Chapter 5: Sad Blue Eyes

A week before the cruise. 

"Are you sure we have everything ready, lad?" Andrew asked his assistant as they were picking up their belongings from inside the Starbucks Coffee shop of John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

From the cafe, the two had reviewed the contract offer to the biggest production that may very well give him the CEO seat of his family's company, the KNW Lifestyle Media. They were planning on getting the rights to the series that had become popular in the US, hoping to bring it to England. 

The comedy show was called "The Rich Asians." It featured several wealthy Asian families living in the US and their daily lives. The program was sassy, funny, and, surprisingly, included a lot of smart lessons in life. Which was exactly why it was a big hit.

The said series was so sensational in the US that Andrew was sure he would make serious money out of it if aired in Europe.

"Yes, Sir Andrew. We have it all here." Andrew's assistant, Wendell Reyes, clung to the documents and hugged them against his chest. "I'll keep them safe, Sir."

"Alright, Wendell." As Andrew put back his coat, he reminded, "We have one shot at this. We better get this right. Then you and I will both get promoted."

The two flew out to New York just so they could meet the sole producer of the show, Mr. Felix Song, and make a tempting offer.

They heard many stories of the said producer. They were told he was a traditional man, a man with honor and principles. They were told he and his family were not the kind to easily trust their money and hard work with just anyone. Thus, it required Andrew to be present himself, wanting to gain Mr. Song's trust. 

He was the best man for the job.

Flying on a private jet, Andrew and Wendell purposely arrived two hours before their meeting so they could have ample time to compose themselves. 

Nodding confidently, Andrew picked up his take-away coffee and said, "Let's go. Our limo should already be outside."

"Right," confirmed Wendell, as he placed the documents in his bag. 

The two walked confidently, catching the eyes of many women as they made their way out, but just when Andrew thought everything was going according to plan, he bumped into a girl with blonde hair!

It was... a head-on collision.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you are going!" Andrew could not help but get annoyed, feeling the coffee spilled all over his extravagant suit. If that was not enough, he turned sideways and saw how some of his coffee had made their way to Wendell's clothes and bag. 

Horror filled Andrew's eyes before turning to the girl who was responsible for all of this. 

However, just as he was about ready to berate on her, he immediately caught sight of her wistful blue eyes. 

It captured his attention in an instant. 

It made him swallow his own spew. 

His heart instantly clenched at the sorrow of her electric blue orbs. 

Tears welled up in the girl's orbs as she attempted to apologize, "I'm - gosh, I'm terribly sorry. I - I wasn't thinking."

Her pointed nose was red, and her eyes were puffed. It was apparent to Andrew that she had been crying even before she bumped into him. 

Almost immediately, his anger faded. "Are you - are you, okay?"

He realized the girl in front of him was in a state of turmoil, more than him... despite being soaked with coffee, and only an hour away from a very important appointment. 

Andrew could not help but ponder what made this beautiful girl turn grim. From his point of view, sadness did not suit her eyes. 

"It's her! I'm sure it's her!" He heard people say not too far that it made him look up. 

He noticed how the girl looked away, hiding her face and covering them with her hands. 

"I'm sorry. If I see you again, I'll make up for it, but... I really have to leave. I'm sorry, Mister." And before he knew it, the girl with blonde hair left him in the middle of JFK, stained with coffee all over. 

Andrew Kentworthy never made it to his appointment. He couldn't make it in time to change clothes and get new copies of their company's offer to the show, "The Rich Asians."

He lost his big fat opportunity, but that did not bother him one bit. In the days that followed, his mind often drifted to the girl with blonde hair and sad blue eyes. 

Somehow, he felt the dire need to make her smile and bring sparks to her eyes, but it was too late. He did not run after her. To him, it was a far worse of a lost cost than the contract for the famous TV series. 

Little did he know, fate had it made. They were bound to meet on a two-week cruise... thanks to his grandmother. 

When Andrew realized his grandmother had set him up on a date with Madelyn Wilson, he was determined to get off the cruise at one of its island stops. He did not care where or how, but he was banking on returning to work immediately. 

However, on the night where he had spent at the bar, he met the same woman who spilled coffee all over him at JFK airport. 

Slender hands grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. She said, "Hi there, sweetie, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

When she called him sweetie, he was ready to lash at her, but to his shock, that familiar electric blue eyes made his heart stop for a second. 

'It's her.'

'It's definitely her.'

'And she doesn't remember.'

Then, in no time, he brought back a skill he once knew in college, one that he had not practiced for a very... very long time; flirting. 

A smirk easily formed on his face as he answered, “Well, if it isn’t my lovely wife. I knew you could not get out of bed after what we did last night.”

Andrew figured, whatever game this girl was playing, he was in it to win it!

More than just practicing his humor and his pickup lines, he wanted to make her smile. 

When he brought her to the dance floor and had a glimpse of her predicament, he learned she was heartbroken. He stared directly into her expressive orbs and said, “I’m sorry to hear that. His loss, definitely… Sad eyes do not suit you.”