Her Asian Billionaire’s Perfect Match

*****

She had every intention of leaving before he got up but she overslept because she had spent the night tossing and turning, trying to find a place on the bed that did not smell like him.

Asami was there when she came downstairs and she met her at the bottom of the stairs. She knew how she must look. No amount of make-up could disguise her puffy eyes and her drawn face and she had not even bothered to put on lip gloss because looking at her lips reminded her of how much she enjoyed him kissing her.

“John left instructions for the driver to take you to your apartment.” The woman said quietly. “He looks even worse than you do and I tried to get out of him what was wrong and he told me to mind my own business. I suppose you are going to tell me the same as well?”

To her horror she burst into tears. Asami took her by the hand and led her to one of the elegant sofas in the magnificent room. She waited while the girl cried until it seemed as if her heart was breaking and she shook her head at the folly of youth.

She handed her a number of tissues she pulled from the box on one of the side tables.

“Thank you,” Leonie said acutely embarrassed as she dabbed at her face.

“You are welcome.” Asami said smoothly. “I am going to hazard a guess as to why both of you are so unhappy and I would like you to confirm or deny.”

Leonie nodded.

“John is in love with you and he wants to get married but you don’t for some unforeseen reason.”
Leonie nodded, not looking at her. The poor girl looked so miserable it was pitiable. Her son had looked like he had lost his best friend and everything else all rolled into one.

“Care to tell me why an offer of marriage from the man you obviously love has driven a wedge into what appeared to be the greatest love affair I have ever seen?”

“My father left us when I was going to college,” Leonie forced herself to tell the story that she had not even shared with the man she loved. “I vowed that I would never get married. He left us and it tore us apart. I never want that to happen to me.”

“Why do you think it is going to happen to you?” the woman asked her gently, feeling sorry for the young woman who had had her ideals smashed by a selfish brute.

“It happens,” she shrugged her shoulders disconsolately. “I thought he would be satisfied with us just living together,” she said looking at the woman pleadingly as if begging her to understand her point of view.

“He would never accept that my dear,” Asami told her with a small smile. “Firstly, because he loves you and the natural thing for him to do is to ask you to be his wife and secondly, although we were born here, we have Japanese cultures and we believe strongly in family. He allowed it to go on this way because he was adhering to your wishes but it was killing him the whole time.”

“Oh,” Leonie looked down at her hands clasped in front of her.

“Now you have to tell me how you come to be in the line of work you are and you do not believe in marriage.”

“My mother started the company and when she met her second husband she went to Italy to be with him and left me the company. I was forced into it then I discovered I love doing what I do.” She said with a watery smile.

“I see,” she looked at the exquisitely beautiful girl for a moment. “Your mother was able to move on and find love but you are still hanging on to a man who does not deserve the time of day, let alone you ruining your life for.”

“He is still my father,” she said defensively.

“And so he will always be.” Asami agreed. “I am going to give you some unsolicited advice and it’s up to you whether you want to take it. You are in love with my son and he is so much in love with you that he cannot see straight. You are his weakness, his Achilles heel and he would do anything for you. A lot of people do not have what you have and have traveled far and wide just to find it, so think carefully about what is important to you. You need to let that man go and open yourself and let John in. Bruce is waiting to drive you my dear. I really do hope I see you again.” With that she went back upstairs leaving Leonie staring after her.

*****

John downed the fiery liquid in one gulp and felt it burning a path through his gut. He had reached the office at seven thirty and there was hardly anyone there, that had suited him fine. He had not bothered to shave and had hightailed it out of the suite before she woke up.

He had spent the night staring up at the ornately decorated ceiling the entire night. At one point, he had almost gotten up and gone back into the room with her and just taken her into his arms and made sweet mindless love to her but he had stood his ground.

He wanted marriage and there was no point changing who he was, then he would end up being unhappy and resenting her. He kept torturing himself and wondering if maybe he should have given her more time and just waited. He knew the longer he waited the worse he would become, it was marriage or nothing! Only it sounded so hollow in his ears and his gut. His heart was twisting so much that he felt like he wanted to throw up. He had not eaten breakfast and had tried to drink some strong black coffee but the liquid had not gone down too well.