Beyond Duties

Chapter 23

A/N

Hello my lovely readers, friends!

First, I am so so so sorry for taking too long to update...

I gave birth last January 2nd after 24 hours of labor and ended up on emergency C-section since my baby's head won't drop. Hence, the longer recovery period.

I know it isn't an excuse for keeping you waiting that long, and I'd really appreciate your understanding.

Been through a few episodes of depression (my first child was born via normal delivery, so I wasn't emotionally ready to go under the knife) and some time was needed to adjust to being a mom to a newborn again (after 7 long years!)

Again, I appreciate your patience.

I love you all!

Sorry for the long note... Here's the update you've been waiting for - enjoy!!!

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Jordan's POV

The sultry way she looked into my eyes made me forget all the beating I just suffered from the pentagon fight I managed to win a few hours ago. I didn't know who she was, but the sash on her shoulder confirmed my initial impression that she could be a beauty queen.

"Celebrating?" I heard her ask me, but I failed to immediately respond, like I was bitten by a poisonous viper which delayed my sensory perception. She giggled, seemingly amused by my reaction. I swallowed hard to wake myself up and coughed up a "yes."

It's funny how our first meeting suddenly crossed my mind after almost a decade. Maybe it was the way she looked into my eyes again tonight.

"Curious to find you here, J..." Aya smiled, as she approached and gave me a quick peck on my lips. It left a sweet taste of the wine she just sipped. "I didn't know you were coming to Japan?"

I adjusted the hem of my shirt unnecessarily, as I tried to think of a nice excuse of deliberately forgetting to keep in touch with her and having stood her up on our last date. 

"Katie told me that you went on a trip with Venera."

I couldn't exactly decipher the kind of tone I heard when Aya mentioned Vee's name, and her ever-smiling face didn't give her thoughts away as well. I felt weird.

"Yes..." I heard myself say. I finished my whiskey and asked the bartender for another shot. I realized that Aya seemed to be waiting for an explanation which I wasn't sure I could give her. "Engagement stuff..." I added, before I mindlessly picked up my cellphone and dialled a random number. 

Another sultry smile formed on Aya's lips and I couldn't help but wonder what she has going on in her mind. She reached for my free hand and intertwined her long fingers with mine.

"How long will you have to keep up with that arrangement?" She asked, as my ears started buzzing with all the amount of liquor I have been drinking since the afternoon. I usually had high tolerance for alcohol but I didn't feel particularly composed right now. Not with Aya's unexpected presence. "I know you are just doing this for her sake, but shouldn't you be thinking about yourself as well?" I noticed that she was getting closer to my chest. "About us?" I blinked when I realized that her face was barely an inch away from mine, but I was too petrified to move away. I felt her arms slide around my waist and my arms were made to move around hers, too. I'm not even sure how that happened. It usually is the case whenever I was with her. 

"J... I will always wait for you... But you have to let me know how long I would have to endure this whole set up..." She whispered in my ears, her agony very much audible with the way she sighed. 

I felt Aya's arms tighten around my waist which made the man in me automatically pat her back to console her, but I wasn't sure what that was for. I couldn't understand why she was even saying those words when I knew that we didn't have any kind of set up. The confused crease between my eyebrows must have caught her attention because she reached up and cupped my face in her warm hands. She looked into my eyes, her face showing the saddest expression she could ever have.

My heart was gripped with a weird feeling and I wanted to address it, but my mind was trying to tell me that something was clearly off. Aya was spouting words which didn't have anything to do with our relationship status and despite the alcohol, I knew that I am still in my right state of mind. 

Her actions have always been the same, though - sultry, inviting, and manipulative. The last word I thought of made me snap back to reality and I gently pushed her away. I can't risk being seen again by anyone like I was making out with Aya. The last time it happened, I earned the hatred of almost all my friends, including my assistant, Katie, and Vee's friend, Lenka.

"Please, Aya..." I said in a low voice, "I need to make this-"

There was a surprised look on her face before she seemed to have lost her balance and she uphad to cling to my shirt for support. The next thing I knew, I was already locking lips with her, with her body leaning against the counter and me on top. When I regained my balance, I let her go and helped her straighten up, not wanting to create a scene with what just happened. 

"I'm sorry," I instinctively told Aya as I helped her straighten up. "I need to go." I did my best to resist looking into her eyes again and try reading her emotions to avoid developing feelings of any kind. The longer I stayed with her, I felt the force of obeying her become stronger.

"J..."

As Aya tried to tug at my arm, I hastily stepped back a little farther from her. I knew it was unbecoming of me to leave her alone just like that, but I just could not risk a misunderstanding. Without looking back, I went straight to the bar's exit.

Vee's POV

I didn't realize that being left alone in a room would make my anxiety build up more than when I was with Jordan. I tried video chatting with Guy and Lenka but didn't have much to say, and I simply let them go on with their daily routine as it just turned morning back home. Left with nothing to do, I finally decided to drop whatever bad blood I had unknowingly developed towards Jordan and act a little nicer moving forward. As soon as I heard his invitation for us to meet at the hotel's bar for some drinks, I willed myself to cheer up.

I forgot to return his call and dismissed the idea of sending him a message to let him know I was going to join him. I contemplated on what time I should go, and eventually found myself walking down the hallway which led to the bar. I was about to enter when something - rather, someone, caught my eyes.

There was no mistaking who owned that charming smile radiating even from several meters across the room. His eyes were smiling as usual, twinkling mysteriously like a clue waiting to be discovered.

"Conan?!" I wondered out loud, startling the elderly couple who were standing by the bar's entrance, talking. I mouthed a quick apology and hurriedly went in. 

I would normally be excited whenever a DJ drops a new beat, but this time I felt a bit annoyed when a lively music came on and more people decided to stand up and dance because it meant I would lose sight of Conan who happened to be at the far end of the bar. Thanking my genes for my height, just a bit of standing on my toes and stretching my neck gave me a chance to roam my eyes through the crowd with little effort. It still displeased me, though, that I could not simply push people out of my way. I considered shouting for Conan's name but I don't think my voice would carry over to his location with all the happy chattering and shouting and clinks of bottles and glasses. I just wished I could reach him in time.

As though luck was toying with me, I saw Conan get up from his seat and fix his shirt before starting to walk away. This time, I really tried calling his name, but my voice just got drowned with all the noise. I tried to move faster to reach him, but then again I faltered a bit when I saw him turn and smile at a woman, who seemed too annoyed to even look at him. I instantly recognized the woman's pretty face - Aya.

*****

So... What do you think Conan was doing with Aya?

Let me know via the comments section and better yet, please don't forget to Vote or Share!

Lovelots,

liquidfiredragon