STATUS: With Benefits Only

Chapter II: Bumped to a Stranger

Celestine's POV

"Sash!" Makie shouted upon seeing her.

"Makie?!" Like me, Sasha's eyes widened in surprise. Our reaction is understandable since he has changed a lot. It has been three years since we last saw him; it was my 18th birthday, to be exact.

Makie gave her a tight hug, and Sasha did the same.

"I can no longer tease and call you Mr. Pigg—hmm!"

"Lower your voice," Makie said while covering Sasha's mouth.

The three of us have always been a trio.

Sasha and I attended the same school from elementary to college, and we met McKenzie in senior high school.

Since then, the three of us have always been together until he went abroad.

Ysabel, Sasha's mother, worked for us, taking care of me since I was young because my parents were busy with their business. Mom and Dad let Ysabel bring Sasha to our house, and she became my playmate. As we grew, I got closer to her and treated her not just as my nanny's daughter or a friend, but as a sister I never had.

A smile curved on my lips as I watched my two friends laugh. They are my treasure, which I would never trade for anything.

"Why didn't you even contact us in the past three years, huh?! Do you know that we thought you completely forgot about us?" Sasha asked McKenzie, raising her brows.

"I'm sorry, I had a lot to take care of in there. I thought I was sent there just to study; it turned out I also had to handle some business," Makie answered. His family is wealthy as well, but he is so down-to-earth and very approachable.

"Oh my! Not just you; even this troublemaker here hasn't changed!" Sasha chimed in. "She can't even attend her classes; how much more the company meetings?" She added that she made them both laugh wholeheartedly.

"Thanks, Sash, huh? I feel your support," I sarcastically said to her.

"You three have finally met." We turned to look at Denver upon hearing his voice. Sasha greeted him, and he greeted her back. It was inevitable for Sasha's smile to reach her ears because he was her longtime crush.

I don't know why Sasha likes guys who are much older than her. She said it's different when the guy is older because they tends to be more mature and that the flow of the relationship will be better. She also said that they are more tolerant of women's childishness. But I wonder if she's a bit childish. No matter where I look at her, all I see is a very responsible woman. Totally my opposite.

If only you could hear how she speaks, you would believe she has considerable love relationship experience. But we're both still NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth); we can only offer a flirtationship, so it doesn't count.

"Since McKenzie just came back, we decided to take a vacation trip with the four of us," Danica said, joining our conversation. I looked around but couldn't see Dominique. Where could he be?

"I let you know earlier so you will have time; we have been busy these past few years, which made us deserve this bonding time," she continued.

"Where?" Sasha asked as my neck started to stretch in my attempt to see Dom. Who knows what kind of girl he's pursuing now?

"Hey, are you okay?" Makie whispered, catching my attention. I smiled at him and nodded.

"I suggest we go camping! A place far from the city and work," Denver said with a smile.

"I like that!" Sasha agreed excitedly. This girl is going crazy, secretly flirting again.

"Great! We already have one G here; thanks, Sash." Denver gave her an angelic smile. I bet Sasha's heart is probably racing right now.

"I'm also in," I said in a high pitch, trying to wake Sasha up a bit; she was drooling from staring at Denver too much.

"Me too!" Makie seconded the motion.

"Start packing, okay? Our trip is good for one week," Danny said, and the three of us nodded at them.

"What about Xyler? Is he coming too?" I looked at Makie when he asked Danny. Xyler? Who's that? I had never heard that name before.

"Yes! He's coming; actually, he's the first person we asked along with Danny." I furrowed my eyebrows at what Denver said. Now I'm curious: who is this Xyler that they're talking about?

Denver and Sasha continued chatting on the side, while Danica excused herself because she had someone to talk to at the other table. I stood up and went to the wine station at the corner of the function room.

Makie followed me, and Sasha couldn't hide her flushed face after realizing she was left with the man she was crushing on. I thought that it would be best if she flirted with him this time if she wanted to get the man of her dreams. Denver is not a bad catch. I mean, he's far from bad. He's a Gutierrez, after all.

Meanwhile, I have been sneaking glances at every corner of this huge function room in search of Dominique. Oh my goodness! He probably found another girl to pursue! So annoying! I finished a glass of wine when a waitress handed it to me.

"Tine, are you okay?" Makie asked, expressing his concern.

"I'm fine," I replied to my friend.

"Oh, by the way, who's Xyler? You just mentioned that name, and I don't think I heard his name before." I asked, facing him, holding a glass of wine.

"Ah, Xyler? He's our cousin," he replied, which made me crease my forehead. Why don't I know anything about him?

"Father's side too; he's also a Gutierrez. He and Denver are of the same age," he continued while sipping his wine.

"Wait, what? I thought Uncle Darius and Uncle Michael were the only Gutierrez siblings." Uncle Michael is McKenzie's father; he's the youngest, while Uncle Darius is the eldest.

"Actually, Uncle Darius is not the eldest; Uncle Tyler is Xyler's father. He just doesn't always join family gatherings because he's a workaholic. Their oil and fuel company is also based in Europe, unlike ours, which focuses our business here in the country." I just nodded at him.

