in this city? Don't you want to see where I grew up?" Megan smiled as she asked rhetorically. Somewhat sad for her child, Megan caressed Eric's forehead. "Why? Do you want to go back?" she said softly.

"Yes! Once we return, I will bring Dora some candies. I will also go to Lily's birthday party. Me and my friends, we plan to go." Eric's voice trailed off. Then suddenly, the boy remembered something that got him excited. "Dad also said that he would teach me how to ride a horse!" the boy said as he jumped on the sofa.

Megan felt terribly guilty. She knew that Eric had already been accustomed to the environment in England. 'Why did I ever take the boy away from that place? He already has friends over there. Plus, this new environment could be taxing for him,' Megan thought. She sighed as she watched her kid play. She knew exactly why she had decided to leave England - Aron. England would mean that she'd forever be entangled with a man she did not love. And since Megan could not repay Aron with love, she decided to pay him in labor instead. She couldn't explain such things to Eric, because he was too young.

"This place is where your grandparents met, and it is where they raised Mommy. Soon you'll have friends here too. Is that okay, Eric?" Megan didn't know how she would tell her son the truth. "If you truly miss your friends back in England, then we can visit them from time to time." That was the only thing Megan managed to say.

"Okay," Eric agreed obediently. He gave his mother a big smile. Megan's heart felt warm as he held the kid in her arms.

Business was more hectic and competitive back at home as compared to England. Megan spent most of her days taking calls from either her clients or Aron.

"Excuse me, Ms. Lin. Mr. Yang is throwing a party in Exquisite Hotel tonight. The invitation that we received said that it is just a simple get together, but that could be a great place to find clients and partners. Should we send an RSVP?" Kari nervously waited for an answer, as she did not know what Megan was thinking of. She knew how busy her boss was with their business. Megan did not seem to be in the mood for a party.

"Of course we should go! The man had already sent us an invitation. We can't turn him down. We just opened the domestic market, so we should seek more partners. Even if we can't cooperate with Mr. Yang, we still can find some other chances in that party. I will go to my hair dresser and drive there myself. I'm very familiar with this city. As for you Kari, you can go to the party on your own; don't wait for me." Megan had quickly made a decision. That was her first formal party ever since her return. She knew that she should look amazing. After all, she represented the Qiu Group.

The night meant peace for other cities. But for L City, nighttime was when the city always lit up. The city's nightlife made the whole place so lively.

The whole Exquisite Hotel had been reserved for Mr. Yang's party. The place was adorned with elegant decors and gorgeous people.

Of course, Lucian was invited to the party as well. The man patted his suit as his Land Rover made its way to the entrance. People watched as he got off of the vehicle. Lucian looked gorgeous in his matte black suit. Instead of proceeding to the door, Lucian helped his date dismount the vehicle. Shelly looked pristine in her sleek white dress. The couple looked like royalties. Lucian also sported a tie that was cut from the same cloth as Shelly's dress.

Many of the attending business men brought their daughters with them. After all, creating business ties through romantic relationships had always been beneficial. To some of those young girls, Lucian was the ultimate prize. However, seeing how Shelly looked and acted, those young girls began to drop their dream of being Lucian's mistress.