25

Chapter 25 part 1 Back "Monette," I said. I turned on my phone loudspeaker and set it down on the table. I continued typing on my laptop. "Where are you?" She asked. "Coffee shop." "Where's the coffee shop?" "Next to our building," I heard her sigh. "You know, it's only a matter of time, I'll move your belongings there. You always stay there, Thalia. Your office isn't there!" I chuckled. "You know my reasons … and you also know that my reasons were good," I defended. She sighed again. I could almost see her rolling her eyes. "Well … whatever. All right. I just called to check on you. I passed by your office and you're not there anymore. All the best, Ms. Villegas!" "Tss. Bye!" I heard my phone beep. He had already turned off the call. I refocused my full attention on what I was doing. Paperworks. Reports. Damn. I love my job but with things like this, it seems like I just want to hang out. I'm currently doing my monthly report of the stock levels of all of our products. Others your quarterly and annually report about them. The rest of the paperworks, Monette does because she has been in this job for a long time so she knows them better. I feel guilty but I can't do anything. I can't help him. Maybe soon. On regular days, our routine as inventory managers is to record daily deliveries, create schedules and monitor stock levels. For me, my task during the end of the month, quarter, and year is the hardest part of being an employee. Let's just say I do very little compared to Monette. I've been really weak in paperworks since then. Yet, I don't have the right to complain because in the first place, I chose this track. I drank a lot of coffee just to get a diploma and get into this job. I'm just thinking, I work on our own business. If I cheat and affect our business, my family and I will be the main victims. One more thing, I don't want to disappoint my parents. They have given me so much trust that they appointed me to this position. So no matter how hard it is for me, I will try to cope. That's why at times like this, you will rarely see me in my office. I'm always here at the coffee shop. I started loving the ambiance of coffee shops during my fourth year in college, the most pressuring year level of all time. During those times, you will really need to study hard to pass and graduate. But I was just an average student. I didn't easily understand the lessons so I didn't just depend on the lectures of my professors. Back then, I self study, too. But even though I was in a quiet place then, I couldn't focus. Then, Aldrin suggested that I stay in a coffee shop when reviewing. That was his technique then. I listened to him and it was effective. My brain works well when I am in such places. I am more productive when I do my tasks here. The aroma of coffee does something to my system that I can't explain. So, this coffee shop thing became my biggest weapon in college up until now that I'm already working. Chapter 25 part 2 "Would you mind if I sit here?" A man asked me while I'm typing on my laptop. Without looking at him, I nodded. "Thanks," He said and sat on the seat adjacent to mine. I'm not in the right mood right now to think about whether it's okay with me to share the table. I can't even look up at whoever will share my table. I'll just let other things happen at this moment. I don't care. I am really a busy bee right now. I don't have to waste time now. I really need to finish this whole thing as soon as possible so that I can already rest and prepare for the day after the next day's event. It's hard to attend a grand occasion when stressed. Plus, the deadline of this is tomorrow so … I kept typing. I think my fingers were already near to getting numb. "Are you really that busy, Ms. Villegas? You can't even recognize me now," I was startled to hear the voice of the man in front of me. I lifted my head only to see Aldrin in front of me. My lips protruded. What the hell. He placed his hands on top of the table then intertwined it. "Hi," I didn't respond. My lips remained pitying. He chuckled at my reaction. He stood up. I followed him with my gaze. He is wearing a blue longsleeves folded 'til his elbows and a black slacks. How mature he was in my eyes in college, even more so now because of his corporate world forms. He extended his arms and raised his brow at me. I got what he wanted to happen. Still startled, I stood up and went to him. He pulled me closer and enveloped my thin waist with his arms. I also hugged him tightly to recover. I want tears. I think I'm really stressed that I won't get to know people anymore. He laughed and ruffled my hair while we were still in that position. "Miss me?" "Sobra!" I exclaimed. Aldrin was out of the country for two months for a project in Spain. My favorite engineer, now well-known around the world! He's the most requested engineer of all time. I salute him. He is also the President of PAV Philippines now. What a busy man. He said in our video call last night that he would be home next week so I was shocked when he suddenly appeared in front of me earlier. "Really? I don't think so. You didn't even know me before, eh." He mocked. I bit my lower lip. "I'm sorry! I'm just really busy!" Chapter 25 part 3 "Hmm. Poor, Thalia. Need help? "He wiggled his brows. I laughed hard. "Don't! It's embarrassing to ask an engineer like you to help." I teased. He didn't want to be praised as much. His face contorted and I laughed harder. I lashed his arm when I remembered something. "I thought you were coming home next week?" He frowned. "Can't you see the logic there? For surprise," I made a face and buried my face on his chest again. "I