BXBX NOVEL Chapter 89 - So Many Lies.
"What took you so long to open the door?" Tom asked with a scowl.
"What stopped you from opening the damn door yourself when you already know the passcode?" Harry fired back, returning his scowl.
"Looks like someone is in a foul mood," Tom commented before glancing at the television screen, "You must have been very bored to be seeing a movie. No wonder you were begging me to visit," Tom observed. Harry wasn't really a fan of movies, as he preferred playing games when he wasn't busy with work, and only watched movies when he wanted to fall asleep.
"I don't remember begging you. Why are you here, anyway?" Harry asked grudgingly without looking at him, even though they both knew that deep down he was glad that Tom had shown up.
"What other reason could I have for coming here other than to keep your bored ass company?" Tom asked dryly as he sat on the couch next to Harry, and picked up one of the pads on the table.
Taking that as his cue, Harry stood up and walked over to set up the play station, "Mortal Kombat or Soccer?" He asked as he picked up the game discs.
"Mortal Kombat. I'm in the mood to beat up your ass," Tom said good-naturedly, making Harry snort as he inserted the disc before picking up the other pad, and returning to his seat.
Neither of them said a word to each other as they selected their players. Tom picked Scorpion, while Harry picked Sub-Zero. They played in silence for a while, and when Harry noticed that Tom was about to win him at the second game, he said, "So I spoke with Miss Perry earlier on at the office."
On hearing Lucy's name, Tom turned to look at Harry with a slightly raised brow, "About?"
Harry kept his gaze on the screen and made sure to hit Tom's player hard while he was distracted, "About the fiance she talked about the last time, remember?" Harry asked turning to look at Tom with a grin after he won that round.
"You deliberately said that to distract me, didn't you?" Tom asked with a chuckle, "It's funny that you had to rely on such cheap tricks to win the game. Loser," Tom said, shaking his head as he dropped his pad.
"Whatever. Anyway, I think you should talk to your brother about getting her a role in the movie industry. She is a very good actress, believe me," Harry said, making Tom chuckle as he reached out to pick up Harry's wineglass.
"What did she say this time?" Tom asked as he took a sip from the glass while waiting curiously to hear the lie Lucy had spawned. Tom listened attentively as Harry gave him the details of his conversation with Lucy, and by the time Harry finished, Tom's body was shaking with laughter.
"She is impressive, don't you think?" Tom asked Harry who shook his head.
"She is just as crazy as you are," Harry countered.
"Well, I'm beginning to think that crazy isn't so bad," Tom said making Harry sigh as he looked him over.
"Talking about crazy, when are you going to restore your hair to its original shape, and take off those godforsaken earrings?" Harry asked with a scowl.
"What do you mean original shape? There is nothing wrong with the way I look now. Don't you want to change your appearance too?" Tom asked with a grin, tapping Harry's shoulder playfully.
"I'm being serious here."
"And I'm being serious too. Do you know something I've come to realize in the past couple of days? I don't think I am the gentleman I thought I was all these years. I have some naughty to me," Tom said with a grin and chuckled when Harry raised both hands to cover his ears.
"Don't worry, I will be giving you lessons soon," Tom said, making Harry raise his eyes upward in disbelief.
"How far have you gone with her to make you so confident in your abilities?" Harry asked as he dropped his pad on the couch between them.
"I'm slowly making progress. I'm having a dinner date with her tomorrow. In my apartment," Tom said with a wink.
Harry snorted, "You can't even cook to save your life."
"Well, she doesn't know that. At least not yet. Besides, I didn't tell her I was going to do the cooking."
"Don't you think the lies are becoming too much and too complex? You are supposed to keep things simple. It's bad enough that you're hiding your identity already, but all these lies?" Harry asked with disapproval.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to lie about something as simple as that. I will be there with the chef when he prepares the meal, and I will let her know I was there but didn't do the cooking. Besides, I haven't told her a lie that wasn't vital to my plan. Everything will be cleared up once I reveal my identity to her," Tom said, and Harry shrugged.
"By the way, what do you intend to do about the meeting we have next week with the retained executive staff of Oceans airline? Remember the plan is for you to attend the meeting and let Mr. Wyatt officially introduce you to them as the new CEO?" Harry asked, reminding him of the initial plans they had before they found out about Anita.
"I can't reveal my identity to them now that we know Anita is there, can I?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow.
"Why not? I don't see any reason why you need to change your plans or hide your identity from her. She has lost her chance already, you don't have to hide from her," Harry said with a serious frown.
"I know all of that. But I don't think it would be a good idea to let her know who I am yet. I will rather reveal my identity to everyone at once after revealing it to Lucy. I don't want her to find out about me before I get the chance to work things out with her," Tom said thoughtfully.
"So what are you going to do? We both know you have to be at that meeting since Mr. Wyatt would be there. Unless of course, you'd rather go there in your disguise," Harry said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He groaned when Tom's eyes lit up at the idea.
"I can do that, can't I?" Tom asked, both corners of his lips curving upwards in a smile.
Harry sighed wearily, "Why do I feel like I always end up giving you bad advice without even meaning to?"
"The idea is perfect. We will attend the meeting and I will let you do all the talking as usual. I will only speak once or twice when necessary," Tom said, and Harry shrugged.
"Whatever you say, boss. Let's get back to the game.. I'm ready to kick your ass," Harry said, returning his attention to the game now that they had gotten every other subject out of the way.