The questions that Tsubaki wanted to ask faded from her mind once she got into the car. She saw a new throw blanket and a bottle of warm water placed neatly inside the cabinet opposite the backseat. It was obvious that they were prepared for her even though the journey to the airport was less than half an hour. She looked at her husband who was adjusting his seat. The man noticed her gaze, he stared back at her blankly."Why?"
Tsubaki suppressed herself from smiling too widely as she asked, "Do you ask Hibiki or Matsuzaki to prepare these?"
Ren looked at the blanket and bottle, he nodded once.
"I"m afraid you"d feel cold even though it"s summer, sweetheart," he answered after a moment of silence.
"You"re too considerate. Thank you, darling," Tsubaki swiftly gave him a kiss on the cheek, earning his smile.
"Tell me if you feel uncomfortable, okay?" Ren unfolded the blanket and placed it on her lap. He then rubbed her head gently, his fingers went through her silky long hair.
"Okay," Tsubaki agreed.
Aiya~ He makes my heart flutters again~
Hibiki and Matsuzaki entered the car after they did the final checks before leaving the hotel. Tsubaki realized the ride was far smoother than usual, she didn"t even feel the b.u.mps that they would occasionally met on the roads. The air conditioning inside the car was set at the right temperature, neither too hot nor cold. She looked at her husband through the corners of her eyes, her lips curled up beautifully. Ren returned her smile, he let his fingers caressing her face.
For the two men who sat at the front, they could only turn blind eye at the sight of their Master and Madam flirted openly reflected on the rear-view mirror. There was something different about the couple this time.
What was it?
Their Master had especially told them to prepare a blanket and place a thermos of warm water even for this short ride. He had even instructed them to choose the safest car, making them did multiple checks before they could start their journey to the airport.
As their car ride, their flight home was a smooth one too. The husband and wife exited the arrival hall with their hands entwined with each other, their car had already waited for them. Two bodyguards brought their luggage together. Ren let Tsubaki got into the car first before he instructed Hibiki to drive to Camellia Sweets.
The blanket and warm water were prepared in this car too.
"Are you sure you don"t want to return home and rest?" Ren asked the question for the third time, making Tsubaki laughed.
Hibiki had pulled over to the side of the road. The streets were bustling with people in colorful summer outfits.
"I"m not that tired and I"ve planned to meet Kanako later this evening," Tsubaki took the blanket away from her lap, she folded it nicely before placing it on the side of the seat. "You"re going to the company, right? I"ll wait for you here."
"Okay. I"ll come to pick you up later." Since his wife was being adamant, there was nothing he could do.
Ren accompanied Tsubaki until they reached the bakery"s door. They stopped beside the flower bed. Ren stared at her face but he couldn"t find any hint of sorrow or fear. It was as if she was prepared with any consequences coming her way.
"If Miss Esumi told you something that"s hard for you to accept, call me immediately, okay?" Ren was hesitant to let Tsubaki met Kanako, especially when he thought of her meeting with the man earlier.
There were so many things that needed to be answered and before that, he could only support her from the side. It made him restless whenever he thought of the unveiling of the Pandora"s box of her past.
"Alright," Tsubaki placed her palm on his chest, patting away the minuscule dust on his shirt. The lights in her eyes twinkled as she looked at his worried face. "I"ll call you. I promise."
Seeing that there was nothing else he could do, Ren nodded. He leaned down and brushed his lips over her forehead. With a heavy heart, he bid her goodbye.
Tsubaki waved at him, she waited until Hibiki drove over before she stepped inside the bakery. Kaede was already waiting for her inside. She was helping Chiyo replacing the empty tray of cinnamon twists with the new ones. Since there was not much she could do while following Tsubaki everywhere, she had asked the permission to help around the bakery.
"Sister Tsubaki!" Chiyo exclaimed in excitement once she saw her opening the door, drawing the others" attention.
Some of the customers turned to look at Tsubaki who had just entered the bakery with a paper bag in her right hand.
"Madam, nice to see you again," Kaede gave her a light bow. She had just returned from her vacation. Tsubaki had requested to the chief of bodyguard to grant Kaede a few days of leave when she was away from the city with her husband.
"Hi, everyone," Tsubaki smiled with their warm welcome. "I"ve brought some gifts for you guys. Take a look at them during breaks, alright?"
"Yay! Thank you, Boss!"
Tsubaki proceeded to the break room. She took off her thin cardigan and hung it on a hook. After tying her hair into a bun and wore an ap.r.o.n over her cotton dress, she immediately went to the kitchen. She had been taking quite a few breaks from her usual schedule so she didn"t want to waste any time that she had.
Kanako arrived when Tsubaki was a.n.a.lyzing the new financial report of the bakery around 4:30 PM. She squealed when she saw Tsubaki, who could only laugh funnily after seeing her reaction.
