Chapter 4 - A Song for Adelia
1997 Words
Lowell ran a palm across his face in frustration. His assistant stood in front of his office desk with chin up high and a determined expression. He can’t help but sigh. Out of all the assistants he’d work with, Alexiel was the only lad who dared to question his decisions. And the most annoying part was, he could tell how amused he was now that he’s tangled in this situation.
“So, let me get this straight. Are you telling me that she’s still here and you won’t send her home?” he asked in a very low voice, trying not to lose his temper.
“Yes, sir. I left her in the living room before reporting to you.” When he looked up, Alexiel’s eyes were glinting in excitement.
He sighed, “Why? What’s the problem this time?”
“She heard Miranda’s voicemail.”
Lowell’s face remained calm, almost as if not taken aback from what he’d just heard, “Miranda always does that. She’d call drunk and talk rubbish. I don’t think it’s a big of a deal if she heard - ”
“A song for Adelia.”
Silence had fallen deep in the four corners of Lowell Sebastian’s office. His expression finally showed tension upon hearing what his assistant mouthed.
“Miranda spouted things about that novel being written by you.” Alexiel continued, his tone also turned serious too. “I figured that sending her home with that information will make you uncomfortable.”
The young chairman’s gaze shifted to the door. His fingers were continuously tapping on the top of his desk. It goes on for another minute before he stopped and sighed again.
"Didn't she already sign the non-disclosure agreement? Isn't it enclosed in the document that she can't speak of anything that she sees or hear in here?"
"Yes, but what about last night?"
"What about last night?"
Alexiel pursed his lips and averted his gaze, "Uh, you know."
“Stop trying, Alex. Nothing happened.” he insisted once again and shook his head. “If you're still not convinced, can’t we just invite her to lunch and drop her home?”
“That’s a great idea.” his assistant happily exclaimed as he looked at his wristwatch. "I'll tell the chef to prepare lunch before I go."
"Wait." Lowell intrudes before Alexiel could make another move. "Before you go?"
The cheeky man nodded with a wide smile, "As much as I want to join you, my Louise is waiting for my return. I don't need to elaborate on how scary your cousin is, right?"
"You mean, I'd have to eat with that woman alone and send her home?" he took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly to suppress his fury.
"Yes, sir. Like I said before, it's not part of my job to interfere with your personal life."
"And when did this become part of my personal life? You're the one who mistakenly called her for a contract signing." Lowell asked in a slightly loud voice, obviously a bit piqued at Alexiel's statement.
"Well, I already resolved that issue. And you're the one who brought her here again last night, so she's no longer part of my responsibility."
Lowell paused and stared at him as if thinking hard on what to say next. He sighed several times in the middle of unnerving silence.
"Fine." he finally groaned in defeat. But his sneer stopped Alexiel from almost clapping in joy.
"That's great. A car is also prepared at the parking lot for you to use after lunch."
His assistant quickly raised his index finger in the air when he was about to complain. "A group of security guards will also drive behind you secretly, so you don't need to worry about being photographed.”
"Now, I even have to drive her home. Isn't this a bit overboard?"
Alexiel shook his head, "If you want to get into a woman's good side, this is the least you could do."
"Ha." he snorted.
After the unfavorable discussion, Lowell found himself seated at the dining table. Opposite of him was the tensed Wednesday Curtis. He could sense discomfort from her constant fidgeting. Her food was barely touched and she seemed to be cautious in her every move.
"How was the food?” he breaks the silence while slicing the piece of meat on his plate. From the corner of his eyes, he watched her taste the food in haste. “If it’s not to your liking, I can ask them to bring other dishes.”
“N-No, it’s good. I just feel a bit under the weather right now,” she replied timidly.
A wry smile crept into Lowell’s face. “I told them to prepare a soup, you should try it. You were quite intoxicated last night after all. Your hangover must be terribly bad.” He gestured for the maid to pour the soup in her bowl.
Wednesday flinched at his remark but still managed to keep her gaze low. She purposely tried to avoid eye contact and act indifferent towards him. “Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
Amused by the sight, the young chairman can’t help but laugh softly. The lady across the table was obviously taken aback, so he had to hold back his delight.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that the way you act right now is contrasting on how you were last - "
"About that." Wednesday interrupted him and gently put down the knife and fork in front of her. "I would like to apologize if I caused any inconvenience or scandal last night."
She courageously met his gaze. Her change of approach brought a glint of interest in the gentleman’s eyes.
"So, you do remember." he also placed down the silverwares from his hands. “Or do you really?”
Wednesday bit her lip as her eyes slightly wavered, “I-I remember quite a bit, I guess?”
Lowell smirked, “Just a bit. Then, shall we take a look back on how I got traumatized last night?”
“T-Traumatized?”
Wednesday looked baffled and confused at his statement. With his chin comfortably resting on his palm, he drew a taunting smile to make her feel even more bewildered. It was impossible for her to analyze his gestures as he remained collected.
“What you did keep me up all night, Ms. Curtis.” he jokingly teased.
The lady’s face flushed, “W-What do you mean? I just kissed you and - “
“Oh, that part.” Lowell cuts in, still amused at her reactions. “And after that?”
