Sarah was busy watering her flowers when a red Ferrari parked in front of their gate. She placed her cat-shaped watering can on the ground, frowning. Since when do such cars appear in this area? The luxury car sparked her curiosity and she hid behind a tree, waiting to see the owner. She failed to notice the tree trunk wasn't big enough to hide her whole body.

"Hey, you can come out now." The car window rolled down and someone laughed. "I can see you." Robert, dressed in a black leather jacket and blue jeans, stepped out of the car and headed towards her.

Embarrassed, Sarah walked out of her 'hiding', covering her face with her hands while peeking through the spaces between her fingers. These two liked to act silly around each other. "Ahem..." she cleared her throat and acted as if she wasn't caught hiding. "I was wondering which rich kid had to be this flashy. Turns out it was you, Young Master Chen."

"Who else if not this handsome boy here." Robert teased and outstretched his arms, waiting for a hug. Sarah dodged his open arms and headed straight to the gate. Robert's expectant face collapsed and he held his chest in a mock heart attack. "I've just returned home and my wife doesn't even want to see me. How can you break my heart like this?"

Sarah stopped walking and turned around to face him.  "Who's your wife?"

"You, of course," Roberts answered without thinking. Sarah glared at him and he corrected his sentence in time, "Okay fine, not yet. But it doesn't mean you won't be in the future."

"Okay, let's talk about that in the future." Her face relaxed and she folded her arms across her chest. "So, what brings you here?"

"Ai, so heartless," Roberts said, pretending to be hurt. "Can't you even invite me to your house, maybe, offer some tea and cookies."

"That's for guests. You are not a guest."

"Okay fine," Robert stopped joking and leaned on the car. He put one hand in his pocket and smiled. "I'm here to pick you up."

"Where are we going?"

"Just get in the car." He opened the door for her and ushered her to get in, imitating the Chauffers in the movies.

"So secretive," Sarah said but still got into the car anyway. Robert smiled, looking pleased with himself, and walked to the driver's seat.

About half an hour later, the car pulled over in a leafy suburb east of the city. There was an approximately twenty or twenty-two-storey luxury apartment complex. Sarah peeked out the window and couldn't help but widen her eyes. "Wow, this is amazing! Where is this place?"

"My house," Robert answered with a smile as he rolled down his window. He stretched out his hand and tapped a card on a small square-shaped spot on the pillar along the driveway. With a beep, a green light flashed and the automatic gate opened. He drove straight to a basement parking where Sarah saw many other luxury cars she had only seen in advertisements.

They took the lift to the eighteenth floor. There were only two apartments on this floor, andbRobert's was on the left. He swiped a card over the lock, and with a beep, the door opened.  He dragged her to a kitchen full of groceries before she had a chance to admire the magnificence of such a luxurious apartment.

"Hey Sarah, see I've bought all the necessities. Could you please make us a plate of delicious pilau? It's been a long time since I tasted your cooking."

Sarah's face darkened. "Wait... you dragged me all the way here just to cook for you? Where are your manners? You could have ordered a takeout, why trouble me for such a thing?" she rested her forehead on her palms and sighed. "And here I was, thinking you missed me."

"Hey, how can I order a takeout? No expert chef is enough to rival your cooking." He patted her shoulder with a flattering smile plastered on his face. He got even more shameless and assumed a begging posture. "Can't you take pity on this poor soul? I haven't tasted that delicious food in nine years. Nine whole years! I've been thinking about this entire time. Please fulfill this one wish of mine."

Sarah pretended to be upset and Robert massaged her arms while looking at her with puppy eyes. "Remember you owe me one." It was true that Sarah had promised to make him her grandma's specialty that year before they separated. Sadly, that never happened because of an unexpected twist of events.

"Fine," Sarah said, dragging the vowel.

"Whoa!" Robert cheered, "I knew it. There's no way you could say no to your good brother here."

Sarah rolled up her sleeves and got to work while Robert occasionally passed some ingredients to her or helped wash the vegetables when needed. The happy chatter of two friends filled the room and occasional laughter could be heard. The sizzling delicacy in the pot emitted a sweet aroma that made one salivate. The happy atmosphere was interrupted by a doorbell.

"He's here." Robert sprung up from the countertop and headed to the door.

"Who?"

"My good friend," Robert answered without looking at her. "I invited him," he yelled back as his hands twisted the door handle.

Sarah frowned, looking at her simple jeans and blouse. Was she presentable enough to meet his friends? Her tensed back relaxed when Henry walked into the kitchen with Robert. False alarm. She was presentable enough. He had seen her in worse states than this anyway.

Unaware of her thoughts, Robert decided it was a good time to reintroduce his friend. "This is my good brother who shared life and death experiences with me when I was studying at Havard. Don't underestimate his capabilities, he has helped our Chen company a great deal. He's qualified enough to be my sworn brother but he'd been too busy this past two years to meet me. We couldn't even chat at the reunion."

Robert placed his arm around Henry's shoulder. "I heard you were in Malaysia a few days ago. Did you come back because you knew I was coming?"

Henry smirked. "No matter how busy I am, I still couldn't resist seeing your annoying face."

"Ha, I knew it!" Robert smacked Henry's shoulder and smiled. "I knew you missed me too." He winked at Sarah, beaming. "That's his way of saying he missed me. He never says things he means but I'm smart." After his self-praise, he ushered Henry to the living room while Sarah stayed in the kitchen to finish cooking.

