Shane shook his head. His attention was also drawn to the two beautiful women talking a few meters away. He could not take his eyes away from his ex. His feet tapped on the floor, restlessly waiting for Leila to leave her.
“Lucky you. Don’t miss the opportunities given to you, bro.”
“Of course, you too, bro.”
Julius remained mum as he observed his friend’s back disappear in the distance.
‘If only he did not cheat. Maybe he and Rui would be married by now.’
With a stoic look, he looked unapproachable. But still, there are people who recognized him as the heir of Crest Fashion Group. And… And as Leila’s ex.
He smiled and politely talked to the people who asked him to send their regards to Leila.
Of course, his presence means one thing.
Leila and him are on good terms.
After all, who would invite their ex-boyfriend to such an important event like this?
Unbeknownst to him, another watchful eye observed everything that went down. Her hands gripped her mobile phone in disgust.
“Fucker,” she mumbled.
“Woah there~ Your word is a little too explicit, Boss Phyllis.”
Taylor Lown joked as he stood behind Phyllis, who was monitoring the live CCTV footage on her phone.
Phyllis, who was crouching outside the parking lot of the bar looked up and glared at Taylor, clearly not in the mood for laughs.
Taylor raised both of his hands in resignation. “Oh, don’t glare at me like that! I’m here to ask you one thing, boss.”
“What is it?”
“Leila… Does she like flowers? What kind?”
Taylor’s sly smile creeped Phyllis out which made her blurt out, “Red roses. Go and be done with it.”
“Sweet! Good thing I prepared a variety of bouquets!”
Taylor went to his car to get one of the bouquets he prepared for Leila. Because he did not know what kind of flower she liked, he prepared a variety to choose from. It was a good thing that he saw one of her best friends so he could verify.
Before going back in, he went to thank Phyllis. “Oh and also, you might want to get up and sit inside. Luna is with me. Do you want to come?”
Phyllis immediately got up and said, “No, thanks!”
She then bolted to her car without looking back.
‘Weird… I thought she liked Luna?’
“She always misses the opportunity to see her idol…”
Taylor went back inside the bar with a beautiful bouquet of roses. There he saw Leila talking to the members of Luna, an idol group in his company, GEM Entertainment. Rain Lee, Ryder Park, Cassiel Chua, and Zacharias Lohr comfortably sat on the couch with their manager, Eli Lee, and Leila, the star of the night.
He brazenly squeezed himself beside Cassiel so he could sit next to Leila.
“Hey, Lei and I are talking!” Cassiel yelped as he was pushed against his will.
Taylor ignored him as he flashed a sweet smile. “Congratulations, Leila.”
Leila smiled back. “Thank you, Taylor…”
Her eyes focused on the bouquet of roses which were bedazzled with small diamonds. Her eyes twinkled upon the sight of the shimmering stones on the crimson-red flowers that she had always loved.
Taylor then passed the flowers to Leila and whispered, “The flowers perfectly match your luscious red lips, Lei.”
Leila felt the hotness of his breath on her skin. She could smell his musky and woody scent lingering this close. His beard made him look extra hot and mature.
‘Mojave ghost really does fit his aura…’
“I like your scent, Taylor… What scent is it?” she whispered back.
He leaned in closer to her. “I’m wearing a Byredo Mojave ghost…”
“What’s your favorite scent, Taylor? Maybe I could add it to my collection.”
Taylor’s soft chuckle tickled her ears. Despite the loud roaring music in the bar, his sultry laughter filled her mind.
“That would be my fresh from the bath scent,” he joked.
His mischievous lips curved. “Would you like to try?”
Leila giggled at his flirty words.
‘Nice try, flirt!'
She tapped his nose with her forefinger.
“Oh, I’d love to,” she flirted back.
Her confidence and seductive smile took Taylor aback. Women always acted shy and coy with him. He liked playing with innocent and cute girls. He prefers innocent girls who would dilly dally and drag things over. It’s a bit tiring but he loves the thrill of making the girls submit and leave everything for him.
He loves the thrill of the chase.
But Leila’s straightforward and flirtatious response took him aback. Just a minute ago, she was giggling shyly. However, her responses suggested something. He never expected that she would be whispering those words back.
