A loud ring came to the phone in Sinclair's pocket. He was in a conference meeting, but he walked out of the room as the phone rang longer. Every executive froze when someone's phone blared halfway through the presentation. It was a rule, but they couldn't possibly ask the CEO to put his phone on silent, right?
When Sinclair got out of the room to answer the call, it was from Ainsley's personal number. His brows frowned as he had told this idiot not to call him during office hours unless it's an emergency. Then again, when his eyes checked the time on the screen, he was shocked to see that it was past six already. All these extended meetings seemed to have distorted his sense of time.
No wonder Ainsley felt free to call.
"I'm still in a meeting. I can't talk for too long." Sinclair only sighed inwardly; he suddenly felt the need to go home and just bring his workload to his house.
"But it's past six?" Ainsley's surprise bled into his voice. However, he just dismissed it. "Nah, I was going to ask if you're coming over for dinner. I'm at a store, buying food for the weekend. Hehe, let's hang out! Let's hang out!"
"You…" It didn't matter how many times Sinclair told him to rest. This brat wouldn't even listen. Then again, it must have something to do with his need to celebrate his survival. After all, he was indeed a goner without Sinclair's dragon's heart. The CEO then conceded. "Alright. I'm coming over for dinner, but don't buy food for the weekend. We're going somewhere else. I'll tell you the details later."
Even without words, Ainsley's sound of amusement was enough to make Sinclair picture his idiot face in such excitement. It was not like Sinclair had ever brought him to a shabby place. The royal lifestyle of this friend's public persona befitted his reputation so much.
The sounds of cans being returned then came through the phone, along with Ainsley's giggling. "Okay! Okay! I'll just prepare a feast today! Man, I'm so hungry!"
"Don't overeat."
After hanging up, Sinclair pocketed his phone and gazed at the conference room. This meeting… had been going on for too long.
…
It was seven-thirty when the doorbell rang. Ainsley just finished setting the table, but he paused and frowned at the door. How could this man arrive exactly on time whenever he gave a schedule? Then again, when he remembered that Sinclair King was a reputable businessman, he figured it was out of habit.
Ainsley walked to the door and took a look at the peephole, only to find no one. He then spoke loudly, "Must be a huge bug ringing the doorbell. I should just ignore him!"
A hand came from a blind spot and raised a paper bag with a familiar logo. The pack was big enough to contain three tubs. "Guess I will have this for dinner. Poor little bug ringing doorbells."
"That's Dandan!" Ainsley exclaimed before quickly opening the door. When he did, he greedily yet carefully grasped at the pack and took a look inside. What greeted him was the colorful rainbow treats of the dessert shop. The signature candy buns were one of Ainsley's favorites growing up.
"The lines were already thin at this hour." Sinclair only hummed as the other man let him inside the house with gestures. "Don't eat everything."
"Of course, I'll leave you with one." Ainsley stuck his tongue out, but that was just a joke. He then hugged the pack as he walked to the dining table. "And what lines? You stand in line at Dandan? Aren't they giving you privilege?"
Sinclair removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the couch along with the bag. He then loosened his tie before sitting down at the table. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them one after another. "The customers were old people. Do I have the face to cut in line?"
At those words, Ainsley's brows then lifted before he proceeded to grin in expectation at his friend. "If that's the case, you must have paid for all of their orders. Come on, the elderly couldn't have bought more than two."
"Hm? No, I bought all the remaining boxes and shared them among everyone, including the staff." Sinclair responded with a chuckle as if he was a genius.
"…dammit." Ainsley, however, laughed out. He just realized that if Sinclair did that, he wouldn't have to worry about waiting for the elderly to finish ordering. After all, those boxes were all pre-packed and could not be altered. If he bought all and gave most away, he didn't have to deal with the distribution and could just walk off with his three boxes.
The perks of having too much money…
Ainsley then served the pot at the table, letting the steam and aroma out as he removed the lid. "I ran into a friend from high school, and she was talking about this chicken pot pie recipe she altered. I just gave it a try."
"Smells good." Sinclair was not a gourmet, but his public persona lifestyle trained his palate to only top-class food. Even when eating take-out, he only ordered his assistant to get from reputable restaurants. However, he would always eat Ainsley's homemade food, and it didn't matter if they were good or bad. A dragon's stomach was not weak, after all.
…
After a hearty meal and finishing the whole casserole, the two were chatting as if finding a way to finish the bottle of Pinot Noir on the table. Only when Ainsley stared at the almost depleted bottle did he think of when Sinclair would bring one again. Then, he remembered about their excursion over the weekend.
He downed the last few gulps of his wine glass before pouring half of the remaining wine in his glass. "Sinco, weekend…"
"…I almost forgot about that." Sinclair did the same before letting Ainsley pour everything in his glass. "How good are you with the sea and island hopping?"
"Huh? We're going to an island beach resort?" Ainsley lifted his face to take a look at his best friend. "Wow, are you friends with the owner?"
"No… it's our family island. It belongs to the King family." Sinclair leaned against his seat. "Do you remember what Michelle said earlier? It seemed that Father found it necessary for me to be there. They also asked for you to come."
Ainsley frowned. "Why am I getting dragged there? Did you tell them you'd marry me instead?"