Chapter 19 A False rm


    "Mr. and Mrs. Lan, we''ve arrived at the airport," announced Kevin, as the car came to a stop


    alongside the entrance.


    "Okay," said William, who was focused on his phone. He put the phone away and opened the door,


    ignoring Mary.


    A valet came towards them, ready to take the keys and drive the car to a parking spot.


    Meanwhile, William, Mary, and Kevin got off and walked into the airport. They headed towards the


    VIP waiting room. They entered the room and found that it was already full of people.


    As soon as they saw William, everyone stood up respectfully, and came to greet the boss.


    Victor was there. He went up to William and Mary to greet them.


    It was reasonable for Victor, as one of the main characters of the "Past of Republic of China", to be


    here.


    Mary and Victor nced briefly at each other, exchanging small nods. Neither of them said


    anything.


    They stayed in the VIP waiting room until it was time to board the ne. William and Mary were the


    first to get on board. Their seats were in front and next to each other.


    Mary approached her seat, carrying her handbag. As soon as she put it down, however, William


    shook his head at her. "Trade seats with Kevin. I need to talk to him."


    "All right," said Mary slowly. She picked up her bag again and walked towards Kevin''s seat. She


    wasn''t too upset about the new arrangement. After all, she wasn''t one of those people who were


    picky about ne seats, and anyway she was more than happy not to have to sit with William for


    the entire flight. But to her surprise, as soon as she sat down in Kevin''s spot, Victor arrived and took


    the seat next to her.


    "What a coincidence!" She tried to sound normal, but she couldn''t hide the trace of awkwardness in


    her greeting. He sat down without smiling.


    "I didn''t expect that you would be traveling with us," said Victor coolly.


    "It''s just a temporary arrangement," Mary said.


    He didn''t respond. The two of them seemed to have nothing more to say to each other, and a


    silence fell between them.


    After the ne took off, Mary closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Meanwhile, Victor pored


    over a copy of the script, reciting his lines under his breath.


    From his position in the front row, William nced back, looking towards Mary''s seat. His eyes


    narrowed when he saw Victor staring back at him.


    Although they had very different jobs, both men were cut from the same cloth: tall, handsome, and


    confident. When their eyes met, neither one flinched or looked away. Instead, they red at each


    other, assessing one another as though they were rivals.


    "By the way, Mr. Lan, the ce we''re going to...


    Kevin''s voice caught William''s attention, and he turned away from Victor without saying anything.


    He resolved to not look back at Mary for the rest of the ne ride.


    Meanwhile, Mary had actually fallen asleep while pretending to sleep.


    It wasn''t long, however, before her slumber was disturbed by a strange dream. She felt everything


    shaking violently around her. She frowned with her eyes closed, shifting in her seat. She dreamed


    she was experiencing an earthquake, and as she stood with the ground shaking beneath her feet,


    she screamed for help. But no one answered. With a jolt, her eyes flew open, and she realized that


    she had not imagined the sensation of trembling. The ne was shaking.


    She turned to look at Victor, whose face was pale and tense. The calm voice of the pilot issued from


    the speakers above them. "Dear passengers, please stay in your seats and fasten your seatbelts.


    We have hit a rough patch and it has caused some turbulence. Please don''t panic. We have


    everything under control."


    Although the pilot''s voice was firm andforting, Mary felt terror squeezing her chest as the


    turbulence persisted. She couldn''t help fearing that the ne was about to crash. Mary could count


    on one hand the number of times she had been on an airne. And this was the very first time that


    she had ever encountered any possibility of danger while inside a ne.


    Everyone on board was silent and anxious. They held their breaths, waiting for the turbulence to


    pass. Some people prayed without sound, their heads bowed and their hands sped together.


    Mary gripped her armrests tightly, her eyes wide and frightened.


    The ne dipped and shook before nosing back up.


    Mary was unable to hold back a soft, frightened gasp. William heard and turned to look at her.


    There was a rare nervousness in his expression. As soon as he looked at Mary, he said sharply,


    "Damn it! Put on your seat belt!" Mary realized she had neglected to fasten her seat belt.


    Panicked, she began groping around for the buckle.


    However, in her flustered state, she could only feel the tangle of her bag and shawl. "I can''t find it!"


    she said. Just then, her hands finally closed around the buckles. But her fingers were cold and


    numb with fright, and she couldn''t seem to fasten her seat belt. She was breathing hard, feeling like


    she was on the verge of copse.


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    Seeing her frantic movements, William inwardly shook his head at the silliness of his wife, wishing


    he could go over there and help her.


    Suddenly, Mary felt movement beside her. Victor was leaning over. "Don''t move. I''ll fasten your seat


    belt for you."


