It's been days since Almond met with his grandfather; he still couldn't help himself from accepting such an impromptu arrangement, as he felt it was too hard on the young lady.
Although he also hoped she would accept this marriage quickly but not in this way, after all, what is forced is never sweet, and also you can only lead a horse to the water but can't make it drink.
He sighed. This matter is really tricky; he knows his grandfather best to know that he'll surely do as he had said. Moreover, the preparation seems to already be going underneath without any interruption, and yet the two people that should be joined in holy matrimony can't even see face to face.
He lies in bed with the morning sun casting a warm glow through the curtains; everywhere seems quiet, but only he knows how chaotic his mind is right now, trying to think of a way to minimise the impact of this on the young lady.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table, dialled Nicholas's contact, and it was picked up on the first ring: Hello? Good morning, sir, comes the voice from the other end.
Yes, morning. Almond replied. I'll love for you to confirm today's meeting with Ls Empire and the location chosen for it. Also, make sure to arrange for someone competent to be in charge of the overall project we currently have at hand.
Oh, that also reminds me to send me the contact of the young lady I went on a blind date with the last time, and you should also check my schedule for this week and send me the itinerary for today; I need to check something.
Alright, sir. I'll do that right away. Nicholas replied.
Without saying anything else, Almond hung up, shaking his head. He didn't know why he had to request the young lady's number; it was not that he had anything to say to her. Would she even allow him to talk with that temper of hers?
But then again, it will be okay if they could both make an arrangement to meet up and discuss how they want their married life to be, after all. There's no other way out of this than getting married and giving each other a heads up on how to relate with one another in this.
Having decided what to do, Almond stands up and walks towards his walk-in closet to pick his outfit for the day. He's very concerned about his looks now that he's thinking of meeting up with Jayden, and he wants her to see him at his best, who is worthy of her time and not with that kind of attitude she had the last time they met.
He chooses a well-tailored, custom-made suit, royal blue to bring out his inner elegance, then a white crisp dress shirt, a black silk tie and French cuffs. He then pairs all these with another pair of custom-made shoes and a high-quality Rolex watch to complete his looks.
He really wants to impress the young lady, as he doesn't forget what his buddies said about his looks the other time, although those people were not being sincere enough. There should still be some improvement so he could impress Jayden and also for her to know what she's getting into.
Having prepared what to wear, he headed inside the bathroom to take a shower. There he stood in front of the large frameless mirror that reflected his own image. Looking at his growing stubble, he took a silver razor to shave from the countertop made with granite, with all sorts of daily necessities placed there.
After shaving his stubble, he walked inside his walk-in shower enclosed with clear glass, furnished with a rainfall showerhead and additional shower jets offering luxurious and bodily relaxation. Inside the bathroom there's also a modern design soaking tub which is set against a floor-to-ceiling window for privacy.
The bathroom could be said to be a high-end bathroom that offers a combination of relaxation and practicality.
It didn't take long for Almond to finish bathing; he walked out of the shower clothed in his bathrobe and took some time to do his facials. He also made sure he properly washed and styled his hair.
Everything he did was done by heart; right from bathing, clothing and styling himself, he took his time to do it all, after which he then picked up his phone to check what he ordered Nicholas to do.
After checking the itinerary sent, he finds out he has about an hour that he could forgo to do anything of his choice, so he decides to organise a brief lunch for himself and his supposed wife to be.
He chuckled, thinking about the lady and her fiery temper; he finds it cute, though at least she's different from those rich heiresses suffering from princess syndrome.
Having decided on what to do, he copied the number Nicholas sent and dialled it, but there was no response from the other side. He redialled it again, but it was still the same – no response, nothing, nothing.
He felt that she might be busy, or maybe she's not used to picking unknown calls. After all, it's impossible for her to know his private number; even his grandfather cannot randomly give it out without notifying him first, so he's certain Jayden doesn't know his number beforehand.
Since she's not available to answer her call, he picked up his car keys and headed to the company, thinking to himself that he had to remember to call her again before lunch for her to also clear her schedule if she can. Nagging won't be that they are imposing everything on her to oblige to.
Nicholas was already waiting for him at the company before he himself could arrive. Being an assistant is not always easy, but he's grateful, although his boss is always strict and has this cold aura about him; he is someone with a kind heart towards people he cares about.
To make sure everything went as planned, he already prepared all the files that need Almond's attention to be the first thing he'll attend to, after which they'll head to the meeting with Ls Empire.
Almond immediately got to work, without any slight delay, as there's no room for mistakes; they had to make hay while the sun shines. Today's meeting with Ls is considered important, as an international company, Jones International doesn't need any other company interference to operate effectively, but partnering with Ls will also improve its image among other companies in the same expertise.
Ls doesn't have a strong foothold in the city of Jinnah, so they want to use the opportunity of partnering with Jones International to fully enter the market there, while Jones International Enterprise will also use its influence to create a more positive image for the company among its peers.
This will also be of help to one of Jones's international branches in Country Y to make more groundbreaking successes in the future.
Talking of the branch in country Y, Almond instantly felt a headache coming on. He remembered one of the reports Nicholas made some time ago about him going there to overlook things that he had been postponing for a while, but that seems somehow impossible now that they'll be signing a huge contract with Ls. He had to go to some branches under Jones International to overlook things himself and make necessary arrangements for them to avoid any heart-touching stories when it's time to audit.
He didn't know which excuse to use that would allow his grandfather to agree to him leaving for some time; the wedding is happening in two weeks time, so it is impossible even if he finds any excuse to tell the old man.
That man prioritises him settling down as more important than any other thing; if he should secretly leave the city, there's no saying when he is going to return, and if he's to wait for the wedding to happen, his old man will still not allow him to abandon his newly wedded wife even if they have a honeymoon, at least for appearance's sake; he has to stay in the country.
Thinking about everything, he decided to redial Jayden's number, and it was picked up after multiple attempts.
And whoever this is doesn't know the basic rule of calling someone. Not to sound rude, but I don't think I am holding any of your kidneys for you to have decided to use calling to anger me to death. Constantly calling even when the person is not picking up is bad.
Courtesy required that once you've called someone on the first and second attempts, most especially when you're calling someone who doesn't have your contact list, you should know that the person is either busy or doesn't want to pick your call at all. Jayden angrily said, as she has been losing her temper lately due to the stress and pressure of everything happening to her.
And which category do I belong to? Almond said calmly, clearly not angry at all, even having a touch of a smile on his lips.
You indeed have a very glib tongue, not knowing who is on the line, and yet you dare to speak as you like. At this point I don't believe you to be that calm and reserved lady I was told about.
Do you think I care? Please get straight to the point and stop beating around the bush; introduce yourself and your purpose for calling.
Okay. I'm Almond Jones!.