Chapter 11

'So, how are you, Felix?" I broke the silence after I let a few minutes pass by. He had been silent since we rode in the car, and we were already halfway from where we came to the mansion, but he didn't even try saying anything. 'I'm good," he answered flatly while looking at the road as if he didn't want to talk to me. I tried ignoring that because there were things I badly wanted to know from him. 'And why does it seem you're not good at all? Is managing a company stressful?" I continued. 'Well, yeah. It's stressful sometimes when there's a lot of paperwork, but because it's for the good of the company, it's okay to be stressed," he answered. His tone remained the same. He sounded uninterested in our conversation, and his eyes were fixed on the road. 'And how about your love life? I won't believe you if you tell me you're still single now," I asked next. The truth was, that was what I wanted to know. I want to hear from Felix about those things Lea told me about earlier. I heard so much from Lea that I wondered what kind of woman she was. 'It's complicated," he answered and added, 'But I no longer consider myself single." I was disappointed with what he said. Something deep inside me made me feel like something had been taken away from me again. I came back with a high hope that he was still single and that we could finally make that teasing from the elders around us come true. I knew it was wrong because I had recently divorced, but—I tried composing myself before commenting. I knew I needed to hide my disappointment. There was no reason for me to feel jealous, but I knew I was. 'W-what do you mean? You have a girlfriend, but she's not? She's married or in a relationship with someone else?" I acted so curiously even though I already knew something about the subject. 'She's not my girlfriend, and I just hope she is—" he said, stopping himself from saying more. He sighed as if there were a serious reason why the girl wasn't his girlfriend yet. I found that so intriguing, and I felt he was about to add more to his statement, so I waited, but he didn't, so I prompted him to tell me more. 'So, what happened? Why is she not your girlfriend yet? Auntie doesn't like her?" I froze when he turned his head to look me straight in the eyes. There was something that was telling me to back off. 'I know you already know something, Elyana. Stop asking me like you know nothing about my life." I was stunned by what he said. It only meant he heard something when Lea and I were talking, and the insult— 'Y-Yeah, maybe I know something, but it's not enough. It keeps me wondering what kind of girl she is to make you fall, and it seems you're head over heels for such a lady to act like that. What is she, a whore and good as bedwarmer you once met in a bar? You only slept with her once, and boom! She got pregnant!" My voice became louder. I unintentionally exploded with all the conclusions I had inside my head that I couldn't control. 'You don't know her, so stop judging her, Elyana," he said calmly, emphasizing every word. I wasn't satisfied with what I said yet and I didn't think she deserved respect. 'Why not? Are you sure it's your child in her womb? Maybe it is with another man—" My speech was interrupted. My head bumped into the car roof when Felix suddenly stepped on the brake when we were right in the middle of the road, even though there were other motorists behind us. I heard some behind honk at us. There was also shouting outside their car because of our sudden stop, but Felix didn't seem to care. He gazed at me while his two hands remained on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly. Felix was gritting his teeth. 'You don't know anything about the person you're talking badly about, so shut your mouth! You still haven't changed; you're still a brat!" I didn't expect him to shout at me like that, and the reason behind it was the woman he had gotten pregnant with. Felix's eyes were glazing over. If I had been a guy, he would have punched me in the face and my nose would have been bleeding. I was frightened by his reaction. I suddenly realized those words that came out of my mouth were too much, and I deserved to be shouted at. He was right; I didn't know much about that girl, but I was annoyed. She was close to Lea, and I could feel she adored her. I was forced to keep quiet. I let Felix drive me to the mansion, and he went away when I got out of the car. He left, but a smirk formed on my lips. I felt challenged, and I didn't accept defeat so soon. I thought of a plan but wanted to know more about that Pretzel first. ‘I need to learn more about my enemy.' The next day I visited Felicity, and as I expected, the gay was thrilled when he saw me. 'Oh, my! You're so pretty! You didn't even inform me you were going home!" he said excitedly while hugging me. 'I did it on purpose. I meant not to tell anyone in your family to surprise everyone," I replied with a smile. 'Oh, I see—but in fairness, it's effective!" he shouted joyfully. slurring his every word. He invited me to sit down and offered me something to drink. 