TWENTY ONE ( An arranged marriage?)

The following morning, Mia woke up quite early and tired with a full backache, Ethan meant it when he said he didn't want to share the futon.

She yawned and stretched lazily as she got off the sofa and made her way to the bedroom,

"It's already dawn, but I really need to get some proper sleep....That selfish jerk!" She murmured as she made her way to the door and slid it open without warning.

Her eyes suddenly popped and her body froze. In front of her was Ethan, bare-chested with a white towel wrapped around his waist and nothing more. His hair was wet, giving off this really sexy vibe, while he passionately sprayed his perfume like a model in an advertisement. One sniff of the musk and Mia was totally mesmerized.

He was facing the opposite direction, so he didn't notice her yet, but through the mirror in front of him, Mia feasted her eyes on his Greek-god body. Her eyes darted towards his broad back then focused on his strong abs, his towel was dangerously low on his hips, leaving his midriff completely exposed and sending her heart racing wild. Suddenly her eyes met his through the mirror and immediately, she turned away and closed the door as fast as she could.

"Argh! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid Mia!" She slapped her cheeks, "That was so embarrassing!" She murmured as she walked back and buried her face in the sofa and screamed, she was currently dying of embarrassment and just wished the ground would open up and swallow her alive. She paused for a moment and let out an exasperated sigh. Moments later, the sight of his body crept back into her mind.

"Why did you have to stare at him like that!" Her cheeks flushed as she pulled her hair and kicked the air.

"What is wrong with you?" A cool masculine voice interrupted her, she turned and faced him then quickly turned away and sighed. Ethan was all dressed in a black suit and held a briefcase like a model. He seemed unbothered by the whole incident which in a way annoyed her.

"You should have used the bathroom." She murmured,

Ignoring her, he glanced at his watch and told her,

"I'm off to see Mr. Kenato at the resort, I need to discuss business with him....one of Chief Jim's men is already outside waiting for me. Oh and don't forget to check on Noel—"

"He's fine, I checked on him last evening, they treat them like Kings and Queens there. I'm already jealous." She replied.

"You still have to check on him....As his mother that you're supposed to act like." He told her, "Here," He extended a list,

"These are a list of things he always does in the morning."

Mia grabbed the list from him and did a quick glance through it,

"Jesus! He's just a kid, give him a break—"

"Just! Do what I say please!" He snapped,

"Fine! Whatever, I'll make sure he recites twenty French and Spanish words each which I probably won't understand, give him his sups at exactly nine, two and seven—"

"Get it right, its nine am, two pm and seven pm."

"Right. See you later." She waved slightly, "Just leave already." She muttered, suddenly she called out,

"Hey! Shouldn't have those sweet nicknames couples call each other, like Honey or hubby, babe or darling—"

"My name is Ethan." He stated then quietly walked away.

"My name is Ethan." Mia mimicked miserably,

"Tch!" She tutted, "Sounds like a robot...My name is Ethan…Jerk!"

------

"....Mr. Regal, I didn't expect to see you so early." Mr. Kenato said,

"Um…Yes Sir, we didn't get the chance to discuss yesterday—"

"Oh but you only arrived yesterday." He chuckled, "Come with me." He beckoned; Ethan had met him in the grand hallway of the entrance. Everything from the tail ceilings to the bright lighting and shiny granite floors screamed luxury. On the walls were few elements of Japanese architecture and décor that helped to enhance the beauty of the hall.

"…Ahh, I was making preparations for our 40th wedding anniversary coming up tomorrow—"

"That's wonderful sir, congratulations." Ethan told him,

" Thank you son, it was just like yesterday…I can't believe it's been forty years already, we were as young as you when we got married." He grinned, "Anyways, we're here now and we must celebrate, but there's still a lot to be put in place," He said as he led him into the office.

The office was designed in a western style with a touch of Asian culture, there was a black leather settee in the large room, in the center was a small coffee table with a beautiful teapot standing on an Oriental carpet. In one corner was an Asian folding screen of black screen of black silk with a red embroidered dragon on it. Behind the settee was a shiny black enamel desk offset by a couple of black leather chairs.

