"Five years ago, I was so sorry that I didn't even know that you were in the room. Frankly, I didn't even remember how I got to your room. I left right after I woke up," replied Nelissa, pretending to be collected.
"In hindsight, it was naive and stupid of me to have slept with you. I hope both of us would class it as a mistake. I do not want to revisit this past of mine. Hence, I will not be in touch with the Hales Group."
Nelissa watched herself in the mirror while clasping the phone in her hand. Her eyes began to sparkle with tears as memories seeped from her vein. She could still remember vividly his muscular chest and how he groped her with a leopard-like grace.
Edward hissed coldly, "So is that why you gave my contact number to your colleague? Mind you that I've never been treated so disrespectfully before. I do not wish to hear from your company again!"
Nelissa exhaled deeply. "Then what about our collab-"
Right then, Edward hung up the phone.
Nelissa realized that besides Zayden Lowe, she had to add another name onto her list of enemies-Edward Hales.
In Edward's room, he chucked his phone away forcefully before it broke into two pieces, his face remained expressionless.
"Umm, let me guess, another manager who gets under your skin?" Sophie sashayed into the room as she picked up one of the broken pieces of the phone.
"Why do you come?" Edward darted her a glance before he took his coat and put on it.
Sophie went to his closet and picked a black tie. "We are going to meet Penelope in a while. You remember it, don't you?" Her voice was as delicate as silver bells.
Without answering her, Edward left the room instantly. He did not put on the tie Sophie picked for him.
"Where are you going? It's almost time." Sophie's voice was left hanging in the air. He was not obliged to report to her his schedule.
He went to the bar to meet Joshua. He must admit that the bar was splendid, with all the gorgeous girls swaying their voluptuous bodies in front of him.
But none of them looked like Nelissa.
He lit up a cigarette as rings of smoke vaporized into the air. He saw Nelissa's face in front of him. He reached out his hand yet it vanished instantly upon his touch. Turned out he was imagining her.
He missed her glossy skin, her shapely figure, and of course, her syrup-sweet lips. That very night, she told him that she was broken, for that she didn't have a place to call home. Her tears rolled down her cheeks and fell on his palms, scorching his heart.
That evening, he treated her with much gentleness; yet, she considered him a mistake, a passer-by!
Edward lost all the interest in the women in front of him and just sat at the bar to kill time.
The next day during lunch break, Nelissa went to a bakery store to buy a cake for the twins. She was looking through the fridge before she felt a tap on her shoulder.
To her surprise, she saw one of her highschool mates, Penelope Hales.
"Nelly? Is that you? Dear me, I didn't expect to see you here!" squealed Penelope, her complexion had an impeccable, ochreous hue, as stunning as before.
"P-P-Penelope…" stammered Nelissa. She had been trying to bid goodbye to all her past. Meeting a highschool mate was definitely the bottom of her to-do list at this moment.
Penelope was Nelissa's best friend while they were in school. In Penelope's memories, Nelissa was a shy girl, whose face would blush from a conversation with a boy. Her beauty was but a curse, owing to the fact that it drew countless unnecessary attention from many boys. Yet, Penelope would always come to her rescue and rid her of those bairns.
"What happened to you back then? Why did you quit school? I couldn't even get a hold of you!" Penelope asked a series of questions.
They left the bakery empty-handed. On the way, Nelissa answered, "Something's happened. My family."
Penelope nodded, knowing that she should not pry further into someone else's affair. They were no longer the guileless teenage girls who shared secrets with each other. After all, they were now 23 years old.
She brought Nelissa to her BMW before she invited, "Hop on, Nelly."
"What for?" Nelissa stared at Penelope.
"For a meal, of course, Nelly. It's been eons since I last met you! I'm meeting my uncle and his girlfriend. That said, you're coming with me." Penelope opened the car door.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Nelissa wasn't sure if she should've any interactions whatsoever with a friend whom she hadn't been in contact for five years.
"Why so? You know who my uncle is!" Penelope dragged Nelissa into the car.
As a matter of fact, Nelissa couldn't even put a name to Penelope's uncle.
At the restaurant, Nelissa was stunned at the elegant aura of the man in front of her. She seemed to have been paralyzed at this moment.
She only came to her senses when Penelope prodded her. All she did was a curt nod as a form of greeting.