The silence was awkward, and you could easily hear the sound of a pin dropping if you were sitting there. Philip was having lunch with William and his Uncle. Though quite protective of his nephew, William's Uncle couldn't bring himself to ask questions, or he was waiting for the right moment. Philip was also patient about the silence because he knew William's Uncle would ask questions.
The reason for his silence can be taken as a show of bafflement, but that was not the case in this instance. He was baffled by Philips's temperament and etiquette. In his mind, he thought he would be meeting a spoiled brat from a wealthy family, but instead, he met a gentleman, businessman, and a man who was in love with his nephew. He told Philip, "So Philip, I heard that you've completed the agreement with the french company."
Philip smiled, "Yes, Yes, I did."
"You seemed surprised that I asked you about it." Williams's Uncle asked curiously.
"To be honest, I am surprised that you know about the agreement with the french," Philip admitted his surprise.
"Philip, you might think that I'm your everyday Joe, and to some extent, you're right. I didn't have much to support my family when I started my career, and when my unfortunate brother became a fanatic with his wife, I couldn't support my nephew." William's eyes fell on his Uncle, and he continued, "However, I'm now in a position where I can easily say that if you need any help regarding the information, you can contact me anytime. You don't need anything in life, but people of your status need information, and I can provide that information. Take it as a wedding gift from me."
"You seem to know about the French deal. Surely you know more about it," Philip asked him with a stern look on his face.
"Yes, I know, but we should talk in your office; this is not a business lunch but rather to celebrate your upcoming nuptials with my dear nephew."
They talked more with each other, and sometimes William would chime in on the conversation. 'What does my Uncle do? And what is happening with the French deal?' William thought to himself.
When they finished their lunch and got out, Williams's Uncle pulled Philip aside by grabbing his arm and said in a calm voice, "You need to be more careful. The bodyguards from Phoenix security will only be good for the short term. You need to find the mole." Philip tried to reply, but he quickly roared, "You better not hurt my Nephew, or I'll break your fucking teeth."
He finally caught up to what was going on and politely said, "I swear I'll protect your nephew and would never hurt him."
Uncle patted Philips back and laughed, and William watched his Uncle; he was a little bit embarrassed but also a little proud and happy about what his Uncle did.
Philip and William drove separately, and William's Uncle went separately. In their car, William asked Philip, "I hope you didn't mind him."
Philip was shocked and said, "Are you kidding me? Your Uncle was a delight, by the way. What's his name?"
William sighed in relief and said, "Boris, his name is Boris."
Philip took Williams's hand in his hand and said, "I can't imagine my life without you. You're the reason I wake up with a smile on my face every morning. I love the way you laugh, the way you make me feel, and the way your hand feels in mine. You are my forever, and I'm so grateful to have you by my side; nothing can ever falter my dedication to being yours only."
With red cheeks, William blushed and said, "Thank you."
"Only Thank you? No words for me?" Philip teased William and kissed his hand repeatedly.
"Philip, keep your eyes on the road," William said to Philip.
"Listen, we're having dinner at my family home and meeting someone."
"Ok, so take me to the mall. I need to buy a dress."
"Why don't we go to my friend Sheila's boutique?"
"Philip, I rather not go there," William said with a sour look.
"Why? what's wrong? Do you not like the clothes she sent you?"
"It's just your friend would never let me enter her store without you by my side, and also if you've ever seen reviews about her store, you would know why."
"That's not true. She's not like that." Said Philip, in complete denial.
"Ok, so let's go to your friend's boutique, and I'll go alone. You should watch from the car."
"Ok, let's go."
They arrived near Sheila's boutique, and William said, "Drop me here. I don't want her to see the bodyguards and the cars."
"Ok," said Philip.
"If you don't wanna do this, it's wonderful." Said, William.
"No, it's fine," Philip said and kissed William.
WILLIAMS POV
I walked into the high-end fashion boutique, admiring the elegant display of designer clothing. As I approached the racks of dresses, a salesperson glared at me suspiciously.
"Can I help you?" she snapped.
"Yes, I was hoping to try on one of the suits," I replied, trying to remain polite.
The salesperson looked me up and down, taking in his simple jeans and t-shirt. "I'm sorry, sir, but this boutique is for serious customers only. I'm afraid we don't cater to your kind of clientele."
Nobody can Imagine the wave of anger and frustration I felt rising within me. I hope Philip gets a nice view of the racist and derogatory person he calls his friend.
Oh, I caught the baits eyes; a woman with red hair wearing a blue pencil skirt walked up to the salesperson and me and asked, "What seems to be the problem, dear?" She asked her employee. She must be Shiela.
I stood there quietly, waiting for the situation to unfold, and the salesperson replied, "Ma'am, I'm just asking him to get out of the store, and he's resisting."
The woman looked me up and down and said, "You need to get out, or I'll call security."
"I can assure you that I'm serious about purchasing a dress," I said firmly, holding up the card I took from my purse. "And I don't appreciate being treated like a criminal."
The salesperson sneered at me along with The woman I was pretty sure was Shiela, her hand inching towards the phone on her desk. "I'm sorry, sir, but I must ask you to leave." I was stunned by their behaviour, and a second later, two security guards came and said, "You need to leave the premises, sir."
They grabbed my hands to force me out of the store, and there he was, Philip, standing at the door watching me getting dragged by the security. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. I knew I didn't deserve to be treated this way and wouldn't let this woman get the best of me.
The woman saw him and smiled, "Philip darling, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages."
Clearly, on the brink of his anger scale, Philip politely asked her, "Sheila, what's going on here?" Point at me with his eyes.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about. These types of people need to be forced out of boutique sometimes." She said, looking at me with disgust.
Philip walked past Sheila to me and punched the security guards. He slammed into the ground, completely unconscious the other one let go of my arm and tried to fight Philip, but he also wasn't a match. Philip grabbed his head and slammed his head on the counter, knocking him out completely.
Sheila stood there with a horror look but quickly snapped out and said, "Philip, what the fuck do you think you're doing to my bodyguards."
Philip bid her no mind, checked my wrist, and asked, "are you alright, sweetheart?" I nodded at him.
Sheila was confused for a second but seemed to realize what was happening. Philip cupped my face and kissed me to ensure that I was safe.
"This was all just a misunderstanding, Philip. I didn't know that he was your fiancee," said Shiela, who knew she fucked up.
I smiled and quickly took Philips's arms and hugged him. Philip approached her holding my hand, and said, "You forgot your worth, Shiela. Should I jog your memory about who you are?"
"Philip, believe me, it's just a misunderstanding. The salesperson told me to kick him out. I didn't know he was your fiance." Shiela said, justifying her mistake by blaming the salesperson, a horrible human being.
"Hmmm... Why are you asking my forgiveness? It would be best if you asked his forgiveness. I'm not the one you wronged. It's my love that you've wronged," said Philip.
The horror on Sheila's face only grew bigger and bigger. When she heard Philip, but before she could say anything to me, I told Philip, "Baby, it's getting late. I have to buy a dress. Let's go."
"Ok, sweetheart," Philip said, and we exited this god-forsaken boutique.
Shiela followed us, crying and begging, "please forgive me. I didn't know. I swear I'll never do anything like this again."
I bid her no mind, completely ignoring her and got in the car; Philip also drove. I saw Shiela, completely chaotic, following the vehicle from the side mirror. Her picture grew tiny by the second, and she vanished from view.
To be continued...