Morning sickness for Adaline worsened day by day. Every time she finished eating, all the food would come back up. And it happened every time she was at the office. As a result, she always looked weary and lacked enthusiasm.
Joanna contacted her again, this time inviting her for lunch at a five-star hotel restaurant. Joanna also invited Tessa to join them, stating briefly that she wanted to tease Tessa as usual.
True to form, when the beautiful model waited for their arrival in the lobby, her first words to Tessa were teasing remarks.
"Hey, aspiring model of limited height, long time no see," she greeted with an exaggeratedly friendly face. Tessa squinted at her, but shortly after, they hugged each other.
"Long time no see, skinny girl. Been modeling for so long, you seem to be getting thinner," Tessa retorted with mockery.
"I'm skinny, but not just any skinny. Skinny from modeling brings in money. Are you skinny from worrying?" Joanna replied.
"Enough already, you two look like Siamese twins when you meet," Adaline responded, earning a disgusted grin from Joanna. Tessa even pretended as if she was about to vomit. "Come on, let's hurry up and eat! You promised to treat us to delicious food, didn't you?" Adaline looked at Joanna hopefully, which her friend answered with an enthusiastic nod.
Joanna led them to the hotel dining area. Some of her fellow models waved friendly greetings.
"There happens to be a photo shoot for a product here," Joanna explained their presence and her fellow models.
Joanna, Tessa, and Adaline chose to sit in a shadier area. When the waiter handed them the food menu, Tessa glanced towards the entrance.
"Isn't that Jovanka Lawrence?" Adaline and Joanna looked in the same direction, and indeed Jovanka Lawrence and her assistant had just entered the restaurant area. They even seemed to be arguing, albeit in hushed tones.
"I don't care, but today I have to meet with her. You have to make sure where she is and I will come to her. Otherwise, I won't attend the upcoming shoot. I don't care about her tantrums," Jovanka's voice faintly reached the three of them. As the renowned model approached their table, she paused momentarily and greeted, "Hi, Joan. Your besties?" Her eyes shifted between Adaline and Joanna.
"Yep. This is Adaline," Joanna pointed at Adaline. Adaline reached out her hand.
"Hi, Jovanka, just call me Joe." She returned the handshake warmly.
"Adaline," Adaline replied, feeling a bit nervous.
"This is Tessa."
"Joe," she greeted with the same friendly tone. "If I join, is it okay?" she asked again after a few seconds of consideration.
Tessa, Adaline, and Joanna looked at each other until they nodded simultaneously. The table was still empty, and they had no reason to refuse. As a result, the four of them sat together.
"It feels good to have good friends. After a long journey, it feels like having a home to return to.
"And meeting good friends is like curing tiredness," Jovanka commented after observing their interaction.
"Yes, you're right. Absolutely." Joanna agreed. "No matter how mischievous your friend is, often that's what we miss." Joanna glanced at Tessa.
"You're being cheesy. I'm sure, your intention is an insult, not a compliment." Tessa joked, and the other three burst into laughter.
"You look young," Jovanka glanced at Adaline.
"Meaning, me and Tessa look old, right?" Joanna squinted at Jovanka, and she nodded. Adaline and Tessa just responded with smiles.
"But from what I see, it looks like you're married. Or am I wrong?" she asked again, which was answered by Adaline shaking her head.
"Little ones turned bride." Tessa answered her colleague's question. "She's still a newlywed."
Jovanka's eyes widened, genuine happiness sparkled there. "Wow, congrats then. How long has it been?"
"Entering the fourth month," she replied, unconsciously stroking her belly.
"Wow, just entering the fourth month and it seems you're already pregnant?" Once again, Jovanka appeared impressed.
Adaline nodded with a blush on her face. After getting to know her, Adaline could conclude that Jovanka was an observant person. In a short time, she could discern various things about others.
"Congratulations to you and your husband, may the baby remain healthy until the day of birth," she said sincerely.
"What about yourself, do you have any prospects for the future?" Adaline dared to ask. At least for a woman like Jovanka, there must be countless men trying to pursue her.
"Yeah, if I may ask for your prayers, I ask that you pray for my success in matters of romance too." Her answer with a saddened expression. All three of them echoed "Amen". "Actually, not long ago I made a mistake," she began her story.
"Can I trust you?" The three heads in front of Jovanka nodded simultaneously. "Actually, a few months ago I made a mistake. The man I loved asked me to reject a collaboration contract. But because this collaboration has been my dream for a long time, I disregarded his warning.
"I chose to continue signing the contract for my future. And he didn't accept it, so in the end, he decided to part ways."
