Author's Note: Here's my holiday gift to you all in the form of an update for being so patient with me :D
Chapter 4 Bitter Evening
The fall season was transitioning into winter, and Hope knew exactly what it meant for him. He was going to be busier than ever and wouldn't have as much free time to frequently visit Club Lucille. Much to his dismay.
Just when he thought he had some free time to do so another damn task came up that required his attention. And his chance to visit the club slipped away. His responsibilities during the winter season seemed to almost double and he bitterly hated the winter because of it.
He wondered how Lightning was fairing right now. He sincerely missed her and hearing her enticing voice.
Hope headed down the grand staircase of the villa. Clad in his primed grey suit, black leather trench coat, and black cashmere scarf.
"Alright, mom I'm heading out." Hope called out upon reaching the front door of the villa.
"Hope, wait just a minute." His mom made her way to where he was before continuing. "Hope, don't forget to come straight home after you finish the business meeting. I have a special surprise waiting for you once you come back home. Don't be any later than 5 o'clock, okay?"
"Okay, mother I'll be back in time." Hope replied, a small smile forming upon his lips. He gave his mom a quick goodbye kiss on her cheek before heading out the door.
Hope felt a little uneasy about this whole "surprise" thing that she had planned for him this afternoon. But he didn't want to think too much about it. Since he already had a lot of things on his plate. He didn't want to pile on anything else that would possibly add to his current stress levels.
Nautilus Board of Directors Meeting
"As you can clearly see here from these data charts integrating a cafe brand into our Nautilus Mall chains would create a synergy effect, and would be a welcomed addition to our growing business portfolio." Hope stressed to the board of directors.
He looked around into his audience and he could see most of them nodding their heads in approval of his business plan.
When Hope felt it was okay to proceed he continued. "We would of course have a test market to try the cafe integration out, and I suggest we should start with the Nautilus Mall here in Palumpolum. If the cafe is a major success here we would then expand the cafe into all the other mall chains across the country. Are there any questions?"
Hope gazed upon his audience, but everyone in the audience remained silent. And since no one had any questions for him he finished his presentation off. "If there are no questions then this concludes my business proposal." Hope concluded by giving a formal bow.
The board of directors erupted into applause and congratulated Hope on his well thought out business proposal. "Well done Hope." Director Rosch said with praise. "Thank you", Hope replied sheepish. "I know with you being the future CEO of this company the company is in good hands. Keep up the good work." Director Rosch said, patting Hope on the shoulder. "I'll do my best." Hope said with a smile.
The meeting ended earlier than expected which meant Hope had some time to kill. It was still too early and Club Lucille wasn't opened yet and Hope didn't feel like going over to Cid's place right now. He just wanted to go somewhere quiet and let his mind unwind for a bit.
He drove his sleek black convertible down to the Palumpolum Harbor and parked it. He first scanned the area from within his car to make sure no one was around before getting out and sitting on the hood of the car's engine. As Hope gazed out onto the harbor's waters he allowed his mind to wander.
He reminisced about the time that he almost drowned in this very harbor roughly ten years ago, but he was saved by this girl who he thought couldn't have been much older than him judging by her voice.
She saved him from drowning and ultimately from meeting a gruesome fate. She dived into the harbor, pulled him onto the safety of the harbor's pier, and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "You're going to be alright." The girl softly reassured him. When Hope tried to open his eyes his vision was all blurry. He couldn't distinctively make out any of her features. He only was able to catch a glimpse of her short pink hair before she left his side.
Not too long after that his parents and his brother came rushing to his side after the Nautilus S.S. Liner was docked at the harbor. Everyone was overjoyed that he was well and safe. "Hope! Thank goodness you're safe!" His mother said, embracing him. "One of the ship's deckhands spotted you over here. Are you all right?" His father added. Hope nodded in response. When Hope's vision finally cleared up he stood up to scan the area for the girl who saved him. But she was nowhere in sight. "She's gone." Hope softly whispered. He owed that girl his life.
The area where he slipped off of the boat no one was actively there at the time. Everyone else was inside the interior of the boat enjoying the festivities. His muffled cries for help couldn't be heard over the blaring music emitting from inside. If that girl hadn't come to his aid when she did he wouldn't be here right now. He wanted to thank her for saving him.
