Olivia
Right after the training, we had lunch at the Japanese restaurant near the club. Javier was really quite right after the incident involving the spoiled ponytail girl. He had said that was not the first time the girl did that. I heard him saying she already did it twice. I didn’t want to think about what she had done the first time.
“Don’t worry about me, Liv,” Javier suddenly spoke. I blinked and looked at him chewing his sushi. “I was just annoyed because the first time she did it, I lost three of my members. I’m lucky now because she didn’t cancel her membership.”
“What happened?”
“She was pissed because one of the girls bumped into her at the bathroom and she was angry. The other two friends were defending their friend because she didn’t do it on purpose and the girl had apologized but she was furious and couldn’t accept it. She even brought up her father’s name on them and they decided to cancel their membership and never came to the club anymore.” Yikes.
“Who is she anyway?”
“She’s the daughter of one of the biggest property group owners. Her name is Carlotta Rivers, usually people called her Carol, and she’s the most spoiled woman I have ever come across with.” I smiled but holding back a laugh at his statement. “She wanted me before.” Say, what?
“And what happened?”
“Nothing, I rejected her,” he replied while drinking his green tea. It was no wonder to me. Javier was highly handsome, a perfect body figure, and a dream of all women around the world. He was like the perfect description of the Greek God reincarnation. No wondered Carlotta wanted him as her trophy. I thought she wasn’t really in love with Javier. He was handsome and people wanted him so it was obvious she had to have him.
“Did she take it well?”
He scoffed. “Not at all. She threatened me that she would tell her father.” I rolled my eyes. Why she always brought up her father whenever something happened not according to what she wanted? “I couldn’t blame her though. The result of her becoming like that probably because she doesn’t have a mother. I heard she lost her when she was so young and her father constantly working. Maybe that’s how her father mistakenly thought that money and doing anything his daughter wanted is proof that he loved her.”
Even so…that was so wrong. That was not the way the parents showed their love towards their child. Even though I lost my mother, my father never came before, and Blake who avoided like a plague before, I never did anything that would cause me fell to the wrong hole. I always told myself that I didn’t want to disappoint Blake because he saved me. The least I could do was by making him proud.
“I lost my mother when I was eleven years old and I haven’t met my father before,” I told him as he stopped his chopsticks in the middle and was looking at me.
“You mean, your current father?”
“My parents separated way before I was born. I was…not really proud of how my parents had me and he left my mother right after he found out she was pregnant. My father was from one of the prestigious families in the city and they couldn’t have this scandal spread around the country and dirtied their family’s name.” I couldn’t tell him the part where my mother came to Blake and asked him to marry her because dad’s family had told her family that it was Blake who made her pregnant and asked for his responsibility.
“What happened?”
“Well, my mother raised me alone until she passed away seven years ago.” Javier was shocked. I could see it in his dark brown eyes. “She was working too hard and had liver failure.” It was still sad to me until now but I couldn’t drown in sadness forever.
“What about your father when your mother passed away?” That was when I was confused about what to say. I didn’t know by telling Blake was previously my stepfather was going to make him confused.
“I lived with Blake before.” That’s all I could answer. Javier was still confused about how the hell that happened. “He knew my mother and promised her that he would take care of me. And by coincidence, Cindy – his sister was engaged with my dad and that’s how I ended up with my father.” I laughed nervously.
Maybe it was destined to be. It was destined that I had to meet my real father and leaving Blake behind.
“It was so awkward when I learned he’s my father. He never came to visit me or my mother. Never attended her funeral. I wanted to hate him but I never could. And when I learned more about him, now I could accept it.” I saw Javier was smiling and he touched my hand.
“You’ve made the right decision to not hate him. He is still your father. I told you before when I lost my parents and there were no relatives who wanted to take me in, it depressed me but I never blamed them. I got a better life when I entered the orphanage, at least until I was discharged at eighteen.” I didn’t know why but he sounded in despair when he said the last words. When he was out of the orphanage, he had to live by himself. Working harder. I wanted to know more but I could feel Javier was not ready yet. He told me before he was working twice harder than other people and he was not proud of what he did before. Was he doing drugs before? Jeez, that was the horrible thought that ever come across her mind.
Javier returned eating his dishes where I touched his hand and he raised his brown eyes to me. “We’re not perfect, Javier. We have pasts. We have histories. That’s what makes us today. Even I have something I was not proud of.” That’s right. The memory of my night with Blake was something I never proud of. Almost crossing the line with my stepfather and I would bring this secret of me until the day I died.
Javier grabbed my hand and brought it closer to his lips and put a kiss on it. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not ready yet.” I shook my head.
“It’s okay.” He let me go and we continued with our lunches. I was glad because I could be more open with Javier, even though it was just a little.
Right after we had lunch, as usual, Javier was the one who paid for everything. He never allowed me to say anything regarding this. We walked out of the restaurant right after.
“So, do you have any place you wanted to go?” he asked.
“Um, none. If you have, I will accompany you.”
He smiled. “Actually, I wanted to look for a new suit.”
“A suit?”
“Yes. I was invited to a party, more into a business party. It’s not really my thing but it will be rude if I don’t come.” A business party? I wondered how that would be. Clearly, it would be different from the one I had with Karen before. At her birthday party where most of the guests were drinking and got drunk. I was lucky because I managed to hold Karen back so she wouldn’t get drunk like before or the guests would run away in the middle of the party. “I thought you can help me choose.”
I could see the blink of excitement from his eyes. He really did want me to help him. “Okay,” I agreed with him. “Where should we go?”
“Usually, I do personal shopping. It’s more private but I want you there and voice out your opinion.” Wow, Javier went to a personal shopping? I never did that before. And it was expensive.
“Are you sure to take me with you?”
“Positive,” he answered immediately. “I want my girlfriend to choose the best suits for me. Although there would be an assistant helping me, I want to hear your opinion.”
“My fashion sense on man is not that good.”
“I trust you.” I didn’t know but his words got me.
I trust you.
It might be silly because he said that he trusted me to choose the best suits for him, but it did take a toll on me. Javier looked like he put his trust in me, fully and wholly. “Will you come?” His eyes implied begging. It was cute to me as he looked like a puppy begging for attention. A very big puppy.
I smiled at him. “Okay.” His signature smile spread smile on his handsome face. He led me to his car and we headed to our next destination.