Vince’s POV
My stomach tightens with the strong heartbeat I am feeling. When the call goes to voicemail, disappointment fills me inside.
I disconnect the call and dial Luca’s number immediately.
I don’t trust myself not to forgo telling her what I feel right now. If it takes another hour, I might change my mind and decide to keep it to myself forever.
Avoiding her is not the best solution. Confronting her is.
“Boss,” Luca’s voice pulls me out of my reverie as I jump into the car. Coming here is a wake-up call. For the first time since I have been frequenting Kyra’s place, I feel grateful.
“Where is she?”
“We are at a party downtown. She is here with her friend.”
I nod. “Send me the location.”
I disconnect the call before he can respond. Just as I kickstart the car, my phone beeps with a notification.
Luca has sent the location. It takes me 10 minutes to get there. As soon as I see Luca’s car outside, I know I am in the right place.
I pull over behind him and step out.
“Boss,” he bows down with courtesy.
“Where did she go to before coming here?”
“They met at a cafe earlier, they went shopping and came here afterward.”
“Does she know you were following?” I gave him strict instructions not to let her know he was following her.
“No,” he replies. “She has no idea.”
“Good.” I walk to the entrance. There are bouncers at the entrance. Two of them and a long line of people going in one after the other.
I bypass the queue and as soon as the bouncers see me, they exchange a knowing look before letting me in with a polite whisper.
The club is wild, with music blasting across every inch, bodies colliding, and drinks disappearing.
The lightings keep changing every minute from blue to red to green, yellow, and back to blue, making it difficult to make out faces from afar.
Still, I glance around to spot either Ann or Tessa.
After several attempts, with my body colliding with more people, I decide to go to the VIP to settle down and look around. Searching for them in the crowd doesn’t seem like a good idea.
Or perhaps, I should wait till the music is down.
Should I ask the barman to instruct them to keep the lighting in check?
Someone bumps into me, almost falling to the ground but I am quick to pick her up, my hands holding onto her arms as I help her up.
“Vicente?” The lady calls out amidst the loud music. It takes a while for me to recognize her.
“Isabel? What are you doing here? She is also with a friend who is smiling at me flirtatiously.
It is rare to see someone like Isabel at a club like this. Not because she isn’t a partygoer but because there are certain places Mafia princesses aren’t allowed to go and this is one of them.
We have our clubs.
Clubs like these with mixed crowds of unfamiliar faces are the easiest place to get attacked.
Annette is not supposed to be here too but I do not have any choice at the moment. The least I can do is try to get her out of here ASAP, then we can talk afterward.
“Don’t tell Fernando,” she smiles at me shyly. “What are you doing here too?”
“None of your business. You know the risk of being here, don’t you?”
She pouts. “Of course, Vince. I just needed some air. I’m still heartbroken from your rejection, you know.”
“You need to get out of here now or I will have to call your brother!”
We are practically shouting. Suddenly, the light stops fluctuating with different colors and everyone can see each other’s faces.
I decide to send Isabel off before searching for Ann and Tessa.
Before I can say anything else, she wraps her hands around my waist and starts to grind her body to mine. Her friend is nowhere to be found.
I try to push her away but she holds me tightly, her head on my chest.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She belches and the realization hits me. She is drunk.
“I still love you, Vince. I don’t think I can love another man other than you. Please take me.”
I yank her hands free, just as another familiar face appears in front of me.
Annette.
Behind her stands Tessa with her jaws dropped in surprise.
“Ann,” I call but she walks past me without a word. I unlock my phone quickly and dial Luca’s number. “Come in.”
I pick up Isabel who is almost asleep and move to the entrance. Luca rushes in. “Take her home.”
He takes Isabel from me and I race out. Tessa and Ann are walking down the road, probably looking for a car to take them to wherever is their next destination.
I race after them.
A cab stops just as I get close to them. “Ann.”
She turns around, anger brewing in her eyes. I know I wasn’t supposed to leave the way I did. I wasn’t supposed to avoid her the way I did but I had to. I wanted to figure out my feelings. I wanted to know if what I felt was real. If it was not temporary.
“Let me take you home,” I say, holding her hands.
“No, I’m going to spend the night at Tessa’s. You can go enjoy your night with Isabel.”
Jealousy fills her tone. If I wasn’t in a serious mood, if my mind wasn’t in disarray, I would have laughed at how she sounded.
“Can we talk? There is something I need to tell you. It’s very important.”
She hesitates, watching me for a second before shaking her head and freeing her hand from my hold. “No, Vince. I am not interested in whatever it is you want to say.”
Hurt slices through my heart.
Is this what it means to be in love and to be hurt by the one you love?
I can’t believe I came all the way here for her to misunderstand my presence and not give me an audience.
Tessa is staring sideways, making everything more awkward and embarrassing.
I nod my head. There is no point dragging this with her out here, in the open space. If she wants to go with Tessa, she can. Luca will follow afterward.
It is better than being here in the open space with me and being subjected to an unexpected attack or shot.
“See you at home tomorrow then,” I say with resignation before taking a step back.
“No,” her voice stops me. “I’m not coming home, Vince.”
I furrow my brows, wondering what she means. “You are not coming home tomorrow?”
“Yes,” she replies. “And the day after. I’m not going there again. I want an annulment and this time I am serious about it. If you decide to ignore this like you have always done, I’m afraid I would have to do it the hard way.”
Raw panic explodes in my chest.
Her eyes hold no humor, signifying this isn’t a joke or a prank.
My gaze pinpong between her and Tessa who looks away instantly.
“This was accidental anyway. It was only a matter of time before I left and I think now is that time.”
Before I can process everything well, she turns and enters the cab. Tessa does the same after giving me a sad smile and I watch the cab drive off.