"So, how"s your vacation with your husband? Any good things to share?" Kanako took a seat at one of the tables beside the wall. She placed her handbag inside a small basket provided under the table.
"Good things?" Tsubaki suddenly thought of the little bean growing inside her. She pursed her lips, trying to restrain her smile but it was obvious something good had happened to her, making Kanako suspicious.
"What?" Kanako shot her delicate brows upward. "Tell me! You do have something good, right?"
"Later, okay?" Tsubaki laughed, she waved her hands, trying to stop Kanako from interrogating her. "I promise I"ll tell you but not now, okay?"
Kanako sighed, she slumped back against the chair. "Okay... I know whenever you"re stubborn over something, there"s nothing I could do."
Tsubaki curled up a smile. She went to make a pot of flower tea for Kanako. A tray of bite-sized cakes and biscuits was served on the table. Tsubaki pulled out the chair, she sat opposite Kanako. After pouring her tea, Tsubaki stared at her with a questioning gaze.
"You must want to know about that, right?" Kanako looked at the cute cakes in front of her. All of them appeared so tempting with their colorful glaze on the surfaces. In the end, she picked the one with a slice of strawberry on top of it. "I"m sorry but my Mom is still stubborn."
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"What could we do?" Tsubaki stirred her tea, she lowered her gaze to her reflection on the surface. "I was too desperate when I asked for your help but it"s really unfair because you don"t know why I asked you that."
"It"s clear that you have a story to tell, Tsubaki," Kanako smiled, she took a sip of the warm tea, letting the aftertaste lingered inside her mouth. "It"s not my place to force you to tell me."
"Thank you for understanding," Tsubaki was truly grateful to her friend. Never once did Kanako pressure her to open up the scars of her heart. She was a great friend and Tsubaki was happy to know her. "I"ll tell you but I still need time."
"Hey! That"s okay!" Kanako immediately tried to cheer Tsubaki up when she saw her smile faltered. "Don"t worry, I"m good. Enough, let"s stop about this. You should tell me about your vacation with your dearest hubby. So? Anything special? Besides the one that you do not want to tell me yet?"
Tsubaki"s eyes gleamed when she recalled the surprise he held for her.
It was still clear in her mind how her excitement from watching the fireworks display turned to a sweet feeling. Especially when she saw the look in his eyes as he stared at her surprised face.
"Stop that!" Kanako"s whine jolted Tsubaki awake. Her friend shook her head furiously while she waved her hands at Tsubaki with an annoyed face. "Alright, I don"t want to know anymore. If you tell me, I"m sure I"d be fed with your dog food. Okay, okay, just save the story for yourself."
Just by looking at the dreamy look on Tsubaki"s smiling face, Kanako knew she would only torture herself if she insisted to hear about it.
Tsubaki couldn"t contain her laugh, Kanako"s reaction was so funny. As she laughed, she remembered something.
"Oh ya! I met President Souma today."
"What?" Kanako squinted her eyes as she was sipping the tea. "You met him? Where?"
"At the hotel lobby before we went to the airport," Tsubaki started to recount their meeting to Kanako who listened to it attentively. "I"m quite surprised when he greeted me first, after all we have never properly met before. He seems like a good man. It"s a shame when I thought of Aunt Shiori. She"s a good lady too."
"About them, it"s quite complicated," Kanako let out a sigh. She swept her gaze outside the windows. When Tsubaki followed her gaze, she saw the back of Saito Hajime who was standing upright under a tree. "It"s hard when only one person is in love yet the other feels nothing."
Tsubaki understood the longing in Kanako"s eyes. It was the same for her.
"About President Souma, I"ve heard quite a bit of his younger days," Kanako retracted her gaze from the man in black suit, she picked one of the cakes and bit it. "One of my Mom"s friends told me when I visited her home. She"s quite a gossiper who loves telling old stories to me."
"Why? Was it related to her lover?" Tsubaki still remembered what Kanako had told her before. The older man already had a lover that was why he didn"t love his wife.
"He was quite a ruthless man, almost all the top figures in the city were afraid of him despite him always being sick," Kanako tilted her head, looking at the white ceiling as she was recalling her memory. "I think he must be as ruthless as your husband in business world. He had even mercilessly fired and made his ex-employees" life complicated once he found that they betrayed him. It"s a far cry from his current image."
"Are you sure?" Tsubaki asked in doubt. Even though she had just met President Souma yesterday, the man looked calm and gentle. There was no trace of any dark side in him.
Kanako shrugged, she continued munching on the cake bites. "Maybe his old age has mellowed him down?"
Tsubaki raised her cup to her lips. As she was sipping her tea, her mind was tangled with countless thoughts. There was a feeling of restlessness and strange when she thought of the older man.
What was it?