"Have a seat." He gestured. Once they were fully settled, Ethan quickly got down to business, he opened his briefcase and brought out a bunch of documents and a several blueprints.

"…Sir, I've organized a bunch of things that I intend to do for the resort…" He continued talking as h handed Mr. Kenato several documents.

"Ethan," He suddenly called, "You just got here, there's plenty of time to discuss business, besides this isn't what I desire for the resort…"

"Sir?"

"Young man, you just arrived, enjoy the country…I noticed you and your wife aren't so close, was it an arranged marriage?"

"No Sir." He replied calmly, but Mr. Kenato could sense the annoyance in his voice.

"Don't be upset, you should go spend more time with her and your son, and then maybe we'll talk business. I've planned a little something for all of you. For now, I have to continue with my preparations, my daughters will be arriving in the evening." He grinned,

"Sir you have…Kids?" Ethan couldn't hide his shock. Mr. Kenato chuckled,

"Off course I do….They're all grown up and married now with kids. I'm sure you must be wondering why I want to sell the resort in the first place…Well my wife and daughters were against this until I explained things…Mr. Regal, I must be honest with you, I don't intend to totally sell the resort…In the recent years,, the influx of western guests has tripled, but unfortunately, we find it really difficult to fully satisfy them because we don't really understand their culture. That's when I decided to co-own the resort with a foreigner. The Kenato Palace is about fifty years old. It has deep historical roots and rich culture, it would be terrible to let go of all these in a bid to satisfy our customers…So I hope you understand Mr. Regal."

Ethan seemed speechless, this was certainly not what we bargained for, and he felt like Mr. Kenato had simply fooled him.

"So why did you make us come all the way down here then?" He asked in annoyance,

"To find a co-owner who would take the resort like his own child…"

----

It was past eight am when Ethan returned to the Ryokan. At the lobby were Mia and Noel and The Lim's with their daughter who looked a bit older than Noel.

"Daddy!" Noel yelled as he rushed to hug him, he looked more excited than usual.

"How are you today, have you had breakfast, were you given your supplements—"

"Jesus! Take a chill pill Ethan, I already made sure to do all the things I was supposed to do." She sneered as she walked up to him.

"You finally said my name." he smirked.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back, I was afraid you were going to miss the tour." She said aloud instead,

"Tour? What tour?" He questioned with a puzzled look,

"Oh aren't you aware, Mr. Regal, Mr. Kenato planned out a tour for us." Nicholas told him from his seat.

"The first group already left, we were waiting for you." Suzie smiled.

"Oh this must be the little something he was talking about." He murmured, and then quietly walked away. Few minutes later, he returned, looking luxurious and stylish as usual. He wore a grey wool overcoat over a black turtleneck sweater, paired with a pair of black pants and brown boots. To accentuate the entire outfit, he wore a black stylish scarf that he let hang lose on his neck. If anyone knew any better, they'd call him a male model.

"How does he manage to be so stylish all the time?" Mia wondered.

"Your husband is so stylish and hot too." Suzie whispered like she just read Mia's mind.

"I know right." Mia mumbled out of nowhere.

"Now, are we all going to stand there and stare or what?" He snapped.

The driver arrived and they all got into the jeep. The drive to Tokyo lasted for about an hour and thirty minutes, but once they finally met their tour guide, they were more than happy to have drove that far again, well…most of them were, all expect…You know who.

"…Hi, my name is I.T.O," he spelled out,

"Ito?" Suzie asked,

"Yes ma'am! I'm Ito, and I'll be your tour guide for today." He began excitedly, he seemed overly excited.

"Mr. Kenato already made arrangements for a few spots for you to visit; I'm just here to make sure you visit all of them." He grinned. It was quite a relief that he was fluent in English language.

"So we're going to tour round the city for at least an hour then…"

"…I think he's too excited for this job, I hope he doesn't end up getting us lost in the middle of nowhere." Suzie whispered to Mia as Ito continued reading out their schedule.

"Mm, I totally agree, I find him a little annoying, but at the same time…exciting." They both laughed,

"…And by past four, we should be back from Osaka, and if you're not too tired, then we can go see the famous Tokyo Christmas Market—"

" All right, let's do this already!" Mia yelled.