Double release as my gift to you all as today is my birthday. I’m so getting younger. Not something I really want to celebrate, but oh well, not like it’s stoppable. It should still be something to be thankful to G.o.d. At the end of the day, G.o.d is so wonderful and I feel so blessed. Cheers to all.
Jennafei had seen Dex for a while already. Since he arrived at the gathering, she had been secretly following him with her gaze even while she was talking with Jude. But that was the first time she saw him looking her way.
She should look away or snub him but she did not do it. Rather, she met his eyes with a glare. She"s mad of him. Not just because of the way he played with her feelings but because of what he said to Pete. It seemed like he was planning to create a part two for his game and he was taking advantage of the interview to achieve his goal.
What kind of monster are you, Dex Peralta?
She almost believed that in spite his bad image at school, that he was hiding a good heart within. That the bad character he had wasn"t in purpose but due to the way he was raised from his parents and the overwhelming luxury he grew up with.
She had loved him truly. But for him, she was just a "flavor of the week." One thing the guy liked that he had to get just because of his ego.
She only took away her eyes when Jude called her attention.
"What happened between you and Dex when I left?" Jude asked.
She planned not to answer but instead of him drawing conclusions, she decided to speak. "Nothing. What kind of question is that? After the interview, all communication between us ended."
He can"t seem to believe that. "Really?"
"Yes."
“Did he not court you?"
"No. And in the first place, was a man like him knows how to court?" She smiled so Jude won"t notice how the topic caused her unease. "By the way, when will you go back to States?"
"I"d thought of staying here for just a week or two, until our negotiation with Linkage gets finished. But when you said that you were single, I don"t feel like going home anymore," Jude said with a smile. Jennafei almost dropped the goblet she was holding.
"Were you shocked? Am I being too fast? I"m sorry if I surprised you. The truth, Jenna, is that I liked you since long before. I just never had the strength of mind to court you." Jude glanced over the dancing pairs then held her hand.
"Jenna, shall we dance?"
Jennafei looked where someone suddenly spoke. It was Red. She wanted to thank him for saving her from that awkward moment. "Sure." She looked back at Jude who was obviously dismayed. She"s guessing that he was going to ask her to dance but Red asked first. She excused herself and Red brought her to the dance floor.
"Why is he holding your hand?" Red asked as they danced.
"Huh? Well…"
"Was he proposing already?" Red teased.
She smiles. "Not really."
"I noticed that he seeds to be attracted to you. Do you like him?"
"What is this, IWD?"
"IWD?"
"Interview while dancing. Did you invite me to dance so you can interrogate me?"
He laughed softly. "I was just curious. Now tell me, do you like him?"
"I don"t think I can like anyone right now. I am still halfway to the top of my career. That"s where I want to concentrate at the moment."
"Really…" Red nodded.
Someone suddenly coughed behind Jennafei. "Can I dance with her, bro?"
She was stunned hearing that familiar voice.
"Sure, bro."
Her brows lifted at Red when she realized that his invitation was only a scheme. His plan was to really give her to Dex. She wasn"t able to do a thing when Dex lifted her hands, placed them on his shoulders and held her hips. She will only look childish if she walked out. One more thing is that didn"t want to make a scene in front of the people. But she wasn"t able to fix her frown when their eyes met.
The heat from his palms on her waits seemed to pa.s.s through the thin material she was wearing. It seems to burn her skin. Ever his stare seemed powerful enough to melt her.
It had been four years since he held her that close, since he looked at her like that. Why did he have to dance with her like he did not offend her in the past? Or was he thinking that it was all in the past and that she had forgiven him already? Or Dex simply didn"t have a care with her feelings like he didn"t care about other people?
Dex wasn"t fazed at all from the glaring look she threw him.
"How have you been, Jenna?" he asked softly?
She did not answer immediately. She looked away. She loved the song that was being aired and it was a pity she was dancing that piece with Dex.
But why was she being this way? Why did she have to show him that she was angry? It had been four years already and she should have already long forgotten the past. So she shouldn"t show that she was still affected by their past, lest he think that she had any feelings left for him.
She looked back at him and woke a fake smile. "Fine." She glanced at Allan taking some pictures. It was unfair that she was dancing while her photographer was working. "You know what? I actually came here to work. So I think instead of dancing, I should be working my a.s.s off." She unplaced her hands from his shoulders but he did not take his hands away from her waist.
"You can work while dancing with me."
"Huh?"
"Interview me now."
"What?" She was surprised.
He lifted her hands again onto his shoulders. "Your editor in chief talked to me a while ago, asking me for an interview. I told him I will only accept an interview from you."
She threw him a fiercer stare. "What do you want this time?"
"What do you mean?" he asked as if he really was clueless.
"Why do you love manipulating things? Why do you love playing around at the expense of other people? Does it really make you happy playing with the people around you? What kind of beast are you?"
Jennafei caught a sliver of bitterness in his eyes that disappeared right away like it wasn"t even there. She thought it might just be her hallucination because he smiles right after. "Whew! You got a lot of questions. Can you ask one by one?"
He even had the guts to be sarcastic in spite of her irritation.
"To answer your question, yes, I love manipulating things so I could get what I want…" He stares down at her lips with unconcealed longing. "And you know that."
She leered at him. "Of course, "cause you"re not accustomed to the thought of not getting what you want. That"s why you will do anything just to get your desires but, once you got what you desired, you can readily dispatch them because you easily lose interest."
Dex just stared at her for few moments. "How were you and Melvin?" he eventually asked.
She was startled over his question. Did he know anything about how she and Melvin got back together after Dex started avoiding her?
Melvin courted her still even after declining to get back together with him. After two weeks of courtship, striving to get her yes, she had decided to accept him again. Jennafei convinced herself that it was Melvin who she truly loved and Dex was already erased from her heart. But after three months, she decided to break up with Melvin because she can no longer love him the same way in the past. She felt that her heart was hardened after what Dex did to her. She did not get into a relationship again.
She was about to answer when her eyes glimpsed Jude walking their way. She was slightly alarmed. She knew that Jude held a grudge toward Dex over the latter kicking Jude out of school.
"Can I have my date back?" he coldly demanded.
They glared at one another. Even Jennafei was tensed and she knew that she had to choose between the two of them. Her irritation towards Dex won and let go of him. She removed his hands from her waist.
"I"ve got to go back to my date." She went to Jude and placed her hands on his shoulders. The latter smiled and put his hands on her waist.
Shen she looked at Dex"s direction, his face was dark. She knew exactly why. His ego must be screaming murder by now. Even in this way, she can retaliate from all the heartaches he gave her before. Her mirth dived down when she witnessed a beautiful woman suddenly appeared next to Dex. She was Hazel Legazpi, the same woman Red was hiding from earlier.
"Hi, honey!" In her astonishment, Hazel kissed Dex right on the lips in front of the public. Although Dex was startled, he responded to her. She felt a sudden rush of violent anger. "Did I surprise you?"
"Yeah." Slowly, she saw him smile. He pulled the woman and danced. "Good to see you here, baby."
"Really? Oh, honey, I missed you so much!" the model exclaimed in obvious delight. She hugged him even more.
When she looked away and faced Jude, she read suspicion in his look. She fixed her expression. She did not realize she was wearing a grimace.