I just rested for a few hours and immediately informed Rhea that I had to go somewhere briefly. I rarely get to go home to Stonewick, so I wanted to make the most of it. I checked myself in the mirror again, not wanting to be accused of dressing inappropriately even in the province.
“Rhea, is this outfit really okay?” I asked my companion, worried that my shorts might be too short.
“Of course! They’d be too much if they find fault with your plain t-shirt and shorts. Even if we say the bags are a bit girly, they still give off a youthful vibe, Miss,” Rhea said.
“Isn’t it too revealing?” I asked her.
“No! Brent might fall in love with you all over again when he sees how sexy you are,” Rhea teased me.
“Please, let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” I said to Rhea.
I’ve said it several times before, whatever happened between Brent and me is in the past. He’s just a part of my history, and comebacks are not in style. Right now, I only love Samer and no one else.
I quietly left the hotel and was grateful that Brent and I didn’t cross paths in the lobby. I didn’t want the new employees to talk about us, as it might reach Samer.
I was already outside Khalifa when I decided to take Rhea with me, so I went back inside. While walking through the lobby to our room, I checked my cellphone to see if I had missed any calls from Samer. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one! It really weakened my spirit to think that he didn’t remember me in the past few hours.
“Holy cow!” I was surprised when Brent suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Is that how you see me?” The way he said it made me ask.
Actually, it was just an expression.
“I’m in a hurry, so I don’t have time to explain,” I said and quickly passed by him, but he called my name again.
I sighed and looked away, afraid that I might get captivated by his tantalizing eyes.
“I just wanted to tell you that I need your opinion on some additional menu items for the restaurant. I think they’ll be a hit with millennials,” Brent explained.
“Like what?” I still asked, even though it’s not my job to approve new menu items for the restaurant.
“Like ramen and chocolate porridge,” Brent said.
My eyes immediately widened, and I gave him a stern look. “Are you mocking me?” I asked him what his motive was, and he had to remind me of foods related to the two of us.
“No, I’m not! What’s wrong with ramen and chocolate porridge, and how did you even think of that?” The man was like a walking disaster, making me frown.
“If you don’t have anything sensible to say, you can leave!” I ordered him.
“Do you have plans?” Brent persisted, pushing me to my demon mode.
“Probably,” I said. It turns out I’m only brave in my imagination because I can’t curse at him directly.
“Maybe you want some company, I’m free,” Brent teased.
Before, I used to feel so giddy whenever he made remarks for me. But now? Oh no, I don’t care anymore! “Just go back to work, and please don’t give me a headache,” I warned him.
“Have you seen Kevin Park again?” Brent asked.
If I reconciled with Brent when we met again, I’m not sure about Kevin. He was the reason my parents found out everything. “Not yet, but if we meet again, I hope it’s not at all,” I answered.
“That was a long time ago, Jamie. Forgive him,” Brent pleaded, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
The thing is, Brent doesn’t know that Kevin is the reason my father found out about my pregnancy. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know the hardships I went through because of him, so don’t act like you know everything because you left me!” I confronted him.
“What do I need to do for you to completely forget what happened back then? Just tell me because I won’t stop until you find a decent man who will truly love you. And if you don’t find a replacement, remember that I’ll always be here for you.”
“I wish you had said those things before,” I said and immediately walked away from Samer. “Let’s not go back to the past; let’s just focus on what we have now,” Brent said.
“I might want to forget everything, but I can’t do that. I was deeply hurt because of you, and because of Kevin too,” I reminded him of some of the things I had to endure every day.
“But you’ve forgiven me,” Brent insisted.
“Yes, but if you don’t stop, don’t blame me if I get mad at you again,” I warned him.
“Sorry. I promise, I won’t do it again. Just once,” Brent tried to push it.
“Try it, and only a curse won’t be enough,” I warned him before leaving and going to the room we shared with Rhea.
I was accompanied by Rhea to the graves of my parents and child. She suggested that we visit our old house, but I refused because I didn’t want to see Kevin again. Brent mentioned Kevin’s name, which added to my hesitation. While I was reviewing the staff’s 201 files, Rhea suddenly entered, looking worried.
“What’s wrong with your face?” I asked her.
“Miss, something is happening outside! Come, let’s check it out!” Rhea said, but I immediately thought that Brent was behind the commotion.
Brent has always been hot-tempered. Oh, he’ll definitely be in trouble if I see him fighting with the staff! I quickly stood up and went out to the lobby.
“Jamie!”
I stepped back when I saw who called my name. It was Kevin Park! I glanced at Brent, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Well, at least he was controlling the staff from gossiping.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Kevin. It had been years since we last saw each other, but I still remembered his face. It seemed like he had moved on in life.
“Can we talk?” Kevin asked, with those pleading eyes that didn’t affect me.
“About what?” I asked because, if it were up to me, there would be no reason to talk anymore.
“About the two of us,” Kevin said, and not only I gasped at his words, but Brent did too.
“What about us? There was never an ‘us’!”
My goodness, my beauty was momentarily flabbergasted by Kevin’s words. From then until now, he still had no right to speak. I looked at Kevin in disbelief and scolded Brent for letting him in when the hotel wasn’t officially open.
“Are you still with Brent?” the man asked.
“Of course not! Leave, Kevin,” I ordered him.
“I’m pleading with you, Jamie. Just talk to me,” Kevin pleaded, and when I looked towards Rhea and Brent, they just shrugged.
“I will talk to you, but not now. Just leave for now. You’re disturbing the staff here,” I reminded him.
Kevin looked down and quietly headed towards the main door of Khalifa, then left. I exhaled a deep breath as I watched him leave. I then returned to my office. As soon as I entered, someone unexpectedly grabbed my arm, and I was startled to see who had the audacity to touch me.
“Brent! What are you doing?” I glared at him because he had the nerve to touch me without permission.
Even though we were sweet to each other at times, that was not a reason for him to just touch me. It was annoying, and I wanted to hit him with a folder!
“Poor Kevin earlier. Didn’t you see how sad he looked? Jamie, you weren’t like this before!” Brent criticized how I talked to Kevin earlier.
“Before you say that, make sure I care about whatever you’re going to say. Also, you have no right to tell me what to do. So, you can leave now, and next time, tell my assistant if you want to talk to me. Do you understand?” I didn’t plan to be rude to anyone, but he pushed me to it.
Whether I talk to Kevin or not is my business. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to control my emotions and end up hurting him. He has caused me so much pain in the past. If Brent only got me pregnant, Kevin went further and let everyone know about my pregnancy, which led to my father having a heart attack.
Just as I entered, my phone suddenly rang, and I was too annoyed to notice that I was receiving a call. After speaking with Kate earlier, I placed my phone in my bag. There was no point in staying there; nobody would call me anyway.
“Miss, are you okay?” Rhea asked.
“How can I be okay when Samer and Kate seem to be enjoying each other’s company right now?” I covered my face and let my tears flow freely while Rhea watched.
I had been holding back the pain and heaviness in my heart since last night. I wanted to cry then, but I tried to be strong because maybe I was just overthinking things. But the weight was too much!
“Miss, you have a call,” Rhea said.
I wiped my tears and answered the call. “Hello…”
“Baby, are you crying?”
“Sam…” I said to the man. “Come home. I miss you so much, and I’m dying of jealousy here while you’re together with Kate.”