ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 3 - Season 10 Episode 49

“You know, I am perfectly fine with my girlfriend being a model, but my parents don’t agree with my point of view. They disapprove of our relationship and I just can’t figure out how to change their minds. The only thing I can think of is to come and ask for your advice. I know you’ll be able to think of something to get me out of this situation,” Cary said with a forced smile on his face. Then he continued, “George, you’re one of my good friends and I’m counting on you. You’ll help me, right?”

George smiled bitterly and said, “I understand. Even in these modern times, love means nothing when it comes to keeping up with reputation. Parents pay a big role in children’s love relationship, especially in families like ours. Without their consent and blessing, it’s hard to go through with marriage even if we can afford it. It’s such a helpless, frustrating situation.”

He was thinking of his own relationship with Holley. Despite the fact that they had been together for many years, his mother still refused to even consider Holley as his future wife, and kept dropping hints for him to find a “proper girlfriend”.

Then he focused on his friend sitting in front of him and gave him a warm smile. “Well, you came to the right place! You know I’ll do whatever I can do to help with your situation.”

Cary grinned back at him with relief. Then George gave Cary a curious look and said, “If I remember correctly, you never showed any interest in girls back when we were in college. All the girls were afraid to even talk to you because you looked so fierce and unfriendly! I wonder what kind of woman managed to win your heart.”

“I’m pretty sure you know her already,” Cary said, with an odd look on his face. He put down the cup in his hand and leaned on the edge in his seat, as if he wanted to share a big secret with George. Then he announced, “I’m dating Susan.”

“What did you say?” George couldn’t have been more shocked if Cary had suddenly punched him in the face. His entire body stiffened and his heart immediately started beating fast like he had just finished a race. He asked in disbelief, “You’re dating Susan? You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I be joking?” Cary scoffed and asked, “Do I look like I’m kidding? I have never been more serious in my life.”

“But…I don’t understand,” George shook his head slightly. He tilted his head to one side with his brows furrowed in confusion. He asked in a baffled tone, “How in the world did you end up with Susan? Is she really your girlfriend?”

“Why not? Is there anything wrong with us being together? Don’t tell me you share the same old-fashioned thoughts as my parents,” mocked Cary. It was obvious he was annoyed by George’s reaction. He scoffed and asked, “Well? Do you disapprove of our relationship, too?”

He paused for a few beats and gave a disparaging smile. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to lose any money. I won’t take advantage of the fact that we’re old college buddies. I’ll repay you for all of your losses, every single cent. You have my word.”

“No, that’s not what I’m thinking of. Don’t misunderstand me.” George looked at Cary guiltily. He was already imagining the headache that was about to come. Not so long ago, he had had a massive fight with Holley when he made the decision to approve Sheryl’s resignation without consulting her first. To make things worse, until now Holley still didn’t realize that he had done that for her sake, with her best interests in mind. Now he had an almost identical situation on his hands.

He knew that if he agreed to release Susan from the corporation, there would be another huge issue. Their relationship was still slightly chilly from the resulting row from Sheryl’s departure and he really didn’t want to stir up the mess further.

But Cary was a good friend and had never asked him for any help before, making it hard to turn him down. He felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“What’s the matter? Is there any problem?” asked Cary in an innocent tone. He could guess what was going through George’s mind but feigned ignorance.

“Cary, look. It’s like this…” George frowned slightly and hesitated for a long while, trying to figure out how to phrase his words. Finally he continued, “If it was anything else, I would bend over backwards to help you. But on this issue… I can’t promise you anything.” He heaved a deep sigh with a helpless look on his face.

“Is that so?” Cary smiled thinly. He hadn’t really expected George to agree to his request, but since he had come all the way, he decided to continue with his effort. He tried to provoke George, saying, “Come on, you’re the boss of Kline Corp. Are you telling me you can’t make a decision on such a small matter? If you can’t, then who really holds the power in this company?”

George squirmed, just as Cary had expected him to. He looked at Cary but avoided eye contact, saying, “I can’t make the call about Susan because she works under Holley’s management. She is my fiancee and I respect her opinions and style of handling her staff. And besides that, Holley has quite a nasty temper. If I give Susan the green light to leave the company, she’ll definitely give me a hard time when she finds out.”

George gave a brittle smile as he considered the risks. Then he told Cary, “Well, I suppose I can try to discuss it with Holley. If I can persuade her to release Susan, I’ll have her process it as soon as possible. That’s the most I can do for you, buddy.”

“George…” Cary sat a little bit straighter and said lightly, “To be honest, that’s not the only reason why I’m here today.

There’s actually another thing I need to talk to you about.”

“Something else? What is it?” George asked curiously.

Cary cleared his throat and got straight to the point. “Susan is still receiving treatment in the hospital. She kept insisting that it was an accident but it looks more serious to me. Can you please tell me exactly what happened? I believe you have a clearer idea of the incident than I do. And if you don’t, then please ask your beloved fiancee about it on my behalf.”

Cary bared his lips in a grim smile and continued, “Remember, we’re in Ylanbu now. She can’t just get away with anything she wants here. I came here simply as a formality, since you’re an old college friend. Susan is my girlfriend and messing with her is equal to messing with me. So now I’m warning you, if Holley tries any more hanky-panky, I’ll personally make sure she pays for it.

