Ruby sighed. "I trust you, Amee. I suppose it's just me. I can't get over the fact that I really am going on this trip. It's ridiculous."
Amee chuckled and folded her arms across her chest. "You know, you've been planning this trip for like... ages. You're not going to back down now, are you?"
"Of course not! Don't be silly!" Ruby muttered, neatly placing some panties into the large luggage. She held up a few more and wondered if she needed them.
"It's not like you're going to live there, Ruby," Amee commented, smiling.
Ruby frowned. She was being overly cautious of course, as usual. "You're right. I'm not going to live in Europe." That said, she put the spare panties aside before turning her attention to her bras.
Rhonalite, known as Rhona, poked her head in through the door, followed by Emerald, known as Emm to them. The girls crashed onto Ruby's bed, ruining Ruby's carefully made-up duvet before dropping her clothes to the floor.
"Bet you can't wait to meet that handsome English man of yours," Emm chuckled, resting her pretty face in her palms as she looked at her sister. "I'm so jealous of you."
"You'll get your turn soon," Ruby said, picking up her clothing from the floor. "And Brian is not my English man."
Emm laughed. "Oh yeah? So why did he insist you stay at his place when you told him you're coming over for a wee holiday?"
"He did not insist," Ruby replied, neatly folding a pair of black skinny jeans before placing them into the luggage.
"Don't lie, Ruby," Rhona butted in. "See? You're smiling. We know you like him." Rhona kissed the air as though she were kissing a boy. "Oh, Brian, I love you. Let's get married and make babies."
Emm and Amee laughed.
"Stop it!" Ruby snapped, slapping Amee's arm. "Don't be silly. He's a good friend, that's all."
"Okay," Rhona chuckled. "He's whatever you say he is. But deep down, you know what he is to you."
Ruby frowned at her sister, indicating she should mind her own business.
The door opened at that moment, and Mrs. Chan came in.
"Mum?" Ruby said. Emm, Rhona, and Amee cleared some space on the double bed for their mother to sit.
"Come here, Ruby," Mrs. Chan said. Ruby moved toward her mother, and they hugged. "You be careful, all right? And you ring us at least every second day."
"Yes, of course I will," Ruby answered.
"I love you," Mrs. Chan said.
"I love you, too," Ruby replied, hugging her mother again.
*
TWO
Somewhere in the Middle East
Ruby felt like she was dying. She was feverish all day and hoped like hell she wouldn't get any worse because then she knew she'd have to go to a hospital. She did not like hospitals. The very thought of them reminded her too much of her dead father, evoking the memories of familiar hope and desperation, routine checkups and chemotherapies, and what happened that final day, years ago when he took his last breath, and submitted to cancer. The images still caused her heart to ache painfully, while brewing fresh tears in her eyes.
No, she would definitely get better, Ruby told herself firmly. Her fever was only due to a change in climate because she was now in a different country; that was all. Or perhaps it was some sort of bug, nothing more. Could it be malaria? But how could she possibly have gotten malaria when she only spent one day in Kuala Lumpur? And most of that short time, she stayed in her hotel room, sleeping.
Groaning silently, she ruefully hoped she was not bothering the passenger sitting next to her. Gosh! What a nice kickoff for her big overseas trip! Suddenly, she felt like she was about to vomit. In response, she tightened her fingers around the elephant pendant on her chest while her other hand cupped her mouth. That way, she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of the other passengers. Thank God, most were asleep.
With a shiver, the pain suddenly hit her with full force, making her groan in agony. She squeezed her eyelids shut tightly, tears burning behind them. When she couldn't take it anymore, she yanked her glasses off to wipe the stubborn tears away. After silently struggling her way out of her seat, she headed toward the toilet, taking slow, painful steps and holding onto the aisle seats for support. She knew she was sweating like a pig, and wondered, contritely, if she smelled like one, too. Oh God, the world was spinning around her like crazy. Her breaths were coming in short, sharp gasps, and her vision started to blur. This was not good. Not good at all.
