Chapter 12
Dante
“Is everything all right, Isabella? You seem a bit distant,” I said.
“I’m fine.” She smiled. I smiled back when she broke eye contact and gazed downward. I was growing concerned. She hadn’t said a word to me the entire ride to the tarmac. Something was on her mind. I just wish she’d open up to me a bit more.
Isabella and I boarded my jet. We intended to take a trip to Seoul so we could meet up with her executives in charge to discuss sales, profit generation, and customer satisfaction with their products. Isabella looked distant, however. I could only hope she had received my most recent letter. Something was occupying her thoughts, and if it was my letters, then I’d be glad for it.
Her inattentiveness notwithstanding, I had a feeling that I might be causing her a bit of emotional turmoil with what I was doing. If I were to sympathize with what I believed Isabella to be thinking, it would no doubt expose me in the process. Therefore, in that regard, I would keep my silence on the matter. But still . . .
“Something on your mind?” I asked. She didn’t answer, only continued to look out the window as the crew prepped the jet for takeoff. I cleared my throat loud enough to get her attention, which forced her out of her daze.
“I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
“I asked if there was something on your mind.” I gave her a polite grin.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about some personal stuff, that’s all.”
“Of course. Forgive me.” I leaned back in my chair with the certainty that in fact, it was my letters consuming her thoughts. Finally, her eyes were opening.
“Wait for me—don’t leave yet!” someone yelled. I turned to look outside and to my surprise, Maya came running up the airstairs into the jet, bags in hand. I tried to hide my displeasure and make light of the situation with a fake smile. I sat up in my chair and stared at Maya as she handed my staff her bags.
“Is she coming with us?” I asked.
“Yes. Remember the email I sent you yesterday? Maya speaks Korean, Cantonese, and Japanese fluently, and she’s working on her Mandarin, so I decided to bring her along.”
Raising my brows, I leaned back into my chair again. My time alone with Isabella was now shattered. In my excitement, I’d just skimmed through that email she’d sent.
“I see. I guess I didn’t read that part,” I murmured.
“You’re not upset I brought her along, are you?”
“Of course not. I mean, if she speaks Korean, her help will be invaluable.” I wasn’t sure if Isabella could see the disappointment in my eyes. This would have been the perfect time to get to know her better and maybe even tell her the truth. Those plans, however, were now on hold.
“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was unbelievable,” said Maya as she took in the view.
“It’s quite all right. We have a while before we depart,” I said.
Maya stood as she gazed at the lavish interior of my jet. She paced the space between Isabella and me. “Wow. This is such a beautiful aircraft. Must have cost you a fortune,” she exclaimed.
“It didn’t cost that much. And it’s not all that luxurious.” I smirked.
“Not all that luxurious? All the furniture is made of white leather. It’s spacious with a twin bed in the very back. And the pillows have golden chrysanthemum designs on them. Maybe in your world this isn’t luxurious, but for me it’s amazing.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said, smiling. She sat next to Isabella after taking in the sights and laid out operational cost and budget information for the offices in South Korea and Japan. She opened her laptop and pulled up the financial spreadsheets. It seemed as if Maya wanted to get right to business. My mind was on other things, however, as was Isabella’s.
“There are a few things we should go over before we meet up with our managers there,” said Maya. She seemed adamant about hashing out the details of their market expansion on the way there. Nonetheless, that was the furthest subject from my mind.
“If you would excuse me for a moment,” I said. Taking my glass, I retreated toward the cockpit, leaving Isabella and her cousin alone.
“Are you all right?” Maya asked me.
“Yes, I’m fine. You two can go over the reports. I’m going to speak with the pilot. I’ll be back shortly.” I glanced at Isabella before walking away. She wasn’t paying her cousin or me any attention. I hoped my letters weren’t putting too much of a weight on her heart, if that was what was bothering her.
In any case, my mind was somewhere else and I didn’t have it in me to analyze their marketing strategy right then. As I departed, I stole one last glance at Isabella. Maya was going on about financials; however, Isabella was drifting and still not paying her any mind. I could only hope I was the cause of whatever emotion Isabella was feeling in that moment.