CHAPTER 101

Geneveive Tessa Robert

I stared at the taxi and laughed. Ava did look pathetic and drenched. I wasn’t surprised she had jumped into the taxi without saying anything, even though I could feel the hate in her eyes. It wasn’t my fault Kyle was preparing to dump her; it was her fault. If she was looking for anyone to blame for the downfall of her marriage, she should blame herself. 

I wondered what she was doing here, though. Probably to see Kyle. From her drenched appearance, it was obvious the guards hadn’t let her in and Kyle wasn’t around. If not, I was certain he wouldn’t be cruel enough to let his wife stay outside and get beaten. Anyway, it was their business. I came to check up on the progress of the third restaurant. According to the project plan, Kyle’s team was supposed to be rounding up this week if there were no more mistakes. Dad was still pissed that he had been tricked into signing a contract with Kyle King, but when I told him I had acquired part of the company, He decided to take it easy on the team, but not on Kyle. He wasn’t ready to forgive Kyle for the trick.

The elevator opened to the third floor, where the third restaurant was situated. It was the largest restaurant in the hotel, with a secular and classic vibe. Dad’s famous chef, Santiago, was in charge of the kitchen and staff. I noticed the team was almost done with the installation and wiring work. Finally. I took pictures of the place and sent them to Dad. He was currently in the hospital with Mom for her routine checkup. 

I spoke to some of the team members and checked in on Santiago. It’s been five years since we last saw each other.

‘Hello, dear old friend. I have missed you and your signature meals!’ I said, smiling widely.

He chuckled, hugging me, ‘Tessa, it’s so good to see you. You didn’t bring my grandchildren?’

‘What grandchildren?’ I laughed. ‘You aren’t so old, Santiago. Anyway, they are with their uncle. Yoau should come over to my place during the weekend and meet them. What do you think?’

He nodded. ‘Of course, I would come. I would also bring some of my new Italian dishes and something for you too.’

I smiled and said, ‘Thank you, Santiago. I will tell James you will be coming around then. He will be so excited. Do you know how many times we wished you could have magically appeared here years ago? I really missed you and your wise words.’

He hugged me again. ‘I missed you too. I am glad everything turned out great for you in the end, though. You’re now one of the biggest CEOs in the country, and you have surpassed your husband in wealth, name, and fame. I hope you are proud of yourself, dear.’

I nodded. ‘Yes, I am. Thank you for everything, including the cooking lessons. The twins know more Italian dishes due to your tutoring.’

He waved it off. ‘That’s what families do. We help one another.’

One of the kitchen staff members called his attention to something, and I used that as my cue to leave. I promised to check up on him before I left the hotel. Truly, family helped one another. 

Holding on to that saying, I met up with the hotel management, and we had a brief meeting. The receptionist reported Avaline’s incident, and I promised to check in with Kyle and inform him about the hotel's policies. I also offered an apology and promised Kyle would do the same. I also updated them on the restaurant's progress and assured them that the project would be completed this week.

After the meeting, I took the elevator to the ground-floor restaurant and settled down to enjoy lunch. Thankfully, it was Santiago’s special. I was about to order more Kabsa when I noticed Kyle walking towards me. Ugh. I wondered what he wanted.

The waiter took my order, and I focused on him. ‘What do you want, Kyle?’

He smiled, ‘Can I sit? I am not here to make trouble, I promise.’

‘Fine, you can join me. What’s up with you?’

‘I am good. My team told me you stopped by to check up on the progress. Is there any complaint?’

I shrugged, ‘No, there’s no complain except from testing. When are you running the tests on the tabs? Dad wants the project to be wrapped by this week.’

‘We will be done by tomorrow, and we will run the tests on Saturday. There will be less traffic and enough space to do our thing.’

‘Alright, I will let him know once I get home. What about Xavier? I didn’t see him with the team.’

He replied, ‘He is a bit under the weather, but he will be here tomorrow. Tessa, please, we need to talk.’

I shook my head and replied, ‘Your wife came here and threatened the staff. You know the policies, right? If you aren’t a guest or on an appointment, you can't wait in the reception. Why didn’t you not tell her?’

His smile sunk. ‘I am sorry about Avaline. I don’t know who told her about the hotel, and I definitely didn’t tell her to come here. I will make sure this doesn’t repeat itself.’

‘Please do and talk to her about her choice of clothing. I am sorry to say this, but I saw her a few hours ago, and what she wore wasn’t befitting for a wife. It was more like a hook-up girl's outfit.’

He swallowed, ‘Thank you, Tessa. Can we please talk later? I would like to have an honest conversation with you, please.’

I laughed, ‘Kyle, I thought I made myself clear? I am not interested in having any conversation with you, please.’

‘I know, but I have evidence that proves that I am the father of the twins. Tessa, please, don’t make this hard for us anymore.’

I looked up at him and thought about my mom. ‘Alright, you will have your conversation, but in the presence of my parents. Let them know the kind of man that you are.’