Chapter 5

Nova drove slow from the law firm back to their house. She did that hoping it would somehow help cleared her mind along the way, but it did not. When she got home, she did not get off her car yet. She stayed there and hit her head on the wheel as she prayed to God to give her the wisdom to make the right decision. Her mind was still filled with thoughts; some are useful, most were just random. She somehow regretted that it took her three years before she finally decided to claim the inheritance her beloved Auntie Marilyn had left her. She raised her head when she heard a knock on the windshield.

Nova faked a smile upon seeing her mom, for she did not want her to worry about her. Another knock, and she unlocked the doors and let her mother get inside her car.

“What happened?” There was this anxious look in her mom’s face that she managed to hide in her voice.

“I don’t know if I should tell you or not.” She heaved a sigh.

“Of course, you should.” Nova felt a light tap on her back. “I’m your mom, and I’m willing to listen to you anytime, dear.”

With teary eyes, she turned to her mother.

“Auntie Marilyn wrote in her will that I must be married first before I could claim the inheritance that she left me! I despise her idea, but I just can’t hate her, and I’m desperate for that money, Mom!” She said it fast without even breathing in between words. “Did she even think about how I would feel about this? I thought she loved me that much.”

Her mom gently caressed her back. Somehow it helped her calm down. That was why she always loved being caressed by her mother whenever she was not feeling okay. It does magic.

“Yes, Nova, she loves you so much. That’s why she did this.”

“I don’t think so, Mom.” She shook her head.

Mommy Esther let out a deep sigh and looked at her intently. “So, what’s your plan now?”

She gritted her teeth. Of course, she will do everything to get the money. Nova was even willing to buy a husband. Yes, buy. She will pay someone to marry her and pose as her husband for months, or a year maybe. She could not let her babies down. Not now. Never.

Nova’s hands clenched against the steering wheel.

“What’s my plan? Hmm…” She leaned against her seat. “Of course, I should get married.”

“To whom?” She turned to her mom. “You don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“Maybe God will pity me and send me one of his angels to marry me. Or should I buy a husband?”

Mommy Esther could only gape at her.

Nova grabbed her hair and groaned out of frustration. She used to turn tough situations into positive ones, but she just could not do that this time. No matter which ends she looked at, she found herself in trouble.

“Nova…” her mother muttered afterward. “What if you try to reconcile with Jayden?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What? No way! Do you expect me to reconcile with him after what he did to me and then marry him?”

“Well…you badly needed a man to marry, and he is the closest candidate. He’s your aunt’s scholar, and you knew each other—”

“Mom, stop!” she cut her mother off. “I hate him to the bones. You know that just hearing his name makes my blood boil.”

“You know what they say…the more you hate, the more you love—”

“And that doesn’t apply to Jayden and me, okay?” She opened the door to her side and got off.

Mommy Esther followed.

“I don’t think you hate Jayden.”

Nova stopped at the staircase landing when she heard what her mom just said. She turned to face her mother with her lips pressed together.

“How could you say that, Mom?” She breathed exasperatedly and ran her fingers through her hair.

“From what I see, you don’t really hate Jayden. You still like him. It’s just that you are disappointed in him because he’s not someone who you expected him to be.”

“And you know your daughter well, right? You know that once I’m disappointed with something or someone, I won’t give it a second chance,” she said sternly.

“Dear…” Mommy Esther’s shoulders dropped. “When will you realize that there is no such thing as Mr. Perfect—”

“So, you mean to say what he did to me is fine?” She folded her arms and arched one brow. “I’m not looking for Mr. Perfect, Mom. I’m just looking for a guy who’s decent enough. Jayden showed me his real color when I declined to have sex with him.”

“Until now, you keep me wondering how come you became an erotic romance author when you have an old-fashioned-views about love and sex.”

“You know that thing called alter ego?”

“I’ll just make myself believe that you are being possessed by a virgin ghost with a grudge,” Mommy Esther retorted and headed to the kitchen afterward.

Nova just scoffed and went up to her room.

She lay flat on her stomach and buried her face on a pillow. Maybe her mother was right about her feelings for Jayden, but there was no way she would go to him to ask him a favor.

“Over my dead sexy body!” she muttered as she rolled to the other side of the bed.

If only Jayden did not do that thing to her, maybe she could reconsider. But nah, he was such a jerk for treating her like she was one of his girls that he like to play with.

***

THREE YEARS AGO…

Auntie Marilyn called his scholars and rented the entire resort for a night so they could meet and have fun. And those boys were of all ages. Scholars that she also considered her children. Some of them still have a family, but their parents have no means to support their studies, so out of kindness, her aunt sponsored them. And some were orphans since they were kids. They grew up in an orphanage that her aunt had been supporting since she started working abroad. One of the scholars was Jayden. Among them, he seemed to be Auntie Marilyn’s favorite, and she even shipped them two.

