At Astral Restaurant, a five-star restaurant built on the top of a mountain in Westchester. During the day, the restaurant would be clouded in a thick layer of mist. At night, the patrons had a clear view of the city basked in a cluster of lights. This was a premium place for dining, reserved only for the wealthy. Decker was driven to the foot of the mountain. After he stepped out of the car, he was escorted by one of the staff to a special passage that soon brought him to an elevator that went up to the restaurant. Carter Corporation was hosting a dinner tonight for its business partners. Decker arrived with a friend he recently made in Westchester. Being the heir of the Rockwells in Southboro, he was someone of significant status, so it was no surprise that the invitation was extended to him once his friend found out about his background. A beautiful platform, which surface was crystallized marble, was erected over the top of the mountain. Luminous lights were lined
The friend Decker came here with had regular business dealings with Carter Corporation and was considered one of their more respected business partners. It was out of consideration for his status that he and Decker were seated in an esteemed seat at the table right next to Odell’s. One of the senior executives was put in charge of hosting everyone and promptly addressed everyone with a brief speech. After everyone was invited to sit, the dinner commenced. Decker picked up the cutlery gracefully, minding his manners all the while. He waited until all of the noteworthy men had given toast to Odell before raising the glass himself and motioning politely in Odell’s direction. “President Carter, it is a great honor to have met you here. Let me give you a toast.” Odell looked at him rather cordially. “You are very kind, President Rockwell.” Decker downed the glass of wine. Odell raised his glass and took a humble sip from it. Decker sat back in his chair after that. W
“Of course, we wouldn’t know about Mr. Roland’s private affairs.” “Who is this celebrity Mr. Roland has been dating?” They were quite curious about who the revered Roland's girlfriend could be. Decker was more than happy to quell their curiosity, "She’s one of the most famous actresses right now, and I’m sure you all have heard of her.” "Who is it?" “President Rockwell, quit teasing us. Out with it already!” They urged him on. Decker announced her name at last, “Isabel Ross.” "Oh… Isabel!” "She's certainly very famous. I wasn’t expecting someone like Mr. Roland to end up with a celebrity though. I assumed he would have a different taste.” “Well, men love beautiful women, don’t they? Isabel Ross sure is a knockout. I would date her too if given the chance, but then again I have a wife now, so she’s off-limits to me.” Everyone continued to joke and gossip about the tantalizing subject. None of them noticed Odell whose expression had turned ominously dar
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief after Odell left, save for Decker who put on an innocent look and pretended to be surprised. “Was it something I said?” The remaining executive assured him, “Don’t worry about it. President Carter has something important he needs to attend to urgently.” Deep down, he was muttering curses at Decker. ‘Keep your mouth shut, you fool!’ Decker snuck another glance at the elevator where Odell had vanished and grinned smugly. … At Isabel’s hotel in Glanchester, things calmed down in the bedroom at last. Isabel lay like a plank on the bed and was too tired to move. Roland pulled her into his arms and let her rest against his shoulder. Upon noting the content expression on the man’s face, Isabel shot him a playful glare. Roland grinned before reaching lapping his arms around her neck and gently massaging her neck. He applied just the right amount of pressure, so it did not hurt. It was even quite comfortable. Isabel lay silently and
It was a weekday the following day, which meant Roland had to head back to Westchester. After waking up in the morning, the two went at it in bed until it was nearing noon before they finally emerged from the bedroom. Knowing that it would be another week before they could meet again, Isabel was quite reluctant to part with him. They arrived at the hotel entrance. Roland let go of her hand and gently stroked her hair. "I'm going off now." Isabel only grunted in response. Roland looked at her with a thoughtful expression. It looked like he wanted to say something to her but ultimately decided against it. With that, he turned around and walked toward the parking lot. He stepped into the sunlight, the trace of light outlined his striking figure. And yet, there was a certain gloominess about him. Isabel suddenly felt a stuffy feeling in her chest. She cried out, "Roland!" Roland stopped immediately and looked back at her. She ran over to him and threw himself
The film crew took advantage of the rain to finish up most of the rainy scenes. It was a rather busy week, and Friday came before Isabel knew it. On Friday, the crew managed to wrap up everything around three in the afternoon, and Isabel returned to the hotel after that. The first thing she did was take a hot bath. Then, she made sure to apply lotion and doused herself in her favorite perfume. She picked out a dress that hugged her slender waist and accentuated her figure before sitting by the window to wait for Roland to visit. The thought of the though slightly juvenile, yet sweet and innocent surprise that Roland prepared for her last week made her smile. She wondered if he would prepare something similar for her again this week. Time slowly trickled past while she waited. It was already getting dark outside, and even the rain was gradually stopping. She watched as some of the film crew went out together to hang out for the weekend, then she watched as they retu
Flint said reluctantly, “I’ll tell you, but don’t get angry at me.” Isabel snapped at him, “Out with it!" Flint sighed. “I think Dad does not approve of the two of you being together, so he made him quit.” Isabel was flabbergasted. Her father did not approve of them being together? Roland quit because of this? Her mind went blank as she had trouble processing this. "Where is he now?" Flint muttered, "I heard he left Westchester after the ongoing projects at work yesterday." It was his turn to ask Isabel, "You’re his girlfriend. Hasn’t he said anything to you?” Isabel stammered. Flint realized that he had misspoken and quickly tried to rectify his mistake. “Sorry, sis, you know that’s not what I meant. Just calm down and don’t be mad at me. I don’t think Roland would break up with you without at least talking to you about it. There must be some reason he hasn’t spoken to you yet.” Isabel ignored him and promptly hung up on him. Then, she called Roland
It was Roland. Surprised, Isabel answered the phone immediately and asked, “Where are you?” “I’m in Southboro,” Roland answered with a hoarse voice, seemingly hesitating with the answer. Isabel’s chest tightened. “When did you go back?” “I reached Southboro yesterday morning.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” He did not say a word. Isabel ran out of patience. She asked, “Why did you go back to Southboro?” The man still did not answer. Isabel glanced at the screen of her phone. The call was still connected, Roland did not hang up on her. She snorted. “Is it because of my dad?” “It’s not about Mr. Carter, it’s my own decision,” he said. His own decision? How could he say something like this to her in such a calm manner? Her eyes teared up. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and then asked, “So, are you breaking up with me?” “Isabel, I think we have to be separated for a while.” “Separated for a while? What does that mean?” “I can’t tell you yet.” “Roland, if