Chapter Two

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Everything was going great until Richard saw Grace kissing Neil. It was after dinner, the guests had started to leave, and he saw his secretary cosily kissing the doctor. His blood boiled seeing that scenario, with Grace leaning on a pillar and Neil kissing her to his heart's content. Gasping for breath, Richard turned around, unable to look anymore, averting his gaze towards Alex and Faith, who were standing close, and surrounding them was Ben, Vivian and....Jean.

Didn't she care about Neil? She wasn't even looking at him. She must be hurting internally, Richard thought to himself. He was losing Grace, and that was killing him. He needed a plan, soon. After a while, he saw Grace coming toward him, "Sir, I'm heading home."

Richard jerked up from his murderous thoughts. "Okay, let me drive you home."

"No, no. It's okay. Neil, will drive me." She beckoned, and Neil came up and stood beside her.

Richard leveled with him. Neil was okay-looking. He had sable hair, warm, brown eyes and a cute face. His features weren't so sharp, they were blunt and well, sweet. He looked sweet, Richard had to admit that. "Hello, Neil."

Neil extended his hands for a shake. "Hi, Richard. You're Josh's son, right?"

"Yeah, the second one. Well, off you go, then." Richard tried to smile sweetly but it didn't come out like that. He saw both of them exit the house, hand in hand.

Fuck.

It irked him. It bloodly boiled his blood like anything. Neil had eaten the cake, he had made his move on Grace and there was nothing he could do now. Anger was generating in bouts in his body, hurting him. "Richie!" He heard his father call him. He looked there to see Josh beckoning him to the group.

Richard joined the circle, trying to act cheerful. As they talked, and talked, he noticed Jean peering at him. And it made him more angry, because he wasn't able to see her eyes. Anyway, he had no intention to see anything that belonged to her, as her hair was outrageous.

"So, no luck, huh?" Ben commented, mentioning the graceful moment of Grace ditching him.

Richard sneered. "She's mine, and I'll get her."

"Now, now, Richie, don't think about stalking her. . . ." Alex mused, kissing Faith's hand in a casual gesture.

"Of course, not." Richard totally dismissed that idea, though it had come to his mind many times earlier.

"You can try to make her jealous, you know." Josh spoke, sipping his precious, red wine. "It's an old trick, but works like magic."

"Yeah, I've seen it in movies." Vivian suddenly sounded very excited.

"What?" Richard interrogated.

"It's like, the hero is in love with the heroine, and then he tries to make her jealous with another woman, and finally woos her. It's classic."

Richard hummed, listening to everything with utmost care. And then Jean spoke, out of nowhere. "You can try that, Richard."

He just nodded at her, not saying anything. He didn't need advice, he would do what he deemed best. It was already late, and Vivian was begging to get some sleep. He slept on the sofa and within a few minutes, started snoring obcenely. Alex and Faith bid bye and left for their house.

"Rich, you stay here, too."

"No, dad." Richard pleaded to Josh. "I have some unfinished work at home." It was a lie because he wanted to be alone for a while. His thoughts were becoming messier by the second.

"Okay, then, please drop Jean at home, would you?"

What? Richard sneered internally. He couldn't drive her home, it was too much. Too fucking much. Her appearance irked him. He wasn't able to stand with her for more than an hour, her hair glazed like a hot, burning, red sun and her dress had perfect match with it. She looked plastic, almost like a scary doll with freckles.

"Sure." His politeness overpowered his sense of judgement. "Come, Jean."

Jean followed him, silently. Richard couldn't help but glance at her, repeatedly and then shivering at the very sight of her. The woman didn't say a single word, she just hopped inside the car, and put on her seatbelt. And he just started the engine and drove off in full speed. "Where's your home?"

"Just drop me off at the nearest bus stop. I'll manage." She said, coldly.

"No, no, it's-"

"It's fine, really." She stressed her point loudly. "It's unfair to come with such a bimbo. Such a plastic, unreal girl."

His breath caught in his throat. "What? No, you're-"

"I'm not misinterpreting!" Her voice began to shake. "If you hate my looks, if you hate to stand with me, or talk to me, just tell me, directly. Tell me that I will not talk to you! I don't like you! But the way you've been looking at me, with such disgust and criticism, I can see it in your eyes." She sniffed up her tears but it didn't help.

God. Richard kept silent. She was right. It was wrong of him to, you know, judge her look. He noticed her crying, and her eyeliner melting away. As black water ran down her cheeks, he saw her fake lashes coming off. She tore them away and kept them in her purse. She wiped her entire face with cotton pads present in her purse and coughed.

"Do you need some water?" He asked, concerned.

She looked up, directly at him. "No. Thanks."

Time stopped. Her eyes. . . .Gosh, they were blue. Not just ordinary blue, they were bright, aquamarine blue, as if thousands of blue candles were lit inside her eyes, in perfect harmony. They were blue, and large, like a curious child's, waiting to know life's toughest answers and secrets. "Ah, bus stop."

Jean jerked up, nodding her head. "Thank you. Goodnight, Richard. Have a good life." She got down of the car.

"Goodnight, Jean." He prompted as he heard the car door click shut. And just like that, she was out of sight, getting inside a bus and vanishing into thin air.

Shit, this changed everything. She looked...she looked, unique, and beautiful. But what did it matter to him? All he was concerned about was Grace and Neil. Replaying the jealousy idea given by Josh and then supported by Vivian, he drove the car in full speed, through the empty streets of Texas, wishing to get home as soon as possible.







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