'No, I'm fine. How about we have some coffee and chit-chat somewhere else?" I suggested. 'I would love to, but I need to meet a client at any minute. He's on his way now, so I can't leave. You know it's normal for my clients to have hectic schedules that I need to squeeze in for them to see me. This guy is a hunk and rich, so I should be here looking fresh!" I could feel the excitement in his voice as he said those things. He almost didn't breathe. I missed his facial expressions and the way he made faces, and every time he spoke, he made a distinct hand gesture that made you think he was a magician and just chanted some spells. 'I understand. How about this lunch? Let's eat somewhere nearby so that you can get back quickly. My treat!" I suggested, and he thought for a moment. 'Sounds great! Let's have lunch nearby. It's lunchtime in a few hours anyway. Are you going to wait here, or you'll be going somewhere else and just come back?" I looked at the big wall clock that he had just looked at. 'I'll wait. I also want to inspect your office," I answered, giving Felicity a silly smile. 'Inspection or raid?" he asked and laughed at it. 'I guess both!" I answered, and we laughed in unison. A knock on the door stopped us from laughing. Felicity's secretary came in and told us their client was already waiting outside. Felicity grabbed his lipstick from his drawer and put some on his lips. It was red. Felicity turned his lips into an overripe plum. I didn't wait for Felicity to ask me to leave. I took the initiative. I went to the waiting area. a small space that was very comfortable to the eye with the colors. A perfect combination of furniture, curtains, and decorations too. Plus, there is a beautiful view through the large glass wall. I saw a man sitting impatiently on a long sofa. He gave me a quick gaze. He looked in a different direction, but he looked at me again afterward. His forehead wrinkled. Not only his but mine as well. I found him familiar, but I had been away for a long time. I had forgotten people's faces—even my high school and college batchmates. I couldn't remember most of their names. Felix and Felicity were the only ones I was with most of the time, even though I often irritated Felix with my behavior back then. 'Sir?" the secretary called to the man's attention. He immediately stood from sitting. The woman accompanied him to Felicity's office, and upon entering, the woman immediately left and returned to her desk. I looked around until the magazines on the center table caught my attention. I kept myself busy browsing magazines that were the latest issues. The showbiz gossip was intriguing, and there were so many new faces of actors I didn't know. I know the faces of the children, nephews, and grandchildren of artists and singers. I felt so old all of a sudden. After more than an hour, I heard voices. I raised my head to check who those were. The door to Felicity's office was opening, and the man sitting on the sofa finally came out, and his face looked irritated. I thought about going to Felicity to ask what had happened. His client seemed angry. 'Can I come in?" I asked the secretary first because I was entering. 'Yes, it's okay, ma'am," she answered. When I got inside, I saw Felicity sitting on his swivel chair. Both elbows were on the table, and his index fingers were firmly placed in his temple. I found that sight funny. Felicity is a gay and natural comedian. He could make me laugh even though he didn't say a word, but at that time, he seemed to be in a bad mood. I tried to show sympathy, even though deep inside, I wanted to laugh out loud. 'Something wrong, girl?" I asked as I approached him. 'No—I guess my blood pressure is above normal," he said hysterically, and I quickly bit my lower lip because I almost laughed. 'W-why? What happened?" I asked. 'Gosh! I can't believe him. He's one rude and impatient client. He asked me to find a partner for him as soon as possible. He even gave me a deadline!" 'Haha! He acted like he was just ordering french fries from fast food restaurant." That made me laugh. 'Did you decline?" 'Well, girl—no. If I do that, it's like I give up, and soon, my image will be ruined because I could give someone the perfect partner. I already gave him lists and showed him their files, but he's very fussy, and none of my female clients match the qualifications he's looking for— wait!" He stopped chanting and looked at me strangely. 'H-Hey—why are you staring at me like that?" I asked, stuttering because I was terrified by how he looked at me. I immediately thought he had a plan, and I would not like it. 'You suit his taste, girl!" He said that while his eyes were twinkling, causing me to stand up from my seat and be about to leave him. He tried stopping me. He was already on his way before I could take the second step. 'You invited me to lunch, didn't you? Let's go now—I'll pay!" he said and quickly wrapped one of his arms around my arm.