Chapter 8
2222 Words
Dahlia
“Are you sure it’s him?” Scarlet asked me for the tenth time and I shot her an annoyed glare. “I’m sorry. It’s just so unbelievable.” She mumbled under her breath.
But can you blame the poor girl? I myself couldn’t come to believe that Jinn was here in front of me, after ten years as my Fiance.
“Did you not know that you were working for the Mancini’s for the last two months?” Xavi asked with a similarly dubious expression marred on his face.
“Everyone called them with their first names and I didn’t have the need to know their full names..” I know I probably sound like the dumbest person living on this planet right now.
“What are you going to do now, babe? He looks like he will strangle you any moment now..” Scarlet inquired, rubbing salt to my wounds.
I gingerly looked across all the crowd to where he was sitting with Leo and I froze when his electric blue eyes stared back at me with a murderous glint in them, forcing me to swiftly avert my eyes.
“I don’t know. God, what am I going to do now?” I buried my face into my face and groaned loudly.
“Babe, just calm down, I am not letting him hurt you in any way..” Xavi reassured taking a hold of my hand. After a few more minutes, Jinn’s cousin Alana and Anna came to have a chat with us but I couldn’t ignore the two eyes which were boring holes at the back of my head.
“It looks like Jinn finds you very attractive..” Anna spoke and if I wasn’t in this terribly messed up situation, I would have laughed out loud at that.
“Yes, I agree with you, nana. What say, I go send him here to have a heart-to-heart talk with our Dahlia?” Alana asked Anna and before I could stop her she was on her way towards Jinn.
I pretended to be busy talking to Anna, mentally praying that Jinn wouldn’t come here but I knew my prayers were unanswered when I felt a strong masculine presence close behind me.
“Excuse me, grandma, I need to talk to her for a sec..” And before I knew it, I was hauled by Jinn in the most barbarous way possible. His fingernails sunk into my flesh with the intensity to tear my flesh apart as he dragged me upstairs.
I wanted to tell him how badly he was hurting me but I decided otherwise. I knew this is nothing when compared to the pain I let him suffer and that I deserved more than this for all I had done to him.
Every word he spoke to me while we were inside the room felt like a stab into my already bleeding heart. It showed me how much he hates me and that I am ruined for the rest of my life if I married Jinn.
Once Jinn left me alone in the room, I slumped down on the marbled floor and let my tears flow uncontrollably.
If only I had a choice and wasn’t in such dire need of money, I would have called off the wedding right then and there. After all, it wasn’t new to me. I had done it once before and I could do it again easily. Calling off the wedding would be the only possible way for me to save myself from Jinn’s clutches and the harsh treatment that is in store for me but I decided against it, not only because I needed money but I also did not want to let down and disrespect Anna and Leo in any way.
I didn’t know I long I sat there bawling my eyes out until I heard Scarlet’s voice outside the room, “Dahlia, are you okay in there?”
“Y-yeah.. I am fine. Just give me a second..” I spoke, hurriedly wiping off my tears.
When I opened the door, I watched her gasp loudly as soon as her eyes fell on my face, “Babe, have you been crying? Did he hurt you or something?”
“No no..” My eyes once again became moist with fresh tears but I tried to stop them by blinking my eyelids rapidly.
“Then why are you crying?” She asked me with concern-filled eyes.
“He just said some mean things which I totally deserve..” I chuckled sadly and rubbed off the unshed tears that somehow managed to slip out of my eyes.
We both walked down to the living hall where everyone was probably looking for me. All throughout the night, I couldn’t stop thinking what kind of beast I have managed to bring out of the man who was once so gentle to me and treated me like a delicate flower.
*
10 years ago
Once my driver stopped the car in front of my dad’s office building, I wore my Ray-ban sunglasses and stepped out of the car. Walking through the building’s corridor, I took the lift to reach my dad’s office.
Without bothering to knock on the door, I pushed it open only to find the hot guy I met a couple of weeks ago when I came to visit my dad. I gave a long, lingering glance at him, who was probably busy arranging the papers into the file before I entered.
His golden-brown hair was tossed back, his blue eyes were piercingly attractive, he was tall and his built was quite muscular for his age. But the most prominent feature on his face was his sharp jaw which was so sharp that it could cut a rock. Everything about him seemed perfect to my eyes. I couldn’t deny how attractive he looked. And on top of it, he looked so young to work here as my dad's secretary.
He cleared his throat with a smirk to make me realize that he had caught me checking him out shamelessly.
“Uh.. Hi, I’m Dahlia. You must be the new Secretary..” Fighting the red that spread on my face, I stretched my hand out to him which he grabbed gently and shook.
