Chapter 65

Stacey almost sighed as her friend Eve giggled giddily when she pulled her inside the restroom. She is thankful that no one was inside.
　　"Oh my gosh girlfriend! You are such a denial queen! You said that you are not yet a couple but what's with that honey thing?"
　　She just chewed her bottom lip. " I just did what he wanted. He doesn't want me to call him Nick." she said. She has no plan of telling her about the consequence if she fails to do what she was told.
　　" Oh geez! That is so sweet! A man like him asked you to call him honey? Oh Stacey! I will really pull your hair if you won't agree to be his official girlfriend! You must be out of your mind if you'll turn him down! Just say yes to him and I will help you deal with whores who will run after him!" Eve said with another giggle.
　　She clucked before facing the mirror.
　　Eve leaned on the wall next to the mirror with a grin. " The way he was looking at you made me want to swoon from envy! You were like a juicy steak and he was ready to devour you!"
　　She frowned heavily at her and shook her head. " You are crazy! " she said before going to one of the cubicles.
　　Eve continued talking . " Have you seen how those women stared at him? They were probably wishing that you vanish so they can have him!" she said with a light laugh but she chose not to reply to her anymore. .
　　She was still inside the cubicle when she heard the door opened .
　　"Oh gosh! He is soo hot!" a female's very excited voice said.
　　"I totally agree! He smells so wonderful too! If he didn't look pissed I would have introduced myself to him but he seems in a hurry! " another one commented.
　　She frowned. She knows they are referring to Nick but according to one of them he ,left and he looked angry. She is wondering where he went and why he is pissed off. She hurriedly went out of the cubicle . She walked to the sink and washed her hands. She can feel the two females' eyes on her but she just threw them a glance.
　　"Hurry up girl and check if he came back already!" The female with lighter hair said as she washes her hands too.
　　"Wait! I will retouch my lips!" Girl number 2 replied.
　　She couldn't help but frown. She doesn't like hearing women talking about Nick.
　　"I am just worried that he has a girlfriend already. He's way too hot to be single." blurted the light-haired woman. Eve got out of the cubicle so she looked at her and signaled to her that they should go, but her friend mouthed the word wait.
　　"You think I care? I will just have a taste of him.I just want a one-night stand with him. However hot he is, I wouldn't want to be his girl . I don't want to be stressed because for sure a lot of bitches want him in their panties." said woman number 2.
　　'Oh you mean bitches like you two? " asked Eve with one of her brows raised.
　　The two women exchanged a look.
　　"Excuse me ? Are you talking to us?" The one who recently talked asked.
　　Eve took her time wiping her hands. Before she answered, she threw the paper towel into the bin then her eyes went to the two.
　　"I know who you are talking about. It's the tall man with a stubble and in a long-sleeved shirt right? Well sorry for bursting your bubbles ladies! He will not even throw you a glance and you know why? "
　　No response from any of them. They are just looking at Eve.
　　"Can you see that gorgeous woman near the door?" her friend asked them before looking at her.
　　"Of course we can! We're not blind! Duh! And what is the relevance of your question to what you were saying a while ago? " woman number 2 asked with a heavy frown.
　　"FYI! The hot male you are fantasizing about is her man! Well it's okay to dream about him but don't overdo it because you will just be disappointed! " Eve said before walking past them.
　　The women gaped.
　　***
　　" You didn't have to say that to them Eve! I feel sorry for them. " she said with a sigh . She was a bit annoyed with what she heard from those females but she can't seem to do what her friend did.
　　"Like it or not, you have to get used to it. You need to practice girlfriend! Believe me! You will have to do that anytime soon!" She just pouted but she didn't comment anymore.
　　"Where's Nick?" Eve asked while they both ran their eyes inside the cafe.
　　He's nowhere to be found. They saw a $100 bill on their table.Then her phone made a sound.
　　Before she can say hello, "I am in a black BMW on the left side of the cafe." he said with a clipped tone then hung up.
　　She chewed the inside of her cheek and her forehead creased.
　　"Was that him? Where is he?"
　　"He's already in the car. We better go outside now." she hurriedly suggested.
　　With a frown, "What happened? Is there any problem? Everything was okay before we went to the rest room. What's wrong with your hot boyfriend?"
　　"I have no clue. Let's just hurry up!"
　　She led Eve to the black BMW. The door opened and a grim faced Nick came out. She felt her heart skipped a beat from worry.
　　"Do you need a ride?" he asked Eve. His tone is expressionless.
　　Eve just shook her head while just gaping at his unsmiling but still very good-looking face. He is very different from the Nick they were with a few minutes ago. He was playful and relaxed but now he looks exactly like the powerful and rich businessman that he is.
