Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Myra eagerly counted the days that she hadn’t heard from either Jake or Hart. Of course, life went on as normal, but she couldn’t hide her exasperation.

That night, she had rejected Jake’s feelings because of her guilt for Hart. And Hart had gone missing for three weeks now. What in the world was going on? Sierra had even joked that she had lost two men in a night, but she had never felt more confused.

She just wanted to speak to Hart about the betrothal and have them come to a consensus before she could tell Jake her conclusion. Either way, it wasn’t going to be pretty. She needed the help from Jake’s family to escape falling into poverty, but she wasn’t ready to let go of Hart just yet. She had grown used to him being around and helping about the house. And he had used the ‘love’ word on her. Her guilt was so overwhelming.

“Myra, if you need to, end things with Hart,” a voice inside her told her. She pulled her lips into a pout and stared through the standing mirror in her room.

“But I can’t,” she murmured. “After so long…”

She thought of their sweet past and then remembered how they had lay in bed like total strangers. With the awkwardness between them, her increasing attraction to Jake and the appearance of Milla’s doppelganger, things were deemed to turn out complicated.

Bali was in the past now. In V City, she would just come to see more and more of Jake.

And then the betrothal, her father’s businesses which involved her legally… What was she going to do? She had lived like a spoiled princess all her life, especially when she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She couldn’t adapt to being poor.

If only Hart was around, he could have lent her a listening ear. She pondered on her thoughts. If that's what she felt for Hart all this time in companionship, should she tell him the truth? That she didn’t love him and saw him as a partner in her life? He was so sincere to her and so sweet each time.

Though compared to their times in Bali, all they did now was dwell in each others’ arms and the comfort of their bodies, she hadn’t thought much about the future between them. The sparks of their so-called relationship would soon die down and the truth would come to light.

Then, what should she do?

…………………………………………………………………..

Lectures went as usual in their university. Hearing the agile chatters of the undergraduates made her feel the bout of loneliness. Jake wasn’t around. Hart wasn’t here to see her. Reluctantly she pulled herself into a study corner and took out her coursebook, pressuring herself to read. She had a few exams round the corner, before her semester break started.

Intense studying was too much for her small brain. After this semester, she would be gone for her internship, she reminded herself. That, coupled with taking over management of her father’s businesses, didn’t give her much free time. She needed someone to walk her over her courses and prepare her for the finals. Could she get a tutor?

Man, this was stressful. Chewing on her lower lip, she closed the book after thirty long minutes. Where were the top achievers in her course, when she needed them? She circled the corridors patiently until she came to the end of the walkway, where the straight paths met with the multi-purpose hall.

A group of five undergraduates assembled together. They were the best of the best, but their actions condoned their prestige. Lionel, their leader, was fond of smoking within the university grounds, but he didn’t score anything lower than an A+ in his courses. There was Felicia, who had more flings in the university than the number of beats she could count in a minute if she took her pulse. The other three students were busy discussing where they could hangout after classes later.

Normally, she wouldn’t have bothered speaking to these arrogant fellows, but she was concerned that her grades would eventually slip due to her negligence. So she mustered her courage and approached Lionel for help. Lionel was in a few of her classes, as they shared a few similar courses despite having different majors.

He looked her up and down, then left and right. She had made a conscious decision to wear a jumpsuit to the campus this morning, which fortunately didn’t bring out most of her elegance.

“You know, we don’t really help anyone who isn’t part of us.” He smirked, about to turn his back on her when another of the girls, a puny one called Lillian, intruded.

“Lion, we could use someone like her.” She chuckled heinously. “Remember, tonight.”

“What’s with tonight?” Myra spoke up. She was a straightforward person and hated dilly dallying. Of course, her situation with Hart was different.

“We party, that’s it,” Lillian smiled. “Would you like to join us?”

Why the sudden question? She pondered. Lillian just smiled, sweeter this time.

“Join us tonight, and you can be part of us,” Lillian urged. “It’s just a couple of drinks. Are you scared?”

She tensed, but taking a deep breath, she smiled back. “Why not? I’ll be obliged.”

Lillian extended her hand to her, which she shook instantaneously. They might be delinquents, but they were the smartest fellows in her batch. Other than them, who should she ask for help with her coursework?

“Wait,” Lillian called out to her, just as she was about to leave with the number Lillian had scrawled on a paper for her.

She turned around and the girl slid a package into her hands.

“Wear this tonight. I presume you know the location?”

“I’ll be there.” She turned around and shrugged after saying these words, before heading back to the parking lot. This was odd. No sign of Jake, still. Hadn’t he a collaboration project with her dean? Where was he during this time?

With a deeper sigh this time, she started up her car and tossing the package and her satchel bag into the empty seat beside her, she drove home.

Her cellphone’s screen was blank when she reached their apartment. No calls from Hart, no messages. That wasn’t like him at all. She clicked on the quick dial setting for his name, to find his phone had been turned off. Maybe he was in a meeting, she thought.

Should she call Jake? It was weeks since she heard from him, and she should probably ask about her father. But that day, she hadn’t anticipated watching him standing for hours under the rain. Before he exited the deserted house, she feigned that she was asleep and he bought it. Then he had gone out into the rain and even started acting weirdly.

All after a few words of rejection. What if he was still upset with her? Had that been the reason why he was not coming to her university? But as a CEO, he couldn’t be that petty? She questioned. But other than asking Jake himself, there was no way she could get the answers to her questions.

In the end, she dialed Uncle Marc’s number. He answered on the third ring.

“Your father, he has been great these days. He is responsive to visits and us talking to him, although he can’t say anything, but we can feel he is reacting. There’s nothing to worry about for now, Myra.”

And Jake? She wanted to ask, but she felt shy. Instead, she asked if he was fine.

“Me? My son insists I keep fit with exercises. And I don’t dare go against his words or he’ll nag at me. Your future husband is a tough nut, Myra.”

“Does he… exercise with you every day?”

“He was sick for a couple of weeks, but he had a conference to attend this week. Don’t worry, he’ll soon make up time for you.”

Jake was sick? Thinking of his fit self and his strong smiles, she had believed him to be the healthy one of them. Unless he had caught a cold from the strong winds and rain that night, she contemplated.

“Thanks for calling, Myra. I have some affairs to attend to,” Marc said after hearing a long pause from her on the line. She quickly acknowledged her presence, and said goodbye.

She picked up the package that she had thrown onto her bed and carefully unwrapped it, wondering why Lillian had been persistent for her to wear it. As she pulled out the sleek material from the plastic, she let out a gasp.

The dress was simply too revealing. It had a gaping neckline which allowed for some sight of her cleavage and was skimpy to boast her curves. In addition, it ended right above her knees. She would need to be rather thick-skinned to don the dress.

Hopefully, other than the gang, nobody knew her at the party.