"He did what?" Phoenix exploded nearly jumping up from her seat. Her chopsticks were poised over the hot pot with a piece of meat. She quickly set it down and turned to look at Evelyn.
Evelyn continued to eat, almost as if she didn't notice that both Phoenix and Jinhai had frozen in their spots.
Jinhai looked at table with an eerie expression. His dark eyes were shooting daggers into the table.
"Why would he-" Phoenix tried to say before Evelyn cut her off.
"Phoenix, I don't know. I know you have many questions you want to ask, but I am way too sober for this conversation." Evelyn said. She stopped eating for a second, giving her friend a level look. Phoenix didn't say anything but pursed her lips and began eating.
Jinhai was livid. His hands were clenched underneath the table. Zain wasn't kidding she definitely needed her friends right now. He tried to piece it together, to understand. He knew Shawn, the man loved Evelyn. He practically adored her. If Shawn didn't there was no way he would have let her be with him. He didn't understand what could make Shawn do a complete one eighty.
He barely understood why Shawn would ever want to leave Evelyn. But that he would fire her from her position as his vice president? It was absurd. It wasn't exactly a secret that she was a top notch negotiator. She was able to easily spot even the most miniscule flaws in a proposal. She was quite literally what made the Cheng's what they were today.
"Jinhai," Evelyn said looking at him. He looked up and her and she looked startled. He quickly made his features neutral.
"Yes?" He answered.
"Why did you stop eating? What are you thinking about?" She asked.
"Sorry, just business," he replied before he picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating. It wasn't quite a lie, nor was it quite the truth.
They continued to make small talk as they finished the rest of the food. When all the food was finished Phoenix got up to push a button against the door. Not long after a waiter came in.
"You can take the plates away." Phoenix told her staff. As the waiter cleaned up, they were calmly sitting while sipping at their waters. They were sat back allowing themselves to digest.
"Do you guys want dessert?" Phoenix asked as the waiter cleared the table. Jinhai and Evelyn shook their heads.
"You did promise me drinks, though" Evelyn said in a sweet suggestive tone. Jinhai smirked and rolled his eyes. Evelyn caught that and frowned. He must be thinking she sounded like a brat again. Phoenix sighed.
"Bring us a tray of tequila shots," Phoenix relented. Evelyn smiled.
"Now we're talking," Evelyn said. Phoenix shook her head almost regretting promising to supply her friend with drinks tonight.
"A tray of tequila shots," the waiter repeated in confirmation with a nod. When he finished he rolled the cart back out.
"Li Li," Phoenix said hesitantly. She wanted to know what happened that morning. But she wasn't sure how to ask. She knew Evelyn was suppressing her emotions.
"Yes?" Evelyn asked taking a sip of water. Phoenix pressed her lips together, thinking of how to ask her questions without offending Evelyn. When she didn't say anything, Evelyn put her glass down and looked over at Phoenix.
"Just ask, Phoenix. I know you're curious." She sighed. She mentally braced herself for the questions.
"What happened this morning?" Phoenix settled on. Evelyn pursed her lips and took a deep breath before answering.
"Shawn and I went to Moonlight Cafe. We had our usual breakfast and everything seemed normal." Evelyn began. Phoenix and Jinhai stayed quiet, letting her recount the day's events.
"Afterward he simply said three things." She kept her eye on the glass in front of her. As she talked she wrapped a hand around her upper arm.
"He said he wanted a divorce, that he was dating another woman for about a year now, and that I was fired." Evelyn said. She dug her nails into her arms, the physical pain slightly calming her emotional ones.
"Oh, Li Li," Phoenix said gently. Evelyn didn't acknowledge her. Now that she was actually talking about it she had to keep going.
"I asked him why he was doing this and he said-he said," Evelyn bit her bottom lip hard to keep it from quivering.
"He said it was because he didn't love me anymore." She pushed on. Phoenix put a hand on Evelyn's arm. Evelyn gave her a small smile. She felt the sting of tears and dug her nails in harder.
"He pulled out divorce papers, which I tore up, a picture of them, and my formal termination," She said.
"Evelyn," Phoenix said in a small voice. She could only imagine what Evelyn was going through. She knew Evelyn loved him with all her heart.
"The best part was when she showed up. She's actually quite beautiful." Evelyn said trying very hard not to sound bitter and failing.
"She's an ugly bitch," Phoenix said loyally and determinedly. Evelyn scoffed.
"You don't know what she looks like," Evelyn challenged.
"Doesn't matter. I have an image in my head and nothing will ever change that image." Phoenix replied. Evelyn smiled thankful for her best friend.
Jinhai didn't say anything. His hands were balled into fists under the table. He kept his face impassive. He stared at the table not looking at Evelyn, he knew his expression was murderous.
"Evelyn!" Phoenix suddenly shouted causing Jinhai to look up sharply.
"What?" Evelyn asked confused. Phoenix gripped her fingers, prying them from her arm. Phoenix grabbed her arm and pushed her sleeve up revealing red marks that were caused by her fingernails
"Hey!" Evelyn said trying to pull her arm back but Phoenix held it tightly in her grasp. Jinhai's eyes zeroed in on the blood coming from her arm for a split second before he sprung into action.
"Where's the first aid kit?" He asked her.
"I'll get it," Phoenix got up. Evelyn looked at them funny. 'Why are they making such a big deal over a couple of fingernail marks?' She thought. It wasn't until she looked down and saw the blood on her arm that she felt the sting. Phoenix dashed out of the room, almost knocking over the waiter carrying a tray of shots.
The waiter came in asking if everything was okay. Jinhai had gotten out off of his chair and held her arm in his hands.
"Leave the tray on the table, you can go. Thanks, " Jinhai said to the waiter while leading Evelyn to the bathroom adjacent to the private room. Once inside he held her arm as he splashed some water on it over the sink. When he finished he grabbed a tissue to dab at it while gently blowing on it.
The outer door pushed open and Phoenix came back in with the first aid kit. She walked to the lounge area and set it on the coffee table. Jinhai threw the tissue away and tugged her to the couch.
Phoenix had just taken out the antiseptic wash as well as a piece of gauze. Jinhai took it from her and attended to Evelyn. Evelyn's eyes met with Phoenix for a second before she stared at the man tending to her wound. When he finished Phoenix handed him a Q-tip and antibacterial ointment.
"That's not necesssary, it's just a scratch." Evelyn said but stopped when Jinhai shot her a glare. When she stopped protesting he unscrewed the top of the tube of ointment. He squeezed a dallop sized amount on it, before he proceeded to swipe the Q-tip on the wound. When he finished Phoenix was ready with an extra large bandaid. He opened the packaging and gently smoothed it over her wound. When he finished he realized he only saw four marks and lifted her arm to find the fifth one. Luckily this one was just a mark and her nail didn't break the skin. Satisfied he grabbed the garbage and made his way to the bathroom. He shut the door behind him, barely able to control his anger.
'Shawn Cheung is going to be a very dead man.' Jinhai thought.