CHAPTER 2

Michael, growing annoyed every second, watched as Angela Foster approached them. She had a lot of explanation to do. He noticed the embarrassed look on Manda's face, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. He wanted to assure her that they had done nothing wrong, but Angela had stood before them with a frown on her beautiful face.

"So, what are you really doing here? It's too much of a coincidence that you've picked this place for a walk," he told her.

"It's not my idea, either." She gave a small shrug. "Your father is curious to know why you don't spend so much time at home, and with me."

He heard Manda gave a small gasp. He clenched his fists. "My father told you to spy on me? How long has it been going on?"

"A week. And from what I've observed, it looks like my actions are justified. You're supposed to be my fiancé." Her large caramel eyes narrowed suspiciously toward Manda, flipping her long hair from her shoulders.

Michael raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "Angela, I've already told you and my father again and again that I'm not marrying you. I'm not going to sign those papers. And whatever I'm doing with Manda is none of anyone's business. Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"So, it's going to be this way, is it?" Angela said, flashing an angelic smile toward Manda that caused Michael to be in a state of alarm. He knew that smile too well.

Manda looked slightly taken aback by Angela's sudden friendliness.

"What is it that you want, Angela?" Michael asked her.

"What makes you think I want something?" she asked back, looking all innocent. "I'm merely trying to get acquainted with your friend here. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about." With that she linked her arm through Manda's.

Manda glanced quizzically at Michael as if asking him what Angela was doing. Michael gave a shrug. He certainly had no idea what she was up to.

"How about some lunch? My treat," Angela suggested, turning to Manda.

"I - uh, I -"

"We already have plans of our own," Michael told Angela firmly.

"What about you, Amanda? I'm sure you're hungry right now. I certainly am." Angela continued wheedling much to Michael's exasperation. He had forgotten how persistent Angela was.

"It's Manda," she corrected. "But... uh, I don't want any trouble -"

"Of course it's no trouble," Angela cut in. "My car's parked just outside of the clearing. You can follow us with her car, Michael," she told him while leading Manda back to the hill.

Michael knew what Angela was doing. By taking Manda with her, he would involuntarily have to follow them and join Angela for lunch. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and followed the two girls. Climbing up the hill wasn't as easy as climbing down. He noticed Manda had difficulty climbing up with her cane, and Angela hadn't done anything to help her. The redhead just looked on from the top of the hill, smiling smugly. Instantly, he moved next to Manda, and held her arm to support her.

"Oh, come on, Michael," Angela called out. "Is Amanda that weak?"

A spark of anger and determination flashed in Manda's blue-gray eyes. "I'm not weak," she said, trying to remove his hands.

"Manda, don't listen to her," he told her. "She's trying to get under your skin."

"I can do this on my own, Michael," Manda returned pointedly. "Let go of me."

"Manda -"

"Now."

He removed his hands. "Fine. I'll stay here just in case if you fell down or something."

He looked on, his palms grew clammy, as Manda ascended the hill. He found himself holding his breath when her foot almost slipped a couple of times. Despite that, she moved on. He finally could breathe easily when Manda reached the top of the hill. As Michael climbed up, he made a vow to speak to Angela privately. So far he couldn't figure out why she was still living at his home after he'd told her he didn't want to marry her. She had been staying there more than a month.

Fortunately, Angela was hardly at his home; she worked full time for the summer in her father's company, Foster Incorporated. Sometimes, she worked so late that she returned home the next morning looking drained and irritable that dampened her usual spirited mood. Michael knew it wasn't his business, but he had to admit that he was worried that she took her job too seriously.

Michael took another big step to the top of the hill, and saw Angela and Manda, chatting, but he could see Angela was the one who did all the talking. Manda didn't like to talk much with someone she hardly knew. At that moment, Angela turned to him with a smile.

"We've decided to go to Bamboo Garden for lunch," she told him.

"Bamboo Garden? Did you tell Manda what they serve in that place?" He furrowed his brow.

"Of course. I told her they serve exotic food," Angela replied cheerfully. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wait. I need the car keys, Manda," he announced. When Manda handed him the keys, he pulled her slightly away from Angela. "You don't have to follow her, you know," he told her in a low voice.

