Belinda didn't sleep well that night. She had quite the shock that night and was still restless when sleeping. She tossed and turned in fright, tortured by nightmares. As a result, Duke didn't sleep well either. They didn't wake up until about noon the next day.
The injuries on her body still hurt a bit, but the burning pain had subsided considerably. Belinda had a meeting with the president of the YD Group today. Standing in the cloakroom, she contemplated on what to wear. It wasn't very convenient for her to wear her usual tight suits because of her wounds, so she chose a loose long dress with long sleeves. Luckily, it was autumn, so it wasn't odd for her to wear a long dress. She looked quite professional and elegant in her attire.
"Honey, take the pills." After breakfast, Belinda was about to leave the table when Duke stopped her. He handed her the pills that Tom had prescribed, holding a glass of water in his other hand.
"Thank you." Belinda accepted the pills with a frown. She hesitated for a moment before throwing the pills into her mouth. Before Duke could hand the water to her, she grabbed the glass, drank a mouthful of water and swallowed it along with the pills. It seemed that the fearless Belinda was afraid of taking medicine.
"You are afraid of taking medicine," Duke commented in astonishment, eyes wide in surprise. He hadn't noticed that before.
No, I'm not! I just don't like the bitter taste," Belinda explained defensively. She handed the glass back to Duke, rolling her eyes at him.
"Is there a difference?" Duke asked in confusion, playing with the glass in his hand.
"Of course, there is! I'm not afraid of taking medicine. I just don't like the taste of some bitter pills. Do you understand now?" Belinda gave a pleasant smile. She knew that her logic didn't make sense, but she was reluctant to admit that she didn't like taking medicine.
"Bullshit. Do you want to cancel your appointment today?" Duke asked. He wasn't aware that his gaze was full of affection as he looked at her.
Definitely not! My assistant Simon went to great pains to make the appointment with the president of YD Group possible." If she cancelled the appointment, all of Simon's efforts would be for nothing.
"Fine." Duke raised his wrist to check the time. "We have twenty minutes, that's just about enough time. I'll drive you there."
I can drive myself there." Belinda knew that Duke was worried about her injuries, but she didn't feel like a delicate lady at all. She believed that she could drive on her own.
"Don't worry. I'm not coming in with you. I'll just wait for you in the car. You said it wouldn't take a long time, right?" Duke picked up his car keys. He had already decided to drive Belinda regardless of her protests.
"Don't you have to go to work today?" Duke had spent the afternoon in Belinda's office the day before. If he didn't go to work today, who would deal with the company matters for him?
"If the company is unable to operate without me, what do I hire my employees for?" Once Duke had made his decision, no one could change his mind. Belinda had no other option but to listen to him. They walked out of the house and went to the garage together.
Duke and Belinda arrived at Tender Whispers in the nick of time. Simon was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting for her. Upon seeing Belinda, he immediately walked up to her with a relieved expression on his face.
"Boss, you're finally here! I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to make it. Holy shit! What happened to your hands?" Simon exclaimed worriedly when he noticed the injuries on her hands.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just fell down and scraped my hands on the ground yesterday. Don't worry about it. Let's go inside." They were pressed for time and Belinda didn't want to waste another moment on trivial things. The president of the YD Group had only thirty minutes for her, so she had to make the best use of the time.
"Alright. Be careful!" Simon stepped aside, making way for Belinda. She walked ahead and he followed behind her.
"Are all the documents ready?" Belinda asked while they made their way inside the restaurant. Although her injuries still hurt a little, it didn't affect her steady pace.
"Yes, everything is ready. Don't worry. This way, please." Simon led Belinda to a private room labeled Flowers.
Outside the room, Belinda paused and took a deep breath before she reached out her hand and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a man's voice called from the other side of the door. From his tone, he seemed like a confident person.
"Good morning! I'm Belinda Shangguan, president of the YS Financial Group. Nice to meet you." Belinda smiled pleasantly, stretching out her hand to shake his.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Zemo Ling. So you're the president of YS Financial Group. I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Zemo said with a friendly smile. If he remembered correctly, she was the same woman who had drunk an entire bottle of wine at the bar the other night. Daisy had to bid him goodbye early because of this woman.
"Have we met before? I'm sorry, I don't remember." Belinda began to search her memories for the face in front of her, but she couldn't remember him at all.
"Oh, don't you remember what happened at Blue Enchantress the other night?" Zemo flashed her a smile. He was excited to find out that the person he was meeting with today turned out to be Daisy's good friend. Daisy hadn't contacted him since the last time they met. And in her rush, she had forgotten to give him her private number. He had no way of reaching Daisy on his own. Luckily, the universe opened up a door for him.
"What? Are you telling me that you were there too? Oh no! I'm going to die. I feel so embarrassed!" Belinda flushed with shame. She hoped that Zemo would deny it. Otherwise, it would be far too humiliating for her.
Yes, I was also there last time. But I have no idea what you're embarrassed about. Please take a seat." Zemo pulled out a chair for her like a proper gentleman. He was originally annoyed for having to wait for her. But now that he knew she was Daisy's friend, he was thrilled.
"About me dancing in public, or making some sort of scene." Belinda had called Daisy to ask what happened that night, and Daisy told her that she made a scene at the bar. Belinda wasn't certain if Daisy was actually telling the truth.
"Well, I didn't see you dance in public or make a scene. I saw you drink an entire bottle of wine. You really can hold your liquor, huh?" Zemo joked as he sat on the chair opposite her. Belinda's embarrassed look amused him. On the other hand, Belinda was very frustrated at that moment.
I'm so sorry. I was in a bad mood that night." Belinda put on a long face. She was worried that Zemo would not want to collaborate with the YS Financial Group because she made such a bad impression.
"You don't need to apologize to me. I can tell that you are a straightforward person." Zemo leaned back and crossed his legs, staring at Belinda with interest.
"Mr. Ling, please don't make fun of me. I feel so humiliated." Belinda's face was burning scarlet with mortification. She didn't even know what terrible things she might have done at the bar that night.
"My apologies. Ms. Shangguan, don't you remember me? We met at the Blue Enchantress." Zemo asked with a frown. When Belinda walked up to him and Daisy that night, she hadn't been wasted. Why didn't she recognize him?
"I'm sorry for my poor memory," Belinda apologized with a flushed face. She hadn't paid any attention to the man sitting next to Daisy that night.
"Ms. Shangguan, you are a frank and lovely lady. I'm very curious about how you became good friends with Daisy. After all, Daisy has a completely different personality from you. Could you tell me the story?" Everyone had the same question whenever they found out that Belinda and Daisy were good friends. As a result, Belinda was used to it.
"You're Daisy's friend, huh? How did you come to know her?" Instead of answering Zemo's question, Belinda asked him with one of her own. She was eager to know the story behind Daisy and Zemo's friendship. Daisy had never mentioned Zemo to her before.
"We were schoolmates in the JC Military Academy. But I dropped out of school and haven't been able to contact her since then. We didn't expect to see each other at the bar that night. And that's where I first met you," Zemo answered in a soft tone. Belinda was Daisy's best friend. He didn't act coldly towards her as he usually did with others.
What? You were schoolmates? But Daisy never mentioned you before! Belinda exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn't believe what she just heard. On the other hand, Zemo's face had turned blank.
Maybe she doesn't think I'm important, soshe never mentioned me, Zemo stated in a low voice, his eyes darkening in displeasure. Maybe Daisy had deliberately blocked the painful and unnecessary memories from her mind. That would explain why she had been so calm when they met that night.