The Last Option
Chapter Sixty-One: Setting the trap

After buying the suit at the Armani store, Bernard went to the ice skating rink to see if Bernadette and Rebecca were there as they had said they would be. It was past noon and he was already hungry, so he thought it would be a good idea to invite them to lunch to make a good impression on them, especially Rebecca Hicks.

He did indeed replace them at the rink; Bernadette was teaching Rebecca how to skate, and more than once Rebecca had fallen down to make it regularly acceptable. Bernard thought it would be a good idea to intervene to try to ingratiate further with them, but he preferred to watch them from where he was and wait for them to finish. Bernadette had already become aware of his presence, and from time to time she would sneak glances at him, trying to flirt with him. At one point, Bernard walked up to the edge of the track and greeted them. Bernadette returned the greeting with a mischievous attitude, while Rebecca made an annoyed face when she saw him again.

"I won't give up until you like me!" Bernard said with a smile, while Bernadette pulled her to him, amused by her fear of falling. Rebecca tried to stay away, but Bernadette ended up dragging her to the edge of the track. "No matter how hard you try, I'm not going to like you," said Rebecca, panting from the effort. "I have enough friends already."

"Oh, yes, I see there are a lot of them!" Bernard said, looking around. "They're lining up to wait for you to come out."

"Stop being hateful to him, Becca!" Bernadette said, still laughing. "He just wants to be friends with us."

"That's all!" Bernard said, raising his right hand in an oath. "I just want us to be friends, okay?"

Rebecca gave a snort and rolled her eyes, grabbing the edge of the track and trying to walk away from them.

"We're going out now," Bernadette said, following her friend. "Enough practice for today."

"Good. I'd like to invite you to lunch," Bernard said, walking alongside them on the outside, "but you chose the place, since I don't know anything here. You look like you have good taste, and I'm sure you'll replace a good one." "Sure, wait for us for a moment," said Bernadette.

Half an hour later they were at Somewhere restaurant, a small but cozy place on Fashion Avenue in the Dubai Mall, which Bernard liked immediately for its inspired touch of intimacy. He had chosen the Ouzi, chicken pot pie while Barnadette chose the guacamole hummus, and Rebecca the sweet potato harra. Everything looked appetizing.

"I love Mexican food," Bernadette said, savoring the guacamole.

"I don't think this is Mexican," Bernard said, looking around.

"It's a place that combines international food," Rebecca said reluctantly. "I don't think you've noticed. For God's sake!"

"Time, please!" Bernard said, signaling "time" with his hands like a basketball coach. "Yes?"

Rebecca just rolled her eyes at him. Bernard then took one of the white towels from the restaurant and waved it above his head.

"Does your friend know what this means?" he asked Bernadette. "It's a truce sign, okay? Can we call a truce?"

Rebecca just kept eating.

"I think you have a truce," Bernadette said, amused. "I want it too. I'm getting tired of this."

"So you're in mining," Rebecca said suddenly, now assuming her attack position. "It must be very interesting work."

"Yes it is," Bernard said, taking a bite of food, and trying to sound nonchalant. He knew what her intention was, so he mentally set the trap.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," she said warily. "What are you, an heir, perhaps? Because usually millionaires aren't as young as you, unless they've inherited their parents' empire."

Bernadette kept cautiously silent, letting her friend get as much information out of him as she wanted. Deep down, she also wanted to know if Bernard was a fake or not.

"You seem to know a lot," Bernard said. "And yes, you're right: I just inherited the family business. My father passed away a few years ago, and my mother and I were left in charge of everything, until she died last year as well. Now I'm the owner of everything, and I must continue to run the family business."

"I'm sorry about your mother," Bernadette said, placing a hand on his.

"Thank you. It's hard to be left alone at the head of such a large company, but what can you do?" Bernard thought it would be a good idea to bring up her family as a reference, to gain a little more trust. "I was on the verge of closing a major partnership with a large, well-known New York corporation, but unfortunately it didn't work out. The man who was to be my new business partner was killed in a kidnapping attempt two years ago." Bernadette and Rebecca exchanged quick glances, while Bernard continued to pretend to take care of his food with indifference.

