Chapter 6. Invitation Card

*“That man is just… weird,”* Sienna muttered while staring blankly at the window next to her.
“Weird like what? You keep on judging him, Sienna,” Jonathan admonished her. He looked at her, kind of annoyed.
Jonathan arrived here after Daniel left two hours ago. Sienna only had some minutes to accompany her boyfriend before she had to get back to work her shift.
They both were sitting down at the same table in the coffee shop. Michael the Barista had just delivered a cup of hot black coffee to him.
For a second, Jonathan stared at her, confused. “Just tell me, why are you keep being like this? You know that he has the golden gate that I was telling you about. If I can…”
“I get it,” Sienna immediately cut him off. “You told me. I remember. No need to repeat that, Jonathan. I just don’t want you to get your hope so high for this one thing.”
“What?” Jonathan was half bulging out his blue eyes at her. “You said it’s a good thing for me to learn the world of stock trading. So, why are you suddenly discouraging me like this?”
Sienna shook her head, trying to make her point clear to him. “No, Jonathan. You take it the wrong way. I’m saying that it is good for you to learn something new. But working with that man is not like your thing. You are just not such a corporate person,” she muttered a lot since she got annoyed as well. “You know how cold the people who work in the skyscraper building are. They are not friendly like you. They are all about business and money.”
“And, so what?” Jonathan still didn’t understand what Sienna tried to tell him.
She took a deep breath and looked at him patiently. “I’m saying that you have to be ready to get hurt if they suddenly dismiss you. You heard him last night when he said you’ll be put into a trial like an inexperienced apprentice.”
“You’re reading it too far, Sienna!” When Jonathan raised his voice, Michael instantly glanced at them behind the bar table. He was wiping the cups at the time.
“Lower your voice,” Sienna admonished him as she slightly stole a glance at Michael.
Jonathan glanced back at Michael to give him a good nod while smiling. Then he turned to Sienna again to talk, “Okay, I just want you to be nice in front of him.”
Sienna rolled her eyes, annoyed.
“Come on, Sienna. It’s just a little favor that I ask of you,” Jonathan begged her.
She paused to look at how pathetic Jonathan was about this. Thereafter, she told him, “FYI, he was here two hours ago. I met Daniel Wilson.”
Just at the moment, she mentioned the name, Jonathan looked excited all of a sudden.
He grinned and got so worked up. “Wait, wow… really? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I was about to. But then you start debating with me,” Sienna muttered. “I wanted to warn you about him. Well, even I don’t know him…”
“That’s why, I said, you’re judging him,” Jonathan shouted after. “Just be nice and chill.”
Sienna sighed heavily. She then stared away from him for a moment. Her eyes gazed out at the street view out there. The metropolitan city looked as crowded as usual.
Then Jonathan asked her curiously, “So, what he was doing here?”
“He visited the library. He borrowed four books of stock trading business, and whatever…” she rolled her eyes again, ignorantly.
“You did it again,” Jonathan reminded her. “You look salty, Sienna. You need a break.”
“Okay, what do you want me to do? Acting like I should be nice with that man? I was just feeling suspicions about that man and his people,” Sienna chattered restlessly.
“Our luck can depend on that owner of a billion-dollar company, Sienna,” he said peevishly. “I mean, come on… it’s not like we have a chance to meet a billionaire regularly.”
Sienna bulged her eyes. She got astonished when she heard Jonathan said it all daringly.
“Wow, hold on a minute,” Sienna snapped. “You’re not this money-oriented kind of person, Jonathan. I know you personally,” she muttered disappointedly. “But I just don’t know what is gotten into you right now, for God’s sake!”
Jonathan took a deep breath. He tried to be patient when assuring Sienna that everything would be just okay. And he didn’t want to argue further with her. It wouldn’t bring the two of them any good.
Suddenly, a man dressed in a formal black suit came into the coffee shop. He suddenly interfered between them as he came to their table.
Outside the window, Sienna saw a black sedan car parked at the edge of the pavement. That man came out of that car. She felt suspicious.