    Victor sped the buckle and tightened it with deft moves, then pulled away.


    William watched with a slight frown, but he was relieved that Mary was finally buckled in securely.


    The turbulence worsened, and the ne began shaking more violently. Mary had never been so


    terrified in her life. To her shock, a warm hand settled over her own, and Victor leaned closer,


    speaking soothingly into her ear. "Don''t be afraid. Everything will be fine."


    Victor''s words had an immediate effect on Mary. Suddenly, she felt as though she was facing this


    disaster with someone, instead of having to deal with it alone. It helped her to feel calmer.


    She gripped Victor''s hand tightly, trying to give him a smile.


    When the ne took a sharp nosedive before leveling off again, William was thrown forward then


    back into his seat, held only in ce by his seat belt. He quickly turned to look at his panicked wife,


    wondering if Mary was all right.


    He wished he had considered the possibility of turbulence—then he wouldn''t have made Mary


    switch seats. While he himself was feeling afraid, he realized that her terror must be ten times


    worse.


    He looked at Mary''s drawn face, and saw that she was tightly holding Victor''s hand.


    The two of them seemed to be relying on each other for strength. Mary was leaning against Victor,


    while he pressed closer to her and covered her hand with his. While the ne shook, and Mary


    trembled, Victor murmured something to her, and she nodded, a bit of color returning to her pale


    cheeks.


    William watched them, feeling ufortable, almost ridiculous.


    He scowled and turned to face the front again. It must be the turbulence that was causing this


    unusual sensation in his chest.


    When the shaking finally stopped, Mary froze, wondering if it was truly over. The turbulence had


    lasted for only five minutes, but to her, it felt like five hours.


    The pilot''s voice sounded again, assuring them that they hade safely through the rough patch,


    and everyone burst into relieved chatter and cheering.


    Mary slumped, teary-eyed with relief. "Oh, thank god. It''s so good to be alive," she said.


    "Yeah, that''s true," said Victor mildly, releasing her hand. He leaned back into his own seat, closing


    his eyes.


    With a gasp, Mary unbuckled her seat belt and jumped up, looking towards the front of the ne.


    "William!" she called. "William, are you okay?"


    He did not answer. Mary left her seat and hurried down the aisle to her husband. "William, is


    everything all right? Do you feel nauseous or dizzy?"


    "Rx, at least I''m not dead," William said sourly.


    He seemed to be annoyed at her. She felt embarrassed. Maybe she was nagging him.


    "That''s good," she said, backing away a little.


    "Okay then."


    "Okay," Mary repeated. She decided to ignore his surliness. After all, though she had been in no


    position to respond, she had seen him ncing back to check on her, so she knew he had been at


    least slightly concerned. "I''ll go back to my seat now. You get some rest."


    "Wait," he said sharply, and she stopped. William red at her. "Will you stop walking back and


    forth? You didn''t even fasten your seat belt! Is this all a joke to you? I thought you were scared, but


    here you are, running up and down the aisle like you own the ne."


    The attack was so unexpected that Mary blinked, unsure how to respond. She wasn''t even sure


    what point he was trying to make.


    Kevin had been trying to act like he wasn''t listening, but he couldn''t take it anymore. He suddenly


    piped up from beside William. "Mrs. Lan, here, take your seat. This is yours, remember? Mr. Lan


    and I are done talking anyway. I''ll just go to—um, to the washroom. I had a scare just now and I


    need to go to the washroom," he stammered.


    Before either Mary or William could stop him, Kevin stood and walked away quickly.


    Mary nced down at William, but his face was expressionless. Sighing, she took the seat beside


    him.


    For a moment he was quiet, then he burst out, "If there had been paparazzi on the ne just now,


    you would be in the headlines." Mary''s brows drew together.


    "What are you talking about?" she said, feeling exasperated. She wished he would just say what he


    meant instead of always being so confusing and evasive.


    He shot her a sharp, sarcastic look. "You and Victor were getting quite cozy back there."


    Mary realized she had been holding hands with Victor when William turned to look at them.


    "I... It was a kind gesture because I was out of my mind with fear. It was nothing more than that."


    "That''s not what someone watching the two of you would think," William snapped.


    Was he talking about himself? Mary''s frown had vanished, and she studied William spectively,


    wondering what he was so angry about.


    After all, who else had been watching her except for William? She was tempted to tell him that if he


    hadn''t made her switch seats, she would have clung to him for support instead of Victor.


    But before she could say anything, the pilot announced that the ne was about to arrive at


    Shanghai.


    The two of them sat without talking or looking at each other. As soon as the nended, Mary


    went back to get her bag from the seat beside Victor''s, then she returned to William''s side. The two


    of them disembarked silently, avoiding any further conversation.