"So, this Xyler you're talking about is here too?" I asked.

"Yes, he just arrived earlier from the airport, but unfortunately, Uncle Tyler is not with him."

"Is he also here at the party?"

"I doubt it; he seems tired from the trip. Maybe he's still resting in his suite here at the hotel, though. He came straight here from the airport. But for sure, he will go to their beach house tomorrow. And Xyler is also antisocial; he inherited that from Uncle. He's not fond of people gathering around him."

I see. Makie's cousin is an introvert.

We return to our tables after our little chat. He helped me sit down, so I smiled at him with a sweet thank-you. McKenzie is such a gentleman, while his cousin is very selective in whom they associate themselves with.

Maybe I should bombard Dom with text messages? I've been looking for him for a while now. Speaking of which, I left my cell phone in the penthouse! I want to facepalm for my foolishness.

"Where are you going, Tine?" Sasha asked when I got up.

"I'll just get my phone upstairs. Don't worry, I'm not going to run away." She just rolled her eyes at me, and I grinned. I shook my head as I walked out of the function room. Makie was supposed to accompany me, but Uncle Michael called him, so he stayed.

I entered the elevator and groaned as I took off my heels.

"This is so annoying. Who invented this? Didn't he think that this hurts so much on the feet?" I whispered to myself. I walked barefoot in this beautiful hallway, heading straight to the penthouse.

I immediately saw my phone on the bed, took it, and sent a text message to Dom. I bombarded him with a lot of messages.

After a few minutes and havingn't gotten any reply from him, I feel impatient. Honestly, Dom is so lucky that I'm chasing after him! Although numerous men have feelings for me, he alone has my undivided attention.

"Annoying!" I threw my cell phone on the big bed and angrily left.

I should just go back to the party! Waiting for a message from that guy won't bring anything good!

I sighed as I put my heels back on in the hallway when I heard the door open. I looked up from my bent position and saw a familiar figure. I slowly stood up as I recognized the back of a man.

With a flirtatious tone and a seductive laugh, a woman said, "Seriously, we're in the hallway."

The man pressed the woman against the wall and passionately kissed her on the lips. The woman's outfit seemed a bit disheveled, and her hair was messy. The man had his first three buttons undone on his white inner garment.

I clenched my fist at what I witnessed. This man is shamelessly flirting in front of everyone!

They clearly did something miraculous in their room. I knew it! Dominique already has someone else!

I clapped my hands, making the two of them stop. Dominique and the woman looked shocked when they saw me grinning at them. The woman's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Wow, nice show! I'm watching live porn."

"Jesus! Celestine!" Dominique exclaimed. The woman quickly ran away and hurriedly pressed the elevator button. "Wait, Becky!" Dom gave me an irritated look after he noticed the girl, who didn't turn to face him and entered the elevator.

"This is all your fault!"

"Oops, did I interrupt your round 2?" I raised an eyebrow while crossing my arms. Dominique marched towards me angrily and tightly grabbed my arm.

"Dominique! You're hurting me! What the hell?"

"Just f*****g mind your own business, slut!" My eyes widened at what he said, and I quickly placed my palm on his cheek, but he immediately held it and smirked.

"You can't hurt me this time, Celestine." I gritted my teeth. I kicked him in the middle of his thigh, causing him to writhe in pain.

"f**k!" he groaned while clutching his manhood, and his face turned red. So I can't hurt you, huh? He glared at me as I walked past him.

I promptly entered the elevator and wiped away a tear that escaped from my eye. When the elevator opened, I quickly stepped out and ran without looking at where I was going.

My vision was blurry due to the welling tears. It hurts to hear that man speak, even if what he says isn't true. It still hurts, especially when it's coming from the man you like. Sometimes I also wonder why I'm still chasing after Dominique. I may have completely blinded myself with this damn thing called love!

When I saw him kissing that girl in the hallway, it felt like my chest had been stabbed multiple times. He did it right in front of me! Damn it!

"Ouch!" I groaned as I hit a wall while running. I held my forehead and rubbed it.

"Watch your step, young lady." A baritone voice suddenly spoke in front of me. I looked up to see the man in front of me.

He was so tall, looking straight into my eyes with his piercing gaze, that it seemed to suck at my soul. His straight nose and jawline caught attention. His hair was styled neatly, indicating extreme softness.

The white polo he was wearing, rolled up to his elbows, matched perfectly with the black slacks. His chest was protruding, indicating that he had worked out.

I think this is the first time I've been speechless in front of a stranger. I don't usually like men with long hair, but why is it like this? This man looks incredibly handsome, surpassing even a Greek god.

He's drop-dead gorgeous!

He tilted his head to the other side while examining my face. I couldn't help but swallow nervously. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed, as if he recognized me.

"You," he started. Even his voice was intimidating.

"You're the girl who bumped into my car," he continued, leaving me dumbfounded.

Holy, what?!