Two months later.The man brought a cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip. The sun rays reflected on his blond hair, playing with alluring highlights. The crowded waitresses were gazing at him with ecstasy, as if he was some kind of superstar, descended from the Olympus of Glory.
The man opened the newspaper and read the first headlines with interest,
[Greenline Inc. and Lee Pharmaceuticals announce their merger and transition under the overall management of Lenali Enterprise.]
[Lenali Enterprise is the number 1 business conglomerate in the world, managed by the heirs of two leading companies.]
[Wedding of the decade! Secret information about the venue of the marriage ceremony of David Anderson and Elena Lee has been leaked!]
[One of the most influential couples in the world refused a magnificent wedding and will hold a ceremony in a small church just with family members.]
The man grinned and put the newspaper on the table. As he thought, there was no point in buying it. The last two weeks all major and small newspapers along with broadcasting media were telling all that news about the wedding of Elena and David and about Lenali Enterprise.
"Dang! So you did it on purpose, huh?! You could have made an appointment in the center of the city to finish me off completely!" Daniel flopped into the next chair at the table where the man was sitting. "Do you even know how difficult it is for me to appear in public right now? David, d.a.m.n him! Who made him speak up?"
A man took another sip of coffee with a melancholic look on his face, his eyes fell on one of the articles in the newspaper,
[Interview with the star. David Anderson: My older brother has always been my role model, I wish him to find his happiness as soon as possible, just as I found mine. Therefore, dear ladies, as long as his heart is free, you have a chance!]
"Ahaha, but didn"t you tell me yourself that you asked David for public recognition of your importance? He was always a responsible person, so he just kept the promise."
"I said that because I was carried away by emotions at that moment! I did not think that this would turn out that way! Do you have any idea what crowds of girls are dragging me now?! I can"t even go anywhere!" Daniel"s indignation knew no bounds for him. To ask his younger brother again about such things? Never in his life!
"Speaking of girls," the fair-haired man put a cup of coffee on the table and handed Daniel the envelope, "I need you to get close to this particular one."
Daniel opened the envelope and saw a photograph of a girl in it, "For what purpose? Get information or...?"
"Yes. Will you take the case? She is the daughter of a drug dealer, we need to know the timing of a large batch of heroin shipment. The CIA will cover you. You can use hypnosis or any way you like."
Daniel looked at the girl again and put the photo back in the envelope. If earlier he would have taken up this business without any problems, then recently such tasks have become completely uninteresting to him.
"Can I refuse?" he asked the man.
"And the reason of that would be...?"
Anderson thoughtfully looked out of the window at the cars pa.s.sing by, "There is one girl I can"t get out of my head, no matter how hard I try. We are friends, and her heart belongs to another person. But every time I meet her, a wild desire awakens inside me to take care of her, to do everything so that she is happy and never sad again."
"Aw, it looks like someone fell in love for the first time in his life, yes, Daniel?" The man grinned, Daniel had never spoken like this about girls before, "Well, now you are an even more enviable guy, thanks to David"s interview, maybe you would deal with the lover of this girl in an open battle and try your luck?"
Daniel"s lips smacked into a sad smile, "You know, such an idea like that from your mouth is rather depriving me of hope than giving it," the guy turned to his friend, sitting opposite, "I can"t do it for one simple reason - her beloved one is already dead. You, unlike others, know that sometimes even time cannot cope with such an opponent, right? Otherwise, why can"t you let go of the memory of the one who has not been around for a long time?"
The face of the blond man instantly became serious, his blue eyes froze as if he was deep in his thoughts. He took an envelope with a photo from the table and put it in his jacket pocket, "I will no longer disturb you with such requests. As for the situation with this girl, try anyway. She will eventually respond to your feelings or not - it"s up to her to decide, but it"s only you decides whether to seek her love or give up."
Daniel snubbed from such advice, but the words of a long-time friend added to him more determination in his intention, "Hah, then it turns out that there wasn"t another girl in your life who could have conquered your heart, right?"
The man brought a cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip, he did not expect that the way Daniel rephrased his words would evoke such mixed and pleasant feelings in his soul. Maybe it was finally time for him to let go of the past? "Who knows, maybe it was so."
Daniel gave him a mocking smile, "Yes, I would like to look at someone who can hook the heart of such an old man like you."
The man raised an eyebrow, and looked at the older Anderson with an appraising glance, "Boy, the crowd of girls danced behind this old man when you were still in the diaper. Let"s see what you say in five years, little boy Daniel."
"Tsk, just look at him, you are just like the immortal Duncan McLeod, who boasts of his stunning and inextinguishable appearance."
"Aha, the only difference is that even he had the opportunity to die, losing his head, unlike me," the man sarcastically commented on the words of Daniel.
Both men were silent, but it did not cause any embarra.s.sment, they have known each other for a long time, and such half-joking, half-serious talk was normal for them.
"By the way, why didn"t you tell me that it was you who helped Elena"s mother escape to America and then a.s.sisted her with giving Elena to that shelter?" Daniel asked a straightforward question, he was genuinely surprised when he saw this man in the girl"s memories, but said nothing to others about it.
"Because Amelia asked for it. She said that the right moment would come, and you will all know for yourself." The man pulled several bills out of his wallet and put them on the table, he and Daniel got up and headed for the exit, followed by the devouring glances of the waitresses and other girls sitting at the tables.
Although most of them recognized Daniel, no one dared approach them. If Anderson was like a famous idol, who came down from the pages of a glossy magazine, his companion resembled an elegant and inaccessible prince, a true aristocrat, who could only be seen from the side. Both men were deadly attractive and just as inaccessible, and the girls had no choice but to drool in silence, watching their retreating figures with a glance.
They went outside and stopped in front of the entrance to the cafe, where Anderson had parked his car. "How about going to my brother"s wedding with me? He will be very surprised to see you," Daniel suggested, already antic.i.p.ating a picture of David"s dumbfounded eyes.
"No, not yet," the man answered and looked at his watch, "Don"t you think that you are already late?"
Daniel looked at the time and clutched his head, "d.a.m.n, why didn"t you tell me before?" He took out the keys and opened the car door, "I can give you a ride if you want."
"No thanks. I will have a walk," the man waved his hand and walked in the opposite direction.
Daniel wanted to get in the car, but the receding silhouette of an old friend made him feel sad.
"Armand!"
The blond man turned around.
"It seems to me that seventy years is enough time to let her go. I think that Polina would also want you to be happy."
Armand bowed his head and smiled, "Wow, and when you did you manage to grow up so quickly, that you are already giving me advice on my personal life, huh boy?"
"Do not call me a boy, I"m not six years old."
Armand looked at a confident and grown-up man, standing opposite with a serious expression on his face. "And that"s right, he is not the little boy as he was in our first meeting a long time ago," he thought to himself.
"Okay, I"ll think about your words. And yes, do not forget to send me some wedding photos of Elena and David," Armand turned around and walked away.
"You will see them on the Internet, old man!" Daniel shouted after him, grinned contentedly and got into the car.