Page 3 of Seventeen Years Ago

As though fate was intervening, Bennett entered my office. I knew he was also not on the schedule, and it was already 5:00 o'clock on a Friday.

“Hello Mr. Stone. Is there something I can help you with?” I asked hoping that there wasn't a problem he was going to be bringing to Reesa at this time of day. I knew from earlier that her husband Finn had said he was taking her out for dinner this evening. By the look on her face, she was looking forward to it. But if there was a problem in Tabiq, I knew she would drop everything to resolve that first.

“I'm dropping something off for my wife, Zoey. She is under the impression that Reesa has been working too hard and deserves a girls' night,” Bennett stated.

Girls’ night?

It seemed so trivial when I thought about what was on Reesa’s plate. She ran an entire country, and we were struggling to continue to bring it out of poverty. I couldn't imagine her just taking the night off to have a ‘girls' night’.

He was just about to hand me the pink envelope he was holding when Reesa opened her office door and said, “Hello Bennett. I wasn't expecting you.”

“As I was explaining to Aiza, my wife has sent me to deliver an invitation for a girls' night next Sunday. Ziva and Lena will be here as well as Allyson, Cayden's wife. They would love it if you could join them,” Bennett stated.

Reesa Smiled. “I will have to check with my husband, but I don't believe we have any plans. I would love to join you, or should I say the ladies, if time permits.” She looked at me and then back at Bennett and added, “would you mind if Aiza joined us as well? I believe she is in need of a ladies’ night as much as I am.”

Bennett did not seem surprised at all. I, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. Not only was I not prepared for the invitation, but I also didn't want one. There was no polite way of declining her kind offer to bring me along. It was not like she was just my boss, but she was the president of the country. You do not turn down an invitation like this.

No matter how badly you want to.

“Of course, Aiza is welcome. And I'll tell Zoey that you will respond after you speak to your husband. But if he wants to join the guys, he's more than welcome to, but just so you know we are just the babysitters that night,” he chuckled.

Reesa placed the hand on her well-rounded abdomen and said, “That might be just the practice he needs. The baby is due in two months and I'm not sure he's ever changed a dirty diaper before.”

“I think our children are beyond the diaper stage,” he laughed. “But I'm sure we can put him to good use in other ways. Let's see how he handles teenagers.”

“I think diapers are easier,” she sighed. “What do you think Aiza?”

I was once again being dragged into a conversation I did not want to be part of. “I don't have experience with either.”

Reesa replied, “I'm sure one day you will.”

I highly doubt it. I'm not even dating anyone, so not even close to getting married.

“Someday,” I replied.

Bennett said, “I’ve taken up enough of your time. It’s Friday and I'm sure you have better things to do than to stand here talking about diapers.”

“Finn is taking me to dinner tonight,” Reesa said. “And I’m sure Aiza has something better to do than working late.”

I did have plans, but nothing as exciting as they may think. My grandmother was elderly, and I was going home to cook dinner for her. It was what I did every night. I was all she had, and she was all I needed.

What I don’t need is to spend time with the Hendersons or their wives. I just want to live my life the way it is.

CHAPTER3

Steven

Usually, I saved adventures for my vacations, but this trip didn't have the business vibe that I was used to. There was a total lack of control over what was going on my part, and I didn't like it at all. Yet, I boarded this fucking jet, and all I knew was that I had one long-ass flight ahead of me. Since we were flying east and over the ocean all I knew was that we were leaving the United States.

Cayden, just like me, did a lot of international business. But I needed to know how to prepare when entering certain countries. If one was not careful, you could find yourself in a jail cell for a very long time even for a minor offense. There were a couple of places where I was not welcome just because of my father's reputation. Places that found his strong-arm tactics when negotiating an acquisition in the lines of threats. They weren't wrong. But getting anyone to see that I was not like him seemed to be my greatest challenge.

Sometimes even to myself.

I was all through with the idle chatter. He had said we were going to be discussing business on this flight, and so far, all I’d heard about was their personal life, and how they met. I must admit I was surprised that Allyson had been employed by Cayden’s arch-enemy, the Henderson family.

They were one family I stayed the hell away from. Not because they intimidated me, but because my father had been good friends with their father, the late James Henderson. That was enough for me to keep my distance. I trusted no one my father called friend. I was beginning to question my decision to accompany Cayden now since I knew the company he kept.

“When did you become so...chummy with the Henderson family?”or are you keeping your enemies close and waiting for the right time to take your revenge?

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