Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Vega POV.

"I love Zach so much Andrianna. I mean when he looks at me, it feels like I'm in a fairytale spending one hundred thousand dollars" I said dreamily, not minding the scowl on Andria's face.

"Fighting with him won't make that money get any closer to you Vega and right now, you've succeeded in destroying your chances by having an out-of-the-blue boyfriend, so can we switch the corrective gear please" she begged with a forced smile, that stretched almost to her ears.

I sat up, getting serious. She relaxed once she thought I was seeing things from her point of view. Andria was right about her whole evaluation of the situation tho, at the rate I was going, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm at the last spot for those who had a chance with Zach.

"What can I do Andria. That guy pisses me off to no end, and then Noah said that he was pretty serious about Arielle. He talks about her all the time, is, and I quote what he said".

"First off, he might talk about her all the year-round, but he hasn't asked her to be his girlfriend, so your money is not lost yet. You just have to make him fall in love with you so that he asks you to be his girlfriend first. If you don't achieve this, then forget about that huge sum of money and I'll also call you a failure for months to come" she threatened, all serious and I flopped back into the bed then trashed around before groaning into the pillow.

Andria watched me until I was done with my drama. "It's pretty easy Vega," she said pulling me up until we sat face to face. "Once you get the money, you get to put him in his place by dumping him first. Isn't that what you want. Then we split the money".

"Split the money?" In what world does she thinks I'm going to share that cash with her. Does she even need the money?

"Yup, someone once told me that they're not a charity case, so I decided that you get to pay me back for the makeover. You know, so you won't be indebted to me forever. I'll take twenty percent". She ended with a flourish. How could I forget she could be the devil's daughter at times. I laughed shakily.

"Of course. You'll get your cut best friend. You can even have the whole money if you want. Oh you don't, well lucky me".

"Stop being sarcastic. This is serious. We need to show that guy that he isn't the only bloke in the world, we need to teach him to stop playing around with our feelings, you need to make him pay" she got out vehemently. Ok, chill girl. Did he dump your ass in the past life or what?

"Don't worry Andria. I've got this. He's already intrigued by me. I'm going to get him, make no mistake about it, then I'll shatter his heart in a million pieces once he falls for me".

Andria grinned, hyping me. "That's the spirit Vega. Make me proud Bess. High five to seal the deal".

I rolled my eyes but smacked my hands against hers. She smiled cheekily. Something told me that things were about to get ugly. Ugh. If I could just stop all these weird feelings that assailed me whenever Zach spoke to me or touched me, it was much worse when he touched me but I had to bear it for the money. Also to teach him a lesson, I can't forget that part. I can do this. It will be a piece of cake. I hoped.

*******

Those green eyes shouldn't be this intense at the early hour of the morning. The tumbling and dipping feeling that always made me feel weird intensified in the pit of my stomach and my mouth dried up, almost making it hard to speak. His gaze raked over me, as he took in my t-shirt and shorts with interest. My hair was back to its mess of curls because I hadn't felt like putting too much effort into dressing up. Andria advised against it, but I wanted to be myself. It was hard to change for someone. I did like the sophisticated badass look, but I was not feeling it today.

We stared at each other until I thought I'd faint. He finally broke the silence and I would have kissed his feet out of gratitude but I knew that would be super weird.

"What do you want. Noah has some business at the company, he's not around for you to chitchat or hangs out". He sounded bitter, almost like he hated me being in his space. I don't let it deter me.

"I'm sorry for raising my middle finger at you the other night" I was not sorry at all. Ok, maybe just a little bit. He was so annoying. "You were being a jerk, so I kind of lost my temper".

His eyes were trained on mine again, almost causing me to fidget where I stood. He looked skeptical, and I could almost see his brain work, as he tried to figure me out.

"Is this your way of saying sorry, cause it's more like you're justifying your actions to me".

See why I said he was annoying. Couldn't he just let it go? I clutched harder at the packet behind my back. His eyes trailed my movement, curiosity taking root, but he was too proud to ask me what I was holding behind my back and since he refused to, I didn't bother telling.

"This is a genuine apology" I smiled with my teeth. Lord forgive me for lying. Amen. "I'd like to treat you out If you don't mind. I also brought you your favorite chocolate" I announced, deciding to quit being all anonymous as I thrust the packet at him. He almost seemed at a loss at how he was supposed to react. Didn't he have girls throwing gifts in his face half the time? "I know they're your favorite. I would have gotten flowers too, but you don't like them". He was freaking watching me again. Can you stop fucking staring at me like that, please? My heart doesn't like such intensity, I pleaded internally.

I exhaled as he dropped his gaze from me to the box I'd given to him, his eyes softening around the edges as he examined the packet.

"How did you know that I loved this..., And about the flowers".

I smiled nervously. I stalked your life history like a madwoman on a quest. Yeah, not going to happen.

"I found out... By myself." Lame!. "Will you have lunch with me"? I requested as I subtly tried to change the subject. I took hold of his hand, surprising the two of us. I made to pull back, but he grabbed onto me. My gaze snapped to his as my heart tumbled in my chest, the green of his eyes deepening until it felt like I was staring into a deep dark ocean... It was suddenly too hard to take in a decent breath. I forced a smile, my heartbeat almost razor-thin as he smiled back at me. I jerked my hand out of his hold.

"Great. Let's go then". I quickly walked away from him, pep-talking my freaking heart to calm the fuck down. He followed closely behind me making it all the harder. Was this some sort of flu? Do I need to go get checked? This can not be healthy?. Right?.

"Where's your car" his raspy voice stopped me in my tracks. Dang. I forgot Andria wasn't going to do the picking up. I turned to face those intriguing eyes of his. Ugh. Can I please take a normal breath before I drop? I had to lick at my dry lips once more and my stomach dipped as I watched his eyes follow the movement making my face heat up. I scratched at my neck awkwardly, avoiding his gaze.

"About that, are you good with a taxi?".

He crossed his arms, and I couldn't help but stare at the swell of his arm muscles. "I'm almost sure you're going to take me to some poisonous restaurant. Are you certain that you can treat Zach Dante to lunch". Ok, bragging much.

"I don't disappoint Mr. Zach Dante. You'll never forget the meal you'd be having today. Trust me".

The smug look was replaced with thoughtfulness. Was he trying to decide whether to trust me or not? It wasn't that serious. He cast those deep greens at me again. I looked down to the floor.

"Let's take a taxi then". I nodded, turning to look for a decent ride. I found one in no time. The ride was quiet, pregnant with unspoken words. Every nerve cell I possessed seemed to activate, making me aware of Zach. My eyes were drawn to his arms, his chest, his thighs, and those beautiful designer shoes. I caught myself before I fully ogled him to the point of being caught. He's a player, he's a player, he's a fucking player and you don't like him. I told myself on repeat.

The ride felt like it went on forever but we finally got to where we needed to be. But judging from the way I seemed to be hyper-aware of him, I questioned myself about how safe it was to be in such an enclosed space with him. I didn't know him that well, It was better to be cautious. I sent a quick text to Andria. We paid for our ride, stepping out of the vehicle.

He looked around, taking in the surrounding.

"I don't see a restaurant" he pointed out, turning to face me.

"You're right Zach, but this is where you'll be having lunch. We'll be making the lunch to be precise. This is my house."