Chapter 103. A lunch
Lilly Bradley
I was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the dress hanging high on the door. I bit my lower lip, thinking it was one of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen. It was an electric blue, one-shoulder dress that fell to the floor. I thought about wearing my hair up and keeping the makeup simple.
"Lilly?" I heard Leah's voice from the other side of the door.
"Come in," I said without taking my eyes off the dress in front of me. The door opened, and Leah appeared. I turned my head and looked at her carefully. "Is something wrong?"
"When I arrived, our father was talking to Oliver." I let out a long sigh, then looked back at the dress. "I have a bad feeling about it. I asked Dad what he said, but he insists it was nothing and that I should stop worrying..."
"But now you're more worried..."
"Exactly..." She came closer and sat beside me. "And that dress? Did you rent it?" I pressed my lips together. "Wow, Jackson is good at being thoughtful."
"It's the dress for Saturday," I informed her.
"It's beautiful. Jacob invited me, but I'm not going." I frowned and looked in her direction.
"Why not?" I sounded quite surprised.
"Because I'm not sure about going out with him again." That I didn't see coming.
"What? I thought things were going well, that you were excited."
"I know, that's the problem." I was puzzled.
"What is the problem?"
She pressed her lips together and then let out a long sigh as she looked intently at the dress in front of us.
"I like him. Too much."
"That's good!"
"No." She said sharply as she turned her face toward me. "I've seen how people around us look at him. They must be wondering, 'How is he with a woman like her?'"
"Wait, wait, what? Are you kidding me? Since when do you have low self-esteem?"
"He's too nice, polite, intelligent, with romantic touches I've never seen in a man before."
"That's what every woman likes, Leah."
"But it's scary, you know? How he puts his absolute attention on me, wanting to make me feel calm, comfortable, and..."
"And?"
"Loved?"
"I'm going to kill you, Leah."
"Do it, it feels weird to feel this way." I put my arm around her and hugged her. She rested her head against mine.
"Just enjoy it, Leah."
"I want to... but I'm scared of losing myself."
"What scares us the most..."
"...is what is most worth it," she finished the sentence for me.
"So, just enjoy it," I whispered. We stayed like that for a few more minutes, in total silence, looking at the evening dress in front of us. "Jackson gave me an apartment." She pulled away and looked at me in astonishment.
"What?" I nodded as I turned my gaze to her.
"That dress. A luxury apartment, and to top off the night, a brand-new Bentley." She covered her mouth in surprise.
"Wow!" she exclaimed into her hands that were covering her mouth. "He's a sweetheart!"
"I know, just for being his girlfriend," I frowned. "Like you, I'm scared, but I also want to enjoy it. We had a brief argument about the gifts, but his words blackmailed me: 'You're my girlfriend, just let me spoil you, I won't take no for an answer.'" I let out a little laugh.
"And how are things with him? How have you been feeling?"
"Good, he's a man..." I took a breath and held it for a few moments before releasing it through my teeth. "...who makes me feel protected." Another brief pause. "Loved, desired, and..." I didn't finish the sentence.
"And?" Leah asked anxiously.
"Like you, I'm scared of losing myself in him." She ran her hand over my arm and leaned against me.
"We're both scared of falling head over heels in love."
The days had passed, and today was Friday. Tomorrow, Saturday, was the big event. I hadn't spent much time with Jackson lately due to the increase in work. Besides, his mother was coming at lunchtime to go over the details of the event with him.
"Have you seen the new Johnson real estate acquisition?" asked one of my colleagues. His name was Noah Stan, and he was Mr. Paige's new right-hand man. He was leaning against the doorframe. I looked at him intrigued.
"What acquisition? I don't have any reports yet," I asked, puzzled.
"It's the new Tower Chippifierld building." I tensed. "He acquired it a few days ago. Mr. Paige has the new list of apartments that will be sold."
"What? Tower Chippifierld?"
"Yes, do you know the building?"
"No, no." I averted my gaze, trying not to show my nervousness and reveal that I owned one of the apartments in that building, one that had been gifted to me by the owner of this company. Do you think it won't fuel rumors? Then, thinking it over carefully, I felt uneasy.
"From the photos, it looks beautiful. Luxurious and extremely expensive." I glanced at him, still standing in the doorway of my office.
"Expensive? How expensive?" He thought for a moment.
"From what I know, the lowest price is a million dollars, but depending on the view... the price goes up." I raised my eyebrows; my apartment was on the top floors of the building.
"Impressive." I was genuinely surprised.
"Yes, some apartments are already occupied, but the available ones... they won't take long to be bought, especially knowing Johnson Real Estate acquired it. Well, I'll be going now. Are you going out for lunch?"
"No, I'll eat at the company cafeteria this time."
"Don't you want to join us? Mr. Paige has invited everyone to have ramen with the usual lady."
"Enjoy, thank you." He smiled and left. My heart raced upon hearing about the acquisition of that building. I was now worried. Did he spend that much for a gift? And the car? I didn't want to imagine how much it had cost. The question that came to me was: Isn't it too much to spend on me in a single day?
I went down to the cafeteria. The eyes of a table where a group of female agents were sitting turned in my direction. One raised an eyebrow as I passed by their table. No one spoke to me, so I kept my distance from the others. I bought my food and looked for the table furthest from everyone to have my space and privacy. I gazed out the window while I ate, lost in my own thoughts. I heard gasps in the distance but paid no attention. All I wanted was to finish my lunch and return to the office. When I looked back at my plate, I couldn't help but look up again. It was Jackson, taking a tray and serving himself something to eat at the bar in the center of the cafeteria. My heart sped up when I saw him standing there. I noticed one of the women encouraging another to approach him. It was a scene that made me quite upset, but I controlled my jealousy.
"Mr. Johnson," I heard a woman say next to him. "It's rare to see you come down to the cafeteria. Would you do us the honor of sitting at our table?" The women at the table smiled seductively, while he still held his tray of food.
"I already have a table, thank you, Miss Grindle." She looked disappointed, but when Jackson looked in my direction, she followed his gaze. I waved my hand in greeting. The woman raised an eyebrow challengingly. When she tried to touch him, he moved away to walk toward me, smiling, and it was just for me.
"Hello, little one." His words sent shivers down my spine.
"Hello, darling," I whispered softly so no one would hear us, but it was impossible not to be the center of attention when the company owner sat with me.
"Ignore the looks," he ordered. I glanced at him as he stirred his salad with a fork. "They're looking at me."
"I think you're wrong, but I'll ignore them for both of us." He looked at me and softened his expression.
"Little one, whether you do things or not, people will always have something to talk about."
"The woman who approached you at the bar seemed interested in having you eat with her and the others."
"Miss Grindle?" He scoffed. "She and the others are among the top agents. All they care about is competing with anyone who comes along." As he said those words, I glanced over at them and saw that they were whispering among themselves, not taking their eyes off us. Jackson had his back to the rest of the cafeteria. We finished eating, and before we got up to leave, one of the women who had been staring at us approached.
"Mr. Johnson, tomorrow is our night," Jackson looked at her. "Could I ask for the first dance?" He didn't seem surprised by her question.
"I don't know, but I'll ask my girlfriend if she's okay with me dancing one piece with you." She looked quite surprised to hear the word "girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Yes." He stood up, answering politely and clearly, then looked at me. "Shall we go? I have a meeting in ten minutes."
"Yes, sir." I stood up and took both of our trays to place them on the cart where the rest go. Jackson waited for me to catch up with him. I glanced at the table of women who listened attentively to their colleague. They all gasped, undoubtedly realizing that Jackson Johnson... was no longer available.