She bumped against somebody. A male body; hard, firm, and utterly warm against her cold, clammy skin.
"So--sorry," she managed to murmur, her eyes on the floor, entirely focused on avoiding a fainting spell.
"Are you all right?" the deeply timbred voice of a Scottish accent drifted softly to her ears.
She felt the slight touch of his fingers against her arm and tilted her head to see a blurry face before her. She blinked, trying to make out who he was.
"I--I--no, I'm not all right," she whispered. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes and felt herself falling.
When Ruby regained consciousness, she knew one thing for sure: she was still on the plane. The sound of the engine humming soothed her aching body and blurry mind, which, oddly enough, made her feel better. The nausea, to her surprise, was also gone.
Moving to get into a more comfortable position, she suddenly realized her head was resting on a hard, firm chest. She glanced up; and her eyes met those of a silvery grey color. Well, at least she thought they were a silvery grey color. She didn't have her glasses on, so her vision was dreadful, despite her close proximity. She touched her head and hastily removed herself from him.
"I'm sorry. I have no idea how I got here," she apologized weakly. Odd for her body to feel so warm and rather tingly, which made her wonder what could have caused it. Perhaps the fever broke and now she was better. She sighed with relief at that thought.
Turning her attention to her surroundings, despite her blurry vision, she noted the place was exceptionally spacious, and the seat seemed very comfortable and large. First class?
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, drawing her attention from her surroundings back to him.
Ruby blinked, and her throat went dry. She didn't dare look at him, but instead, gazed at his very firm chest where the collar of his white silk shirt parted. His body was hard, and she could feel him beneath her: the warmth, the firmness, and the uncanny feeling that it was just so right being there in his arms. Instantly, her body shivered, doing something weird as her stomach fluttered with a new excitement. Dear God, this was beyond embarrassing. She couldn't believe that she was on top of a man she didn't even know! Her mother would have been shocked!
"Yes, thank you. How did I get here?" she asked, blushing profusely.
"You fainted. I thought it was better for you to stay here until the plane landed. It's too stuffy and cramped where you were sitting."
She licked her lips, setting her eyes on his arm now, and marveling at the firm, muscular shape. "Did I take someone else's seat?" she asked stupidly.
"No, this one is empty."
Ruby swallowed. The low resonance in his voice, combined with that deliciously hot Scottish accent, made her head swim with delight. Brian had a Scottish accent; yet his voice didn't affect her like this one did.
"Go back to sleep. You'll feel much better later," he suggested.
She had to agree with that. Tired as she was, she didn't argue, but dozed off again, thinking how nice this Scottish man sitting beside her was.
When she woke up again, she felt well rested. And yes, to her annoyance and embarrassment, she found her head leaning on the too comfortable shoulder of the Scottish stranger again.
"Sorry," she murmured, her eyes downcast, and her cheeks blushing a rather becoming pink.
"No problem," he chuckled. "I hope my shoulder made a comfortable pillow."
She sneaked a peek at him, and even though she couldn't quite see him clearly, she could not restrain herself from gasping in awe. To say this man was handsome w
as a cruel understatement. Then she noticed him gazing at her necklace with a look on his face that she couldn't quite understand. She automatically touched the elephant pendant.
"Where did you get that? It's beautiful."
She was not sure why he wanted to know. Perhaps it was because he liked it and wanted to get one for himself? She wondered briefly, but at that moment, frankly, didn't care.
"My friend gave it to me a long time ago. I think when I was seven. I've never seen him since then," she said, thinking about the boy with brown hair and grey eyes. The boy who once promised he'd come back for her. Her heart constricted with pain at the memory of him.
The Scotsman moved his head toward her, his eyes piercing into hers.
"What's his name?"
"Alee," she said absentmindedly; her voice soft with a hint of bittersweet undertone. She gazed up at him and could see that he was looking at her strangely, as if he just discovered something too painful for him to endure. Realizing she was sharing a bit too much personal information with a stranger, she commented, "I'd better get back to my own seat."
