Why does she have to persuade a stranger? Arghh

"She has to be a witch," he ended with such a conclusion after he replayed all the instances when his boss had ignored by beautiful women.

*********

"Do you think he will come again?" she asked her friend and boss as she walked into her bedroom to sleep.

"He will come, after all, he came for the last session," he replied to her from the other confidently.

She smiled and nodded. "I hope he does. He is recovering very fast," she commented.

"Yes, the accident was fatal but he escaped with only the hand injury. He lost his driver in the accident," Mr. Shen narrated.

It took her so much effort not to sigh. It was a pity her boss also lost his father in an accident. It reminded her of her mother.

She was a very beautiful woman and nice until . . .

She could not hold back the sigh again. "How is your mother doing?" she asked making sure she sounded as worried as she felt.

"She will wake up soon," came the soft reply from the other end.

She closed her eyes as she did not need him to tell her word for word that it was most likely a lie. She bit her lips and remained silent for a few seconds.

"She will regain consciousness soon," she encouraged him softly.

She could almost see him nodding in agreement with sadness evident in his eyes. "My brother has not arrived yet and I know that it is not looking good," he told her from the other end.

She frowned. She has always known as he said that his brother was a workaholic but she did not expect the young man to not visit his mother.

"That is not right. Have you spoken to him?" she asked him worriedly. Her friend must be left alone to take care of everything without the aid of a family member in a strange country. "It must be difficult."

"It is . . . it is hard. I don't know what to tell my brother to make him visit my mother whose chance of survival was slim. I hate him," he complained to her.

She swallowed and looked out of the night starry sky. She has been opportune to meet his brother twice even after seven years of their friendship and she wanted to help her friend.

She could not travel to be with him because she might be his friend but that did not mean she was that close to his family. She also had to help him at work and she had no one to trust her clients with.

"I told him about the accident and he has not picked up my call since then," he told her annoyed.

"Why? Perhaps he did not know how serious it was," she replied to him thoughtfully.

The young man must not be aware of how serious the accident was and must have trusted his parent to be in good hands with his brother going. His father did not die instantly.

Mr. Shen left the country after passing his duties to her and he completed the details when he got there.

"I wish I could help," she murmured as she sat down on her bed and rested her back against the headboard.

"I wish . . . I think you could help. Could you talk to my brother persuasively to come?"

She almost lost her mind at his crazy suggestion. How could she persuade the man who she had only seen twice and greeted once to get to his unconscious mother?

That was among family members and she did not want to intrude. "I . . . I don't think it will be right," she replied to him shaking her in disbelief.

His brother was known for his coldness and detachment. "Please. This is what you can do for me. I need him to be here. If my mother dies in his absence, I a sure he will blame himself forever.

"My brother might love his work beyond normal but I am sure he loves his family," he tried to persuade her. his voice had painful tiredness to it that made her swallow guiltily.

"Don't you think he is aware but still refuses to go?" she asked him as she was seeking a way of escape from it. The weakness she felt towards his situation was all gone.

"You are unwilling to help me. it is understandable. My brother scares people off but I am sure he is not as bad as your new client," he told her seriously. "I need your help.

"My father requested that he gets buried here abroad."

Hearing his plea, she knew she could not go on with her refusal. If her boss wanted to bury his father abroad, then his elder brother will have to be present.

"Have you told your family?"

"Not yet, we are not especially close to our extended family, as you know," she heard his reply and she remembered he had once told her that his father was disowned and his mother was an only child with all her parents now dead.

She could only sigh as she knew that was the only, she could help her friend and boss. "I will talk to him. Send his address or should I talk to him tomorrow in his office?" she asked.

"I don't want to feel like a burden, are you okay with talking to my brother?" he asked her worriedly. "I could fly back to get him since he does not want to hear anything about his family from his secretary."

She was now angry with his brother for being negligent when the company he was working so hard for was given to him by his father that died abroad.

"I know you must be tired and in need of rest but could you help me go to him today? You could simply leave a message at the door and leave immediately. Do not go into his house. You could also wait until he leaves his office."

She took up the mission to find the negligent young man and stood up after hanging up.

She hesitated when she got to the door of her closet since she had to change from her nightwear.