"If he truly loved you, he should have supported whatever decision you made. Not forbid it," Tessa commented passionately.
"From the beginning, that man always supported me. He never objected to anything. All my desires, all the contracts I signed behind his back, he never raised an issue about them.
"This is the second time he's asked me to stop. Not in the sense of quitting as a model. But to stop doing anything without his permission."
"Does that mean he's an overly protective man or perhaps he's a possessive one?" Joanna spoke up this time.
"Yes, he possesses both of those traits. Do you think I'm wrong? If I want to pursue the dream I've always had?"
"Everyone has dreams and everyone has the right to pursue them," Tessa answered, nodded in agreement by Joanna.
"So what do you think about him asking us to part ways? What should I do? He's a stubborn man, it'll be very difficult to persuade him," Jovanka sounded unsure.
"Just try to persuade him again. Woo him. It won't be hard to woo a man who still loves us," Joanna replied, echoed by Tessa's nod.
"But I heard he's already engaged."
"So soon?" Tessa and Joanna asked simultaneously. Jovanka nodded.
"That engagement could just be a lie. The engagement is a camouflage to test whether you'll come back to him or not. To test the seriousness of your love.
"Or maybe it's his way of testing whether you're jealous of him or not," Tessa's answer this time was met with a sharp look from Joanna.
"You watch too many soap operas and Korean dramas," she commented sharply.
"Yeay, that's Adaline's hobby, not mine," Tessa countered.
Realizing that their petite friend had been silent all this while, Tessa, Joanna, and Jovanka all turned to look at her.
"Ada, don't you have any comments?" Tessa inquired.
Adaline smiled upon hearing her friend's question. "You act like Adaline doesn't know anything," Joanna interjected.
Joanna turned to her fellow model. "Adaline takes her time to draw conclusions. Among us three, she's the one who finds it hardest to give comments. Especially if it involves very personal matters."
"Like being wise, right?" Jovanka asked, met with nods from Tessa and Joanna.
"Not wise," Adaline spoke up this time. "It's just that when it comes to commenting on personal matters, I'm afraid of being wrong."
"Sorry, it's not like I'm trying to act smart or anything, but sometimes as women, or generally as humans, we tend to seek justification for every problem that occurs. We always assume that we are right in every problem that arises. We often blame others for being wrong. But that's not necessarily true. Being a third party who passes judgment on an event from one perspective is not good in my opinion. Because sometimes we're also driven by emotions and always feel that we are the ones being harmed. I'm afraid that my comments might even worsen the situation. So I prefer to choose silence," Adaline responded with her logical reasoning.
"So, what do you think I should do?" Jovanka asked, unable to hide her curiosity. Because this was the first time she had received a different listener from what she had been accustomed to. Jovanka was the type of person who didn't like to be opposed.
"Everything can be discussed in a civilized manner. Maybe now your emotions have both subsided, so it would be best for you to meet the man. You can discuss it with a cool head. Or maybe if needed, you can seek someone who can act as a mediator. Someone who knows well about the issues in your relationship," Adaline suggested. Tessa, Joanna, and Jovanka nodded in agreement.
"But earlier you said he's already engaged?" Tessa frowned. Jovanka nodded.
"That's the latest news I've heard."
"If indeed he's engaged, it wouldn't be right for you to ruin their relationship. Unless there's consent from both of them," Adaline advised again.
"But I love that guy, and I know he loves me too," Jovanka replied confidently.
"Even if that's the case, everything can still be resolved amicably. Maybe you can explain things to his partner. But if the woman refuses, it's her right. Don't take impulsive actions that will only harm yourself. Always believe that fate has already been written before we were born into this world. No matter how far you go, if that man is meant for you, he will come back to you. But no matter how close you are, no matter how long you wait, if he's not meant for you, then you won't be together," Adaline's response this time seemed not to be well-received by Jovanka, evident from the cynical smile on her face.
"I feel unsure about that. Actually, I'm not one to like losing. If calming the storm requires going through a competition, then I'll make sure I come out as the winner," the woman replied confidently. Tessa and Joanna looked at her with bewildered expressions. However, Adaline stared at the woman with a look of pity in her eyes. It was clear to her that the woman was starting to lose her mind. According to Adaline, it wasn't love anymore but obsession.
On the other side,
Delila Quirino gazed at her husband who was engrossed in reading on his tablet. The man she had been married to for forty years had a furrowed brow. His eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth creased. Delila realized that her husband was likely holding back his emotions at that moment.
"Darling?" she asked softly.
Sir Benjamin lifted his head and looked directly into his wife's eyes. "That woman is back," he said, causing his wife to widen her eyes in shock.