As Hope returned to reality he placed his left hand over his forehead in frustration. As hard as he tried his damndest to remember he couldn't exactly remember how he slipped off the ship in the first place. It still very much a mystery to him and it bothered him to no end. Maybe the whole event was too traumatizing that his mind just didn't want to remember the nitty-gritty details. "Urgh! Why is that one part eluding me?" It was funny why out of all times did he think of her just now? Maybe it was because of Lightning he thought. When he first laid eyes upon her at the club a sense of nostalgia flooded him. "Wait. Could she possibly be...?" Hope's thought trailed off.
He glanced at his watched and saw that he better start heading back to the villa in order to not get an earful from his mother. He promptly reentered his car and floored it back to the villa.
He entered through the front door closing it behind him. "Mom I'm home!" He called out. "Hope, dear I'm in the living room!" His mother replied. Hope then made his way to the living room. Once his mother spotted him standing in the entranceway she said,"Oh, Hope you're just in time to join us for evening tea."
"Wait. Us?" He thought to himself. He then realized that his mother wasn't alone there was a female guest present. She was sitting on the couch across from his mother. Her hair was bright red and tied in curled pigtails. She was wearing a formal pink ensemble which consisted of a knee length skirt, pink blouse, and white flats.
Hope knew instantly who it was and his lips curled up into a smile. "Vanille it's good to see you again." Vanille set her teacup down on the coffee table and ran up to Hope to embrace him in one of her hugs. "I've really missed you all of these years Hope." Vanille said, resting her head upon his chest. "I've missed you too Vanille." Hope said, returning her embrace.
Vanille Dia is the heiress to the Dia Fashion brand, and she's also one of Hope's childhood friends. She's been away for seven years at a boarding school studying hard in order to effectively be ready to become the CEO of her company.
Once their heartwarming reunion was over. Hope's mother dropped a bombshell on him. "I'm glad to see that you two still get along nicely even after all of these years. Now I know I made the right choice in choosing you as his fiancée, Vanille.
"Wait. Fiancée? Aren't we rushing into things a little bit here?" Hope asked incredulously.
Nora took a sip of her Earl Grey tea before she answered. "Nonsense. I guess you were too young to remember it, but your father and I along with Vanille's parents agreed that you two would eventually marry when you became of proper age. Besides, I'm not getting any younger and I would love nothing more than to see my beautiful grandchildren frolicking around before I wither away."
Hope walked over to where his mother was sitting. "Mother can I speak to you in private?" He spoke softly. She sat her teacup down on the coffee table before rising from the couch. She looked over to where Vanille was standing before saying. "Vanille, dear. Would you please excuse us for just a moment?"
"Of course, ", Vanille replied.
Hope's mom then followed him to a vacant bedroom on the far left end of the villa to be out of earshot from Vanille. Once inside Hope closed the door before proceeding.
"This was the surprise you had in mind for me? Deciding who I'll marry should be my own decision, and should not be decided for me."
His mother crossed her arms against her chest. "Hope, I know you're upset, but this was something that has already been decided upon. You have to think about your future."
Hope was pacing back and forth trying to come up with something that would convince his mom to drop this whole fiancée thing. Once his brilliant mind conjured up a solution he turned to face his mother who was waiting patiently for his response.
"Mom, I know you have my best interests at heart, but I'm not quite ready to start looking into marriage yet. I'm only twenty-five. There's still so much I have to learn and do. I love Vanille she's a great friend and all, but I'm not ready to settle down just yet." He couldn't exactly tell her that over the past few months he's had developing feelings for a VIP hostess that he met at a hostess club because he already knew how that would end. All he could do right now was try to buy himself some more time until he was ready to tell her, hope that his mom would sympathize with him, and understand his reasoning.
Nora let out a sigh. She walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. Once she was done she held him back at arm's length to look at him. Hope was nervous. Just what was his mother's response going to be?
"Hope, nice try but Vanille's still your fiancée and nothing's ever going to change that honey." She patted him on the cheek before leaving the room to rejoin Vanille in the living room.
"Great! How the hell am I going to get out of this one?" Hope thought, staring up towards the bedroom's ceiling.
Author's Note: In the next chapter, at long last it's finally time to see how Snow and Lightning are doing.
