Chapter 168 - The Little Devil
When Zaria returned to her seat, she caught Natalie smiling and giving her a meaningful look.
"What's going on?" She had a strange feeling about Natalie's grin.
"It really was because you had missed your boyfriend. Do you feel better now after hearing some sweet, loving words?" Natalie winked.
"What? He didn't…" Zaria was speechless. No matter what she said, Natalie would never believe a word of it. She was hell set on believing whatever she wanted.
"How is Devonte?" She asked to divert the other's attention.
"He is alright."
Although that was what she said, Zaria was certain that she had caught a hint of sadness in Natalie's voice for a second.
"Is he treating you well?" She asked out of concern. "If he isn't, I will get his die-hard fans to one star the hell out of all his movies." She threatened seriously.
Natalie laughed. "Would you go against your idol for me?"
"Of course, you are my idol too. But what happened?" Zaria asked.
"He is just….busier." Natalie didn't seem to believe that he was busy. She must be thinking of something else based on her tone. "The frequency of his meetings has dramatically increased in the past few weeks."
Zaria was a woman too, so she knew what she was thinking. She played with her fork gently. "You know, Natalie, Devonte is the most famous actor in recent years. There are countless people pining for him and this is not just limited to men."
Natalie frowned slightly. It was true but she felt worse.
Zaria smiled gently. "Despite this, he has never cast a glance at another woman. Let's be real. Putting aside the fact that you are one of the most beautiful women in the city, men don't always cheat because the other women is more beautiful. Sometimes they succumb to temptation. Are you certain that in all these years you have been together, no one has thrown themselves at him?"
Natalie's frown deepened.
"If he was planning to cheat, he would have done so ages ago. You should trust your man a little more, don't you think? Perhaps he has multiple meetings because he is taking on more jobs—to be able to take care of you in future."
Natalie sighed and massaged her temples." To think I would one day receive relationship advice. But you are right, Zaria. I thought too much. I thought that he might have started to grow tired of me after being together for so long."
Zaria didn't blame her for thinking too much. Such long relationships were rare. "Who would get tired of a goddess like you? But if it eases your insecurity, you know what to do, right?" She winked.
Natalie smiled. As soon as Devonte had a chance, she would ask him out on a date and set the mood.
"Thanks Zaria."
Zaria smiled teasingly. "If you want to thank me and all of Devonte's fans in general, give us a little Jupiter soon."
Natalie facepalmed. She had never thought about that.
____
Ximena hurried out of her office. She didn't have enough staff at her startup company yet, so she had to deliver some of the goods on her own. She sped off and hoped she would not get caught in a traffic jam. She was delivering a makeup set to a famous model and heaven knew how unfriendly some of those celebrities could get. She might get scolded or worse, the other party might ask for compensation if she was a second late.
In her rush, she rear-ended a bugatti.
"No, no no…" She froze. Which company's insane CEO could she have messed with? She vehemently hoped it was only the chauffeur—she would pay for the damages and be let off. But if it was an insane billionaire…
Her mind went blank when she saw a stern face leave the backseat with a ferocious glare. To her shock, it was someone she had seen on the television screen a few times. It had just to be Liam Preston. Just her luck.
She quickly stepped out. "Sir, I'm so sorry. I was in a rush and…"
"And you think I had all the time in the world to waste?" He cut her off, his expression worsening.
"That's not what I meant!" She desperately tried to redeem herself. "This, I hope we can settle it privately. Please." this was the first time she was being polite to a man, and it was only because she wanted to get to her destination as soon as possible.
"So you want to compensate me." He looked down at her, towering over her with his height that exceeded hers a great deal.
"Young woman, why do you look familiar?" He observed her face carefully.
"Let me pull over first… my car is blocking the others."
"It's not my business what your car does." He dismissed her complaint with a frown.
She waited for him to tell her how to compensate him, lest she anger this tycoon.
"Mmh...I'm pretty sure I've seen you before." Liam touched his chin as he stared down at her. Were his eyes playing tricks? He was certain that had seen those spiteful eyes before. Moreover, it was rare for him to meet women who looked unbothered in his presence. Although she looked like she was admitting her fault, it was clear in her eyes that she was not in the slightest bit sorry. All she wanted was for the matter to end.
"The only compensation I will accept is for you to buy me a new car. You can take my old one afterwards." He demanded.
"What the heck?! How in the world am I supposed to afford it?" She exploded. He was going too far! Not only was it a bugatti, but it was La Voiture Noire. Even if she pooled in all her savings, it would only be a drop in the bucket compared to the price of the car.
"Didn't you say you would pay the compensation?" He taunted.
She frowned and took out a business card. "Give me a call later and we can discuss the compensation. I'll get going!" She rushed back into her car and drove off before he could say a word. He wanted to extort her? Fat chance!
After driving for just a few miles, she finally realized the huge mistake she had made. She had freaking given him her current business card instead of the old name cards she usually carried around—the ones that contained her former address! She had taken them out of her bag the day before. How could she forget!
"Contact the insurance company." Liam instructed his chauffeur. While he waited for another car to be brought over, he checked out the card in his hand.
Morel Beauty?
It turned out to be the new cosmetic brand that he overheard Zaria talk about with the female employees.
He frowned when he saw the details. Ximena Morel.
It was her!
He entered the new car and let out a laugh. He had only met one girl called Ximena his life and he had never forgotten about her.
He rubbed his forehead with a triumphant grin. "I knew the heavens would give me a chance to pay you back for that rock."
____
About seventeen years ago.
"Liam, hurry up. We will be late." Desmond urged. They were rushing back home after a whole day of fun behind their parents' back. Desmond was afraid that Jaime would rat them out to his parents if he arrived from school before they got home.
"I will… ah!" Liam suddenly gripped his forehead. He felt as though his senses had been numbed by a sudden hit. Who dared to throw a rock at him?
"Liam, are you alright?" Desmond panicked.
"I guess so." He nodded, wondering how he would explain it to his parents.
"It's that girl!" Desmond pointed at a group of teens, along with two girls who looked much younger.
The girl with black hair hurriedly grabbed the other's hand. "Run!"
"Ximena! We cannot run." The brown-haired girl reprimanded, but the girl called Ximena was hell set on evading responsibility.
"They look rich. Of course I will run." She dragged her friend away, and he and Desmond did not catch up to them when they tried to chase them.
___
In the present, Liam tried to think of the similarities between the Ximena he had just met and the little devil from that year. She had haunted his dreams a few times, hitting him and running away with an evil grin. He would never forget the smug face. Now that he met her again, there was no denying that it was her.
It seemed like she really did like running away from responsibilities whenever she made mistakes.
"If you think you are going to run away this time, you are wrong." He laughed in triumph.
______
AN:
The rich boy that Ximena hit in their childhood turns out to be Liam. Isn't the world small?
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