"Really?" Rebecca asked, pretending not to know the story. "How unfortunate."

"Yes, very unfortunate," Bernard said. "Nathan Hicks was an excellent person, and I was sure he was going to be an excellent business partner, but fate saw to it that he wasn't."

Rebecca swallowed a little saliva and immediately turned her attention to her plate of food, eating again. She seemed a little affected by the comment to Bernard, but he pretended not to notice.

Rebecca thought the world couldn't really be that small. A millionaire who knew her brother, and was now sitting with her right there in that restaurant? Dedicated to the same thing as her family? No way!

"And that's why I'm here now," Bernard continued. "Looking for new business partners."

"And why didn't you continue with the company you were trying to partner with?" Bernadette asked. "Surely someone in that family took over the company. Just because the owner is dead doesn't mean the company is dead."

"Did I say he was the owner?" Bernard asked, also feigning a bit of suspicion. "Anyway, a relative took over, but after watching him and dealing with him for a while, the guy didn't seem to know what he was doing, and I didn't trust him enough. to risk my money with him. A few months later, I rescinded the cooperation agreement and we didn't sign the partnership contract."

Rebecca clenched her fork tightly, thinking the idiot Louis had ruined a very profitable potential business deal. She would have time to call him and claim his idiocy.

"You haven't told us what is your last name, Bernard," Bernadette said, supporting her friend in getting the information she needed, "and neither the name of your company."

"Sullivan," Bernard didn't have time to think of a new last name, so he gave his own, trusting that Rebecca might not remember it from the time he made the request for filiation. "But let's not talk about those things here, okay? I'd like to take my mind off all that work, so I won't ask you guys what you do for a while, so tell me later. Tell me later, okay?"

"Okay," Bernadette agreed.

"Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Bernard asked Rebecca.

"It's nothing," Rebecca said. "It's just that I thought I knew that name you mentioned. That's all."

"Really? I've already told you mine, and you haven't told me yours."

"I'm Bernadette Talbott."

"And yours, Becca? What's your last name?"

"Sanders," Rebecca used her mother's maiden name, giving Bernadette a "don't tell on me" look. "I'm Rebecca Sanders."

Bernard assumed she was wary of telling her real last name to avoid the same thing happening to her as her brother, that they would try to kidnap her, but it had been a little over two years since that, and she shouldn't be so paranoid yet. Besides, traveling as much as she did, it would be hard for them to try to do that, unless they were serious about it.

"Excuse me for a moment," Rebecca said, getting up and heading for the restaurant's restrooms. Once there, she pulled out her cell phone and entered the video calling app, dialing a number. Phil Wilcox's image appeared on the phone. "Rebecca, what a surprise! Phil said, who was walking down a New York street with his wife. It was nine o'clock at night there, and they had just come from dinner. "Is something wrong? What can I do for you?"

"Don't pretend you're glad to see me, Phil, we both know we don't like each other. When I let you know where I am, it's only for business purposes, and that's precisely why I'm calling you, to get a reference for someone, since you handle the contracts and all the legal paperwork for Southern Hilltop Gold."

"I'm not pretending, Rebecca, I'm really glad to see you and know that you are well. Anyway, who do you want a reference from?"

"A certain Bernard Sullivan. Do you know him? Did he ever do business with my brother?"

"I know the name, but not the person. I heard him once in a negotiation your brother was conducting, but he never introduced me to him, and that negotiation never took place. All the relationships and deals were handled by him personally, and I came into the picture when there was legal advice to be given and contracts to be drawn up. I think it was before the unfortunate incident."

"Okay, Phil. Thank you."

"Why are you asking me about this person? Do you know him? Does he want to do business with Southern Hilltop Gold again?"

"I'll explain to you later. I have to go now."

Rebecca closed the connection and then left the restroom.