Ten minutes later, Sarah turned off the heat and headed to the living room. She found them in the middle of a conversation and sat on the nearest chair, listening in on them. Since Robert invited them both, she figured she could be part of this conversation.

"Why did you decide to go home?" Robert crossed his hands on his chest and leaned back on the sofa. "You had managed your Xian Company well over the years and then suddenly, decided to take over the Salva Corporation. No matter what, you shouldn't leave your life in Boston over a woman."

Henry pursed his lips and remained quiet.

"How good was it back then," Robert sighed as he looked at Henry who seemed undisturbed. "I haven't gone car racing since you left. What is the point of owning a Ferrari if I can't race?" Robert leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands. "Was it worth it losing your freedom over a woman?"

Sarah felt it wasn't appropriate for her to be here. No matter how curious she was about the woman Robert was talking about, it wasn't something she deserved to know. She got up and went back to serve dinner for everyone.

 Robert and Sarah sat on the same side while Henry sat on the opposite chair during dinner. They didn't stop teasing each other at the table. Henry looked at the two figures that acted so intimate with each other with a calm expression. He remembered the girl Robert had mentioned to him years ago.

'I'd had enough of life at G City. At that time, the Chen family already had a huge business company, but becoming the CEO wasn't my dream. My biggest dream was to stay with that girl...'

'The girl is stubborn, but I liked her character. I loved to tease her and watch her lose her temper. It was hilarious. But on the third day of the first month that year, my father forced me to board that plane to America and we got separated...'

Everything Roberts had said replayed in his mind. He lowered his head and no one could see his expression.

After dinner, they moved back to the living room and resumed their conversation.

Henry glanced at Robert indifferently, "Your return this time is not just to see me, right?"

Robert snapped his fingers. "Smart. I've come to persuade you to return to Boston with me. No matter how clever and capable your younger brother is, he is not like you. Although the Xian enterprise's shares haven't declined throughout the year, there is still no sign of rising."

"Ethan has learned about economics and management since he was twelve. He is brilliant." Henry smiled and continued indifferently, "He had to experience the ins and outs of our family business; like I did. In a few years, the Xian Enterprise will flourish in his hands."

"Then you are willing to be restricted?" Roberts smacked his forehead. "This is even worse than I expected." He walked to the French window and stared outside. "Actually, I don't care if you want to live here, but I know you don't like to be bound." He was quiet for a while and let out a sigh. "Look at you. You are willing to live a simple life like a common man. You don't look like a billionaire's son at all."

"Didn't you, young master Chen, also change a lot?" Henry rested his chin on the back of his hand and gave him a side glance. "You've become impatient and rarely hang around with women like you used to."

"Nah, those women are boring." Robert slid his hand into his pocket while looking at the carousel visible through his window. "After playing around for many years, I'm tired. It is time I get married and settle down."

"I can see you haven't reached the point where you can't be saved."

Robert kept quiet. He stood still in front of the French window, looking at the view of the city from afar. A memory of the past flashed in his mind.

At fifteen, he was already best friends with Sarah. He always sneaked away from home to help her take care of her sick mother. By seventeen, the Suarez family had already considered him a family member. Sarah was the sole provider at that time and she did all she could to keep her family from collapsing. She carried all the burden on her shoulders—too much to bear—but she had no choice. People were depending on her and she couldn't afford to slack off.

One day, she collapsed in front of their door. Only when he rushed towards her did he find out that she had a fever. He carried her all the way home and kept her in his bedroom. That night, he did not sleep a wink because he was busy taking care of her. Only God knows how worried he was. He realized he already liked her more than just a friend. He was ecstatic about his discovery and thought that once she grew up, he would marry and shower her with all the love in the world.

He kept his feelings in his heart until nine years ago when her mother's health deteriorated. He could still remember the fear, panic, and confusion in her eyes when her mother was wheeled into the emergency room. After that, his family relocated to the United States and his father forced him to board that plane that day. He planned to confess to her when he returned home.

He never thought that he would lose her once he returned. Her family had gotten into debt and all their assets were auctioned by the bank. They had moved out and no one knew their whereabouts. It was like they vanished into thin air. At that time, he did not have enough resources to conduct a thorough search.

It wasn't until two years ago that he found her whereabouts but she already had a boyfriend. He had to respect her decision and only maintained the status quo. He was overjoyed when he learned about her breakup three months ago. Finally, he had a chance!

"How long are you planning to stay in Zaida City this time?"

Henry's words brought him back to reality. "I plan to stay here for a week. But if there is nothing that requires my attention, I plan to stay longer."

The two started talking about random topics ranging from the global economic crisis, recent changes in the business community, political changes, and domestic economic changes.

Sarah got bored listening to their talk. She got up and walked around the house. She treated this house as her own and wandered, admiring the spacious luxury apartment. She ran her fingers through the expensive marble countertops wondering how it would feel to live in such a house. Apart from the furnishing, it seemed Robert and Henry had some similarities when it came to apartments. They preferred living in a simple yet elegant apartment complex rather than mansions as other rich people preferred.

Two fake potted plants by the window added color to the room. Upon closer inspection, Sarah found a neatly folded blue paper attached to the leaf of the peace lily. She squatted on the floor and read the note. The contents of the note made her face light up. She was happy knowing that Robert thought about her even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Sarah spotted a large picture frame in the hallway, drawing her attention. Henry on the left, Robert on the right, and in the middle; a beautiful girl who had wrapped her arm around Henry. One glance at that face and her entire body felt like she had been doused in cold water. The girl's face matched the veiled girl she'd met at the gathering! What was their relationship?