SAPPHIE swallowed hard the moment she saw the man she had run away from the day before. He was smiling, one hand extended toward her. Even though he wore a smile, there was something sinister about it that sent chills down her spine. She found herself hesitating over whether to shake his hand. But because she had been raised with good manners, she took it and gave him a proper handshake.
“My friends call me Jake. But you can call me Jacob,” he said, deliberately emphasizing the you. Ha! He clearly had no intention of being friends with her.
She rose from her seat. “My friends call me Sapphie. But it's Sapphire for you,” she shot back with a sarcastic smile. She expected him to tighten his grip on her hand, but instead, he started lifting it toward his lips. With a sharp gasp, she yanked her hand away. A laugh escaped Jacob's throat. He knew exactly how to push her buttons, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was very good at it.
He crossed his arms and looked her up and down. “I knew it. I knew Mom would end up looking for you. So, what kind of lie did you tell my mother about her future?”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I admit I'm not a real fortune teller. It was only a one-time gig, and I'm never doing it again. This time, I plan on getting a real job.”
“Wow, you've grown a conscience. I didn't know you had one. That's hard to believe,” he mocked, shaking his head with an amused laugh as though she'd just told the funniest joke.
She placed her hands on her hips. “Look, I know pretending was wrong. But I never gave my customers false hope. Whenever they asked if they'd become rich, I always told them they'd achieve whatever they wanted through hard work—”
“That's bull,” he cut her off.
“Well, not everyone is rich like you, Mr. del Mundo,” she retorted with an eye roll. He stepped toward her, making her flinch. She instinctively backed away, growing more and more tense. Biting her lower lip, she glanced around, silently hoping his mother would suddenly appear and save her from whatever this man was planning.
“And what about my ex-girlfriend? What exactly did you tell her?” he asked as he continued advancing.
She swallowed nervously. “T-To be honest... she asked me about you. She asked if you were the right guy for her.” That made him stop in his tracks, for which she was deeply grateful.
His eyes narrowed. “And what did you tell her?”
She sighed. “Okay, fine. I admit I kind of told her she was too good for you. But she actually defended you,” she quickly added before he could interrupt. “She said you're actually a decent person. It's just that...”
“What?” he barked, making her flinch.
“She didn't feel like marrying you.”
For a moment, he said nothing. After a while, he scoffed. “Well, it's a good thing I never got around to proposing to her.”
She stared at him, nearly bursting into laughter. Looks like getting dumped by his ex really bruised this guy's ego—and somehow I'm the one paying for it.
Shaking her head, she crossed her arms. “Your ego is the part of your mind that's responsible for the judgments you make about yourself and other people. I know you're hurt—your ego especially. Don't worry. You just need to bounce back after it takes a hit.” The moment the words left her mouth, his eyes narrowed dangerously. She froze in horror. Those weren't supposed to be spoken out loud. Those were just her intrusive thoughts! They were supposed to stay inside her head.
“You've got a lot of nerve commenting on me. Feeling brave now?” She could've sworn she saw smoke coming out of his ears and nose. She had definitely pushed him too far.
“I-I'm s-sorry,” she stammered.
Before he could do something—God only knew what—she dashed past him. But he suddenly grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. She had no idea why, but her foot caught on something, and she stumbled. To make matters worse, Jacob chose that exact moment to let go of her arm, just as she felt herself falling off the raised patio. He actually wants me to crack my head open, she cursed inwardly. She had no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for the impact.
But instead of smashing her head against the ground, something cushioned it.
Sapphie slowly opened her eyes, only to find Jacob hovering above her. The two of them were sprawled on the lawn, and Jacob's hand was cradling the back of her head. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe he had actually protected her head from the fall! They stared at each other, and for reasons she couldn't explain, her heart suddenly began pounding wildly. His dark eyes pierced into hers, and Sapphie had no idea what was going through his mind. She didn't even realize she'd been holding her breath until her chest started aching, forcing her lips to part as she took a shaky breath. His gaze instinctively dropped to her lips, and she literally heard her brain screaming.
“I see you've already met—oh, wow. That's definitely not how I imagined your reunion.”
Avida suddenly appeared, accompanied by her secretary. At the older woman's words, Jacob immediately stood up, shattering whatever strange spell had fallen over them. Sapphie clicked her tongue when he didn't even bother helping her to her feet. She stood up on her own, dusted herself off, and turned toward the newcomers. But her cheeks instantly turned crimson when she saw both women smiling knowingly at the two of them.
Jacob broke the silence.
“What is this woman doing here in our house?” he demanded.
There you are, Sapphie thought. The insufferable man I can't stand is back. For a brief moment, she'd thought she'd seen a completely different side of him while he'd been cradling her head. She'd almost convinced herself she'd imagined it. She secretly shook her head at her own foolishness.
Avida laughed, drawing Sapphie's attention back to her. “Well,” she began, “Sapphire is my new dietitian.”
She delivered the announcement so casually that Sapphie's jaw dropped.
What the heck?!