He felt a little itchy in his chest as he tried to compose himself.
‘Why is she…’
“But it’s fine if you don’t want to, Taylor. I can try to smell it myself some other way.”
He froze.
One minute she’s hot.
The next minute she’s cold.
She pushed herself to him and then pulled back in just a few seconds.
‘Leila… You’re playing games with me.’
Taylor took a shot of whiskey on the rocks. “No takebacks, Leila. Why don’t we make it happen?”
Leila held the flowers before standing up. “Hit me up, and we’ll see how it goes, Mr. Lown.”
Leila’s curvaceous body made Taylor pause and take a shot.
‘F*ck, she’s so sexy!’
“I’ll get going now.”
“Lei, text me, alright!” Cassiel shouted at Leila.
Leila nodded while waving her hand. “Got it, babe!”
Zacharias also rose up and went to Leila’s side. “Where’s Rui?”
“With her husband,” Leila answered as a matter of fact.
Clink.
Taylor placed the shot glass back on the table. “I suggest you do not look for Rui, Zach.”
“Why? Where’s my nephew?” Zacharias asked.
“Beatrice took him home, Zach.”
Leila answered before leaving the group.
The night is still young and yet she never felt more tired. She walked out of the bar and went straight to her atelier. In just a few hours, the atelier was clean, as if nothing big happened in her place.
Her mind was blurry as she lay on the couch inside her office. In her arms, she held the roses that Taylor had given earlier. It shone brightly in the dark and gloomy room.
“Leila! Hurry up!” A petite high school girl ran towards Leila who was tying her hair with a silky red ribbon. The red color emphasized her beautiful ebony hair. Her fair skin was glowing under the sunlight. Leila Parker and Rui Yoon hurried after their friend Phyllis Lu. They were all dressed in blue checkered skirts and navy blue blazers. The only difference is the color of their ties. Rui Yoon was wearing a navy blue tie for senior students while the other two ladies were wearing muted blue ties for middle school students. One can know the level of students of Centriona School of Gifted by looking at their neckties. In this case, Rui Yoon is already a graduating student, while Leila and Phyllis are middle schoolers. After a long and tiring school day, Leila and Rui were dragged by Phyllis to a nearby mall to see a mall show. Phyllis stood behind a pillar, far away from the stage. Leila confusedly looked at her friend, who was trying to hide herself from the artists on the
“So? What happened to your face, Lei?” asked Phylian Lu, who was comfortably resting his arms on top of Phyllis’ head. From the moment that Leila woke up, she’s been in a bad mood. She doesn’t know how to take in what her father just arranged for her. ‘Marriage?! I’m still too young for that!’ ‘Does mom know about this? When is she coming back from Paris? I need to see her…’ Her frown deepened as she thought about what happened. Just then, Phyllis yanked her twin’s arms away from her head. “Get off, asshole!” “Hey, I’m your older brother, watch your words!” “Oh, yeah? Older by a minute?” Phylian snorted. “I’m telling Mom!” “Go tell mom, you suck up!” Phyllis fearlessly argued back. Phylian couldn’t help but pinch his sister's nose in annoyance. “Isn’t that you? You even suck up to Grandma and Auntie!” Phyllis did not back down and delivered a flick on his arm. “They favor me because I’m pretty and you look like shit.” “We’re twins! We look alike!” Listening to the twi
Leila rushed out of the office and went straight back to their classroom. Phyllis and Phylian who just made up with each other both noticed the change in her mood. But since the afternoon class was about to start, the twins did not bother to ask her. RING~ The class bell rang once the class hours ended. One by one, Leila’s classmates all went out of the classroom to attend their extracurricular activities. “So? What happened to you?” asked Phyllis, who was fixing her bag. She was getting ready to attend a practice for an upcoming dance competition.“I… I’m getting engaged…” she said with so much difficulty. She couldn’t bear to think of the engagement, much less speak of it. “Pardon?! With whom?!”“HOLY SHIT?! With whom?”The twins’ loud voices echoed in the classroom. Both Phyllis and Phylian were surprised to hear about this news. They couldn’t believe that at their age, Leila would get engaged.Leila’s eyes watered as she suppressed the anger in her heart. She doesn’t want to b
