Chapter 119: Chapter 119

A fair-skinned lady with ginger curly hair, dressed in a tight pink wrap skirt and off-white cowl top, sat down elegantly, tapping her fingers on the table impatiently.

She raised her head, and a smile spread across her face. "Jay, long time, no see!" Megan said as she rose to her feet.

"What are you doing here? Where is Andrea?" Jacob demanded, his demeanor stoic as he scanned the room for any signs of Andrea.

"Well, I don't know who Andrea is or what you're talking about," Megan offered. "How about you sit down and we talk for a while?" She gestured to a chair with puppy eyes.

Jacob scoffed loudly as everything became clear to him. She was the one who had asked the waiter to bring him here. "How long have you been spying on me?" he questioned. He had noticed this a few days ago, but he thought it was just his imagination due to his recent stress.

Someone was indeed tailing him, and it was Megan Trevor, the same woman who had broken his heart years ago and cheated on him with Sean Wilson.

The only thing Megan's presence reminded him of was her betrayal. He couldn't believe she was this shameless after everything she had done in the past.

"Look, I don't know why you're here or spying on me, but this has to stop!" Jacob warned her sternly before turning to leave.

"Jay, I know you still like me." Megan panicked as he retreated, and she had no choice but to stop him this way by going straight to the point.

Jacob turned around, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "What did you just say? I think you must be out of your mind. Look, I don't have the luxury of time to waste on you," he said, walking out. This time around, Megan didn't say anything but followed him.

Jacob marched out of the place in a fit of rage and accidentally bumped into a lady. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to check on her.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" He asked, his back facing him. Her cinnamon-waved hair covered most of her face.

"Yes, I'm fine," she responded, dusting off her dress before picking up her purse and turning around to face Jacob.

"Elena?" Jacob muttered in awe.

"Hey," Elena replied nonchalantly, not looking surprised to see him. After all, she had accepted his date-night invitation on the app just hours ago.

"Wow, what are you doing here?" Jacob demanded, his anger slowly dissipating.

"I...I..." Elena trailed off, lost for words. Wasn't he the one who had extended a date-night invitation to her?

The only reason she had come was to tell him not to reveal she was in New York to Andrea. She felt like Jacob knew her secret; that was the only reason he would send a date-night invitation to someone with no profile photo or relevant information on the app.

"Can we sit and talk?" Elena asked hesitantly.

Jacob nodded quickly. "Sure," he said, guiding her to a table on the ground floor.

"I hope you didn't tell Andrea I'm in New York yet. I know I did her wrong, and I'm planning to tell her everything myself. She's going to be mad at me that I hid this from her for over a year now," Elena sighed deeply, hanging her head in disappointment.

"'Excuse me, what? You've been in New York for over a year now?." Jacob asked again to be sure he heard correctly.

"Wait... You don't know? Then why did you send me a date-night invitation? I thought you'd found out and were looking for a way to reach out to me," Elena said quickly, bringing out her phone and showing him what she was referring to.

"I got a call from Andrea to meet up at this restaurant, but when I got here, I couldn't find her, nor is she picking up my calls; then we bumped into each other on the upper floor earlier," Jacob explained.

"Okay, so I was scrolling through a dating app that I found through pop-up ads when I saw your profile; minutes later, you sent me a date-night invitation," Elena said quickly, pointing out what she meant.

Jacob was stunned; it was the first time he'd set eyes on this app. He was shocked to see his photos uploaded and other relevant information.

"I think I know what's going on now," Jacob finally put two and two together and realized it was another one of Andrea's traps. But did she know that it was her best friend Elena who she set him up on a date with? He thought to himself.

....

Jasmine's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up with a start as the realization dawned on her that it was morning.

She glanced around the room, her heart racing with anxiety. What if Andrea and Sean were home already?

As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, Jace tightened his grip around her waist. "Where do you think you're going?" he murmured hoarsely.

Jasmine tried to wriggle free, but Jace's hold was too strong. "Let me go, Jace!" she hissed.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Where do you need to go in such a hurry?"

Jasmine's face flushed as she struggled against his grip. She finally managed to break free and scramble out of bed.

"You remain here for now, while I get dressed and get out of here," she said urgently.

He raised an eyebrow, but eventually got up and started dressing.

As she made her way downstairs, Jasmine's mind raced with worry about what she would find when she got outside.

Andrea emerged from the kitchen with a jar of Nutella in hand, looking refreshed from their late-night outing.

The twins, Pearl and Ruby, chorused a cheerful "Good morning!" as Jasmine took a seat at the table.

Andrea poured her a plate of pancakes and handed her the jar of Nutella. "Help yourself," she said with a smile.

Jasmine dug in gratefully, savoring the sweet, buttery aroma wafting from the pancakes.

As they ate, Jasmine asked about their night out, and Andrea tried to deflect any questions about what had happened after they left the restaurant.

****

Elena stepped out of her apartment, the crisp morning air invigorating her senses as she scanned the street for a taxi. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a sleek red sports car pulling up beside her.

The glass slid down, revealing Jacob's smiling face behind the wheel. Elena's heart immediately skipped a beat.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice laced with shock.

Jacob's expression turned serious, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he asked, "You forgot what we talked about last night?"

Flash back****

Elena's eyes widened as she gazed at Jacob across the table. "You're saying Andrea was behind all of this?" she asked, her voice laced with shock.

Jacob nodded, his expression somber. "Exactly."

The waiter arrived with a bucket containing champagne, and Jacob poured two glasses without comment.

Elena felt her mind reeling as she tried to process the implications. What did this mean for her friendship with Andrea? She tensed up, her eyes pricking with unshed tears.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Jacob reached across the table, his eyes locked on hers. "Let's think this through, Elena," he said softly. "If you agree, I can help you find a way to resolve the situation without damaging your friendship with Andrea."

As he paused, his eyes seemed to bore into hers, searching for something.

"Elena," he said finally, his voice low and urgent. "Be my girlfriend."