Jennet froze when she stood in front of a fancy restaurant as mentioned in Luca’s text message. There were well-groomed hosts in a black tux, looking formidable at the entrance of the restaurant. Although she had stayed in the country for years, this would be the first time she saw such a restaurant near her working place.
She frowned. ‘It can’t be right,’ she agonized alone. This place is too luxurious for a lunch break. Did Mr Tybelg text her the wrong place?
Whisking out her smartphone, she dialled Luca’s phone number. Less than a minute, her call was answered.
"Yes, Jennet? Have you arrived?" Luca’s melodious voice greeted her ear.
Jennet looked up to the name signage of the restaurant. Even the name was too fancy to be spelt out. ‘Forget that name!’ She thought.
"Mr Ty…I mean, Luca, did you, perhaps text me the wrong place? I am currently standing in front of a luxurious restaurant. Is this the correct place because I can see there are hosts in black tuxedos standing at the entrance? Or are you somewhere else?" She asked with a troubled expression. Her heart wasn’t at ease.
She looked to the left and to the right, searching for any familiar figure among all the passer-by. But, none.
Luca chuckled softly before replying, "Just stay put. I will come to fetch you." Then the call ended.
Jennet slipped the phone inside her handbag and inhaled a deep breath. ‘Great, he's coming! Now, I don't have to worry about getting to the wrong place. It's just impossible he asked me out for lunch at such a luxurious place like this.’ She eyed the hosts and smiled at them.
After a few minutes of waiting, she was dumbfounded to see Luca coming out of the restaurant.
"Luca..." She gasped. She exchanged glanced between the name signage and him. She was both surprised and confused.
"Are we really having lunch here?" She asked, still couldn’t convince herself to believe what she saw.
Luca approached her, "Yes." His reply was rather in an amusing tone as he smiled ear to ear. He escorted her into the restaurant and she was silent all the way to their reserved table. They were seated close to the window, overlooking the street.
Like all others, he pulled a chair for her to sit and Jennet sat down without saying anything. On the other hand, Jennet was in a dilemma. She couldn’t decide whether to place her handbag on the floor close to her feet or to hang it on her chair. Either way, she finds it not appropriate. At last, she placed it behind her where she sat. No one sees the handbag now, she thought and felt good to herself.
Her eyes, then, fell on the selections of silverware laid in front of her. Her big eyes, became even bigger when she look at them.
On the left-hand side, there were two types of forks, one big and one small. On the right-hand side, there were two types of spoons as well and a knife. All serve for the different purpose of meal courses as it was neatly arranged on the table.
She gulped silently in her seat. ‘Which one should I use first?’
She glanced towards Luca who sat opposite her, "Luca, I would like to tell you that I am not used to eating at a place like this." She said in a low voice. "I will just embarrass you." She added.
She looked around and said again, "I know nothing about dining etiquette either. Don't be cheated by how professional my clothes are. I am actually not used to all these." She desperately explained her situation. She didn’t even hesitate to tell him about the things she didn’t know or things that she was not used to because it would be embarrassing to act like she knows when in actuality, she knows nothing. It would be better, to be honest.
Well, she was used to eating out at the food stall with Marvina. They don't have to watch out for their table manners and most of the time they would use their fingers to pick and to eat their foods, especially fast foods. It was much enjoyable than having to dine properly which was tiring to uphold all of the time.
Her frankness took Luca by surprise. He smiled without feeling awkward, “To tell you the truth, you’re the first person who is frank with me.”
“Eh?” Jennet frowned, “I think everyone is frank enough. Not just me.”
“Not everyone, I’m afraid,” Luca smiled. He had never met someone who was so innocent in how their train of thought works. Most of the women he knew, all acted in front of him. In the end, they embarrassed themselves because of their know-it-all action.
Luca tapped his finger on the table and spoke, “Don’t worry, I am more than happy to share my knowledge with you. Now, as you can see, utensils are placed in the order of use; that is, from the outside in. Appetizers, main courses and desserts, that’s the sequence.” His hand moved as he explained.
"Ohh..." Jennet exclaimed in awe. Luca has always been very kind and patient while explaining things to her. No wonder, everyone feels comfortable with him.
“I’ll show you when they serve our meal.” He added with a sweet smile.
Jennet beamed and said, "Okay, I will copy whatever you do because that’s safer I guess." She chuckled.Luca chuckled too, "Don't worry too much. I will guide you as always. This is partly my fault too because I was eager to bring you here without knowing your concern.”
Yes, he was partly to blame for not asking about her preference. He thought she was the same as the rest of the women who would love to dine at a luxurious restaurant because it was comfortable. But, the same thing does not apply to Jennet. She felt so uncomfortable and she was being honest about it too.
