Ella's POV
Four years ago...
A waiter opened the door, and the strange gaze he shot at me sent shivers down my spine. I began to believe what I heard that my dad’s business partner was also not a simple man.
“Good morning, ma’am. Are you Miss Ella Kaneko?” he asked, a weak smile forming on his lips.
I frowned; I didn’t have to give my name to a stranger. But I got curious as to what extent the man I was going to see knew about me. Only a few people know that I am a Kaneko. The rest of the people knew me as Ella Sahara.”
Without answering, I looked around, and I saw only a few people filling the place. It was still nine, so this was what I had hoped for. I was not too fond of crowded places, and even if Jamella was a five-star restaurant in Cambridge, I didn’t expect it to be less crowded.
"Ma'am, this way, please," said the waiter I didn't notice was following me. He just sprung by my side, and I almost bumped into him.
I glared at him, wrinkling my forehead at his know-it-all behavior.
"You must be looking for my boss?" came the question that had me staring at him.
“You sound so sure, mister,” I scoffed.
He grinned and said, “We don’t accept walk-in clients, ma’am, and bookings are closed until eleven. However, all of those who have booked are here, so we're expecting only one at this hour.”
“And he asks me to bring him the guest he is expecting at nine,” he adds.
I guessed he was telling the truth, so I nodded. He saved me anyway from the hassle of finding the person I wanted to see.
"Please follow me, ma'am. He's in the function room."
He led the way, and I walked behind him. Soon, he led me to a private room and opened the door for me. I stepped inside and scanned my eyes around. And I couldn’t help admiring how elegant the structure was. Although the space was small, it had an exquisite wooden interior conducive for private transactions.
Occupying the center was a long rectangular, ten-seater wooden table with matching cushioned seats. Thick and dark curtains covered the heavily-tinted glass walls across the door, its rust-gold color complementing the shade of the chair’s cushioned backrests. A huge oil painting filled one entire corner wall while a projector board covered the opposite side.
“Good morning!” a rich male voice had me spun around to see a tall man dressed in simple denim jeans and a white shirt.
“Hi, good morning!” I greeted him back, my eyes sticking on his lean figure.
With hair still glistening with water droplets, he looked too fresh against my messy appearance. I was just in black leggings and a loose shirt, my hair tied in a low ponytail.
“So, you’re Miss Ella Kaneko?” he said, offering me his hand. A weak smile broke on his lips.
Even without the introduction, I could already tell he was the one who called me the night before, asking to see me. I wouldn’t have come here to meet a stranger if not for the mail I received beforehand from a lawyer.
“Ella Sahara.”
“Right, but your second birth certificate says you are a Kaneko.”
“Whatever.” I shrugged, and he chuckled.
“I never thought Peter’s daughter could be this beautiful.”
I got stunned for a second, feeling uncomfortable with his compliment. He pulled a chair for me, and I smiled, distracting my thoughts from his flattering words. Fortunately, it gave me a reason to brush his flattery aside.
“Coffee or cold drinks?” he asked, and without waiting for my reply, he walked to the opposite side of the table, then pulled a chair across from me.
“Coffee.”
He pressed the buzzer, and the same waiter who ushered me sprang up by the door frame. He glanced in my direction and nodded as soon as he saw me looking at him.
“Two sets of breakfast, please,” he told the waiter, and the latter nodded and disappeared at lightning speed. I wondered why he didn’t give details to his order.
“So, again, I am James Mori, your father’s friend, and business partner,” he said as soon as the waiter closed the door. “And I’m happy that you've spared your time to see me.”
“Anything for my father,” I replied, almost choking on my words.
It had been a month already since dad passed away, but the pain of losing him was still fresh in my heart.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Ella. It was hard for me, too. Peter was my only real friend.”
“I’m coping well,” I lied; I never felt so alone in my life, now that dad has gone away.
“That’s good,” he nodded, then looked straight into my eyes. “I’ll go straight to the point, Ella. But I wonder if you already have an idea of what I want to talk about.”
I scoffed. “I don’t even know you, Mr. Mori. Although I am aware that dad has multiple business partners, he never made me a part of his world. If not for the letter I received from a lawyer that mentioned your name, I wouldn’t be here.”
He raised a hand to his right brow, massaging it in an outward direction.
“Okay, I’m just asking. So, I want you to know that your dad and I started a business a few years ago and registered them in your name.”
I gasped in surprise but then raised a brow and stared at him. “So?”
“So, I want you to take over and run them. Your dad has mentioned that you’re working in a prestigious company owned by someone else, so it’s time you run your own business.”
I held his gaze for a while, then shook my head.
“I’m afraid I don’t get it, Mr.Mori. As I have mentioned earlier, dad never wanted me in his world.”
“In his dark and dirty world,” he corrected. No, he defined it.
But then he added, “And that’s because he loves you and doesn’t want to stain your name because of him.”