Liu was shocked at this abrupt dismissal. But his change in expression made Henry a bit sad that he was probably used to it. He clearly knew that Henry was in no real hurry to get married, “Have a good rest of the afternoon, Nadius. I was very excited to see you today. Henry when you remember your manners, have your delightful butler here send us an invitation to your wedding reception as I’d adore to meet a woman who can tame you.”
Henry rolled his eyes as Nadius reemerged from escorting Thomas Liu to the awaiting cab.
Prime touched Henry’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture, “Liu hasn’t changed a bit after all these still. Still a money hungry man. But he does still drive the point home. You need to find a wife, Henry. I’m sure you have a woman you wouldn’t mind having around longer than a couple months. I haven’t forced you to consider anyone because I know you do things your own way, but you need to think of your future, Henry. Do you mind if you have less money than you do now? I’m sure you can make it back eventually. You won’t be left with nothing.”
A vein pulsated in Henry’s forehead, “I’m not giving away what I earned to people who want to grab it from me.”
“Then not to the Wong Industries Board, I bet. You’ve had two years to find a suitable girl. But now we have mere weeks left. It’s not like you to not have a plan”
Speaking of a plan . . . Henry remembered why he had called Prime here. He sighed and resumed sipping his drink. “Oh, I have someone I have wanted for a long time. But the thing is, she isn’t sure if she wants to marry me. I haven’t been able to get her interested in me. You know the right courtship kind of way. She’s suitable in all aspects. She could be a great host. She’s beautiful and well educated. A great wife and mother to our future children.”
Prime nodded slowly, “I didn’t think you were even thinking along that path. What a shame that such a lovely woman doesn’t see all your good merits?”
Henry began to fiddle with his phone as he showed off a picture, “Nadia Clooney.”
“Clooney! Are you kidding? That’s a tabloid fodder actress! She will do nothing but just bring shame to the family name. She’ll never marry you. She’s been divorced and married more than seven times.”
“She just hasn’t met the right man to tame her. I can do it. I’ll protect her from whatever her issues are.” Henry scrolled through his text messages which showed that he had been conversing with her for more than six months. “See she tells me everything. I am her savior and she’ll be mine.”
Prime squinted as he read some of the messages and scrolled through some of the rest, “You’ve been out playing tennis with her. You’ve been to dinner with her. These are all the markings of a good friend. Nothing she had said has indicated an interest in growing closer to you. Unless there is something you’re not telling me.” His eyes narrowed at the end as he assessed the dialogue.
“She’s a perfect woman who behaves with the class of one.” Henry said slowly. He regretted this as he had come close to kissing her a few times, but knew if he crossed that line with her, she would never speak to him again. “But she is the closest female friend I have and I know her better than any of her past boyfriends. I know she wants to start a family and she’s scared because she’s getting older.”
Prime considered this with a bemused expression, “You’ve cooked your golden goose. Women in this day and age can adopt or choose to not get married. This girl has so many options to choose from, why would she choose you. A man who needs to get married and father a child in a few weeks. She has a taste for younger men and doesn’t mess with our kind.” His mouth pinched as he laid it straight. “She’s be a great mistress if you got married at least for a while, but she’s not marriage material simply stated.”
Comments (1)
See all