Back when Nova’s aunt was still in Italy, Jayden was always the one to deliver her aunt’s presents on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, and graduations. He was charming, and most of the time, her single friends were always jealous of her whenever Jayden would show up. But little did Nova’s friends know, there was nothing romantic going on between them. Though, there was this undeniable chemistry between them as what her aunt said. And it did not take long; she started to like Jayden. She saw him in a different light after years.

“You burned the meat, lady,” Jayden muttered when he went to her side.

Nova was the one in charge of the food to that pool party her aunt organized for the scholars. She decided to volunteer because she was not that fond of mingling with people she barely knew.

“O-oh!” She dipped her hand on the basin of water and sprinkled it to the fire on the griller. He snatched the fan from her hand and gently pushed her to the side. Jayden did the grilling. “I can manage—”

“Really?” He tilted his head to the side and smirked.

If it was not for Jayden, she would lose her cool. She hissed and sat on a chair.

“Why are you looking like that?” he asked after a few minutes of silence between them.

“Look like what?” She raised her head and looked at him.

He gave her a side-way glance. “Where’s the life in you, Nova?”

“Do I look like a corpse to you?” she retorted as she folded her arms.

“You know it’s not what I mean,” Jayden said with an arched brow.

“So, Auntie Marilyn hasn’t told you yet?”

“Told me what?” His brows furrowed.

“I don’t want it to come from me.”

“You shouldn’t have mentioned it then.”

She wagged it off. “Never mind. Just grill the remaining meat and feed them.”

“Where are you going?”

Nova left without answering his question and headed inside the guesthouse. She suddenly thought of an idea that she must jot down or else it would pop like a bubble any minute now. If not for her aunt, she was at home at that moment, doing her craft.

She immediately brought out her notebook and pen from her bag when she got inside the room. No matter where Nova goes, she always brought them with her. It was more reliable than her phone or any other gadgets, at least for her.

She sat on the accent chair with her legs crossed and the notebook on her lap. Her hand tried to catch up with the flow of ideas on her mind. Soon, she was enthralled by what she was doing and forgot about the time. Nova did not know how long she had been inside the room. If Jayden did not come in with a tray of food in his hands, she would not realize that she skipped dinner.

“What are you doing here that you forgot to join us for dinner?” He put the tray down on the bedside table.

Nova closed her notebook and strode towards the bedside table. He brought her a decent rib-eye steak and mashed potatoes with a bottle of wine.

“Where did the burnt one go to?” she jested as she picked the bottle of wine.

“Had to eat them all just for you to have the better one.”

She laughed, a little exaggerated, and Jayden seemed to notice that. To cover that up, she filled her glass with wine and took a gulp. Then, noticed his close presence behind her, and to her astonishment, he suddenly hugged her from behind.

“J-Jayden…” She put the glass down when she felt her hand shake. Her heart started beating erratically, and there was this little volt of electricity that seemed to run up and down her spine. Nova closed her eyes and counted to ten to calm herself, but it failed. The warmth his body was radiating was starting to consume the sanity left in her. “W-what are you doing?”

But instead of answering her, he pulled her to the bed. His body pinned hers and held her hands captive above her head. Jayden lowered his head, leaving a thread-like distance between their lips. Nova bravely met his gaze.

“I know you like me, Nova…” he drawled.

“And what if I like you?” Her chest went up and down. She was almost out of breath, and she knew very well why.

“Come on, lady…” The back of his hand caressed her cheek and traced her jawline. “If you like me, then there’s only one thing to—”

“No,” Nova said firmly. No matter how much she likes him, she would not engage in pre-marital sex with him. “Get off me now, Jayden.” There was a warning in her voice.

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Nova. We’re both old enough.”

“I don’t want it.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m sticking with my principles. No sex until I’m married—”

“No one has to know what’s about to happen between us. We’ll keep it low-key and private—” She kicked his balls. “Sonofabitch!”

Jayden fell beside her in a fetal position, cupping his now aching balls.

“You should have stopped when I said no.”

Just when she was about to offer him a hand, Jayden glared at her. That moment, Nova knew what it meant. There was no need to ask. She felt all her blood raised to her head.

“Who do you think you are?” Jayden snapped and rose from the bed. Frustration, irritation, and pain mixed up altogether, making his eyes dark as he looked at her. “Don’t think so high of yourself. Not all man will—”

“Yeah, right. You and your testicles,” she said dryly.

“What did you say?!” It was obvious that he was at his boiling point. “Huh! Do you really think—”

“You don’t have to say anything. I know what you’re after.” She rose and held her head up high as she looked at him. “Let me tell you something. Put this on your little coconut shell, Jayden. I’m not one of your brunettes. And if you think that I’ll regret saying no to you, you got it wrong, honey. Now, if you don’t want another kick down there, you better leave this room.” Her hand gestured to the door. “And don’t you ever show your face on me ever again!”

Jayden glared at her once again before storming out of the room.

Nova sat on the edge of the bed and cried. It was not regret she was feeling at that moment; she was so disappointed that Jayden was not the man she imagined he would be. He was almost perfect until he decided to show his real face behind the mask.