When Jacob woke up the next day, he was surprised to see that it was already past nine in the morning. Luckily, they don’t have any scheduled meetings before lunch.
Still, he stood up and headed to the guest room. He was startled to see that Tristan was already awake, and smiling. He was about to say something but he shushed him.
It was only then that Jacob realized that Belle was sleeping next to him. He walked backward quietly and closed the door as gently as possible.
He headed for the kitchen and took the initiative to prepare coffee for all three of them. Regardless of whether they will come out sooner or later, it’s still best to prepare cups for both Belle and Tristan.
Belle reached out to her side and hugged the person next to her, resting her head on his chest. Tristan couldn’t help but smile. He never thought it would feel this good to wake up next to Belle.
“Sweetheart…” he whispered, but Belle just let out a low moan for an answer. Tristan’s body stiffened, particularly the lower half. However, he quickly disregarded the thought as he didn’t want to be disrespectful to her. “Belle, time to wake up,” he whispered again.
Letting go of him and stretching her arms, Belle forced her eyes to open. She immediately smiled when she saw him, lying sideward, facing her, with a hand propped on the side of his head.
Tristan pulled her closer and placed a light kiss on her head. “Let’s go have breakfast.” He sounded too sweet, it was cringed, but he chose to ignore it. It’s not every day he wakes up with the love of his life next to her.
Belle nodded at her, yawning. She slowly lifts her body from the bed and starts to fold the blanket.
Tristan, who was now standing, was watching her keenly. He then pulled the other blanket and copied what Belle did. Fortunately, he was able to do it properly.
“Do you have any spare clothes with you in your car?” Belle asked out of nowhere. Tristan shot his brows up, confused as to why she was asking. “You were drenched in sweat last night, I can’t change your clothes because you were too drunk. You should shower before you leave.”
Tristan walked towards her, as she was already standing, he wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and pulled her body close to his. He planted a kiss on his forehead but he suddenly felt shy, so he ended up hugging her fully, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“It’s okay, I can take a shower in the office.”
Belle nodded, then she returned his hug. She planted a kiss on his neck and let her lips linger until she felt his body stiffen. Belle can’t help but chuckle, knowing she has that kind of effect on him.
“Let’s go eat breakfast.”
Afterward, Tristan insisted on taking Belle to her office and she had no choice but to agree. While in the car, Tristan wouldn’t let go of her hand.
He let their fingers intertwine, while his arm was resting comfortably over her shoulders. “Where do you eat lunch?” he asked, smiling sweetly at her.
Belle was feeling a little awkward since she could see Jacob glancing at them from the rearview mirror, but she still returned his smile. “Nathalie usually has something delivered. We don’t usually go out for lunch.”
Tristan nodded, then he looked at Jacob, “Do we have a meeting before and after lunch?” Jacob quickly shook his head in response. Tristan then turned to Belle, “We’ll drop by your office for lunch then, tell Nathalie to have something delivered for four.”
Belle nodded in agreement and smiled. She’s still feeling a bit weird about their current situation, but she chose to ignore it. ‘It won’t harm to be happy once in a while.’
When she got to the office, Belle was welcomed by Nathalie’s teasing smile. “I smell something fishy~” following Belle to her office after she saw Tristan kissing her on the cheek.
Placing her bag on her table, Belle slumped on her swivel chair. “Stop! I know what you’re gonna ask,” holding a hand in midair to shut her friend up. “I’ll tell you about it later, but first, please go to the mall and find me a fitting jewelry box for my necklace.”
“Fine~” Nathalie immediately replied. But before she can turn around and leave, Belle calls for her again.
“Also, later for lunch, please buy food for Tristan and Jacob too. They’re dropping by,” she informed her. Nathalie’s eyes twinkled immediately after the mention of her boyfriend’s name.
Belle couldn’t help but return the teasing smile she got from her earlier, but Nathalie just rolled her eyes at her friend. She then returned to her table to grab her purse, then headed out to the mall.
After buying the prettiest-looking jewelry box she saw, she stopped by the coffee shop to get her and Belle some cold brew. As soon as she stepped in, she found two annoyingly familiar faces, Vernice and Joyce.
Both women were happily conversing as if they had known each other all their lives. Nathalie wasn’t surprised that they knew each other, seeing how they both vandalized Belle’s door. But she didn’t know they were super close.
“Look who’s here! No wonder it suddenly smelled like poverty!” Vernice sneered. They were sitting close to the counter so she easily spotted Nathalie.
The woman just rolled her eyes at them, not wanting to pay any attention to either of the vicious women or cause trouble in a public place. However, Vernice approached her and even tapped her shoulder.
“What do you want?” Nathalie asked, annoyed.
“From you, nothing. But your gold digger friend owes us a lot,” Vernice stated while picking on her chipped nail polish.
Nathalie glared at her, “Then go to her and don’t bother me.”
“But I want to bother you,” Vernice answered back, lightly pushing her by the arm with her finger.
“Don’t you dare,” Nathalie warned, but Vernice was being pushy. When the coffee she ordered was served, Vernice grabbed one of the cups even before Nathalie could pick it up.
She slowly removed the lid and poured almost half of it on the floor, splattering a good amount on Nathalie’s shoes and feet. Out of irritation, Nathalie stomped her foot hard, causing the puddle of coffee to splatter on Vernice’s jeans.
As she didn’t expect Nathalie to do something like that, she felt triggered. “Wow, fierce!” she exclaimed, mocking the woman in front of her.
She then splashed the remaining coffee on Nathalie’s face. It’s a good thing it was a cold brew, otherwise, it would have scalded her.
Losing her patience, Nathalie’s hand flew and landed on Vernice’s face, quickly leaving a bright, red mark there. Vernice felt her cheek burning right after, tears started welling in her eyes due to pain and anger.
She then tried to grab Nathalie by the hair, but the woman was quick enough to dodge it. Her anger escalated as she missed Nathalie’s hair.
She tried one more time but this time, Nathalie pushed her hard, sending her down the floor sliding. Nathalie then grabbed the other cup of coffee and poured all its contents on her.
“Stop! How dare you?” Vernice screamed in anger and embarrassment.
“Girl, you just got served!” then she turned on her heel to leave. Nathalie chose to forget about the coffee, as she already had a better take home for her friend.
Joyce, who was watching them, clicked her tongue, picked up her cup of tea, and sipped it. She looks so calm and unbothered to meddle in their business.
When Vernice finally stood up, she rushed toward Joyce to reproach her, “Why didn’t you even help me?”
Joyce shook her head at her, “That little devil’s right, you just got served. Why would you even want to engage in a public brawl? That is so unbecoming for a woman in our class. I’m even ashamed to be seen with you right now.”
Vernice stomped her foot before turning around for the restroom. A few minutes later, she came back to their table, grabbed her bag and left. She doesn’t care if Joyce was left alone, she’s furious.
“If you just leave like that, you won’t know what I have in store for her.”