"Err... you are..."
"It is you!" The young woman exclaimed in excitement, rendered Tsubaki speechless.
The young woman clapped her hands once and looked at her excitedly. Tsubaki was still staring at her in confusion. It was clear this woman knew her or recognized her from somewhere but she herself didn't have any recollection of this woman.
Who is she? She thought.
"Err... Miss... It might sound rude but..."
"Oh, you didn't recognize me?" The young woman quickly took a seat beside Tsubaki. She animatedly furrowed her brows. "Don't you remember, you once helped me at the hospital weeks ago?"
"Hospital?"
Tsubaki parted her lips, she was still confused. She would always be at the hospital for Satsuki. When did she come across this woman?
"Yes! Yes!" The woman nodded repeatedly. She suddenly lowered her voice, her voice sounded as if she was conspiring over something, "I was bleeding at that time and you gave me your sanitary pad. You even gave me your scarf to help me covered my dress."
Tsubaki carefully looked at the woman's face. She was around her age, although a bit taller. Just by looking at her dress, she knew this young woman was a woman of money. Her personality was kind of eccentric too. After taking a careful look, a blurred image of a woman fidgeting in a hallway flashed past her mind.
"Oh! You're that woman?" Tsubaki finally recalled their encounter.
"Yes!" The woman was pleased as Tsubaki finally remembered her. "I want to thank you for helping me the other day. I tried looking for you but you suddenly vanished from the hospital. And by meeting you here, could we call it fate?"
"It's nothing much, really." Tsubaki smiled. "I never thought to see you again."
"I have matters to attend and suddenly I saw you sitting here. Are you..."
"Madam, I've found it."
The two ladies' conversation was cut by the appearance of Kaede. The woman in the blue dress stared at Kaede while Tsubaki's attention focused on her. "You've found it?"
"Yes, Madam." Kaede showed a keypad in her hand to Tsubaki. "It seems like Master needs to attend a last-minute meeting. He would arrive later. Master asks for you to rest in the room first, Madam."
"Okay, thank you, Kaede." Tsubaki smoothed down her skirt before she stood up. She smiled at the young lady before her. "I'm sorry, Miss. I'm waiting for my husband. Do you need to attend to your matters soon?"
"Oh, it's okay, it's okay!" The young lady stood up too. "If it's fine with you, could we meet again? I'm glad to have a new friend."
"Sure." Tsubaki took out a small book from her bag and wrote down her number. The lady gave a good impression for her so she didn't mind befriending her. She tore the paper and handed it to the young woman. "This is my number. My name is Hanada Tsubaki. What's your name?"
"Thank you!" The woman gratefully accepted the paper. "I'm Esumi Kanako. I will definitely call you and meet you for tea!"
Tsubaki chuckled when she saw the animated expression on the woman's face. Even though she looked like a mature kind of beauty, her expressions betrayed the so-called maturity and made her looked like a child. She reminded her of Satsuki.
"I'll be waiting for your call." Tsubaki bowed her head slightly as she prepared to leave. "I'll be going first, Miss Esumi."
"Okay! See you again, Miss Hanada!"
Tsubaki waved her goodbye and turned around to follow Kaede. They would be going to Ren's personal suite in the hotel, the one where she took refuge on the day of the press conference. She had just entered the exclusive elevator when Hibiki suddenly came into her view.
"I'm sorry, Madam. I left you for quite a long time." The young man bowed her head, feeling guilty.
Tsubaki swiftly waved him off. "Don't be sorry. Kaede is with me. I heard that Ren needs to attend a short meeting. Do I need to see the designer on my own first?"
Hibiki stepped inside the elevator. Kaede pushed the button, allowing the doors to closed.
"Ms. Noman and her team are already in Master's suite. We could take your measurements first and alter it before Master comes. Or does Madam want to rest first? Master has instructed us to follow your needs."
"No, no. The fitting session would take quite a time right if we need alterations?" Tsubaki declined the suggestions of having a rest. It was really unnecessary. "We should just proceed with the schedule. I know you'd still have works to do after this."
"Thank you, Madam." Hibiki inwardly sighed in relief.
As they were waiting for the elevator to arrive to the 3oth floor, Tsubaki thought back to her meeting with Esumi Kanako. It was weird. She felt like her name was kind of familiar. But, where did she hear it from? In the end, she just brushed it away.
Two bodyguards stood at the door of the suite. They greeted Tsubaki and opened the door for her. "Ms. Noman is already waiting for you, Madam."
Tsubaki smiled in gratitude. When she finally stepped inside the room, she saw a few foreigners sitting in the lounge. They took notice of her arrival and one of them stood up and walked over to her. The woman reached out a hand.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fuse. I'm Aika Noman, the designer responsible for your dress," the woman in the white suit formally introduced herself.
"Thank you for coming, Ms. Noman. My name is Hanada Tsubaki." Tsubaki shook hands with her. "I'm sorry because my husband isn't here to receive you."
"It's okay for my part. After all, we want to surprise him, right?" Ms. Noman winked to Tsubaki with a smile curling up on her face. She turned her body slightly and said to her subordinates, "Mrs. Fuse is already here. Let's get started."
"Yes, Ms. Noman!"
While they sprinted to begin working, Ms. Noman stood behind Tsubaki and pushed her towards a room. Tsubaki was startled, she turned her head to look at the woman.
"Ms. Noman, what are we..."
"Mrs. Fuse, it's common knowledge to wow your husband with your beauty," Ms. Noman spoke even before Tsubaki finished asking. "So, let's get ready. I'm sure Mr. Fuse would appreciate it."
"Er... okay..."
Tsubaki felt like it would be a long day ahead of her.