He seemed to be smiling approvingly when he replied, “I thought you were going to reject me again. Great, I’ll send you the address after this. Don’t be late, or I’ll be sad.”
After hanging up the call, I tried Ashton’s number again. Finally, he answered the phone and there were some traffic noises from his end.
“Ashton, is everything okay over there?”
“I’m stuck in traffic.” Ashton sounded a little flustered. “But don’t you worry; I’ve managed to make contact with Mr. Moore. He promised that he won’t be making the trip to A City for now.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s great. Can you please take him to the hospital later? I’ll call Mom right now to let her know.”
I gave Cameron a quick update on the phone before receiving a text message with the address where I was supposed to meet Armond.
The address was not far from where I was so I decided to take a cab there.
I arrived at the address to find a cafe bistro that actually resembled more of a private residence. I almost missed the entrance until a waiter greeted me and led me inside.
Armond was already waiting for me in a private room. Dressed in a casual blue sweater, his jacket was draped over a chair next to him as the heater was turned on in the room. Upon my arrival, his lips curled up in a faint smile as he spoke, “Have a seat. Try some of the Earl Grey tea here.”
Biting my lips, I took a seat across from him as he slowly poured hot water into his tea pot. After which, he slid a tea cup in front of me and said gracefully, “Smell the aroma from the tea leaves.”
I took the cup and placed it under my nose to take a whiff. It did smell fresh and earthy. I put down the cup and said, “It’s aromatic.”
He kept smiling. “Very tasteful.”
His relaxed manner in tea making was in direct contrast to the anxiousness I was feeling all day. Sensing he was in no hurry at all to disclose his real intention, I finally broke the silence, “Armond, I don’t have all the time in the world to enjoy tea with you.”
His brows frowned slightly, as though I was the biggest buzzkill to his mood. He scorned me and said, “I live life in pursuit of enjoying the quality of the finer things. If you think that I’m wasting your time, the exit is that way,” the man said while pointing his slender finger at the door.
He knew clearly that I would not leave just yet, not before I got what I came for.
Pursing my lips, I once again picked up the tea cup and downed the drink in one big gulp. His condescending voice rang in front of me as I did so, “You ought to savour good tea in small sips, not downing it like some cheap wine!”
I put down the cup and stared at him. “It still ends up in the same place. I don’t understand what’s all the fuss about.”
Furrowing his brows, the man poured another cup of tea from his pot and grunted, “Drink and taste it slowly!”
I was increasingly irritated. I wasn’t even a tea person to begin with; not to mention differentiating the taste of the tea between big gulps and small sips. However, to get him off my back, I had no choice but to taste the tea his way.
Armond was finally satisfied with the show I put on. “Not bad.”
I heaved a sigh of relief and fixed my gaze at him.
Unfazed by my glare, the man drank the last of his tea elegantly before he commented, “This is indeed exceptional tea.”
Finally, his vision fell on me while his lips curled up in a smirk. “Am I to understand that you’re willing to be with me?”
My brows furrowed into a knot as I tried to contain the mounting rage in my chest. “You already know that I’m a married woman. I can offer you money if that’s what you’re after. In addition, if you manage to save Summer, I’ll make sure you get to keep my grandma’s sandalwood box.”
The man let out an unsettling chortle as he replied, “This bargaining chip is quite attractive indeed. However, that box is not the most urgent matter to my family. Right now, you’re what I want the most.”
I stood up, thinking that I had come all the way here for nothing.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. I’m not done explaining myself. How are we going to be together when you’re so impatient?” The content of his words could pass for something a boyfriend would say to his girlfriend. But the fact that they came from Armond just made me feel chilly all over.
I pursed my lips and remained silent.
This time he finally got straight to the point. “Okay, fine. There’s no point going down that road again. Now, why don’t you do me a favor, and I’ll let you know how to replace your daughter’s faulty organ with one that’s functioning?”
“What’s your condition?”
If one decides to broker a deal with the devil, one has to be prepared to go to hell.
For a few moments, he just stared at me until I was losing patience before he suddenly blurted, “Stay here to have dinner with us and be on your best behavior.”
“You have company?” I asked while lifting my eyebrow.
At that moment, I heard a quick knock on our door and turned around to find a middle-aged woman walking toward us. Her otherwise elegant and beautiful features were shrouded by an overall shadow of long-term sickness, not unlike the pasty look on Hailey’s face.
“Armond, I was told by the counter staff that you brought a friend here. Is this she?” the woman asked merrily.
The usual gloom and sinister looks on the man’s face instantly replaced with that of warmth and tenderness. He stood up and spoke in the most respectful manner I had ever heard, “News travels fast, Mom. She just got here minutes ago.”
