Chapter 9 - Patriotic Feathers (2/2)

Emily's mouth turned into an O-shape at the revelation. She never knew that Oliver had a mesmerizing sister like Olivia.

”Where have you been all this time?” she looked curiously at Olivia and asked as they made their way to the table where Oliver and Wyatt were waiting.

The group ate an 18 course lunch made of 18 dishes of tiny servings cooked using molecular gastronomy discipline, a technique where physical and chemical components of the ingredients were used to bring a different level of dining experience.

Everyone started giggling when the dessert rolled out, an apple-infused edible helium balloon. The moment Olivia took a bite, the balloon deflated in her mouth, a part of it sticking to her face. In a few seconds, her voice started to sound like a mouse's squeak, making their group laugh hysterically.

At the end of their lunch, while waiting for their check, Emily asked Olivia if they have met before. She had this freaky feeling that she somehow saw Olivia before but she couldn't pin when or where in her memory.

”Oooh thaaaat,” Olivia paused before she leaned in her seat with her arms crossed and continued, ”I had a big show at an old friend's Ting Hun. You must have seen me there.”

Big show. Ting hun.

”No waaaay…” Emily whispered as she clasped Olivia's arm.

Olivia nodded and the two instant bffs giggled.

”That was a great show, Livi. Oh, is it ok if I call you Livi too? I don't want to overstep my boundaries,” Emily said, pulling away when she realized how clingy she got with her newfound friend.

”It's weird but I like it. You can call me Livi.”

Across the table, Oliver beamed with happiness that her sister found a new person to rely on. He knew Olivia have little to no friends growing up. She was homeschooled after all. And by the time she finally had the chance to mingle with other people, she's already an 18-year old genius studying her MBA.

”You might want to introduce her to friends and family, Em. She recently opened a branch here in Business District, accepting clients for a private wealth management.”

”Great! Wait, so have you met Maxen? I'm sure he'll be a nice addition to your portfolio.”

”Huh? Who's Maxen?”

The three friends were dumbfounded with her statement. Wyatt and Emily looked at Oliver with accusatory eyes as if he failed to raise his daughter. All the attention suddenly moved to Wyatt's direction when his stern voice echoed in the place after Olivia's ignorance ruffled his patriotic feathers the wrong way.

”For starters, if you plan to stay here for good, you should start to learn about your country's history first, right?”

edited by Swaning