Chapter 157: The Engagement Dinner
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The next day Finland tried to think of a way to ask Tony for permission to work part time from outside the office. Before she thought of anything, the man entered her office to announce important news.
"I would like to invite all of you to come to the Starry Night Restaurant tonight, as a celebration because my girlfriend accepted my proposal." His face beamed as he announced this happy news.
Finland was a bit surprised because she didn't know that Tony was dating someone, and now, out of the blue, he suddenly announced his engagement. However, she was very happy for her boss. Tony had shown himself to be a good boss and had given Finland a lot of slack these past few years.
The staff in the office immediately applauded and congratulated Tony.
[My boss invited us to dinner after work. Apparently, Tony is recently engaged.] Finland knew she couldn't avoid coming to Tony's dinner, so she told Lauriel that she would return home late to pick up Aleksis. After pondering for a moment, she sent an additional message, [Do you want to come?]
Lauriel's reply arrived 5 minutes later.
[Of course. It would be a great opportunity for me to talk to Tony and ask for 2 months leave for you.]
[Oh... good luck then.]
[Thanks.]
Finland couldn't forget Lauriel's attitude since they discussed the possibility of Finland and Aleksis' reunion with Caspar. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel really sad.
Lauriel would definitely be very sad to be separated from them... but he never once tried to force Finland and Aleksis to stay with him.
That was why Finland felt that she had to take every opportunity to involve Lauriel in their lives, before they went separate ways. If Lauriel wanted them to accompany him to the Amazon, so be it.
Finland also invited him to come to Tony's engagement celebration dinner because it meant that they would spend more time together.
***
Tony was really in love. Everyone could see his happy face as he introduced his future wife to all LTX employees he treated to dinner at the restaurant that night. The girl's name was Rachel Park and she was a beautiful and smart Korean-American woman.
They met at Tony's regular bookstore, and after dating for only 6 months, Tony was convinced that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rachel.
Rachel worked as a pediatrician at a local hospital and was very busy, but she took the time to come to the event dedicated to her and Tony's engagement. She was quickly on the good side of the LTX International girls because she was very friendly and down to earth.
However, the star of the evening's event was Aleksis, who arrived with Lauriel. Everyone immediately surrounded them both and asked to take pictures together. Aleksis, who loved being the center of attention, chattered happily and made everyone want to pinch her cheeks because she was too cute.
"Ohh... this kid is soooo cute..." Rachel happily carried Aleksis, "You should star in commercials. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met..."
"Thank you, Aunty Rachel," Aleksis said politely and her sweet smile made everyone happy.
"Gosh... not only are you pretty, your manners are perfect too... You're so cute!"
Finland looked at Lauriel out of the corner of her eye and found the man's radiant and proud face. It was safe to say that Lauriel was the one who educated Aleksis because he spent more time with the little girl than Finland. Ever since Aleksis was able to speak, she had been taught to always say the words 'please' and 'thank you'.
"Thank you," Finland whispered to Lauriel. The man just nodded.
For some reason, they both thought about the same thing, that after two months, Lauriel would remove himself from their lives. The thought made Finland's chest feel heavy. She felt that it was unfair to Lauriel.
When the girls were playing with Aleksis, Lauriel had a serious talk with Tony. Finland's boss seemed to be listening to Lauriel intently and nodded several times. Finland suspected that Lauriel was again using his charm to make Tony do as he wanted, and he succeeded.
"Tony already knows and agrees. You can work 2 days a week for the next two months remotely, from anywhere in the world," Lauriel said as they drove back to Finland's apartment. He would drive them home first before returning to his home.
"Oh, really? How did you convince him?" Finland asked in amazement. "You didn't buy LTX's majority shares and changed the company's leave policy, did you?"
"Haha... that's too easy," Lauriel said. "I used the hard way because I like challenges."
"So?"
"I told him the truth about Jean, that I will try to cure him. If Jean can remember you, of course LTX will benefit because he is now very famous."
"You told him the truth and Tony believed you? Doesn't this all sound too strange to outsiders?" Finland asked in amazement.
"Not really. I think I was quite logical when I told him all the facts. Tony immediately understood and agreed. You can start working part time next week, so I have time to prepare for our trip. I'll buy you a satellite phone so you can keep working from the Amazon... "
"Oh, okay."
Lauriel's car arrived in front of Finland's apartment building but their conversation was not over yet.
"Want to come in and have some tea?" Finland offered Lauriel. "We can talk about the trip to the Amazon. I am clueless as to what to prepare..."
"Hmm... okay." Lauriel looked for an empty spot to park his car before following Finland into her apartment.
Finland boiled water in a pot and made tea for them both. After taking Aleksis to sleep in her bed, she joined Lauriel in the living room for tea.
"Caspar still hasn't replied to any of my texts. He also doesn't pick up my calls," Lauriel said suddenly. "Do you have to meet him in person?"
