I pulled away from Lennox's grasp, muttering, "Get your hands off me." The bitterness in my voice was palpable.
Wayne had already walked away without a word, his clenched jaw betraying the turmoil within him.
Lennox eyed me suspiciously. "You still have feelings for him," he stated matter-of-factly.
I felt a surge of frustration as I replied, "So what? It doesn't concern you in any way." I turned and began walking back towards the mansion, desperate to put some distance between us.
"Well, it does concern me, considering I'm now your fiancée," Lennox said, following closely behind me. The mere mention of that word made me want to retch, and I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"It's not like you'll ever have my heart," I spat out bitterly, the resentment clear in my voice.
"Doesn't matter," Lennox responded nonchalantly, his casual tone only serving to infuriate me further.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him, my frustration etched upon my features. "Then why are you going to marry me?" I asked irritatingly. "Why go to all this trouble just to stir things up?"
Lennox's eyes gleamed with a twisted amusement as he simply stated, "Because it's fun."
His words sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of twisted mind game he was playing. The realization that I had become a pawn in his twisted schemes only served to deepen my sense of dread and discomfort.
His words left me dumbfounded, but I quickly recovered and sneered, regarding him as nothing more than a twisted, crazy bastard.
Frustration surging within me, I entered my room and grabbed the bag I had earlier. With a sense of purpose, I exited the room and approached Mamang and the rest of the family in the kitchen.
"Mamang, I'll be leaving," I announced simply, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Mamang's expression conveyed her wonder at how I had managed to leave the room, but she refrained from voicing her questions in the presence of the visitors.
Lennox's mother spoke up, her gaze appraising me. "She's really beautiful. My son has chosen a good bride." I mentally rolled my eyes in sheer frustration, refusing to dignify her comment with a response.
Instead, I bowed politely to Lennox's parents and to my own family members, then turned and walked away without a backward glance.
When I reached the parking lot, I spotted Manong, my trusted driver, conversing with the maids. "Manong, let's go back to my condo," I instructed him. Manong immediately arose from his seat, retrieved the car keys, and followed me.
He unlocked the car and opened the door for me. Once I was seated, Manong got in and started the engine, securing his seatbelt before driving off.
The entire journey was shrouded in a tense silence, as I grappled with the weight of Lennox's twisted revelation and the uncertainty that lay ahead.
I arrived at my condo and instantly sought the comfort of my bed. It had been such a tiring day, filled with stress and turmoil. I couldn't fathom who had come up with the idea of marrying me to Lennox dela Cruz, but it was certainly no laughing matter.
"Gosh, I hate that I'm 28 but still have no power over my own life," I shouted, covering my face with a pillow and moving my feet vigorously in frustration.
Everything I had worked so hard for now felt like it was slipping through my fingers, as if I were being controlled like a mere puppet. How had it all come to this? I had always prided myself on my independence and ability to make my own choices, yet here I was, seemingly at the mercy of forces beyond my control.
I buried my face deeper into the pillow, trying to muffle the cries of anguish that threatened to escape. This was not how I had envisioned my life unfolding. The thought of marrying Lennox, a man I had no true feelings for, filled me with a sense of dread and revulsion.
As I lay there, my body wracked with tension and uncertainty, I desperately tried to devise a plan to call off this ill-fated engagement. But the more I contemplated my options, the more hopeless the situation seemed. I couldn't simply walk away without facing the consequences, both personal and societal.
The weight of it all seemed to press down on me, and I felt utterly powerless to change the course of events that had been set in motion. Tears of frustration and helplessness began to flow freely, dampening the pillowcase as I grappled with the overwhelming sense of being trapped in a life that was not my own.
I wiped away the remnants of my tears as my phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, I saw it was Wayne.
"Hello?" I answered, my voice slightly unsteady.
"Kaelan?" I asked again, seeking an answer from him.
"Can I see you briefly?" he responded, his tone heavy and weighed down. I hesitated, not wanting to engage in any more unnecessary drama.
"What?!" I replied irritatingly, hoping he would take the hint and leave me be.
"I'm outside your condo unit door," he sighed.
Without a word, I instantly rose from the bed and hurried to the front door. Upon opening it, I was met with the sight of Wayne, completely drenched from the rain.
"What happened to you?!" I exclaimed, my frustration momentarily overshadowed by concern. Before I could say anything else, he pulled me into a tight embrace, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Damn, I missed you so damn much," he murmured, his words muffled against my skin. The frigid chill of his wet clothes seeped through to my own, but I found myself momentarily caught off guard by the intensity of his actions.
"What the hell happened to you?" I kept asking, but he just deepened the hug, unwilling to let go. I mentally rolled my eyes and tried to push him away gently, but to no avail. After a moment, he finally released me from the embrace.
"Get inside," I said, tilting my head to gesture him inside. He obliged, but before I could walk towards my room, he caught my arm and pulled me into another hug.
"Wayne, stop this. This isn't something we should be doing," I told him gently, but my voice was stern. Despite my words, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of longing as his hands moved along my back.
"I don't care, fuck, I missed you so much," he replied, gently brushing his hand along my back. As his hands brushed against me, I felt a flutter in my stomach, a familiar sensation I had tried to suppress.
I prevented his arm from moving, but he didn't listen. He kept gently massaging and stroking my back, and nearly all of my hair stood up in a tingling sensation.
"Wa-Wayne..." I muttered, and when he heard me calling him that, he froze and broke free from the hug.
"What did you just call me?" he asked, still in awe. I shook my head and walked towards the room to get a towel and a robe for him to use.
"Amarra, what did you just call me?" he shouted, now running towards me in my room.
"I don't know? Why?" I asked innocently and gave him the towel and robe. "Take a bath, you shouldn't be wet from the rain like that. You'll get sick."
"But," he tried to protest, but I started pushing him towards the bathroom until he entered and closed the door behind him. I didn't know what clothes to give him, so I called someone in the lobby to bring a t-shirt and pants in his size. They promptly delivered it to my doorstep. After that, I placed the clothes on the bed and grabbed another set of my own as I was also soaked from the rain. I quickly changed and then walked outside the room to prepare food for him, knowing he probably hadn't eaten anything yet.
"Why am I doing this?" I asked myself in a low and frustrated tone. I couldn't grasp my reasoning for these actions, knowing they weren't suitable for my future role in his life. Allowing him into my unit alone and back into my life is a mistake. It will only complicate matters further. I dread the thought of my sister finding out about this.
As I shook the food with a ladle, I felt his hands gently wrap around me from behind.
"He-hey," I uttered, trying to loosen his grip on my belly, but he seemed oblivious, tightening his hold instead.
"It smells so good," he remarked, his breath tickling my neck as he inhaled deeply. A jolt of electricity surged through me, causing my hair to stand on end and a swarm of butterflies to flutter wildly in my stomach. The sensation was both exhilarating and unnerving, sending shivers down my spine.
"Wayne, stop this," I whispered, closing my eyes tightly as I struggled to suppress my overwhelming emotions.
"Damn, don't say my name like that. I can't hold back anymore," he responded, his voice strained with the effort of restraint. We were both teetering on the edge, caught in a whirlwind of emotions that mirrored each other's turmoil.
I could feel his manhood pressing against my back, and he immediately distanced himself.
"Damn," I heard him curse under his breath before he abruptly left. I bit my lower lip, trying to steady myself, and took a long, deep breath. The allure of this temptation was becoming increasingly difficult to resist, a force that I knew I couldn't hold back for much longer.