How Much Money Do You Have In The Bank?

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The night is warm with a gentle breeze. Andrei spread out a picnic blanket on the grass and they sat down, leaning against each other's back.

She also prepared some nuts and cheese to munch on while sipping wine.

At first, they just leaned against each other's back, and no one talked.

Laurie was the first one to break the silence.

"What's your plan now?"

"I'll go back to Manila. I already sent a message to Eric that I would extend my stay."

"Good for you. Are you going to ask me to come with you?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. "You already did enough. I don't think I should ask you to do anything more for me, Laurie. Thank you for the offer, though."

"We are friends, so a thank you isn't necessary."

"They are not needed between friends but it doesn't mean, it shouldn't be said."

"Well, like I said, sometimes you do have a brain."

"Bitch."

"Right back at you."

Their laughter rang in the garden. And when it died down, Laurie laid down on the picnic blanket and watched the dark sky.

Watching the night sky of Saitama is far from the ones at home. Especially those nights spent on the beach.

"Andrei, I might leave sooner than I originally planned."

He scooted over to the edge of the picnic blanket, put down his wine glass, and slowly laid down half of his body on the blanket.

Most of the blanket was occupied by Laurie so that when he lay down, only his upper body was on it. His butt was on the grass.

"Can I ask why?"

"I thought I was ready to face the shitty things I did in the past, but I was wrong. I shouldn't come here."

"Was it because of Hideaki?"

"Yes, and no."

"You two have some unfinished business or something?"

"We had a thing in the past. Something I did because I was drunk and wanted to forget." she laughed wryly. "The usual shit. You know how it usually goes."

"I heard about him from your mother. He was the guy that your father wanted you to marry before he died, right?"

"Yup. That's him. And he was also the same guy that proposed to me after Nicky dumped me," she sighed. "I should have known not to play with fire with a guy who kept proposing marriage."

"Hmm," he said before he pushed himself up from the blanket. He poured himself another glass.

As he watched Laurie who was lying down on a blanket unmoving, he brought his knees to his chest, propped his elbow on them, and slowly sip his wine.

Time flies. From that summer on the island to here tonight. Everything seems as if it were a dream."

She listened to Andrei's musing but she chose not to reply. What's the use of talking about the past other than acknowledging the fact that they made a lot of mistakes, some were still running after their asses.

Andrei with his mother.

In her case, she thought her problem was just her mother. However, coming back to Japan, she realized she had unfinished business with Hideaki.

She didn't expect Hideaki to be still hung up about the past. She exhaled a deep breath.

"Why can't he accept the fact that I don't like him?"

"Who?" Andrei was startled from his deep thoughts when Laurie suddenly spoke up.

She poured herself another glass before answering Andrei, "Hideaki."

"It was a mistake sleeping with him. After that night, he acted as though I had stolen his virginity and exploited his morality. That night, it was he who took advantage of my drunkenness-- why was he acting as if I did him wrong after so many years?"

"There's something off about that guy. However, I couldn't place my finger on it."

"Yeah. That's why I'm thinking of leaving sooner than expected. I just don't know where I should go next."

"Come with me," he suggested.

"Nah! Barcelona doesn't speak to me anymore like it used to. The country has been fun to play around in for many years, but it's not on my list of countries to live in any longer."

"Then just visit," he insisted. "I would love to have you there."

"My mother is not getting younger. Even though I am playing push and pull with her -- it's not the same as before."

"What's the difference?" he never expected Laurie to talk about her mother or about Hideaki.

"I don't want to live so far away from her. Hence, I chose Japan."

"You still have your apartment in London?"

"Yes. But I put it on a long-term lease. Now that I no longer have a job, I need some cash."

"You are making it sound like you don't have money at your disposal. As if Mei-chan didn't say that you are the CEO of some companies?"

She scoffed. "I am no CEO. I don't have it in me to handle such responsibility."

When she saw Andrei rolling his eyes, she chuckled and explained things further, "I do have investment. I invest a lot of my money. You know that other than travel, I don't really have anything that I like to spend my money on."

"So, you are saying that you don't have a company under your name, but you have investments all over the place?"

When she nodded, he hit her shoulder, "Why didn't you invest in my company, then?"

"Are you looking for an investor?"

"Well, yeah! I am expanding to Asia."

"Send me the business proposal. I will have my lawyers look into it." She drank the rest of her wine in her glass before pouring herself another glass.

"That's it?" Andrei was shocked.

"Hm-mhmm."

"Laurie, be honest with me," he said, lowering his voice as if there was someone who was listening to their conversation in the dark. "How much investment are we talking about?"

"How much I can invest in your company?" she cocked her head to the side.

"No. More on how much is your net worth?"

"You have to talk to my accountant and lawyers if you want to know." she stood up from the blanket, picked up the empty bottle of wine. "All I can tell is this -- I don't need to work for the remaining days of my life, and I can afford a lavish lifestyle, more than the lifestyle I used to have when my father was still alive."

Andrei stared at Laurie as she walked back to the house with the empty bottle of wine in her hand. Laurie's lifestyle when she was younger involved partying with the prince of Brunei and Abu Dhabi!