Finland was quite stunned. She felt very sad to know that Caspar did not want to see her at all. Her heart ached at the thought.
"This isn't something we can talk about over the phone... I really hope to see him..." replied Finland.
Lauriel seemed to think for a long time, finally he sighed and gave up, "Okay... I will break my habit and attend the clan event to look for him."
"What do you mean?" Finland asked.
"Two months from now there will be a wedding, and all Alchemist clan members will gather in Scotland to attend." Lauriel took a sip of his tea. He looked miserable. He clearly did not like to attend those events. "Normally I avoid crowds, but we have no choice..."
"Oh, Rory..." Finland felt uneasy. It seemed like Lauriel sacrificed too much for her and Aleksis.
"It's okay, Ned and Portia have been in a relationship for more than 100 years and I know them well. I don't mind meeting them to give my blessing." Lauriel frowned as he continued, "Besides, it may be good for me to meet all the clan members for the last time..."
Oh... Lauriel was still thinking of dying, Finland thought bitterly.
"How do you know that Caspar would come to the event? You can't contact him..." Finland asked. She suddenly felt uneasy; was meeting Caspar again worth the loss of Lauriel?
"He has to come, because he will be the one to marry Ned and Portia off. It is his responsibility as the clan leader," Lauriel answered. "This may be our last opportunity to meet him, because very few marriages happen among my people. If Caspar wants to disappear and does not want to be found, even if I try, I will not be able to find him."
Finland bit her lip. She only had this one chance to meet Caspar and tell him what had happened.
If her efforts later failed, she would be forced to explain everything to him via text or email. Not the ideal way, but she would have no choice.
***
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The next day Finland tried to think of a way to ask Tony for permission to work part time from outside the office. Before she thought of anything, the man entered her office to announce important news.
"I would like to invite all of you to come to the Starry Night Restaurant tonight, as a celebration because my girlfriend accepted my proposal." His face beamed as he announced this happy news.
Finland was a bit surprised because she didn't know that Tony was dating someone, and now, out of the blue, he suddenly announced his engagement. However, she was very happy for her boss. Tony had shown himself to be a good boss and had given Finland a lot of slack these past few years.
The staff in the office immediately applauded and congratulated Tony.
[My boss invited us to dinner after work. Apparently, Tony is recently engaged.] Finland knew she couldn't avoid coming to Tony's dinner, so she told Lauriel that she would return home late to pick up Aleksis. After pondering for a moment, she sent an additional message, [Do you want to come?]
Lauriel's reply arrived 5 minutes later.
[Of course. It would be a great opportunity for me to talk to Tony and ask for 2 months leave for you.]
[Oh... good luck then.]
[Thanks.]
Finland couldn't forget Lauriel's attitude since they discussed the possibility of Finland and Aleksis' reunion with Caspar. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel really sad.
Lauriel would definitely be very sad to be separated from them... but he never once tried to force Finland and Aleksis to stay with him.
That was why Finland felt that she had to take every opportunity to involve Lauriel in their lives, before they went separate ways. If Lauriel wanted them to accompany him to the Amazon, so be it.
Finland also invited him to come to Tony's engagement celebration dinner because it meant that they would spend more time together.
***
Tony was really in love. Everyone could see his happy face as he introduced his future wife to all LTX employees he treated to dinner at the restaurant that night. The girl's name was Rachel Park and she was a beautiful and smart Korean-American woman.
They met at Tony's regular bookstore, and after dating for only 6 months, Tony was convinced that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rachel.
Rachel worked as a pediatrician at a local hospital and was very busy, but she took the time to come to the event dedicated to her and Tony's engagement. She was quickly on the good side of the LTX International girls because she was very friendly and down to earth.
However, the star of the evening's event was Aleksis, who arrived with Lauriel. Everyone immediately surrounded them both and asked to take pictures together. Aleksis, who loved being the center of attention, chattered happily and made everyone want to pinch her cheeks because she was too cute.
"Ohh... this kid is soooo cute..." Rachel happily carried Aleksis, "You should star in commercials. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met..."
"Thank you, Aunty Rachel," Aleksis said politely and her sweet smile made everyone happy.
"Gosh... not only are you pretty, your manners are perfect too... You're so cute!"
Finland looked at Lauriel out of the corner of her eye and found the man's radiant and proud face. It was safe to say that Lauriel was the one who educated Aleksis because he spent more time with the little girl than Finland. Ever since Aleksis was able to speak, she had been taught to always say the words 'please' and 'thank you'.
"Thank you," Finland whispered to Lauriel. The man just nodded.
For some reason, they both thought about the same thing, that after two months, Lauriel would remove himself from their lives. The thought made Finland's chest feel heavy. She felt that it was unfair to Lauriel.