I know that Kline Corp. is a big company in Ylanbu, also serves as the best backing for Holley. But I also want to warn you, that I have my backing in this city as well. Don’t underestimate my power and don’t think that she can do whatever she likes to others without anyone knowing it.”

“Cary, I think you must be mistaken about Holley.” George was taken aback by Cary’s statement. He looked at Cary in genuine puzzlement and replied, “Susan’s injuries are 100% an accident. Neither Holley nor I would wish such a thing to happen. Trust me, Holley is very concerned about Susan’s condition; she just hasn’t had the time to go over and visit her yet since she has quite a busy schedule.”

Even as he said those words, suspicion began to creep into George’s mind. He had his own doubts about Holley’s involvement in the accident and now that Cary was here, he was now starting to think that Holley did have something to do with it. He smiled ironically to himself. Yet another mess of hers that he needed to clean up.

That investigation would have be something he carried out on his own. He couldn’t show that he doubted his own fiancee in front of Cary. He tried to steer the topic away, telling Cary, “Not to worry, Susan is our employee and eligible for our insurance scheme. Since her injuries were caused by an accident, we’ll fully cover her medical costs and other related compensations. We would never abandon our employees…”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Cary interrupted coldly. “I see that coming here is a waste of time. It’s no use talking to you. My attorney will be in touch with you soon. I refuse to let Susan stay here any longer.”

Cary then got up to leave, having said everything that he had planned to say. Before he could leave the room, George replied, in an equally cold tone, “Cary, don’t even think of doing anything to hurt Holley.”

He got up and stood in front of Cary. This time, he looked at Cary directly in the eyes as he told him, “Holley is my girl. Whatever happens, I’ll always have her back. So if you do anything to hurt her, whether physically or emotionally, then I’m going to be there with her every step of the way, fighting back. I would definitely choose her over our friendship.”

Cary stared back, unflinching. Then he barked out a laugh and said, “Sure, suit youself. But let me tell you now, brother. Your girl is just a really good actress and definitely has something to do with my girl ending up in the hospital.”

There was a cold glint in Cary’s eyes now. His lips curled into a sneer as he warned George, “You’d better keep a close eye on Holley. Make sure she doesn’t play dirty anymore. Otherwise, I’ll be there to teach her a lesson on how to behave like a decent human being. Either you do it yourself, or I will. The choice is yours.”

Then the sneer faded from his face slowly. He looked at George with an almost pitiful look in his eyes. He patted George’s shoulder and said in a sincere tone, “George, we’ve been friends for a long time now. Let me give you some advice, brother to brother.”

He watched George’s reaction carefully and lowered his voice. “Listen to me, Holley is not a good person. I may not know her as well as I know you, but I definitely know what kind of person she is. She’s not someone you should spend the rest of your life with. If you still trust me like you did back in college, then leave her. Run away as far you can before you regret it. Otherwise you’re going to suffer a lot, sooner or later.”

“Thank you for your advice, but I think I know Holley better than anyone else. She is the woman I love and I trust her,” replied George, icily. Cary’s candid criticism towards his fiancee left him fuming inside.

“Is that so? Alright then,” Cary mocked, “it seems I must be mistaken. I’ll mind my business from now on.”

Then he turned and left without a second look. Shortly after he had left, Holley rushed into George’s office and asked abruptly, “I heard Cary was here earlier. What did he want?”

“Yes, he was here. Nothing, really. Just catching up and gossiping about some old college buddies. Boring man talk, you wouldn’t be interested,” George lied. Why did Holley seem so flustered? Why did she seem so nervous about Cary’s appearance? George gazed deep into Holley’s eyes, trying to read her thoughts. He couldn’t help recalling Cary’s accusations and wondered if his friend might have been telling the truth.

Even though he was deeply in love with Holley, he had to admit that sometimes, he didn’t agree with her actions. Her way of doing things, especially the way she treated others, could be a little crude and brutal at time. But he had learned to embrace it as a part of her and didn’t want to be one of those crazy people who tried to change their partner’s personality.

“What is it, honey?” Holley asked nervously, feeling uncomfortable with the way George was staring at her. She could sense that something was not quite right. She sat down next to George, rubbed his shoulders and asked, “Did Cary say something inappropriate? Did he talk about me?”

“No, nothing about you.” George shook his head slightly and decided to just get it over with. He turned to Holley and put his hand over hers, saying, “Holley, please be honest with me. Did you have anything to do with Susan’s ‘accident’?

You know she’s still being treated at the hospital. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, does it? Please tell me it doesn’t.”

“What are you talking about, George?” Holley was stunned by George’s query.

She shook his hand off and looked at him with a hurt look on her face. “I know there’s been talk about me being involved with Susan’s accident. But I didn’t bother trying to explain things because I don’t care what other people think and I have nothing to prove. But to think that my own boyfriend considers that I may have something to do with it! I never thought you would betray me like this. It’s devastating.”

“So you’re saying the accident doesn’t have anything at all to do with you?” George wanted to hear her say the words.

“Of course not!” Holley said firmly. She wore such a hurt and indignant expression that George’s heart melted and he wondered how he could accuse her of such a thing.