"Thank you," Jennet said and smiled. Her boss is so understanding!
Throughout the lunch break, she followed everything Luca does on which fork, knife and spoon he used and so on. The simple lunch hour turned into the most difficult lunch hour in her life!
On the other hand, Luca enjoyed the moment as he watched her helplessly trying to eat properly like him. He found her to be so amusing and her frankness had slowly captured his heart. Although he had known her for five years, back then he was not so attracted to her. However now, he started to look at her in a different light. The so-called ‘Loveless Woman’ was actually too innocent.
As soon as the lunch break finished, both of them left the restaurant together. Jennet was about to leave but Luca stopped her by the street.
"Jennet, I was wondering if you can consider dating me for real." He said softly with a smile that never faded from his good-looking face.
Jennet froze and so does her mind. Goosebumps crawled all over her body. She was speechless. She had never thought of anyone ever asking her out for a real date. Not even him!
She cleared her throat and asked, "Luca, can we be just friends?" She was worried and it was shown on her face.
Luca looked back at her. "Why?" He asked.
No woman had ever rejected him in his life. If he said that bomb word, they will immediately fell for him but she was totally different. She refused him instantly!
Jennet looked around, feeling antsy. After a while, she replied, "Honestly, I am feeling so awkward right now. Everything that happened today never crossed my mind. Also, you’re my superior whom I respect at work. So, can we just be friends? Good friends?” She was literary begging.
Luca looked at her, "No, I can’t." He answered with a smile.
"Why?" Jennet asked. Her heart accelerated and her face ashen.
Luca observed her cute face. He felt happy to see her being expressive with him and he wanted to see her other expression that she never showed to anyone before.
"If you want to be my friend then, if I asked you out, you cannot refuse." He said, telling her the conditions to be his friend.
Jennet bit her inner lower lip while pressing her fingernails in silence. She was trouble. If she keeps going out with him, his fans will kill her for real. Even at this moment, she had visualized the furious expressions that his fans might show to her.
"Can we just leave it all behind us for now? Honestly, I can only think about being your friend but more than that, I don't think I can." She replied, saying her rejection all at once.
Luca smiled, feeling broken in his heart. But, he didn’t feel so bad about it. Instead, he said,
"Well, I won't pester you with this question anymore. But I hope one day, you can open a bit of your heart to know me even if we start our relationship as friends."
Jennet just smiled. "Okay." She answered.
‘If only I can open my heart that easily...’ She murmured in her mind. She left to work at lightning speed before Luca could offer to give her a ride back to the company.
As she hurried away, Luca smiled alone, "Well, I will win you one day." He left shortly after that.
When the man left, Little Veen appeared on the street. He watched Luca’s car as it left the parking area.
"Now, Master can be worried all to his heart content." He said and disappeared again.
Jennet arrived at her office and was gasping for air. She rushed to the restroom and splashed her face with water at the sink. Then, she looked at her wet face in the mirror. Her complexion was not looking so good. She exhaled and inhaled a few times. ‘Stay calm…’ She exhaled deeply. Everything that happened just now seemed like a bad dream. She shook her head, 'No, no, no! I don't want to have any relationship with anyone within the company. I just want to be all alone with no more trouble. I have suffered a lot and it is time for me to find my happiness.' She washed her face again before wiping her face with a handkerchief that she kept handy all the time. She was about to walk out when she bumped into Marvina who happened to walk into the restroom. "Jennet!" Marvina gasped, her eyes widen in shock. "You scared me!" She said, half yelling. She bent down with one hand on her chest, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry!" Jennet apologized and patted
For once in her life, Jennet had a peaceful working day because Mira was not around to humiliate her. Mira’s minions were also busy with their matters. It gave Jennet the blissful time she had been looking for and she even wrote down in her diary about the peaceful day.After work in the evening, she dropped Marvina at the apartment. Then, she drove home. Luckily, the road was not congested and she reached home around seven o’clock in the evening.While unlocking the front door, she looked around keenly because, for some unknown reason, she felt restless; as if someone followed her from work. But, there was no one around except for the silence that crept around.Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she entered the villa and immediately locked the door; double lock, at least. Ever since she lived alone, it has been the priority to lock the door because who knows who might make an unannounced visit.While changing footwear into house slippers, she swit