“Excuse me. Are you Mister Jonathan Brown?” He looked cautious when asking him.
Jonathan and Sienna quickly stared up at this tall muscular young man in his late twenties. He didn’t seem ordinary.
Jonathan said reluctantly, “Ah… yes, what is…”
“Sorry to interrupt both of you. I just come here to deliver this invitation card,” he said as he took out a gold paper card from the inside of his suit pocket.
As soon as Jonathan received it, he looked surprised to see who was the sender.
Before Sienna got to ask, that man informed them as he spoke in a formal way, “Mister Daniel Wilson will be glad to have you two coming to the Plaza Hotel.”
“Of… of course,” Jonathan shouted out happily. “We will definitely be there.”
As he exchanged a stare with Sienna, she could only sigh helplessly. There was no point in arguing again. Sienna didn’t want to make a scene anyway.
“Okay then, we hope to see you in the Wilson Enterprises special annual party at the time when the event will be held,” he said as he slightly took a bow at them. “Farewell…”
As soon as he went away, Jonathan looked at Sienna with a wide smile.
“See?” He murmured. “He must be a nice guy, Sienna. He invites us both to attend his company’s annual party. Isn’t this like a special thing?”
Sienna immediately raised from the chair. After she took a deep breath, then she glanced at him again to say, “Whatever, Jonathan. I have to get back to the library now.”
“But, Sienna…” he looked at her awkwardly. “We haven’t finished talking…”
She smiled and responded firmly, “My co-workers are waiting for me. I don’t want them to think I’m a slacker.”
He could only nod defenselessly. And soon, she left him quietly.
***
Around four p.m., Sienna finally returned home from work.
She was still thinking about his last encounter with Daniel, which felt off. She was trying to tell Jonathan about it. But eventually, she couldn’t tell him the whole truth. She could only keep telling him that the man was weird.
She couldn’t break Jonathan’s heart by saying that Daniel kissed her that night. Or even telling him that Daniel touched her fingers this morning, and giving her an intense stare.
Everything was just so messed up. But she felt like a dumb shell in distress already.
In the evening, she had taken a shower. She was about to sleep off in her white pajama, but then she heard her phone was ringing loudly.
Soon, she jumped into her bed and took her phone there. Her heart was beating faster when she noticed who was the caller.
It was an international phone call. She was so excited. She had been waiting for this call.
Then she quickly answered the phone and shouted out, “DAD! OH MY…”
“Hey, my baby girl!” Her dad shouted back cheerfully. “I miss you so very much!”
“Dad! You have no idea. Me too, I always miss you from here,” Sienna muttered in such a despair to feel the great longing for her dad.
“How’s life in New York, darling? Everything’s good?” He asked wonderingly.
Sienna pretended to clear her throat. Then she answered him carefully, “Yeah, of course, Dad! Don’t worry about me. I can take care of everything.”
She just basically didn’t want to make her dad worried for her life. Her dad already had a job to deal with in London. He had to be a good employee. Thus why, she couldn’t be selfish to share her problematical matter about her boyfriend. Even to tell him about the man she just barely knew, Daniel.
“Oh, right? I know you can live well without me, darling,” her dad was proud of her. Surely, he didn’t know the truth yet. Sienna didn’t seem as calm as she was when talking on the phone. Then her dad wanted to inform her, “So… I just want to hear your voice, but I also have news.”
“What about, Dad?” She was expecting to hear the news about his return though.
“Listen, darling… I still have to stay in London for work. But I will return home in about two months. How’s that sound?” He told her happily.
“Oh, my God! Of course, that’s so awesome, Dad!” Sienna didn’t realize she was exclaiming. She just got excited to be reunited with him again. She felt relieved to hear that.
“Have a nice day, darling. And please say hello to your boyfriend from me, okay?” He said. “Jonathan lives well, huh? How’s he these days?”
Sienna sighed for a second. Then she told him emotionlessly, “He’s fine, Dad. Don’t worry. I let him know that you call,” and she smiled before she went to sleep, “Okay, Dad. Bye.”