Ryn woke up quite late but it did not stop her from rus.h.i.+ng downstairs to get her breakfast. She only managed to brush her teeth and washed her hands. She was too hungry to even care about her outfit. She was in the clothes she wore for sleeping, red tracksuit and black s.h.i.+rt. She wrapped herself in a sweater and tied her hair into a messy bun. But despite how messy she made herself looked when in public, she still looked like a model without she even tried.She reached for a cup of coffee first. Her eyes were still heavy from sleep and she needed caffeine to open her eyes. Then, she started to look at the variety of food provided in the restaurant and smiled. At least this restaurant provided something that matched her taste.
Pretty soon the small table she chose for her breakfast was full of food. She chose orange juice and milk for her drink. She sat on the chair and started eating, not even looking left and right. She was too hungry to care how people looking at her. But then again, when people were watching her, they only saw a young woman eating her food deliciously and it even made them who were actually planning to leave to their room returned back to get the same food she ate and ate it.
A family of six entered the area. Irene"s eyes immediately landed on a loner who was enjoying her food and her eyes narrowed. That… Wasn"t that Ryn? What was she doing there? How could she…
"Baby, are you alright?" her mother asked full of concern when she saw her youngest emotion change. She turned her head to look at where her daughter was looking and frowned seeing a person who looked like coming from their country sitting alone. "Do you know her, dear?"
"No," Irene replied. With a flick of her hair, she stormed toward the pastry section and took a small plate to put a croissant on it. Then, she took a small piece of unsalted b.u.t.ter.
The mother looked at the other two daughters but the daughters could only shrug. They were confused too with their little sister"s weird att.i.tude. It seemed like she had something in her mind but refused to share it with any of them. And they could not force her to tell them, right?
Ryn, unaware of Irene, was focussing on finis.h.i.+ng her food. She had a rehearsal to attend today before the show. She planned to walk there to digest all the food, thinking it was not that far for her to waste money for a Grab or a taxi. She glanced at her phone when it made a sound, only to smile seeing a message from Mei Li. Her worried manager was asking her about yesterday"s photoshoot and whether she needed backup to help her.
Ryn rubbed her hands with the napkin and replied to the message. Then, she checked the time differences between France and China before made a decision not to call her best friend. They would meet in a few days so she was not that worried about Mika"s feeling. Besides, Mika knew she was busy with her work.
Ryn checked her other messages and even e-mails. Nothing too urgent to reply immediately except for a few coming from the companies she used to work with. They wanted to hire her again and she told them to discuss it with Mei Li as her manager. Then, her eyes narrowed at one particular message.
I miss you.
I love you.
Her shaking fingers touched the words as her heart beating fast. She closed her eyes to control herself. Then, with a force she did not know she had, she deleted the message.
It was no used to remember the past. He should realize it. She should realize it. They could no longer be…
Ryn opened her eyes and threw her sight outside to look at couples who chose to sit at the veranda and ate their breakfast in a loving manner. She wished she could be like them but it was all too late. Her heart was too broken to piece them back together with just a sorry and "I love you". The pain was still in there in her heart, hurting her until sometimes she could not breathe.
No. Forget about it. He did say he would woo her again and she did say she would give him a chance.
And it was too long. She had been given him chance for too long, unable to make up her mind on how to tell him no. Well, she did tell him no repeatedly but he refused to listen and kept going on about his wooing was still ongoing and she should not say no too quickly. She should just let him woo her.
She would put a dateline to this. Once Mika and Jason got married and went to their honeymoon, she would tell him she could not accept him back. He should just move on, just like she did. They were not fated to be together and he should understand it more than her. They were, after all, coming from two different worlds and should not even be together in the first place.
She stood up and walked to the exit in a daze, not even finis.h.i.+ng the last plate of croissant. She did not even notice how she got up to her room. Her eyes stared up on the ceiling as she laid on the bed. Was she even ready to give those words? Why was her heart in pain so much at the thought of saying those words to him?
"Tell me again why I love you."
The question did not need to be answered by him or anyone else. It was obvious. Without even trying he owned her heart. Was it because of his kindness? Was it because he does not mind eating her mom"s weird cooking? Was it because of his handsomeness? She did not know. All she knew that it was so sudden and before she knew it, he declared them a couple and he looked so happy when he said it. Love was blind, truly blind, and she was still young and naïve that time thinking they could face any obstacle for their love.
She closed her eyes and let the tears escaping. Her hand pounded hard against her chest, against her heart. Why was it so painful there? She turned and curled herself, crying.
Three more hours before the rehearsal and she was crying her heart out in bed.
Irene stood in front of the lift, narrowing her eyes. She knew Ryn stopped at this floor. She saw the number of the floor where the lift stopped before she entered the next lift. No one else was in the lift but Ryn, she was sure. But where was that woman? That liar? When she got out of the lift, there was no one there in front of any doors. Irene crossed her arms angrily. This was unacceptable. How could that liar managed to stay in this hotel? This was a six-star hotel! A room for a night, even for the smallest room, was expensive. That woman should not be able to pay for it. She was a n.o.body.
She stayed there for another fifteen minutes and only left when a couple stumbled out of the lift and looked at her weirdly for blocking the way. Irene cleared her throat, forced a smile and returned into the lift to go back to the restaurant, only to be blocked by a waiter who asked for her card.
Irene narrowed her eyes angrily at the waiter. She told the man her family was inside but the waiter did not let her come in unless she gave him her voucher or pay for the entrance. She gripped her hands angrily. She did use her voucher to enter with her family and she could no longer use it again. She quickly called for her brother to come to settle this.
Her brother, already confused with his sister"s sudden leaving, was even more confused when he received the message and went to meet them at the entrance. He listened to Irene who was blaming the waiter for his incompetence by blocking her way. Then, he listened to the waiter who told him the rule of the entrance rather firmly, did not even care who these two people were. Rules were rules and must be followed.
Irene was shaking in anger seeing how stubborn the waiter was. He did not even respect her! Was he looking down on her?
"Big brother!" she looked at her brother, pointing at the waiter with her shaking hand.
Her brother sighed heavily. Irene was so spoiled. She did not realize how people see her att.i.tude when she was throwing tantrum. She thought that by being the youngest and the princess in the family, everyone must give way to her, regardless of how those people think. She must have whatever she wanted and nothing could stop her. His face reddened a bit when he heard whispers from other people who were watching them. It was hard to be avoided when Irene was making a scene right now without any care.
"Irene," he hissed but his sister was too angry to even hear the admonish in his voice.
The waiter looked at them with a poker face. He was after all following the rule. If he let this crazy woman entering the premise without a proper voucher, he would need to allow other people who had no voucher to enter as well.
"I"m sorry. Let me pay for her entrance," he took out his credit card and handed it to the waiter.
"Big brother!" Irene gasped but the two men ignored her. Her body shook and she turned to storm away.
"Irene, aren"t you eating your breakfast?" her brother called but was ignored. He could only sigh. He looked at the waiter when the waiter handed the card without processing.
"I think she doesn"t want to have her breakfast anymore," the waiter commented dryly.
"I"m sorry again," the brother apologized with a sheepish smile. He then returned to his family who was still having breakfast, his cheeks reddened when he noticed some diners were looking at him and whispering to each other.
This Irene needed to be disciplined so much but none of them dared to even raise their voice at her. She grew up with so much pampering she did not care about other people"s feeling. He sighed again, wis.h.i.+ng he did not pamper her this much when she was young.
But now it was useless to regret. What happened had already happened and now they must face the consequence.