Chapter 39: Chapter 39

"It's nice to finally meet the new Mrs. Houston," commented a young man when he saw Helena's presence by Aaron's side.

Yes, this was the dinner that Helena agreed to this afternoon. Because of that, she immediately recognized the man and woman they were approaching. Mr. and Mrs. Graham. They both still looked young. She estimated that their ages were not very far from her. Maybe about five to seven years older.

That meant they were in their mid-thirties.

"Thank you, Mr. Graham." Helena gave a broad smile to her interlocutor. "I'm also happy to meet you and your wife. Thank you for the dinner invitation," she continued. A bit too much courtesy and pleasantries seemed needed in this situation. All of those were for the sake of maintaining relations between them. It was not only a matter of work but also a relationship as ordinary human beings.

Ah, that was a wise sentence. In point, their relationship would affect many aspects.

"It's just a casual dinner since the honored lady is in Bali." Mr. Graham ended his words with a light chuckle to show the relaxed atmosphere he offered.

"The honored lady should be your wife." Helena chimed in with a tone that was no less relaxed, tending to a joke. She knew very well that Mr. Graham had deliberately attached the nickname 'honored lady' to appreciate her and as a way to relieve tension at this first meeting.

The person Helena meant just smiled and said, "We're both honored ladies here." What a diplomatic answer. "Let's sit down." She also invited her two guests to sit down, although, in fact, Helena and Aaron were not really guests at her house. The four of them were in the restaurant at the hotel where Helena and Aaron were staying in Bali. However, since her husband proposed the idea for this dinner and invited them, the event's host fell to both of them.

One by one, they began to sit on chairs around the round table. They occupied four of the six empty seats there.

However, before Helena could enter the gap between the chair, she was going to sit on and the table, she was a little surprised to see the chair move from its position. Not without reason, but someone did it for her. Aaron. Who else? Her husband pulled the chair back, creating more space for her to enter.

"Wow, I just found out that Mr. Houston is a romantic person."

Of course, Aaron's behavior attracted the attention of another couple there. And it made Helena blush. "I also just discovered he's so romantic after marrying him." That was a lie. His romantic side had been known for a long time. To be precise, since they had been in a relationship. However, there was another trait about her husband that she only discovered after marriage. Aaron loved to seduce her. Countless times he launched his temptation.

"I have to be romantic, so she will be happy to be my wife." Aaron also responded as he sat down next to Helena.

Then laughter filled the table.

A few moments later, a waiter approached them and handed them the menu book. He stood there and listened to the chatter of customers from the table he was about to serve while choosing a set menu to eat. His hands swiftly wrote a list of foods along with the special requests they said. Afterward, he left the table to report their order to the chef.

"How are James and Steve? Are they healthy?" Mr. Graham started a new chat while waiting for the food to arrive.

James is the name of Helena's grandfather, while Steve is the name of Aaron's grandfather. Both were old players in the business world. So, their names were familiar to people like Mr. Graham.

"Very healthy," Aaron answered confidently. "They often exercise together."

"What kind of exercise?"

"At most, a leisurely walk, a leisurely run, or a leisurely bicycle," Aaron mentioned what their grandfathers used to do. They had been doing all these activities for a long time. The difference was that the new relaxed part appeared after they became old. The important thing was to move their body. It was one key to their health.

"The important thing is to move the body." Mr. Graham seemed to voice Aaron's thoughts.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, mostly around the block. They don't go outside because it's crowded."

"That's right. Especially nowadays, young people like to drive recklessly." Mr. Graham shook his head, lamenting the streets that were no longer friendly to elders. He, too, was often amazed by the wild changes in road conditions from day to day.

"We're still young, you know, still deserve to be called young people."

And laughter came back from their table. Indeed, there were no words to describe the situation other than casual encounters.

Next, their conversation took place around the friendship between the two grandfathers, a brief story about the beginning of their meeting until their friendship became a family bond.

To their family, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Helena and Aaron's matchmaking had been planned for a long time, right? However, the people on the outside were probably amazed at the change in status. Two of the wealthiest people in Indonesia seemed to join forces. And that made their family become respected ones in the business world.

"I can accompany Mrs. Houston for a walk if you want." Mrs. Graham responded when Helena told her how she spent a day alone.

Well, Helena had little choice when she decided to go with her husband on a business trip. Obviously, taking care of business was Aaron's top priority.

"Oh, no need. I'm afraid to be troublesome," Helena refused quickly.

"Not at all. I'm actually happy to have friends to take a walk with."

This was the hardest part. When Mrs. Graham said that, it was hard for Helena to refuse because she sounded like she was expecting their next meeting. In fact, Helena did not mind going alone.

But before she could express her approval, or perhaps her disapproval, another voice joined their conversation.

"Good evening, sir, ma'am."

Helena's heart seemed to stop beating at that moment. She recognized the voice.

Mr. and Mrs. Graham simultaneously showed their shocked expressions. Of course. They didn't expect any new people to appear at this dinner. And the surprise was compounded by confused expressions on their faces.

That was precisely what happened to Helena and Aaron. The change in expression was even more apparent on their faces because their brains had already identified the voice owner.

Beatrice.

What was that woman here for?

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Mr. Houston's secretary, right?"

Helena understood why the question came from Mr. Graham. Even though they had worked together all day, Beatrice's appearance looked much different from before. Tonight, she was wearing a sleeveless knee-length dress with her hair down and makeup sticking to her face.

Did Beatrice look pretty?

Helena preferred to use the word 'different' rather than beautiful because Beatrice's appearance was considered normal for her. Beatrice was only good at highlighting what was in her to the fullest.

She wanted to boast about herself, but according to her, she was still much prettier than Beatrice.

"Yes, sir."

Ah, that deadly sweet smile. That was how Beatrice conquered the men.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Graham asked again.

"I intended to have dinner here and see all of you." Beatrice began to launch a cliché excuse. "So I came to say hello, and if you don't mind, I'd like to join you for dinner."

See?