A/N: I switched to third person na. Also, this is kinda long-ish. But worth it, I hope. :/
Jade wakes up the next morning to the sound of her new ringtone (less annoying than the one before) blaring dangerously close to her ears. An admittedly large, groggy part of her thinks that it's Althea calling to continue their conversation from last night, but it's just David, checking in to say good morning and to inform her of their plans for the day.
"I'm not free for lunch, but we can have dinner," David informs her. "I'll pick you up at the office around seven? We can go out afterwards too. Make the most of out it before my flight."
Jade closes her still-heavy-from-sleep eyes and buries her head under a pillow. "Okay, sure," she says sleepily. She could use a night out. Even if it is with David.
"Great. Anyway, I have to go. I'm running late for a meeting." Jade rolls onto her back, stares at her ceiling, and waits for the call to be over. "See you later, I love you."
"Yeah, me too,"Jade replies half-heartedly before ending the call. She can't keep doing this, she thinks to herself. It's not fair to her or to David. But it's not as if she can just end it. Her parents will probably bust an artery and David's parents, valuable business partners, maybe come hostile to her family. That isn't good for the family's image. Her Dada and Angkong had drilled in her skull a long time ago that the family's image is it's most precious property and must therefore be protected at all costs.
Paul's scowling face meets Jade when she goes down for breakfast. They haven't exactly talked yet ever since Jade came back, and it's not for her lack of trying. She has tried to reach out, but it's him who refuses to have to do anything with her, ever since that... incident two years ago, before she decided to accept the NYU offer and jet off to New York. She knows it's her fault – she knows she shouldn't have done what she did and she sure as hell shouldn't have left to escape the repercussions of her actions while leaving Paul to take all of her family's wrath, with only Ahiya Gabriel as his ally. She feels guilty – so guilty that she couldn't even look him in the eyes most days.
"Good morning Dada. Good morning mama." She greets her parents before sitting down across her mom. "Good morning Paul."
While her dada and mama both greet her with smiles and good mornings, Paul merely glares at her and finishes his breakfast quickly before slamming his utensils and making his exit. Amanda shakes her head at her son's behavior. Does Paul have to make it so hard for everyone?
"Don't mind your ahiya. He's just being bratty again," she tells her only daughter. "Anyway, are you feeling better? No more headache from last night?"
Jade pours herself a glass of orange juice before shaking her head. "I'm feeling better ma. In fact, David and I are going out tonight. Is that okay?"
Oscar shifts his attention from the newspaper on his hands to his daughter and nods his head in approval. "Of course. That's good. Spend some time together before he leaves. You'll miss him."
Jade almost scoffs at her dada's words but stops herself at the last second. She sighs and puts some bacon and eggs in her plate. "Right." Jade was about to start eating when she notices that someone is missing. "Where's Ama?"