don't know about you, engineer." He chuckled and caressed the strands of my hair. He hugged me tighter, too. We're this intimate now. Because there people think we're not very close and see us as we are. But for us, all of these were just sibling-like gestures. I feel like he's my older brother especially since Brent and Daphne aren't in the Philippines. I faced him again but our position remained. "When did you arrive?" "Hmm. 1 hour ago? I'll go straight to you, eh …" He winked. My eyes widened. "So, you haven't come home yet ?!" He pouted and shook his head. I arched my brow. "Looks like someone's really eager to see me," I teased instead of pitying him. He chuckled and tousled my hair. "Leather," "Where's my pasalubong pala?" His brows shot up. "In my car." I feasted like a kid. He wrinkled his nose. "Seriously? You're really just going to meet me? Won't you even greet me?" I laughed. "No." I let out a bark of laughter again. His face sagged. I cleared my throat when I recovered from my laughter. "Fine. How's your business trip?" I said in a voice laced with teasing. He started telling me his experiences. I realized that we were still standing, unable to sit down to talk. We were still so close to each other and I don't mind. Like what I've said, there's no malice in all of this. Fortunately, other people in the coffee shop don't seem to care. In the middle of his story, my eyes drifted to the entrance just behind him because someone pulled it from the outside. The glass door opened a bit noisy so it grabbed my attention. When the customer finally got inside, my whole world seemed to shake. My eyes widened. Holy shit. Our eyes immediately met and my heart beat in a familiar rhythm. The kind of rhythm that I never had for a long time. Fuck. Jared Alexandro Arevalo is right in front of me! Chapter 25 part 4 "Hey, what happened to you? Are you still listening? "Aldrin asked which I ignored because it was with someone I never thought I would ever see my attention. Aldrin's forehead creased. He let go of our embrace and followed the line of my gaze. "Holy shit," Aldrin murmurred when he saw Jared. It was as if my eyes were glued to Jared's. I couldn't get it out of his dark -faced expression. Is this really happening ?! Tell me I'm just dreaming! His eyes went to Aldrin then to me again. His jaw tightened. I was swallowed. Aldrin snaked his arm around my waist and I couldn't care about it. I'm so shocked! Jared looked at Aldrin's hand on my waist and then looked up at me. If he used to look at me in the dark, he looks even worse now. His dark, brooding eyes produces lethal stares. He looks at us with indignation. His lips were in a thin grim line. His overall facial expression is in grimace and it's fucking disarming! Alright, I'm not used to this Jared in front of me right now. Jared has usually a very light facial expression, except when he's pissed. But the look on his face is too much right now and I don't know why. Or maybe I have an idea but I am not sure of it. Or maybe it's the new Jared now. I don't know. I wasn't with him for a long time. As I stare at him with my heart pounding violently, I noticed the major changes on his totality. From here, I can notice the thin, black growing facial hair from his jaw to his chin that's obviously being regularly shaved. He is wearing a black coat and tie and a black slacks, the type of clothes that I never imagined he will wear. I was used to seeing him wear his casual clothes. Those jeans pants and sweatshirts that perfectly molds his body. But now that he's in a corporate attire, all I can say is damn, he looked hotter than ever. I never thought he'd look more masculine in that suit. I also noticed the maturation of her body. Even though he is wrapped up now his body shape is still noticeable. Her body was beautiful then but I didn't think anything would make it better. The litany of my thoughts and the long stare of the three of us were broken when the door opened again. A girl in a high ponytail, wearing a white spaghetti-strap midi dress came in. She is a head-turner. We all turned our attention to him. My breathing halted when Jared turned his back at us and walked towards the girl. My insides contracted when he snaked his arm around her waist, crouched down and kissed her cheek. Damn. Who is she? His friend? Girlfriend? Fiancée? Or … wife? The way he looked at her is very different from the way he looked at me a while ago. While he looked at me ruthlessly way back, his eyes even sparks while he's looking at the girl, like she is the only person that he can see right now. Why do I feel like crying? "Am I already late?" The girl asked. The sweetness of his voice! Jared's brow shot up and a smirk appeared on his face. "No. I just got here, too." He replied. Damn his voice. I missed it, too! A waitress approached them and guided them to the VIP room. They followed the waitress without looking at us again. We were left there stupid. It was a while before Aldrin recovered. He guided me to sit down. I didn't myself follow what he wanted to happen. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked, his voice laced with concern. I looked up at him. "Yes please." I said, weakly. Chapter 25 part 5 He nodded and called a waiter for my bill. It happened fast. After he paid my order the two of us got up and then left. I don't care if Jared notices that I'm still affected. The important thing is that I get out of there. I let out a deep breath as I got inside Aldrin's car. I am aware that Aldrin's silently watching my every move. I also knew he didn't want to talk and he just wanted to weigh the situation. "Aldrin," I called. "Hmm?" "Who is he?" I turned to him. He seems to be startled with my question. It's like I'm going crazy. I want to know who she is so anyone can ask me! "I-I've seen her in some gatherings in US before but I'm not really sure of her identity," Oh. So he is also from the US. Probably, they met there? "If I'm not mistaken, he's your son the second with the largest share in La Sirene." He added. My forehead creased. "Mr. Torres?" He nodded. "But, I'm not sure. I'm not really familiar with the family members of the stockholders of La Sirene." I weakly nodded. The image of the girl flashed on my mind. Compared to Jared's women before, she's different. Those flings back then with Jared had a similar nature. Stable in appearance and obviously adept at such a setup. The girl a while ago has a very light facial expression. His innocent look. Your type when you stare at him, you will be relieved immediately. Those were the types of women Jared didn't want to hit back then because he didn't want to hurt feelings. My chest tightened. If Jared's dating a soft-hearted girl like her now, he might be really serious. Chapter 25 part 6 "How did you feel about it?" Aldrin asked after a long silence. I frowned at him. I sighed when I saw his facial expression. Seems like a pity to me. "Thinking that the girl is his girl, I'll be honest with you, the pain," He remained silent. "But you know that? If they are, I have no right to be hurt because I also did why that woman is there now, eh." I smiled bitterly. His jaw clenched. "Don't blame yourself, please." "I should. Because it's all my fault." We got silent for a minute. I was trying to stop my tears from flowing because no amount of tears can bring him back to me. Even if I cried all night, he would never come back to me. I know I wished that he'd find someone who truly deserves him but I didn't expect it will be this painful. I didn't expect to witness that again. Just really stupid. Why didn't I think Jared would go home to the Philippines? I wish I had prepared for what happened earlier. I wouldn't be hurt like this today. I thought I won't see him happy with someone else. I thought he'd stay in US for good. It's only now that I realize it's not possible. He's a heir. "So … do you still … love him?" Aldrin asked. I looked at him again. He averted his gaze. "Nevermind." Aniya. I bit my lower lip. It's better that I don't answer that. But to answer that question to myself, yes. I used to live for the past years without feeling anything about Jared. But after seeing him, I realized that I still love him. Because I wouldn't be hurt like this if I didn't love him anymore and damn, this is wrong. Very wrong I delivered home. I felt apologetic of Aldrin who went straight to me after his long trip. It's just that I lost my mood. My day got ruined. I can't get along with people. I'll just make sure I will make it up to him when I'm already feeling better. And I hope thay day would come sooner. I want to stay in my room and find comfort. Just this time, I will need to use my privilege as the owner's daughter to my job. Just now, I apologize. "Oh. Why are you so early today?" Mommy greeted me when I entered the house. "I'm not feeling well, 'my." I lied. Her forehead creased. He went down the stairs and approached me. She placed her palm on my forehead. "You're not hot but well, go to your room and rest. I will ask Gina to give you meds," I suddenly felt guilty but whatever. "I will also excuse you to your dad. What time is it, e. Maybe some of our employees will complain," I smiled weakly. "Thank you," She nodded. "Where's your car, by the way? I didn't notice you coming." "Aldrin brought me here. I left my car in the office. I'll pick it up tomorrow," "Oh. When did Aldrin arrive?" "Just now." She nodded again. "Okay. Go to your room now. I'm leaving too," My forehead furrowed. "Are you going to the store?" "Later. I'll go first to my friend's boutique to get my gown. By the way, how about yours?" My lips protruded. Of course. "I'll get it tomorrow. Brent has already sent it." Three days from now is the annual Metro Manila businessmen's gala night. It may sound like a grand event. It is, but not actually. Businessmen like my dad does not go there to enjoy. They attend it to get deals from their co-businessmen. It's like the gala night is just a cover up to be social for others to hear. The truth is, it's like you went to the market. During the times I was studying, I didn't attend those. I view it as a waste of time. That all I could hear there was daddy closing a deal with someone else. But now that I'm already in the business world, too, I realized that attending to events like this is a must. I will attend with the same purpose as all of them. To meet new people who can help our firm and not to actually enjoy. Though for businessmen's wives, they are anticipating too much for it. There is the gown display, embellishment of accessories and more. Of course everyone wants to show off. That they were all elite members of the society. That's why my mom really prepares for it. This year, she sewed a gown on a famous designer friend of hers. I would have been there in case I remembered, I also have a designer friend. Two months ago, I called Brent and asked him to design my gown for this. He was overjoyed and unhesitatingly agreed. He just sent me his designs and I just sent him my body measures. I locked myself in my room all afternoon. I just want to isolate myself for a while. I want to feel your pain, hoping when I do that, there will be no future. It was as if everything had just registered in my memory. He's back. He's finally back … with his girl.