When the girls were playing with Aleksis, Lauriel had a serious talk with Tony. Finland's boss seemed to be listening to Lauriel intently and nodded several times. Finland suspected that Lauriel was again using his charm to make Tony do as he wanted, and he succeeded.
"Tony already knows and agrees. You can work 2 days a week for the next two months remotely, from anywhere in the world," Lauriel said as they drove back to Finland's apartment. He would drive them home first before returning to his home.
"Oh, really? How did you convince him?" Finland asked in amazement. "You didn't buy LTX's majority shares and changed the company's leave policy, did you?"
"Haha... that's too easy," Lauriel said. "I used the hard way because I like challenges."
"So?"
"I told him the truth about Jean, that I will try to cure him. If Jean can remember you, of course LTX will benefit because he is now very famous."
"You told him the truth and Tony believed you? Doesn't this all sound too strange to outsiders?" Finland asked in amazement.
"Not really. I think I was quite logical when I told him all the facts. Tony immediately understood and agreed. You can start working part time next week, so I have time to prepare for our trip. I'll buy you a satellite phone so you can keep working from the Amazon... "
"Oh, okay."
Lauriel's car arrived in front of Finland's apartment building but their conversation was not over yet.
"Want to come in and have some tea?" Finland offered Lauriel. "We can talk about the trip to the Amazon. I am clueless as to what to prepare..."
"Hmm... okay." Lauriel looked for an empty spot to park his car before following Finland into her apartment.
Finland boiled water in a pot and made tea for them both. After taking Aleksis to sleep in her bed, she joined Lauriel in the living room for tea.
"Caspar still hasn't replied to any of my texts. He also doesn't pick up my calls," Lauriel said suddenly. "Do you have to meet him in person?"
Finland was quite stunned. She felt very sad to know that Caspar did not want to see her at all. Her heart ached at the thought.
"This isn't something we can talk about over the phone... I really hope to see him..." replied Finland.
Lauriel seemed to think for a long time, finally he sighed and gave up, "Okay... I will break my habit and attend the clan event to look for him."
"What do you mean?" Finland asked.
"Two months from now there will be a wedding, and all Alchemist clan members will gather in Scotland to attend." Lauriel took a sip of his tea. He looked miserable. He clearly did not like to attend those events. "Normally I avoid crowds, but we have no choice..."
"Oh, Rory..." Finland felt uneasy. It seemed like Lauriel sacrificed too much for her and Aleksis.
"It's okay, Ned and Portia have been in a relationship for more than 100 years and I know them well. I don't mind meeting them to give my blessing." Lauriel frowned as he continued, "Besides, it may be good for me to meet all the clan members for the last time..."
Oh... Lauriel was still thinking of dying, Finland thought bitterly.
"How do you know that Caspar would come to the event? You can't contact him..." Finland asked. She suddenly felt uneasy; was meeting Caspar again worth the loss of Lauriel?
"He has to come, because he will be the one to marry Ned and Portia off. It is his responsibility as the clan leader," Lauriel answered. "This may be our last opportunity to meet him, because very few marriages happen among my people. If Caspar wants to disappear and does not want to be found, even if I try, I will not be able to find him."
Finland bit her lip. She only had this one chance to meet Caspar and tell him what had happened.
If her efforts later failed, she would be forced to explain everything to him via text or email. Not the ideal way, but she would have no choice.
***
The next day Finland tried to think of a way to ask Tony for permission to work part time from outside the office. Before she thought of anything, the man entered her office to announce important news. "I would like to invite all of you to come to the Starry Night Restaurant tonight, as a celebration because my girlfriend accepted my proposal." His face beamed as he announced this happy news. Finland was a bit surprised because she didn't know that Tony was dating someone, and now, out of the blue, he suddenly announced his engagement. However, she was very happy for her boss. Tony had shown himself to be a good boss and had given Finland a lot of slack these past few years. The staff in the office immediately applauded and congratulated Tony. My boss invited us to dinner after work. Apparently, Tony is recently engaged. Finland knew she couldn't avoid coming to Tony's dinner, so she told Lauriel that she would return home late to pick up Aleksis. After pondering for a moment, she sent an additional message, Do you want to come? Lauriel's reply arrived 5 minutes later. Of course. It would be a great opportunity for me to talk to Tony and ask for 2 months leave for you. Oh... good luck then. Thanks. Finland couldn't forget Lauriel's attitude since they discussed the possibility of Finland and Aleksis' reunion with Caspar. