Jennifer didn’t reply immediately – it’s not what she expected to hear, and she was a bit upset. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue the conversation and discover Bruce’s true motivations. Yet, she said almost automatically - “Anyway, I think you’re making a mistake. I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“Based on what? Your feminine intuition?”

“Very funny...” Jennifer felt more and more frustrated by Bruce’s attitude, but didn’t bother fighting.

Bruce sighed. “Jen, listen - I appreciate your concern, but I didn’t ask you to come here to give me business advice. I really don’t need you for that. You’re very sweet and all, but you’re just a secreta...” Bruce didn’t finish his sentence, probably realizing how rude he was being.

Jennifer’s face turned red immediately. His words felt like a razor blade cutting through her ego and her pride. “A secretary. Yes say it, Bruce. So what should I understand? That my opinion is worthless?”

“It’s not what I meant...”

Jennifer put her hands on her hips and faced him. “Tell me what it means then. I’m dying to know.”

Bruce took a towel and got out of the shower to take Jennifer in his arms. “Jen, I’m sorry. It was mean, I know. Listen, why are we fighting? Can’t we just enjoy being here? It’s our first night in Bangkok. Don’t you think we have better things to do?”

Jennifer felt the urge to keep fighting – knowing Bruce was trying to avoid the conversation – but at the same time, she also knew he was right; it was useless to have an argument. Instead, she tried to calm down.

He’s not going to change his mind that easily anyway, no matter what I say. I’d better just go to bed and try to talk again tomorrow morning, when we’re both rested.

Jennifer pulled away from Bruce’s arms without looking at him and got in the shower. “I’m not going to bother you with my questions anymore for tonight Bruce, but don’t do that again. Don’t disrespect me, especially because of my job position. I’ll probably never be as successful as you are, I’m sure you’re aware of that – but it’s not a reason to talk to me like that.”

Bruce looked embarrassed and shrugged. “I don’t know why I said that, Jen. I’m really sorry. Maybe I should have taken a nap this afternoon, just like you did. Maybe I’m just tired. We should go to bed and forget about all this, okay?”

Jennifer couldn’t help but think the situation was a waste of time and energy. The very first night she was in an exotic place with Bruce, they were fighting. Great! Jennifer couldn’t sleep because of the nap she’d taken earlier and probably the jetlag. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, the same question kept coming back to her mind: why does Bruce want to get involved in this kind of risky and illegal business?

It didn’t make sense. Another question directly related to the first one was starting to take form in Jennifer’s mind – however, she didn’t want to admit it at first. The more she thought about this whole venture, the more she had to ask herself: Can I really trust Bruce for business advice?

It seemed so wrong to Jennifer to even doubt Bruce’s ability to show her how to live a more successful life that she felt guilty.

Come on Jen, be patient. Bruce knows what he’s doing. He’s a smart guy. Maybe I should stop second guessing everything he does and start listening. I’m the one without a job at the moment after all... so I’d better pay attention to what he says instead of trying to be right.

Jennifer finally fell asleep at 6:30 AM. Two hours later, Bruce’s alarm was ringing.

Oh no... why so early? I feel like crap, I have this fog in my head, Jesus...

Bruce came close to her and kissed her. “Good morning. Time to wake up, princess! We have a long list of potential business partners and key contacts to visit today.”

“What?” Jennifer thought she was in the middle of a bad dream. “Baby, what did you say?”

“I said we have a lot of important people to meet. We need to do our due diligence, understand the local mindset, become friends with the right people. Policemen and politicians mostly.”

Jennifer was incredibly disappointed. It wasn’t what she had expected at all. Plus, the lack of sleep wasn’t helping – she was in a terrible mood. “Baby, you said we’d be here for about a month. There’s plenty of time to do all this boring stuff...”

“Boring? This is the fun part! This is when you actually assess the situation and build your strategy.”

Jennifer wasn’t convinced. “Don’t you want to visit the city? There are so many places to discover, so many restaurants to try!”

Bruce chuckled. “That’s a waste of time. We’re not here to act like tourists. We have more important things to do.”

“Are we going to spend the whole month doing that? I mean, shaking hands, going to meetings, and listening to power point presentations? I could have stayed at the office in that case.”

“Should I remind you that you resigned? There’s no more of this waiting for you in New York.”

Jennifer felt uncomfortable. Her fears and concerns about her future and the choice she’d made to quit her job suddenly triggered a defense mechanism. “I resigned because I have ambition and bigger dreams than to be an assistant all my life. I’ve worked hard for many years and I deserve to enjoy a nice trip once in a while.”

Bruce stood up and went to the bathroom. “If you think you’ve been working hard, I’d invite you to reconsider your business projects. If you really want to be your own boss, anything you’ve done so far is nothing in terms of efforts and sacrifices. Trust me - time is money. If you want to go out and enjoy yourself, be my guest. But don’t complain that you didn’t learn anything when we go back to New York.”

“What am I supposed to learn exactly? How to build an illegal business and scam people?”

“Don’t start again with that. I told you - it’s personal.”

“Well, you know what? I don’t think I’m interested, thank you. I’d probably do better all by myself. I don’t need you to be successful in life.”

Bruce came back to the bed, an angry look on his face. “You’re very confident and cocky for someone who’s a total beginner in the business world. With an attitude like that, don’t expect to go very far, Jen. You don’t have the right mindset. When I hear you talking like that, I don’t even know if I would hire you back as my assistant!”

Jennifer didn’t control it; it was automatic. Without thinking, she slapped Bruce in the face. “I don’t allow you to talk to me like that. I didn’t ask you for anything, okay? I won’t beg you to take me back as your secretary – don’t worry! I told you last night; don’t disrespect me like that. I don’t know about your previous relationships but I’m not the kind of woman you can look down on easily.”

Jennifer was now out of bed, gathering her accessories in the bathroom and packing. She was furious. “I didn’t come here to be treated like this. If you don’t want to spend time with me, fine. I’m used to it. You’re always too busy for me anyway.”

Bruce was looking at her, shaking his head. “I never said it was a vacation trip – it was clear that I was here for business. Jen, are you listening to me? Where are you going?”

Jennifer was at the door, ready to leave. “I don’t know but I’ll find my way.”

She paused and looked at him. “I’m not like you, Bruce. But you know what? I’d rather be average and happy instead of having all that money and hiding behind a wall of personal issues and secrets. Good bye.”

Chapter Five

The clerk at the reception of the luxurious Kempinski hotel seemed embarrassed and hesitant when Jennifer asked her where she could find affordable hotel rooms in a lively area. All she could recommend was other fancy hotels in other areas of the city.