Jennet sat alone at the dining table with a cup of instant spicy noodles. She had been eating instant foods ever since she made up her mind to buy a house. As she instilled the unhealthy habit, it became a routine as time went by. It is hard to part from it now. Sometimes, she craved the taste of a proper homecooked meal. However, since she did not usually cook, she abandoned the thought.The same tall figure sat beside her with both hands cupping his cheeks on the table. He smiled as he watched her finishing the cup noodle. When she accidentally scalded her tongue, a scowl appeared on his handsome face and he glared at the cup, badgering the static thing for an answer.‘How dare you hurt my wife’s delicate tongue!’ he cursed at the cup noodle who was probably speechless for the blame if it was a living being.The blond shifted his adoring glance towards Jennet who took a cautious feed from the piping hot cup. Her cheeks reddened as she slurped
Kring!!Jennet jerked awake by the sound of the alarm clock. She stared at the ceiling mindlessly. After a while, she yawned. Then, from under the cover, she reached out for the clock and hit the snooze.After the sound died down, she laid still for a few minutes while scratching her head. “I was dreaming last night,” she reminded herself like a mindless woman. She yawned again like a lazy cat that was forcefully woken up in the morning.As she propelled her body into a seating position, she glanced at the bathroom. Flashes of memories from the event in the bathroom appeared in her head. She looked at herself; she was in her favourite pyjamas. She chuckled, relieving herself of the worry.“I was worried for nothing. Everything was a dream, a wild dream of a single woman who lives alone,” she said to herself. Instead of feeling sad, she smiled widely.She jumped off the bed, slid the glass door to the side and went to the bal
Jennet inhaled a deep breath as soon as the phone call ended. Luckily, Luca was an understanding person because she was being a jerk for forcing her boss to end the call. No one has ever done that to Luca before, probably.Marvina raised her head, "Who called? It sounds quite important." She spoke.Jennet looked at her. "It’s our big boss," she answered with a sigh."Mira?" Marvina guessed. No one other than Mira could make Jennet sigh so much."No, the other big boss," Jennet denied the guess.Marvina eyebrows knitted as she made another guess, "Mr Tybelg?"Jennet nodded and sighed again. She was unhappy when Marvina mentioned that name.Marvina asked another question, “What does he want? It is rare for him to call you."Jennet sighed deeply. Somehow, she was unwilling to tell Marvina about her lunch date with Luca. Yes, yesterday, she was eager to share the news with her but then after things that happened last ni
"Chickenpox?" Dr Tiana's face got twisted.She examined the face before her. There were no red spots or rashes on her face. But, she looked very healthy with her glowing skin. In the doctor’s eyes, she looked like a newlywed.So, the doctor asked kindly, "Can I trouble you to show me where in the part of your body do the rashes appear?”"It is all over my body!" Jennet replied. Her face was the embodiment of worry.Then, she added, "Maybe it is because I am allergic to something. Last night before bed, I ate spicy noodles. But, I have been eating noodles for as long as I can remember. I have never gotten these red spots on me." She showed her stomach to the female doctor.Dr Tiana listened attentively to her while looking at the reddish-purple marks on her skin. Her brows furrowed.'Well, these red spots look weird. It is not even rashes caused by chickenpox.' She thought. The marks Jennet claimed as rashes looked exactly like hi
"Is she gone?" he whispered to Little Veen that stood calmly beside him. "Yes, Master." Replied Little Veen. He glanced at his panic looking, master. "You should enter the house now before she locks the door." "Not now. She will only get angry after seeing me." Hue said and looked at the brightly lit villa. He watched Jennet heading upstairs to her bedroom with her laundry. He sighed deeply. He was the culprit and he did not dare to approach her yet. Little Veen observed his physical body. His master had regained his solid form. He was happy about the achievement. "You have retrieved your body now. Shouldn’t we rejoice for the accomplishment?" He suggested. Hue shook his head while glaring at the little boy. "Not yet,” he barked. “They will take everything back if I start to rejoice for this small accomplishment." He said, feeling wary of what he had just achieved. If he were to rejoice now, there will be no telling when they d
The sun had not risen from the east and the sky was still dark. Everything was still, not moving. No wind to blow the tree leaves. No movements of animals in any area. In the morning, it was just the silence that embraced the surroundings as if everything had turned to stone. "Aahh!!" A desperate scream came from the villa. The scream alone shook everything to live, awakening everyone from their deep slumbers. Birds scattered in urgency, leaving their trees. As light lit up the villa, a shadow appeared on the curtain, standing up hurriedly. The shadow grabbed something and hit someone near its feet. A yowl came shortly after that. "Who are you?!” Jennet yelled and raised the bolster in her hands. “Get out! Get out!" she hit the long-haired man with it. She panicked when she saw a foreign man, half-naked, sleeping beside her as soon as she woke up. The sleepiness in her has washed away as the adrenaline surged throughout her body. It kept her