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel really sad. Lauriel would definitely be very sad to be separated from them... but he never once tried to force Finland and Aleksis to stay with him. That was why Finland felt that she had to take every opportunity to involve Lauriel in their lives, before they went separate ways. If Lauriel wanted them to accompany him to the Amazon, so be it. Finland also invited him to come to Tony's engagement celebration dinner because it meant that they would spend more time together. *** Tony was really in love. Everyone could see his happy face as he introduced his future wife to all LTX employees he treated to dinner at the restaurant that night. The girl's name was Rachel Park and she was a beautiful and smart Korean-American woman. They met at Tony's regular bookstore, and after dating for only 6 months, Tony was convinced that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rachel. Rachel worked as a pediatrician at a local hospital and was very busy, but she took the time to come to the event dedicated to her and Tony's engagement. She was quickly on the good side of the LTX International girls because she was very friendly and down to earth. However, the star of the evening's event was Aleksis, who arrived with Lauriel. Everyone immediately surrounded them both and asked to take pictures together. Aleksis, who loved being the center of attention, chattered happily and made everyone want to pinch her cheeks because she was too cute. "Ohh... this kid is soooo cute..." Rachel happily carried Aleksis, "You should star in commercials. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met..." "Thank you, Aunty Rachel," Aleksis said politely and her sweet smile made everyone happy. "Gosh... not only are you pretty, your manners are perfect too... You're so cute!" Finland looked at Lauriel out of the corner of her eye and found the man's radiant and proud face. It was safe to say that Lauriel was the one who educated Aleksis because he spent more time with the little girl than Finland. Ever since Aleksis was able to speak, she had been taught to always say the words 'please' and 'thank you'. "Thank you," Finland whispered to Lauriel. The man just nodded. For some reason, they both thought about the same thing, that after two months, Lauriel would remove himself from their lives. The thought made Finland's chest feel heavy. She felt that it was unfair to Lauriel. When the girls were playing with Aleksis, Lauriel had a serious talk with Tony. Finland's boss seemed to be listening to Lauriel intently and nodded several times. Finland suspected that Lauriel was again using his charm to make Tony do as he wanted, and he succeeded. "Tony already knows and agrees. You can work 2 days a week for the next two months remotely, from anywhere in the world," Lauriel said as they drove back to Finland's apartment. He would drive them home first before returning to his home. "Oh, really? How did you convince him?" Finland asked in amazement. "You didn't buy LTX's majority shares and changed the company's leave policy, did you?" "Haha... that's too easy," Lauriel said. "I used the hard way because I like challenges." "So?" "I told him the truth about Jean, that I will try to cure him. If Jean can remember you, of course LTX will benefit because he is now very famous." "You told him the truth and Tony believed you? Doesn't this all sound too strange to outsiders?" Finland asked in amazement. "Not really. I think I was quite logical when I told him all the facts. Tony immediately understood and agreed. You can start working part time next week, so I have time to prepare for our trip. I'll buy you a satellite phone so you can keep working from the Amazon... " "Oh, okay." Lauriel's car arrived in front of Finland's apartment building but their conversation was not over yet. "Want to come in and have some tea?" Finland offered Lauriel. "We can talk about the trip to the Amazon. I am clueless as to what to prepare..." "Hmm... okay." Lauriel looked for an empty spot to park his car before following Finland into her apartment. Finland boiled water in a pot and made tea for them both. After taking Aleksis to sleep in her bed, she joined Lauriel in the living room for tea. "Caspar still hasn't replied to any of my texts. He also doesn't pick up my calls," Lauriel said suddenly. "Do you have to meet him in person?" Finland was quite stunned. She felt very sad to know that Caspar did not want to see her at all. Her heart ached at the thought. "This isn't something we can talk about over the phone... I really hope to see him..." replied Finland. Lauriel seemed to think for a long time, finally he sighed and gave up, "Okay... I will break my habit and attend the clan event to look for him." "What do you mean?" Finland asked. "Two months from now there will be a wedding, and all Alchemist clan members will gather in Scotland to attend." Lauriel took a sip of his tea. He looked miserable. He clearly did not like to attend those events. "Normally I avoid crowds, but we have no choice..." "Oh, Rory..." Finland felt uneasy. It seemed like Lauriel sacrificed too much for her and Aleksis. "It's okay, Ned and Portia have been in a relationship for more than 100 years and I know them well. I don't mind meeting them to give my blessing." Lauriel frowned as he continued, "Besides, it may be good for me to meet all the clan members for the last time..." Oh... Lauriel was still thinking of dying, Finland thought bitterly. "How do you know that Caspar would come to the event? You can't contact him..." Finland asked. She suddenly felt uneasy; was meeting Caspar again worth the loss of Lauriel? "He has to come, because he will be the one to marry Ned and Portia off. It is his responsibility as the clan leader," Lauriel answered. "This may be our last opportunity to meet him, because very few marriages happen among my people. If Caspar wants to disappear and does not want to be found, even if I try, I will not be able to find him." Finland bit her lip. She only had this one chance to meet Caspar and tell him what had happened. If her efforts later failed, she would be forced to explain everything to him via text or email. Not the ideal way, but she would have no choice. ***
