Chapter 23: Chapter 23

After finished preparing myself, I immediately went out to the parking lot where everyone was waiting.

"What is she doing here?" My eyes darted without warning at the woman who was now standing, facing me.

Barra who was leaning in his car turned to hear my voice, as did Elsa and Ronald who were talking.

"Can't I come with you guys?" Moorah put on an innocent face.

"I asked her to come along." Barra replied indifferently.

He must had hit his head with the wall or someone had hit it really hard. He should've known I didn't like Moorah.

I tried to breathe in, not letting this state consume me with negative thoughts and anger.

Barra decided to drive his car while his men got into the other car. After he got in, Moorah swiftly sat on the front seat next to him. He was wearing a surprised expression, seeing Moorah grinning like a cute girl at him.

"She's no match for you." Elsa patted my shoulder as if she knew my emotions were at their end.

Throughout the trip, I was not excited at all.

I sat in the back, right in the middle position between them. I wish Elsa and Ronald were with us, but Ronald brought his own car.

"Want to know the secret seasoning behind my fried rice yesterday?" Moorah was playing with her curly hair, "There are no secrets." She said like she was trying to surprise the listener of her insignificant story. "I just cook everything sincerely from the bottom of my heart." She giggled.

I raised one eyebrow. So, she also knowing that Barra likes fried rice? I rolled my eyes after that question flashed through my head.

"Oh, yeah?" It seemed like Barra was interested in every topic that Moorah was talking about.

"Yep! And, do you know that cooking is my hobby?" She asked in excited way, too excited anyway.

Before Barra answered, my mouth, which didn't have any brakes, spat out the words, "No one cares."

"Sorry." What a bitch! Her eyes radiated sadness while her hands was placed on her lap, pretending like my words were so cruel and had torn her heart.

"Hey don't listen to Jazzlin. She's just kidding." My eyes glanced back to the annoying man beside her.

"Maybe she's right. No one cares to me." She looked up at Barra with puppy eyes. She was absolutely flirting in a holy way, wasn't she?

I snorted loudly so Barra could hear it, "I'm gonna sleep, don't be noisy!" I snapped, not caring about what she just said.

"Didn't you just wake up a few minutes ago?" He asked. Obviously this question refered to me. See? He really liked to annoy me and irritating me more.

"Why? No one can entertain you except me?" Instead of answering, I asked back with a harsh satire question. My eyes were fixed on the rear-view mirror of the car to see Moorah's expression. Clearly, she got bored because she was ignored.

He chuckled, "You're so sassy, principessa."

Moorah cleared her throat loudly. She ran her fingers through her brown hair on the back of her head.

"What? Sexy?" I answered more on purpose when Moorah looked annoyed.

He laughed softly from his driving position and his eyes focused on the road, "I don't mind if you call yourself sexy."

"Just tell me you're agree that I'm sexy." Holy shitake mushroom! My voice sounded like a seductive woman.

"How long will it take us to arrive?" Irritated, Moorah asked.

Barra shrugged, "It might take hours."

After that, none of us opened the topic of conversation. It was what I had always wanted, I could lean back and looking at the outside calmly.

Moorah also looked exhausted, she leaned her head against the glass. I watched her face, which was fast asleep. Honestly she was like a pretty angelic woman like Niki. However, she was not that tall compared to me.

Her eyes were big and looked so pure when she stared, but it didn't guarantee how she thought and how she had treated Jazzlin in the past.

Her curly brown hair shone as the sunlight entered the window. She looked comfortable in her position.

"Now I'm starting to think that you like Moorah." The comment of the man next to her, stole my gaze.

"Hell no! I'm straight." I confessed.

"Straight, huh? So who's the lucky man who stole your heart?" He seemed like he was trying to joke with me. "Is that still the same dickhead? The guy who loved to play with women's feelings?" He laughed at his dry humor.

Something inside my head told me what he meant.

When Jazzlin and Barra entered their high school days, Jazzlin fell in love with a man who was famous as a player. His name was Max.

Every girl fell in love with Max, and he took this opportunity. However, Max wasn't very happy. He wanted to get the attention of a pretty girl who was hard to get to because Barra Ainsley, always by her side.

Until one day, his friends told him about Jazzlin's biggest secret. And it was the fact that she was also crazily in love with him.

And it was what made Jazzlin getting the most traumatic incident in her teenager life. Besides being a player, Max was also very dangerous.

"I dunno what are you talking about." I was kind of embarrassed even it wasn't me, but the real Jazzlin.

"Said the woman who had been broken heart ever since in high school." It was as if he was mocking me.

"So funny."

"You kept begging me to come over to this asshole's party." He stretched his arms. "Until that night, I was the one handling him." He shook his head, and light chuckles escaped his lips. "Making his face tasted my fist."

"I bet you're feeling pleased with yourself."

"I am." His answer made me flicking his elbow from behind.

"It feels like an ant bite." He stroked his elbow, making me laugh quiet hard.

The sound of Moorah moving her seat made me stop my laughter until she went back to sleep with her face facing at the glass.

"Why did you invite her to come with us?" I advanced my sitting position to be close to Barra.

"I can't possibly leave her alone there. Your father asked me to take care of her as well when he was gone, so I can't leave her. You know your father's guards isn't that strong and he was afraid something bad will happen to her." He explained with seriousness on his face.

"You're a responsible man." I smiled.

Noticing my smile through the rear-view mirror, he said again, "I stick to my words, principessa." I leaned my head behind his headrest where he sat, "Jealous too much?" He teased me.

"Nice joke." I mumbled, admiring his face from the rear-view mirror.

His hair was messy, scrambled in different directions. His luminous hazel eyes tapered at the path in front of us. He grasped the steering wheel of the car with his well-built hands, then my eyes roamed at the up button of his shirt that he left it open. Dangerously attractive.

"Checking me out, principessa?"

A deep furrow showed across my forehead, "How do you know?" I knew, his eyes were focused on the road.

"So, you really checking me out, huh?" His chortle was making my lips opened wide for getting caught checking on him.

"No!" I insisted in embarrassment, "You haven't answered my first question, how do you know that?"

Opening his mouth, "Do you really want to know?" He asked rather uneasily as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I am really really really want to know." I was impatiently waiting for his answer.

"That's a waste of the word." I rolled my eyes at his comment.

I just waited silently for him to say a word, he looked doubtful before finally his lips parted, "Do you know who's the most important person to me after my mom?" Sadness swam in his shiny eyes as his hands tightly were gripping the steering wheel.

My eyes never left the rear-view mirror. I didn't want to miss the slightest facial expression he showed me. I didn't expect my simple question to turned into a lengthy speech like this.

He laughed coldly, "She's the little girl who threw away Mrs. Lidia's sandals."

It was Jazzlin. He meant... me?

I felt like all my blood rushed to my head.

"When she became important in my life, her every move can't possibly slip from my sight. And surely, I'll try to protect her according to my ability." He said as his eyes turned into icy stare.

I didn't dare to stare at the rear-view mirror again for a moment his eyes darted there, making our eyes met each other. I said nothing but turned at Moorah who was still in her dream.

"Even though my eyes don't look at you, the attention of my whole body never stops away looking for your figure." He spoke softly.

My breath stopped after being hit by the incessant heartbeat. I felt the extra knot in my stomach. My thoughts and my feelings were really inexplicable.

A thin smile never left my face. Maybe he could clearly see that I was getting too nervous, but I didn't care. At least he knew, what he said had a big effect on me.