Wednesday’s brows furrowed. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. “Look, whatever I did after that, I don’t really remember. I’m sorry, but can you not make fun of me just because you have the upper hand?”
“It seems that Ms. Curtis misunderstood my actions,” he responded but still seemed serene. “I simply find my encounters with you somewhat amusing and intriguing.”
“I’d say disturbing if I was in your shoes.” she thought out loud, and then covered her mouth when she realized it. She lowered her gaze and reached for a glass of water.
Lowell chuckled and continued to eat. “Fair enough. We met briefly on bad terms yesterday and by that night, we shared a kiss.”
Wednesday, who’s in the middle of drinking, almost spat the water out of her mouth.
“Now, here we are having lunch because my assistant thinks that this is a personal matter that I need to settle,” he added while Alexiel's grinning face flashed at the back of his mind. The thought alone never failed to annoy him.
She coughed and quickly waved her hand mid-air to show her disagreement. “If it’s about the voicemail I heard, you both don’t need to worry. I’ll take the secret to the grave.”
“I know. Besides, even if you did slip up, you’ll be sued. Alex made you sign the confidentiality agreement, right?”
“Oh, that.” Wednesday’s face turned grim upon reminiscing yesterday’s events. She gritted her teeth while cutting the meat on her plate.
Lowell noticed the change of her expression almost immediately. Finally figured out why his assistant ditched him and left in a hurry without meeting this lady.
“I have to apologize for yesterday’s unfortunate event too,” he said in a low voice.
As much as he wanted to avoid talking about Miranda's scheme with his mother, he had no choice. Miranda probably ratted it out in the voicemail anyway.
"I don't know what the voicemail you heard entails but there were some personal conflicts that resulted in Alexiel mistakenly calling you for a contract signing."
"Whatever I heard, there's no need to explain to me in detail. I understand that it's personal." she scratched her head and faked a smile.
"I probably scared off your assistant because I was too emotional. It's the first time someone called my work garbage after all."
Lowell raised a brow slightly, he knows that she was clearly upset and hiding behind a condescending smile. "I see. You're upset about that."
"How nice of you to have noticed my frustrations, Mr. Sebastian." she jabbed at him sarcastically.
He tilts his head up to look at her, "Yes. No matter how bad it is, I should've been more considerate. I'm sorry."
Wednesday's jaw dropped open in disbelief of what she'd heard. "W-What did you just say?"
"Can I talk about your novel with pure honesty, Ms. Curtis?" He asked innocently, completely unaware of how offended the lady seated in front of him was.
She secretly clenched her fists under the table and let out a long and deep sigh. A forced smile crept up to her lips in an effort not to appear too narrow-minded.
"Sure, go ahead."
"The way you write isn't the problem. In fact, you have talent." Lowell sighed, his expression slowly turned grim and serious. "What baffled me the most was how forgiveness came easy for the main character. It's too unrealistic and naive."
The lady banged the silverwares she's holding down the table. Her eyes were suggesting a feisty warning. "Unrealistic? You mean, just because they're transgender everything's supposed to be hard for them?"
"No. But he's someone who turned his back from people who cared and loved him. He never confronted his past and just moved forward." He strongly pointed out, his gaze was piercing back at her.
"It's too stuck up. There were no considerations of consequences that his family had to face because of his selfishness nor have he acknowledged the pain of the people around him."
Wednesday froze, she stared at the young chairman of SMU, as if deeply pondering. One moment she wasn’t backing down, now she was caught up in someone’s opinion about her novel. It gave her an exhilarating feeling.
"T-That's an interesting point of view."
"Huh?"
"I haven't considered that thought." she shifted her gaze down her plate, engrossed on her own thoughts. "Maybe I was too focused on making him appear happier than Adelia."
Lowell's forehead wrinkled, "Adelia?"
"In the Song of Adelia, the main character was never happy." Her eyes were wide and gleaming, as though the subject of their conversation was something she held dear. “Even after she changed for the better, reached out to her estranged son, and died peacefully, her life seemed empty. As if she’s always longing.”
He wasn’t able to respond right away. His thoughts were ostensibly caught by this woman’s way of endearment to a novel he wrote in the past. When Wednesday caught him staring, she immediately sat upright.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I thought your assistant told you that I heard about - “
“He did,” Lowell confirmed as he came back to his senses. He coughed to shake off the alarming anticipation in his mind. “Your thoughts were interesting.”
She flushed at his compliment and tucked her hair behind an ear. “Thank you.”
“But why the sudden comparison? Was your novel inspired by mine?” he managed to ask.
“Well, that’s one of the reasons.” Wednesday nodded and gave off an embarrassed smile. “But I can’t tell you the other reason, Mr. Sebastian."
"May I ask why?"
"You might get offended."
He chuckled, "If I'm easily offended, we won't be sitting here eating lunch and chatting."
There was a hint of hesitation in her face. “If I tell you, can you promise not to laugh or get angry?”
“Sure. I can consider this an honest review from a reader," he responded to keep her at ease.
"This will sound crazy but ever since I read your novel," she paused for a bit and pursed her lip. "I always thought Adelia was formerly a man."
- Writer
