12 New Love at Dover 2

She turned to Angel and greeted, “You are welcome, daughter. You look truly like an Angel.”

Olivia replied bashfully and dropped the honorific as she addressed her informally, “Thank you, Mom.”

Denise, who was happy with his mother's opinion about his fiancée, spoke, “Mom, I actually wanted her to stay with you while we carry on with the marriage processes. We were at the registry today”.

Freya and Nichole accepted his opinion, at once, “That will be very nice.”

The janitor got her stuff out of the car while Denise helped her to settle in her new room. Afterward, Denise announced.

“Angel, I will be on my way. I will keep in touch.”

Angel felt empty immediately, and Denise noticed it. Then, she offered.

“Let me walk you to the car.”

Denise, who understood what she was up to, laughed out loud and asked, “Why? I can leave by myself.”

Olivia rested her head on his chest and held him tight for the comfort and safety that she mostly desired. With her 5' inches height, Denise, who was 5'10 in (1.78 m) chest, could rest his chin on her head to give her the warmth she desired. Finally, she spoke, “I'm missing you already.”

“I know. I feel the same way.”

She released him and looked at his alluring face. They maintained an eye contact for a few seconds before she spoke, “I love you, Denise.”

Denise bit her beautiful lip and replied, “I love you too. I will be on my way. OK.”

“All right. Be careful.”

“Thank you dear. I will.”

They walked back to the parlor to discover that Nichole and Freya were in the courtyard waiting for them. They walked Denise to the car and watched him leave.

“Be careful, Denise.”

“I will Mom. Bye, big sister.”

He waved as he drove off.

At Sevenoaks.

Louis got to the company complex on Monday morning like every other day. He walked to his office after he got off his car with the comportment of a boss. There was nothing to expose his inner injury as he worked cordially with his staff members, and he gave himself a high target to accomplish for the day. Bailey International Conglomerate had been suspending the proposals for partnership from Real Estate firms. He decided to give the proposals some attention. His staff members were on their toes too. They never expected that there would be various Zoom meetings that day and when it was time for lunch, he excused them.

“You can take a break. We will resume after lunch,” he informed his staff members.

“All right boss,” said, the cheerful staff members while he continued with his work as he took his usual lunch – tea and crackers. Thereafter, Dr. Quain called to check on him.

“Good day, Dr. Quain.”

“Good day, Mr. Bailey. Good to hear from you. Are you at work?”

“Yes doctor. I'm at work.”

“That is good. Any news?”

“Nothing yet. Thank you for your concern. I will be fine.”

“I like that. You will be fine. I called to check on you.”

“Thank you doctor. I appreciate.”

“It is all right. Have a lovely day.”

“Thank you. Have a pleasant day, too.”

The sequel of the various Zoom meetings was a call from one of his partners in Egypt, Africa.

“Hello Mr. Salem. How may I help you?”

“Hello Mr. Bailey. I called to inform you that the International Property Exhibition that we discussed during the Zoom meeting would be coming up in two weeks, and the venue is Cairo, Egypt.”

“Wow! That is good enough. How long is the exhibition going to last?”

“It would last for thirty days.”

“It is perfect. I will be there dependably.”

Mr. Salem, who felt he did not get what he said, inquired to be certain.

“Did you say you will be coming or your staff members?”

“I will lead the team. Get all the details I need to know about the program across to me. Thank you so much, Mr. Salem.”

“All right, Mr. Bailey. See you later.”

Louis got off work at the end of the day, and headed for his house. He was relieved when he got the news that the exhibition would take place in Egypt and not South Africa as earlier speculated. It would give him the opportunity to search for Olivia's parents.

'I will not allow her to suffer the embarrassment alone.' He resolved, and settled down to watch the television. Then, a call came from Dover, his native home. His cousin, Denise, was on the line. He tried as much as possible to cover up anything that would expose his plight before he picked up the call.

At Dover, Denise's House.

After Denise left the Bailey Native Home, he went back home. The day had been an eventful day for him, but it was worthwhile. He got to his bedroom to meet an empty bed, which made him to have a bad case of butterflies in his stomach. Then, the real meaning of being in love became comprehensible to him.

“Gosh!” He exclaimed as he walked to the bathroom for a wash. The warm bath gave him some relief and afterward, he got to the parlor for his dinner. While waiting for Caleb to serve the meal, he put a call across to his little cousin brother, who he was older than by six months, “Hello, Denise, good to hear from you.”

“Wow! Louis, I'm delighted to hear from you. No call from you throughout the weekend, what's up?”

“I was so occupied with online meetings. Anyway, that should not be an excuse. I apologize. How is everyone?”

“Everyone is fine. I have a piece of good news for you.”

Mr. Louis, who was lying on the sofa, got up and sat down before he announced, 'Yes? I am eager to hear that.”

“I'm getting married very soon.”

Louis, who was exhilarated, exclaimed, “What! That is three in one good news. First, you had found a lady.”

“Yes?”

“Secondly, you have made up your mind to marry her.”

“Yes, go on. Thirdly.”

“Thirdly, you have begun the planning.”

“Louis, you have thought it out. I was not looking at it from this perspective.”

“I'm happy for you, big brother, and I promise you my support.”

“I know you will always be there for me.”

“Yes! I will always be there for you.”

“Remember, you will be the best man.”

“Of course, who else, if not me? Remember, we had a deal concerning that. That is, if any of us marries first, the next person will automatically be the best man. It is my pleasure to be your best man.”

“I like that.”

“What is the exact date, please?”

“Thirty days from today.”

“That is good. I will visit before then. I will be traveling to Egypt, but I will see you before I travel.”

“That’s alright, Louis. See you then.”

“Please mention me to her. Tell her I can’t wait to see her.”

“It is all right. Bye.”

Indeed, Louis cannot wait to see his cherished Olivia, who had slipped out of his hands like an apparition. After the call, the reality of his folly laid bare in front of him.

“Denise, who never had a girlfriend all his life, is getting married before me, who had been in a steady relationship for three years. One wrong step, and I'm here. How can I ever hurt Olivia? Can I see Olivia's tears and be insensitive?"

He took a deep breath and concluded, 'I must find you, Olivia. Egypt, here I come.'