"Look, Michael," Manda said with a touch of vexation in her voice, "I don't need you to baby-sit me all the time. I know what I'm doing. There's nothing wrong having lunch with her. Is there?"

"No, but have you been to Bamboo Garden?"

"No."

"Let's go, Amanda," Angela called out before Michael could say anything more.

Bamboo Garden turned out to be a large restaurant housed in the upper class area of Greenwood. As Manda stepped through the doorway, she noticed the interior was colored in papyrus and ivory tones, with the faded grandeur of bamboo paneling. Artworks from Asia, and original lacquers gave the setting an authentic feeling. In the middle of the room was a small fountain made of marbles in the shape of a giant oyster, with round mahogany tables filled the whole dining room.

A quarter section of the room was separated for the smoking area. At the moment, the place was half-filled with customers. The sound of clinking glasses, knives and forks uttered around the room. Manda could see a large family of ten surrounded one table, feasting their meals in a warm atmosphere. A waft of something sweet and spicy filled the air, making her stomach grumbled.

The owner, Nguyen, whom Manda had found out later after Angela made the introduction, gave them a welcoming smile as they entered the room. Judging from the way Nguyen was chatting with Angela with such familiarity, Manda figured the girl was a regular here.

The small man showed them to one of the smaller round tables next to the window, and handed them the menus. Manda picked up the menu and flipped it open. If she thought that she knew what she would be eating, she was wrong. The menu was written in a language that looked Greek to her, and beneath the strange language was the translation in French. Oh, great. Not only she didn't know Vietnamese, her French knowledge was nil. Zilch. Zero. Okay, except for un, deux, trois... Why can't they provide a translation that everyone can read?

She glanced at Michael, who seemed to be studying the menu. Nguyen was standing next to the their table, hands poised with pen and pad, ready to take their order.

"I'll have the regular," Angela told him, handing the menu.

Manda squirmed on her seat. She wanted to ask Michael about the menu, but she didn't want to appear dumb in front of Angela. He closed the menu and told Nguyen his order - in French. Then Michael turned to Manda.

"Do you need help with the menu?" he asked her.

"Uh -" She couldn't help noticing that Angela gave her a smug look. Manda suddenly felt inferior next to Angela. "I... uh, I'll have... uh -"

"Manda, you can just ask Nguyen if you don't understand. He'll help you. I can help you with the French part," Michael advised gently.

"How about if you try what I've ordered?" Angela suggested to Manda, smiling sweetly.

"Angela," Michael said with a warning tone.

Manda definitely felt uncomfortable by the attention she was receiving. And she didn't like the feeling of being left out - it was as if everyone knew how to read Vietnamese, and French, and decided to show off their knowledge. She felt like putting her head into a paper bag, and at the same time, she wanted to scream her heart out at the unfairness. She didn't want Michael to tell her that she needed help. She knew he was trying to be helpful, but she didn't want that. Not right now. Not in front of Angela.

"Why not? I'll have what Angela ordered," Manda replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but she could feel a slight tremor in her voice. If she didn't control herself, she knew she would burst into tears in self-pity. She didn't understand why she was upset over a petty matter such as this.

"Manda, do you know what you're ordering?" Michael asked with a frown.

"Look, Michael, I will order whatever I want," she retorted, a little sharply than she had intended.

Michael studied her carefully, as if wondering why she was behaving this way. She looked away. She wished he stopped doing that. Sometimes he could read her like a book, and she found it very unsettling. This was one of the times she wished that he didn't know her well.

After Nguyen had jotted down their orders, he left the table. Manda knew it was too late to take back what she had ordered. From the way Michael had warned her, he sounded as if she would be in danger of eating the food here. If Angela could do it, why couldn't she?

"Well, isn't it a small world," a masculine voice suddenly drawled from behind Manda.

"R-Roy!" Angela paled when she looked up at the person.