The moment she stood up, her surroundings spun and began swimming past her. Damn! She knew she shouldn't stand too quickly, what with her low blood pressure and all.
"You all right? It's not long until we land. Might as well stay put," he suggested.
Ruby felt his firm hand on her arm, and her body tingled in response.
"No, I'd better go now," she replied quickly, realizing this man was too handsome, wealthy, and powerful for her peace of mind. She felt rather intimidated by him and quickly struggled to move past. "Thank you so much for the seat and, um, for looking after me," she managed under her breath with embarrassment. Then she rushed away as if the devil himself were chasing her.
Back in the crowded economy class, she tried to remember where her seat was as she searched her surroundings with a strange sense of dread.
"Are you all right there?" the flight attendant asked behind her.
"Er, yeah, I'm fine," Ruby replied, scanning around once again before she remembered it was row 15B. "Yeah, I'm fine," she confirmed; more to herself than to the flight attendant.
After taking her seat, she closed her eyes and wondered if she'd ever meet the handsome Scotsman again in the future.
*
THREE
One Week Later
Alec James Hasting, multibillionaire of the Hasting Empire, turned his eyes from the tranquil view of their backyard garden to look at his sister. Yes, Susan was a beauty all right, and even more so at that moment. She was wearing a red Dior Greek gathered dress with matching ruby and gold Dior earrings, necklace, and bracelet. She was tall and slender with the face of an angel. Men fell at her feet, begging for her love, and yet, Susan only had eyes for one man; and that was her ex-fiance, Brian McArthur.
"Please, Alec, won't you help me?" Susan begged, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. "I'm your sister. I know Brian is falling for that girl; and I don't know what to do."
"I'm sure it's only your imagination, Sue," Alec said soothingly. "You do tend to rely on it too much. Besides, you said it is the first time you saw them together."
"Oh, Alec, you think I'm making this up? You know me better than that. I just know it's her. She's the reason why we drifted apart, the reason why we broke up. She's the cause of it all." Susan turned from her brother, ambled to the sofa, and sat down with her head bowed. "I know I was the one who broke up the engagement six months ago, but I just can't get over him. I know I want him back, Alec."
Alec sat beside his sister; his arm wrapped around her slumped shoulders. "Just give it time. Surely, Brian is not the only--"
"But there will never be a man like Brian, Alec. I don't know what to do. I just don't. He's taking that girl to his castle in Scotland, just the two of them! What do you think that means?" She looked at him dejectedly.
Alec frowned. Brian, to the best of his knowledge, had never taken any woman to Westwick Castle, a prime estate he inherited from his great uncle, Sir William McArthur, five years ago. Alec, himself, had only visited there a few years prior, just before the major renovation. Brian said back then that the castle was a present for his future, after he found the perfect woman. It would be a place for him to raise his family. Since then, many socialite chicks dated Brian, but to Alec's knowledge, Brian never took any of them to Westwick Castle. That, however, was about to change with the appearance of this new young woman.
"Alec, what do you think?"
Alec could hear the fear in his sister's soft, gentle voice. He rested his palm on the top of her head and smiled in reassurance.
"What if he asks her to marry him?" She bowed her head and stared at her red Jean Paul Gaultier pumps. "She's only a girl and not even that pretty."
"How do you know she's only a girl and not that pretty?" Alec asked as he took a tissue from the Kleenex box before offering it to her.
Susan gently dabbed the tissue under her eyes, careful not to mess up her makeup. The smell of rose soothed her frustration. She sniffed and gave out a little laugh. "I saw him with her only a couple of days ago at the McArthur Hotel restaurant, and on Bond Street. They were shopping together, and I think he was buying her clothing--designer clothing, Alec. She's so stupid, she doesn't even know the difference between a Fendi handbag and some random bag from a cheap shop."
Alec wanted to tell his sister not everyone was a fashion guru like her. He kept quiet, however, knowing he might hurt her sensitive feelings.
