Playing Hard-To-Get

"How was your daughter, Mr. Kho?"; I heard Devin asked Dad as I am placing the food slowly on the table.

"She was doing great. She's out of town now that's why I haven't brought her here", he explained to him while glancing at me quickly.

"I see. What keeps her busy out of town?", he nods and continuously asked with a curious look on his face.

"Well, I think she is taking her time in seeking adventures. I just want her to unwind since the past few months were really tough for her since I let her handle some of my businesses recently", he told Devin while giving him a genuine smile.

Then Dad and Mrs. Delatorre just looked at each other and teasingly smiled at Devin.

"What is the matter, mom?"; he asked her with a bothered face.

"Do you like her?", she asked him without even blinking.

I froze at that moment, waiting for his response.

Silence occupied the area for a while before Devin can manage to answer her, "No offense to you, Mr. Kho. I just want to be honest. I really admire your daughter but I like someone else".

And it broke my heart, unexpectedly.

I quicken my steps towards the kitchen and let out a deep breath.

"Are you okay, Avery?", Miss Portia asked me since I keep on placing my hand on my chest.

It hurts me a lot for unknown reasons.

I guess it was just my ego.

"No, Miss Portia. I'm not", I answered her with all courage.

"What happened?", she curiously asked me with concern.

"It is a long and complicated reason, Miss. Don't worry, I know I can just get over this very soon. Thank you", I smiled at her before going back to the pool to finish my chore there.

I'm very much aware that I should not feel this way but hearing that in front of him a while left me dumbfounded.

I don't even have a single right to take it seriously but dang, he gave me a broken heart without his knowledge at all.

Now, I'm even having second thoughts if I should continue this since he had already fallen in love with someone else and there is a big chance that that woman felt the same way.

He has the looks, the charm, the wealth regardless of being a womanizer.

If he really fell in love seriously with that woman, he will stop seeing and making out with other women. And she will be very lucky.

Ugh! My thoughts are really making my day worst. 

I felt my phone vibrating while sinking with those thoughts.

'Are you okay, Ave?', Dad really knows me by heart and I'm very lucky with that.

'Don't worry, Dad. I know I can still do it. I still have a month to do it.' My response is quite pathetic and desperate to listen to but I just want to give it a try.

Thinking that I still have ample time to work on it made me sigh.

And it was a sigh of relief, it is like a do or die situation. He believes that I can do it, so I will. 'I won't stay long here. I'll give you time to think about it. Just let me know if there is something wrong going on and I'll be here for you', he added through a text then I heard his car leaving the mansion.

This is why I love Dad so much that I really want to do this for his happiness. 

"Hey! The pool is clean already, can I use it now?"; hearing his voice now irritates me.

I know what you're thinking but who would be happy to hear someone saying that he doesn't like you in the very front of your father? No one does.

"Sure. I'll leave then", I answered coldly while picking my cleaning materials.

"Wait. Let me help you with that", he offered.

 "No. I can manage to bring this on my own", I declined while giving him a deadly stare but looked away after he stared amusingly back at me.

"Come on, Miss Rosenfield. This is just nothing", he remarked while still picking up the tools that were left on the floor.

"If that suits you well, sure". I can see him smiling in my peripheral vision.

Tsk! Can my day get worst than this?

While we are in the elevator down to the ground floor, I can feel the stare that he is giving to me while I'm trying to look in the other direction.

"You didn't forgive me yet, Miss Rosenfield. How can I make you do that?", he asked but I still kept quiet until we reached the ground floor.

"Thanks", I plainly told him after placing the tools in their places.

"No problem", he responded.

I know that he is about to say something again so I cut him out immediately.

"I need to go, sir. I still have a lot to do today", I said before leaving him standing still in the kitchen.

While walking away, I can still feel his stare and I tried to stop myself from looking back but I'm defeated.

I stopped my steps before reaching the elevator and looked back and I saw him in the same spot that I left him.

Seeing the despair in his eyes is making me guilty.

Ugh! No! I still have to follow my plan to get his interest and that is to be a 'hard-to-get' type of woman.

Yeah. I know it's lame. But in this type of guy, wild women will be forgotten after getting laid.

I turn my back and I know, I made the right thing.