45 An unexpected meeting (1/2)

When An Ning left Matt, she went to the other end of the building to meet Han in his office.She hadn't been to the talent agency she had heard so much about and was actually curious what it looked like. Since she lost her memory, An Ning's interest in the entertainment world had narrowed down to only include Du Lu, whom she finds a pain anyway. But he was also Han's friend so shetold tell herself to be tolerant.

The agency occupied the entire first floor, which was huge. The lobby resembled a high art museum, the walls covered by the agency's topnotch artists.

The lobby was empty when An Ning entered except for a woman who was standing with her back to her, gazing at one of the portraits on the wall.She turned when she heard the door open and saw An Ning. Her eyes widened as she slowly ran her eyes down An Ning's stomach.She seemed to grow pale and her hand actually braced against the wall as if she was about to faint.

An Ning looked at her curiously. The woman seemed familiar but she can't place her. Maybe an actress in Han's roster of talents?

”You're pregnant?” the woman screeched, her eyes stretched wide as if she was in pain. ”He didn't tell me you were pregnant.”

An Ning's frown eased with the woman's sentence. This must be that woman, that actress Richard threw her over for.

”As you can see,” An Ning calmly said, indicating her bulging tummy.

”How far are you now?”

”Eight months.”

”Eight months,” the woman repeated. ”Eight months. So he was still with you when he told me he wanted to marry me,” she added, her voice choking. ”It was all a lie then?”

”I don't know,” An Ning answered. ”I never asked him.”

”Of course you didn't.” The woman was obviously barely holding herself together. ”Why would you? Did he tell you about me at all? Did he tell you that he fell in love with me on your wedding day?” She was crying now, the tears flowing down her cheeks unheeded.”He told me he loved me but why didn't he leave you? He told me he wanted to marry me but you got pregnant instead.”

An Ning didn't answer just observing the woman with detached interest.She was very beautiful, the sort of beauty that could make a man wild enough to fall out of love with his newly wedded wife. Richard didn't strike her as a cheat actually but then he didn't strike her as someone who married her for love either.What was it between them then? She had been told that she chased after him until she caught him.They got married and he did the unthinkable and cheated on her. And yet, Richard didn't marry this woman he said to have loved. Was this woman right and it was really all a lie?

”I'm sorry,” An Ning said, although she didn't know what she should feel sorry for.

The woman didn't answer. She took a seat on a sloping chair that made her look as graceful as a gazelle. She was carrying a small purse which was obviously empty of anything except her celfone, keys and some obscure female things. The tears continued to pour down her beautiful face, caking her cheeks with ugly streaks. An Ning sighed. She walked over and handed the girl a wad of soft tissues. The girl accepted it without a word. She took out a small compact mirror from her purse then examined her face. She gave a little cry of distress then carefully wiped the tear stains on her cheeks.

An Ning walked away and called Han's phone.He answered it on the second ring.

”Are you here? Come inside. I'll give you a tour.”

”Richard,” she said, deliberately using his brother's name to give him a warning, ”there's somebody out here you need to see. I'll wait for you here if that's okay.”

It took Han almost a minute to realize what she meant.

”She's there?” he asked.

”Yes.”

”Wait for me.” The phone went dead.

An Ning waited with the woman who obviously heard what she said on the phone.An Ning sat down on the opposite side of the room, some distance away from the waiting woman. An Ning didn't even look at Han when he arrived a short while later. She continued to look at the woman whose face broke out into a happy smile when she saw Han. She was enchanting like a child in Wonderland. An Ning felt suddenly sorry for her.

Han looked at An Ning then at Valerie, his lover and the agency's next breakout talent. He hesitated but his professionalism won out in the end. He glanced at An Ning then invited the other woman to follow him inside.

An Ning watched them and sighed.She divorced Richard so he could marry his mistress but then fate intervened and they now find themselves completely and totally whacked. There was no going back because Richard was dead. If Han were to fall in love with his brother's mistress then...An Ning laughed. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot. And she couldn't be that magnanimous as she was to Richard and offer Han to that woman. What was her name again? Not important.

An Ning looked out into the street with a smile. Behind her, Du Lu's picture on the wall suddenly steamed and a figure formed. The wisp of smoke that became the figure slowly drifted to where An Ning sat, still looking outside, still smiling her little smile. The figure looked suddenly forlorn, suddenly sad until a moaning sob was heard.

An Ning shook out of her daze and her eyes drifted upward. The glass was wet, steam foaming on the edge. Out of this hazy screen, the figure of a man appeared. An Ning looked at him without surprise. The man returned her look with the same nonchalance she felt. They looked at each other, with only the glass screen separating them. The man smiled. The glass went back to its clean, shiny self with the opening of the door.

”You'd better come in. I've ordered lunch.”