Manda turned to look at the speaker, and almost dropped her jaw. A tall broad-shouldered young man, with longish dark hair pulled back in a leather string, was standing behind her. Next to him was a woman, in her late thirties, with blond hair, styled into a chignon. Her eyes had the color of cornflower - the color that Manda wished she had.

"Hello, Angela. It's a surprise, isn't it?" Roy said, with a sly glint in his eyes. He gave Manda and Michael a brief glance before turning back to her.

"Uh... Yeah. I -" She stopped, and turned to look at Michael, before she said, "Guys, I'd like you to meet Roy Hasbrough, and Mrs. Hasbrough - that's his mother. These are friends of mine, Michael Mackenzie and Amanda Rider."

"It's Manda," she supplied through gritted teeth.

"Whatever," Angela replied, and waved it off.

"Nice to meet you," Michael said, shaking Mrs. Hasbrough's and Roy's hands.

Manda felt a creepy chill while she shook hands with Roy. He was looking at her from head to toe in an almost leering manner. She felt an urge to cover her body with her arms. She couldn't understand why he seemed to have a lot of girlfriends. What do they see in him anyway?

When Roy turned back to Angela to chat with her, Manda couldn't help noticing he was staring obscenely at her neckline instead of her face. It was revolting, in Manda's opinion. She disliked the man even more.

Mrs. Hasbrough was another puzzle. Her husband had just passed away, but she didn't seem to be dressed for mourning. The woman was wearing bright red short jacket, with white slit skirt. Her feet were covered with tan snakeskin high heels. Gold bracelets around both of her wrists sparkled under the soft light. Manda also noticed a large diamond ring on her ring finger. That must have cost a fortune.

"I know what you must be thinking," Mrs. Hasbrough said when she caught Manda staring at her. "You must be thinking why I'm not dressed in black."

"I... I'm sorry," Manda murmured, .

"Don't be." Mrs. Hasbrough smoothed down her immaculate hair. "My husband bought me this outfit on our first wedding anniversary. He had a tailor made it just for me."

"Oh. It's very nice."

"I know. Every clothes and shoes that I owned are custom made. No one will have the same design such as I do. So, it's mine and mine alone."

"I heard you have your own fashion company. You must have designed all your clothes."

"Absolutely." Mrs. Hasbrough looked pleased that Manda had heard something about her.

"Come on, Mother. We must go now," Roy said, looking irritably at his mother.

Manda couldn't believe how rude he was being.

"I'll go when I please," Mrs. Hasbrough said, sliding a hand on one shoulder as if to search for something. "Oh, dammit. I forgot my purse again."

"You're getting old," Roy remarked boldly. "Even that facelift you did doesn't help. You're almost f -"

"Roy, stop it." Mrs. Hasbrough shot him a venomous look before she whirled around, and left them. Manda heard Roy cursed under his breath before following his mother.

When the Hasbroughs had left, Manda felt the atmosphere started to lighten a bit.

"What's the deal with Roy and his mother?" Michael asked Angela.

"Beats me. Everyone knows they hate one another." Angela shrugged. "Mrs. Hasbrough is very crabby when it comes to her age. She didn't like anyone to find that out. But I heard rumors... She's almost fifty."

"She doesn't look like fifty," Manda spoke up.

"Plastic surgeries can work miracles," she said knowingly. "Besides, that's not the only thing that woman is obsessed with. That wedding ring that she was wearing? It's her lucky charm. She never goes anywhere without it."

"Seems you know a lot about Mrs. Hasbrough," Michael remarked.

"We go to the same gym. I meet her there every week."

"What about Roy? He seems to know you pretty well, too," Manda prompted.

"He doesn't," Angela snapped.

Manda was a little taken aback by her reaction. "It was just a question. How did you meet him?"

"Through my daddy. I work with him at Foster, Inc. So is my brother. Anyway, Daddy said I would get promoted as the head of department if I can secure a partnership with Strom-Hasbrough Enterprise. I had to meet Roy for that."

"Did you get it?"

"Her father couldn't stop talking about it when she got it," Michael told them.

"How did you know?" Manda asked, glancing at him.

"My dad invited her parents to my house for dinner."