"I have a picture of her," she said suddenly.
Alec raised his brows. "You have a picture of her?"
"Do you want to see it? I mean, so that you understand why. I mean, why Brian is falling for her. You're both men, and men kind of understand each other, right?" She looked at him, hoping he could shed some light.
Alec, an over-protective big brother, knew he'd do anything to help his sister--provided it was within reason. In fact, he was more like a father to her than a brother since the death of their parents, thirteen years ago. He couldn't bear to see her suffer. After all, it took her a full year to recover from the trauma, and much longer than that for him to persuade her everything was going to be all right. In return, Susan had always been there for him, even when he temporarily went off the deep end after his divorce. The thought of Amy, his ex-wife, didn't hurt him anymore. He felt nothing toward her now, thanks to Susan, who helped him climb out of the hellhole. Susan looked after him when all he wanted was to be left alone to suffer the agony of betrayal, rejection, and not being loved.
He knew firsthand the pain of what it felt like to be rejected and unloved. It was lonely and constant, and he certainly didn't want that for his sister. Not his lovely sister. She'd surely be dragged down into the quicksand, never to re-surface. She was such a fragile thing. Hadn't he seen it before after their parents' death? He was sure if Brian, a nice young man and family friend since they were children, were to ask this new young woman to marry him, Susan would, no doubt, suffer.
"We were in the restaurant that night when one of my friends asked to take our photos." She took out her BlackBerry and showed him the picture. "What do you think?"
Alec glanced at the snapshot on the screen. Brian was standing in the middle with Susan on his right and the mysterious girl on his left.
"She's half-Asian," was the first thing he blurted out, right before an odd feeling overcame him. There was something about the girl that bothered him, a strange familiarity as though he had seen her somewhere before.
"I know," Susan said in exasperation. "And she doesn't look like she's from around here either."
Alec knew what Susan meant by she's not from around here. The girl was not from their part of the world. She looked out of place, standing there beside Brian with his clean-cut suit, and Susan in her Fendi evening dress and sleek hairstyle. From the photo, Alec somehow could tell the girl was trying to impress Brian by dressing up, but failing miserably. Her long, dark hair was a mess and her gir
ly dress was long out of date and fashion.
"She's very young," he commented a moment later. As he looked closer, however, he felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. It was she. She was the girl who fainted on the plane a week ago, and he carried her to the empty seat beside him. She was the girl who slept with her head on his chest; the girl with the necklace.
His fingers tightened around the phone; a lurch of emotions erupting inside him. He couldn't believe it. It was she, his childhood friend from the refugee camp. Brian was dating her? And she came all the way to the UK to be with him? This was more serious than he thought.
"I don't suppose she's much older than twenty-two. Do you think that's why Brian goes for her? Because she's young?" Susan asked, her fear vibrating in her shaky voice.
Alec glanced at his sister, a knot of dread dropping like cement in his stomach. God, let this all be a mistake. Please, let it all be a mistake.
"Susan, you're not old," he commented.
"I know, but most people think I'm older than I look. Maybe it's because I wear too much makeup. But I am a model, Alec."
"Hmm." He glanced at the photo again.
"Will you help me?"
"You know I will do anything for you, but we have to be clear about this. What if this is all a mistake? What if they are just friends?"
"Friends? Alec, she's staying at his place. Who knows? They might be sharing a room and a bed!" Alec swallowed. Susan hugged him and kissed his hard cheekbone. "Please, Alec, help me."
He laughed uncomfortably as he moved back, asking, "What devious plan do you have in mind?"
She bowed her head, the blond curls dropping down to rest on her breasts. "You'll think I'm crazy."
"Why would I think that?" he inquired, although he often said she was, and knew his sister was quite capable of having a wild imagination. She could come up with the most ghastly plan if the situation permitted, and he was sure this was just another one of them.
"Because the plan is crazy," she said, standing up, and ambling to the wine cabinet. She took a bottle of wine out and poured herself a glass.