“Laura…”Laura Ning glanced at her friend, Hillary. “Hmm?”“What if Leila wants to be engaged with that boy?” Hillary curiously asked. “There’s no way! She was crying when the kids brought her here yesterday! She hates that boy!” Margaret answered for Laura. Laura just looked at Hillary, crestfallen. The question made her think of the what-ifs. No matter how absurd the idea is, at the end of the day, Leila’s happiness is her top priority. “MOM!”Leila yelled in joy as she saw her mother waiting in the living room for her. She hurried down the stairs to hug her mother.Laura welcomed her daughter with a tight and warm hug. “My Leila, how are you?”“Mom! Dad, arranged a marriage for me!” she complained straight to the point without dilly-dallying. She did not bother hiding it from her mother. She has always been very close to her mother to the point that she shares everything with her. From the minor annoyances that she feels to the happiest moments of her life. Her mother knows it a
Later, at midnight, Leila sneaked out of their house to go to a nearby playground. Inside the pocket of her cozy jacket is a tumbler filled with red wine. She always heard that one would forget their problems with alcohol. And so she went out to try it. She cannot drink inside their house since she’s afraid that their helpers will see her. The yellow streetlights shone brightly under the moonless sky. The surroundings were dark and cold, enough to send shivers down Leila’s spine. She nervously sat on the swing seat as she looked around. There was no one around. Except for the security guards who are set to roam around the village, she practically won’t see anyone. She took out her tumbler and smelled it. “Ew! It smells strange! How can anyone drink this?”Her nose scrunched up upon smelling the intense fruity scent from the bottle. Since it was new to her, she couldn’t help but feel strange. She closed her eyes and covered her nose before taking a sip of the sweet red wine. Sur
Laura and Allen hurried to the Yu family’s mansion upon receiving the call about Leila. They were still asleep, but when they heard the news from Kimberly Yu, they immediately went out to go to their house. “Allen, hurry up…” Laura urged her husband to drive faster.Allen sneered. “Isn’t Leila just like you, Laura? Sleeping around with men at such a young age. That’s how I ended up marrying you.”Laura’s gaze darkened. “How dare you?! You don’t know what I’ve been through, Allen!”Allen laughed at his wife. “Laura, we both know what happened to you. So stop acting holy and admit that you’re a slut.”Laura clenched her fist. Of course, she knows the whole story. After all, it was she who decided to keep her dear daughter, Leila. And it was a decision to involve Allen in her troubles. ‘Just until Leila becomes an adult. I’ll divorce this piece of sh*t immediately.’She turned her head to face the road as she ignored Allen. It would be more peaceful for her if she just kept quiet and i
Leila took a week of absence from school. She still can’t mentally show herself to school, fearing that someone will bully her for not being a virgin. She was afraid that someone would find out her secret and spread it to their school. She just spent her time, cooped up in her room, painting. Except for her mother, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Not even their maids. She doesn’t want anyone to see her in this state. She feels hopeless. Like no one wants to pay attention to her side of the story. She felt alone.She knows that if she relies too much on her mother, she will harm her. And that’s the last thing that she wants. Her mother is the most important person in her life. She was the only one who sided with her. So she can’t make it more difficult for her. Not even her father paid attention to her cries, and only took advantage of the situation. And for this, she despises him greatly. He was never present in her life, and now he’s acting like a father by asking Julius to
Leila entered the classroom with her friends. Getting up from bed was such a chore for her, but she needed to go to school again. Rui and Phyllis both stayed to sleep over. Because of them, she was able to rest well and properly prepare for school again. Opening up her worries lifted a lot of weight from her shoulders. She told them about what led to her current situation currently. They all listened closely without judging the rebellious act that she did. They never blamed her for what happened, they only promised that they would protect her more from now on. This time, she felt heard; like all her feelings were valid.“Leila, are you feeling okay now?” a classmate asked. “Yeah, Leila… It’s good that you’re back but are you fine now?” Her classmates showing their concern made her happy. She couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I’m alright now. Thank you,” she answered. Leila went straight to her seat with Phyllis. She then poked Phylian who was quietly reading a book behind her and