Turning away, Angela picked up the glass of water on the table, and took a small sip. Then, she turned toward Manda. "So, I noticed you've been making headlines lately," she remarked.

"Headlines?" Manda returned her with a blank look at the sudden change of subject.

"The Rodriguez's trial. I've been following the case - and since Michael's father is the defender for Rodriguez, I listened to everything about the case."

Just hearing the name Rodriguez was enough to make Manda lose her appetite. She still remembered what the crime lord had done to her and her family - and even to Michael. The man had caused her father's coma. Though he didn't directly participate in the kidnappings, it was Rodriguez who had masterminded it, and he had used Michael to do his dirty work. Fortunately, Rodriguez had been given a guilty verdict by the Grand Jury last week. It had been a long trial, and Manda had followed it closely. She didn't feel like celebrating his defeat. It felt wrong somehow while her father was still in the hospital.

"... most of the headlines. We didn't - except in small articles," Michael was saying to Angela when Manda returned back from her reverie.

"Michael told me you two also did some detective work," Angela said to Manda.

"Uh... Not really. I didn't - I mean, we didn't have much of a choice," she replied.

"You should open your own detective agency or something," Angela went on. "If I'm not stuck working with my father, I would venture out on my own - probably in archeology and open my own museum. I'm very into Egyptology."

"Why didn't you?" Michael asked with a curious look.

"Foster Inc has been a family company for generations. My father is proud of it and he expects his children to follow his path. I don't intend to let him down, and I never have," Angela told them, but Manda wasn't sure if she had imagined the hint of bitterness in Angela's voice at the end.

Just the thought of archeology made Manda think of Indiana Jones, her favorite all-time movie hero. She glanced at Angela, she couldn't imagine someone like her would go through dusty and sandy pyramids, all sweaty and dirty, excavating through a tomb. For one, her skin was too flawless. Her long red hair was left loose into silky curls that framed her apple blossom face. She didn't look like someone who had been spending a lot of time under the sun. Manda's eyes traveled down from Angela's slightly loose-fitting floral print sundress to her sandals. They looked too sweet for Manda's taste, but she thought Angela looked pretty in them. She would look pretty in everything, Manda corrected herself, suddenly growing uneasy by the thought. And Angela's staying at the Mackenzie's mansion added her unease further. Who knows what else she was wearing over there? Would Michael be smitten by her appearance than he'd let on?

"So, how about it?" Angela seemed to be saying to Manda when she returned back to earth, again.

"How about what?" Manda asked in confusion.

"Angela is inviting us to visit the Greenwood Museum tomorrow afternoon. She wants to show us the Egypt exhibition," Michael explained. "I'd thought we could go there after I pick you up from the hospital."

Since when Michael suddenly agreed to include Angela in their plan tomorrow? Manda didn't like it one bit.

"What about our plan to go fishing?" Manda asked him, controlling her disappointment from creeping into her voice.

"We can go there some other time," he assured her.

Manda glanced at Angela, looking composed, but Manda could see the triumphant look in her eyes. Instinctively, her hands balled into tight fists. She didn't manage to retort when a waiter arrived with their food.

He placed a pan of sizzling meat topped with some kind of sauce and black pepper in front of her, and Angela. This had to be what Angela had ordered. It didn't look that bad. In fact, her stomach immediately growled in anticipation. Michael's dish turned out to be stir-fried vegetables with tiger prawns on rice, topped with oyster sauce.

"Let's dig in," Angela said cheerfully, scooping up a small portion of the meat from the pan and brought it onto her plate.

Manda followed suit, and forked the meat. She blew it for a moment to cool it before taking a tentative bite on the meat. She chewed it, and decided it tasted almost like chicken, a little bland, but there were too many bones in it. She wondered what kind of fish this was.

"Do you like it?" Angela asked Manda, looking amused.

"It's great, I have to admit."

She heard Michael gave a cough. She frowned, narrowing her eyes with suspicion toward Michael.

"I'm glad you like it." Angela beamed.

"So, what is it?" she asked, taking a large gulp on her mineral water.

"Snake meat."

Manda sputtered her drink.