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Chapter Two
“Mae, Royce has organized a welcome dinner at his condo for us. Are you too tired to go?” Susan asked, her mascara brush in hand.
“Not at all. I slept for hours during the cross-Atlantic flight. This man is awfully nice.” Mae tilted her head, peering at her under the arch of her eyebrows. “Going out of his way for us, especially when he’s newly married and his wife is away. Must be very hard on him.”
“Okay, Mae. This is just for your ears. Royce isn’t married. I wanted to avoid questions and a jealous scene from Kasem.”
Mae didn’t seem surprised. “So I’ve guessed. Is Royce your boyfriend?”
“Nope. He’s never been more than a good friend. A loyal friend I can count on at any time.”
“Did you meet him at university?” Mae sat on the edge of the bed in the master bedroom, determined to get the whole nine yards of information.
“No. Our friendship goes back a long way to his days as a black sheep roaming through Asian countries, after he’d dropped out of college and followed a Japanese girlfriend.”
Her mother’s eyes opened wide, and Susan chuckled. “He taught English in Bangkok at the same school where I taught physical education. A jealous husband caught himin the act.You know what I mean.”She winked at her mother and laughed at her shockedfrown.“The murderous man carved Royce’s cheek with a knife. He was blinded by his own blood, but managed to escape and called me for help. I hid him in my flat for three weeks to allow him to heal.”
Her mother’s hands flew to her chest. “Dear Lord, your father would have had a heart attack, if he’d heard this story.”
Susan shrugged. “That’s why I didn’t say anything. Don’t worry, poor Royce was so hideous with his bloody cheek, he locked himself in the guestroom. He grew a bushy beard to conceal the infected scar and decided to return to the States. Dr. Winston was a generous man. He forgave his son, fixed his scar, and paid for his second shot at college.”
Mae scowled. “So, Miss Susan, you lived with him here?”
“No, Mae. Stop jumping to conclusions. To return the favor for saving his hide, Royce invited me to live in the family mansion. At the time, he didn’t know his father had already rented it. His stepmother saved the day by letting me stay in her house on the condition I looked after their pets.”
Still wearing her gray, wide-leg, long trousers and black jersey blouse, Susan pulled her hair in a top knot, letting the length of it flow in a ponytail down her back, and then refreshed her makeup, and dabbed her gardenia perfume on her throat.
Mae crossed her arms, studying her. “And all that time—”
“Nothing happened between us, not even one little kiss. I didn’t want to upset Pae or Ruang, that two-face selfish jerk who didn’t bother telling me he’d transferred his prenup contract andsin sodto his moron brother. How could you and Pae not tell me anything until I returned to Bangkok?”
Her lips stretching into a thin line, Susan glared at her mother, hardly bothering to hide her resentment.
After living for so long in Thailand, Carol Chen had learned to control her expressions better than a native. She patted Susan’s shoulder.
“Your father loved you. He was afraid you would stay in America, and he wanted to see you married to a Thai man from agood family.”
“Agood family…meaning a wealthy one. And you went along with it because you loved Pae and could never contradict him.”
“Sweet doll of my heart, Kasem is a good looking man, smart, and charming. You’re better off with him than with his older brother. Besides, you seemed to like him when you two started going out during the first months of your engagement.”
“That was before he cheated on me.”
Kasem had been charming all right, attentive, determined to please her, and to conquer her heart. And she’d fallen for him, for a total of three months, until she’d caught him with her best friend…
“I can never trust him after that.”
“If I’d refused Kasem when you complained, your father would have chosen an older, maybe smarter man, one more difficult to handle. Remember to keep a steel hand in a velvet glove. To live a happy life, don’t antagonize your man. Just manipulate him, get him to do your bidding with sweet words. Or if you really can’t stand him, brush him off.”
“You wouldn’t object?” Would her mother return to her open-minded roots, and side with her now?
“I came here to help you. I didn’t want your brothers to interfere in your business and try to control you after your father’s death. As long as they know you’re about to marry Kasem, they’ll leave you in peace. You have to play your cards right. I promise I’ll help you.”
“Thanks Mae. Are you ready now?”
Carol Chen had removed her long Thai skirt and silk shirt and donned white pants and a printed black and white shirt, leaving her long blond hair pulled into a bun at the base of her neck.
“Take a shawl, Mae. September is warm here, but the nights are cooler.”
