He got out one of his midi-sized suitcases and set it on the bed to start packing clothes into it.

He put as much as he thought he would need, ensuring to leave space for the suits when they arrived.

After he was done, he called Viktor to inquire about their travel logistics.

”I’ve informed the pilot sir, the jet would be ready for the trip tomorrow,” the security guard assured him.

While Edward was still on the phone with him, there was a small knock on the door and Greta’s voice announcing the arrival of his suits.

With the phone still placed against his ear, Edward moved to the door to retrieve the package from her hand.

He nodded his thanks and without first assessing the package, dropped it into the box along with the rest of his apparel.

”…need to pick up my secretary first before coming here,” Edward informed Viktor so the driver was told.

”Yes, sir.”

”Please do not be late.”

”We won’t.”

Edward dropped the phone immediately the call was cut and zipped the bag closed. He moved the bag to his door so that his bed was free for him to sleep. That night, Edward dreamed of Amy.

**********

The next morning, Edward was up before sunrise and set to leave. He called one of the doormen to have his suitcase taken downstairs while he went down to the dining to have breakfast.

It was while he was eating that Viktor arrived with Holly in tow.

”Good morning sir,” the burly guard greeted with his signatory nod.

”Good morning, sir,” Holly’s contralto came afterward as she waltzed into the kitchen dressed no differently than when she was going to work.

Edward eyed her pencil mouth stilettos as he took a sip of his tea, wondering if that was the best choice of footwear for a flight. He responded to her greeting then offered her a seat at his table.

”Would you like anything to eat?”

Holly shook her head, no, at the offer. “I’m good, thanks.”

Edward nodded, pleased because he was already done and didn’t think he could waste another minute waiting for her to finish eating. He wiped off his mouth with the napkin then stood up to leave.

”Viktor!” He called out to the guard who had slinked into the kitchen at some point.

”Sir!”

”We are leaving.”

The trio, with Holly leading in her slow stylized walk, moved to the car against which the driver leaned on.

Immediately he saw them, the man who’d been driving Edward for nothing more than a year moved to help his boss’s guard with the bag he was carrying.

He nodded his greeting to Edward, the only person amongst the group he hadn’t yet seen.

”How do you do today Stan?”

”Very well, sir,” the young driver answered as he shut the boot then ran around to open the car door.

As soon as the door closed behind the last person, Stan got in and started the engine.

”To the airport now?”

He was inquiring if they had another stop and Viktor shook his head.

The drive to the Beijing National Airport was short and free of road traffic. One minute they were driving out of Edward’s compound and the next, Stan was offloading their trunks from the boot of the black SUV.

One of the airport workers met them at the entrance to the terminal to lead them to the hangar where Viktor had arranged for it to be stationed for their arrival.

Their bags were taken from them while a caddy cane around to drive them to the take off point.

Edward pulled out his phone from his pocket to check messages from his friends. He had informed them before going to bed last night that he would be travelling for the Pins party.

They were all surprised about the invitation, but none of them were interested in tagging along even though he had offered.

Now, each and everyone of them were wishing him a safe trip. Gu Zhou had sent a message through Chynna for Edward to bring him back something special and he made a mental note to ask one of the Pin girls to take him to a gift shop in Shanghai.

”Have you ever been to Shanghai before?” Edward asked his secretary.

Because his face was still buried in his phone and the car had been silent up until that point, Holly didn’t realised the question was being addressed to her until she felt her boss’s gaze on her.

”Oh! Me?…err…no, I haven’t been to Shanghai before,” she answered shyly.

”Well you’re going to love it, it’s a beautiful city.”

The major comfort the private jet provided was privacy and as the caddy came to a stop in front of the Gulfstream purchased with company money, Edward looked forward to embracing it.

They boarded the aircraft and after the normal preliminaries were take care of and everything was set in motion, the jet took off for Shanghai.

While Viktor sat in the cockpit with the pilot who was really just an undercover mafia agent, Edward enjoyed the privacy of his room by catching up on some sleep.

He’d been on so many plane rides before it was beginning to feel like second nature to him. There was nothing new to learn or see especially on a trip as short as this. The only thing he felt he could do was sleep.

***

The next time Edward opened his eyes to sound of the knock on his door, they were in Shanghai. After letting out a big yawn, he moved to answer the knock obviously expecting the person behind the door.

”We are offloading the luggage for checkout sir,” Viktor informed Edward, basically telling him in more respectful words to get his ass off the jet so they could get going.

”Okay Viktor, I’ll meet you outside.”

After the door closed behind Edward, he moved into the bathroom to brush his teeth and his hair that had become ruffled from sleep.

When he was done, he picked all the personal items with him and left the jet. As he descended the steps, he saw the pilot standing aside in a friendly conversation with Viktor while Holly stood by their bags.

Edward noticed she had ditched her heels for more comfortable shoes. He smiled to himself and called out to her as he reached the last step.