CHAPTER 93: UNWANTED ASSISTANCE

His question suddenly caught my attention when I realized that he was referring to the meeting that I happened to witness between Raphael and his friend.

"Yes, I did. I’ll update you later," Raphael replied.

"Good. Sorry that you had to work a little even though you were supposed to be on holiday," Bennett said before letting out a low laugh.

"You sent Raphael on a business meeting even during the cruise? You men are really into business," my mother commented playfully. Bennett laughed at my mother’s comment, but it seemed that he was quite pleased.

"I’m sure that it was a very short and friendly meeting," Bennett replied.

"Well, shouldn’t we tell Abby a little about what we’ve discussed?" my mother reminded Bennett.

"What were you two discussing?" I asked as I started to feel uneasy inside. The way that my mother couldn’t seem to stop smiling made me feel even more uncomfortable. Lately, I had developed a feeling that I wouldn’t necessarily like everything that my mother was looking forward to.

"Well, your mother was telling me about how you recently broke up with your boyfriend, and she was quite worried about you," Bennett said before coming to a pause as if he was considering his words carefully. I narrowed my eyes slightly when I realized what exactly these two had been discussing about me behind my back. At that moment, I felt like I had so many things on my plate already, and rather than finding a boyfriend, the thing that I needed the most at that time was a job.

"Listen, it’s not a big deal and it’s in the past," I quickly tried to reassure them and dismiss their worries regarding this matter.

"Please just listen to what Bennett has to say first," my mother quickly jumped in, and she still sounded just as excited as before. I could already tell where this was headed, and it felt like I was sitting in a car with a malfunctioning brake when I didn’t have my seatbelt on.

"I don’t want to boast, but I’ve got a lot of connections with many eligible bachelors," Bennett said proudly as if he was advertising a hot-selling commodity on the market. I didn’t doubt that his words were true, but that didn’t mean that I was at all interested.

"I appreciate it, but I’m a little busy with job hunting and everything," I said before trailing off.

Basically, I wanted them to get the message that the last thing on my mind was getting myself a boyfriend. After my relationship with Sam ended disastrously, I knew that I had to think more than twice about getting myself into a relationship again. The notion of love and romance had surely lost its pink-tinted allure in my mind, and I was certain that I wasn’t ready for another serious relationship.

I glanced over at Raphael as if I could finally beg him with my eyes to step in and help me out with this issue. Instead of saying anything, Raphael only stared at his father silently.

"I know that things are very busy for you, but I would feel more reassured if there was someone who is there for you to support you, and Bennett seems to know the perfect guy," my mother jumped in to continue with the pitch.

"Mom," I said while trying not to show my irritation.

"Oh, please just hear Bennett out for a moment. It can’t hurt to keep your options open," my mother said with an encouraging nod of her head. Once again, I knew that she was doing what she thought was best for me, but all the complicated secrets that I kept from her surely made it difficult for me to deal with any additional burdens.

"The youngest son of a friend of mine is still single. His family is in the energy business, and he is a promising businessman in his own right. He’s also well-known for his philanthropic efforts and his kindness. I’m sure that you two will get along very well," Bennett quickly described the bachelor that they had in mind for me.

"I’m sure that he is a great person," I began trying to turn down Bennett’s offer.

"Which is exactly why you should meet him," my mother finished my sentence for me in the exact opposite way of how I had intended to end it.

"My thoughts exactly. There is no harm in meeting him. If it works out, then great. If you don’t like him, you two can just be friends. It doesn’t hurt to get to know more people and it doesn’t hurt to build connections," Bennett began lecturing me casually. The worst part about it all was that I knew that he wasn’t logically wrong. It wasn’t like meeting the guy once would mean that we would be getting married.

"I just think that it might be a good idea and that it might help you to move on. I also don’t want you to stress out so much about job hunting," my mother said with a hint of pleading in her tone.

"I’m not sure if this is the right move for me right now," I told them honestly.

"Well, if that’s what you insist. I guess I have to understand where you’re coming from, but I just want you to know that we mean well," my mother said with a clear look of regret on her face.

...

**Around a week later**

"Are you Miss Abigail?" a young man dressed in a black suit with a red bow tie asked me the moment that I entered the hotel lobby. I was a little stunned to find that there was someone waiting for me.

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"Good evening to you. Please follow me this way," the man said. The hotel was truly luxurious and as expected of one of the newest luxury hotels that had been built in the core city center. I followed the man without much enthusiasm as he led me to where I was supposed to meet my date for the night.

–To be continued...