“Yup, nice to meet you, Dahlia, I am Jinn Leonie..”
“Jinn..” I repeated after him and felt his name rolling off my tongue like molten chocolate. The surge of current that passed through our connected hands couldn’t be ignored even if I wanted to.
“I am here to meet my dad. Do you know where he is?” My voice came out in a surprisingly polite tone which I am sure I never use with other guys.
“Oh, Mr. Wilson has a meeting with his Australian delegates at hotel Marriot. If you want you can wait here, He should be back in an hour..” He said paying a quick glance at his wristwatch.
“O-kay..” I spoke, giving him another detailed look. “How old are you, Jinn?”
He looked at me with narrowed eyes and thinned lips, “Why do you ask?”
“You don’t look a day older than twenty, yet you are working as a secretary in a multinational company..” I said crossing my arm over my chest.
He chuckled, “You are right. I turned twenty last month but I skipped a couple of grades in high school..”
I whistled and hopped up on the desk, “Ohh.. Then you must be one of those nerdy ones, huh?”
I noticed him rolling his eyes, “That’s what everyone called me but I would like it if you don’t..”
I giggled, my eyes involuntarily running over the crisp white button-down shirt that hugged his physique. I hated to admit that I found him extremely desirable and it was confusing to me.
I dated guys not because I found them attractive or something but just to fit in the circle of my friends. This is the first time I was drooling over a guy so much that I was scared that he might notice it in the corner of my lips.
Not that I was bored or something but I don’t know why I wanted the conversation with Jinn to go on. “So, tell me Jinn. How’s my dad treating you? Is he too harsh on you like the other arrogant bosses out there?”
Jinn grinned and c****d his head to the side, “Are you trying to frame me or something?”
I giggled, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I just want to know how my dad is with his employees. I haven’t talked to one before..” That was true, most of my dad’s employees were more than fifty years of age. This was the first time I was seeing a guy in his twenty running around my dad’s office.
He hesitated a bit but finally spoke, “He can be tough at times but nothing of a rude sort..”
“Hmm, I guess you don’t trust people very easily but that’s okay..” I looked down at my watch, “Isn’t it your lunch break or something?”
“It is. I was about to go down to the lunch hall after sorting out the files..” He said and went back to doing his work.
I can’t believe I’m saying this to a guy but I did anyway, “Mind if I tag along with you?”
“Not at all..” He shook his head with a knowing grin, “I will be done in a moment, and then we can go for lunch, okay?”
“Sure..” I nodded and waited for him to be done with his work. Meanwhile, I sat on my dad’s swivel chair and twirled on it with my eyes glued to the mouth-watering guy in front of me.
“Shall we go?” He asked and I didn’t wait another minute as I followed him out of the office room like an enchanted puppy.
“What do you do, Dahlia?” He asked, munching on his double cheeseburger.
“Hmm, I graduated from high school only last month and I am not sure about what I am going to do next..” I replied to him, picking up the olives from my Greek salad. “But I am sure dad would want me to join business school..”
Seeing me making a bitter face, he chuckled, “And If I am not wrong you hate the very idea of it..”
“Yes, I hate Math and I don’t think I am good enough to clear the entrance test..” I said shrugging my shoulders.
“Okay, if you are given a choice what would you like to pursue?”
“Hmm Music..” My face probably lit up speaking about the subject which I loved the most. “But I am sure dad wouldn’t be too impressed with me if I choose music as my career..”
“No matter what, you should choose a career that you love. In my opinion, you should never be comprising your passion for anyone..”
He wasn’t like the other guys I talked to. While most of them made a fool out of themselves, Jinn was bold and confident about what he spoke. It wasn’t just his looks that were appealing to me but his personality was even more.
I didn’t know how long we sat talking there before he finally wiped his mouth with a tissue, carelessly throwing it on the table and getting up from his chair, “My lunch time’s up, I should get going now and your dad must be back if you still want to meet with him..”
"Ohh yeah I will come with you.."
We both went back to my dad’s office and before I could walk in, he shook hands with me, “It was nice chatting with you, Dahlia.” He grinned, making my heart slightly flutter at that sight.
“The mutual is same..” I said and turned around. But I stopped in my tracks when I remembered I don’t have his number.
‘Why do you need his number, by the way?’ My inner voice taunted me.
‘Just in case of emergency..’ I justified mentally and turned around to stop Jinn from entering his office which was beside my dad’s, “Jinn, May I have your contact number please?”
“Sure..” He flashed a lopsided grin and walked near me to share his number.
- Writer
