Ulysses was an amazing person and he was glad to have him as a cousin, although he saw Ulysses as more of a big brother. He could remember when he was still in his teens, Ulysses was already helping out his dad with the business. So Ulysses deserved to be the heir, not him. He knew he had made the right choice.
And so he must keep up this stupid façade, sleeping with random women, frivolously spending his father's money, and most of all, refusing to take any responsibility in the business.
Some nights he wondered when he would find the right woman who would help him fall asleep for real, without the help of sex or alcohol.
After his mum passed away during his birth, he had always slept alone, being bottle-fed instead of breastfeeding.
Therefore, there was always this nagging need to be loved and feel loved, to have a body lying next to him, to comfort him when he cries, to pat his head when he did well, to soothe his pain when he was hurt, or to comfort him simply for the sake of comforting him and loving him.
Bibi was nice, but she was his stepmom. And she didn't come into his life until much later when his father spotted her among the other maids. "It is," Evonne said after a while, bringing his thoughts back to the present.
"We went there a few years ago to create a dental practice for the children in Johor Bahru city." Logan gazed at the Apple. She held an expression of nostalgia. He smiled and was lost there for a minute as she gazed out into some faraway place, her thoughts in another time.
Logan felt a little guttered that he didn't get to go to Johor Bahru city. Their foundation was set up in the Vendal Province, or Central Province, near the capital of Malaysia.
Maybe if he went at the end of this year, he could explore that part of the country and check out her clinic. "Have you been to New York?" Evonne asked all of a sudden, forgetting about their bickering. "Yes, I have. It's beautiful."
Now both of their faces held that faraway look, both casting back to the time when each stood in front of the ancient intricate stone temple that stood so majestic, surrounded by a scenic moat covered with lily pads.
From afar, when the sunset on the far horizon behind the temple, the whole scenery was transformed by the glowing reflection of the bright-orange light on the moat, giving the temple an ambient glow that looked so picturesque, like a painting on canvas. This would be the kind of image Logan would treasure forever.
"I know it is," Evonne said, reflecting Logan's thought. "The country had some Indian influence, followed by the French. When I was there, they served a lot of baguettes."
Why was she telling Logan about her heritage? Why was she even having this conversation with this man anyway? They were not friends. Her nostalgic expression transformed dramatically into a scowl when she realized this.
"Malaysia is beautiful," Logan stated. Then his eyes turned mischievous as he gazed at her. "Lovely country with lovely people, unlike here. The one Malaysian I've met had to spit on me on our first meeting."