　　"Okay . We have to go." he said icily before opening the door for her. He didn't say anything to her but his eyes narrowed as he directed them to her.
　　"I will just call you. Thank you." she told her friend before getting in the car.
　　She just sat as she stares at her bag on her lap. She is nervous as a cat. He changed his mood again which really confuses her and makes her worried too.
　　He slid in but didn't say anything. No one spoke but she doesn't want to break the silence. She threw him a glance and she bit her bottom lip. His face looks woody. His mouth is set in a grim line.
　　Even in the elevator he didn't say anything nor even looked at her. She doesn't know how to tell him about Blake because of his dark mood. She has seen him very angry before. He may not her hurt her physically but she is afraid of him. For the short time that she has known him, she knows that he can be very sweet and loving but he can be really bad when he is furious.
　　When they got inside his unit, he proceeded to the kitchen without even throwing her a glance. She was the one who locked the door behind her. She saw him open the cabinet where his booze are.
　　Mustering her courage she asked, "Did you eat lunch already?"
　　He didn't answer her. His back is on her. His head tilted back as he gulps some alcohol like water.
　　"I'll prepare something for you . Let me just change into something more comfortable." she uttered in a small voice.
　　(Nick)
　　He heard her but he chose not to answer. When he knew she was inside the bedroom already, with a lot of force, he threw the glass into the sink. It shattered. He is shaking with anger.
　　"F*CKING HELL!!"
　　He has been trying to control his rage. The last thing he wants is hit her but he is enraged. He was ready to beat up the f*cking asshole but he was too late. He drove away already. It really angers him knowing that he was right all along. Stacey wasn't alone with Eve. The latter's cousin is with them. He grabbed some of his hair in vexation. He got another bottle of booze and brought it to the living room. He took off his shirt and chucked it onto the floor.. He carelessly sat on the couch while opening the booze. He drank straight from the bottle as he thinks.
　　He wants Stacey to say the truth. He will not tell her that he saw Eve's cousin.
　　Control yourself Alcantara! You have to find out if she's going to tell you about that *sshole! He advised himself.
　　He had proven how honest she is a lot of times already but this is different. This doesn't involve Derick but a d*ckhead. He is really hoping that she will speak the truth or she will really see how bad he can be. His eyes turned into slits when she came out.
　　She is in a sleeveless body-hugging cotton top and black cotton shorts. Her hair is in a ponytail. She is barefoot and her pink toenails look so damn sexy like the rest of her.
　　Don't be taken by her charms Alcantara! he reprimanded himself.
　　She seems to be hesitant to come near him.
　　(Stacey)
　　She saw his long-sleeves shirt on the floor. She picked it up and folded it and put it on the table.
　　"W-What do you want to eat? " she asked nervously.
　　Nick leaned on the sofa as he watches her. He put down the bottle of booze on the side table near him.
　　"I'm not hungry! Sit down so can have our talk!" he demanded in a very cold voice.
　　She felt a bit relieved. It's a good sign that he is not yelling which shows that he is calmer. She sat on the same couch where he is but she put a distance between them. Her forehead creased when he stood up and sat on the single sofa across from her.
　　"I want to see your eyes when we talk!" His voice was cold but his expression was impossible to read.
　　That's one of the things she recently discovered about him.He is very good in hiding his emotions most of the time. Like now. His face and eyes look blank. She nodded and sighed. She really has to be composed because she has no intention of hiding the truth from him.
　　"So what did you do for the past few hours?" he asked as he leans on the sofa. His eyes are directly looking at her.
　　She swallowed. " I was with Eve and as she told you, we went to the supermarket then we ate out for lunch."
　　"Where you with someone else?" he asked. "I want to see your eyes!" he said said firmly when she lowered her eyes.
　　She raised her eyes to him again.Her heart is racing. It's just the two of them in his unit. Nick can do what he wants with her and she can't stop him. But she wants to be honest with him but she needs to omit some parts.
　　"Blake was there too." She swallowed when she saw how his face changed. His breathing became shallow and his eyes are half-slit. "How long were you with that f*cking *sshole?" he asked chillingly.
　　"Not too long.."
　　He cursed and she shut her eyes for a few seconds then opened them again. She knows that even a minute with Blake will make Nick very angry . They were with him for an hour.
　　"Where did you eat?"
　　She told him the name of the seafood restaurant.
　　"What time were you there?"
　　"B-Between 12:30 to 1 PM ."
　　He continued to look at her. "Is there anything else I should know?"
　　She pouted. Her hands feel clammy. "N-None.."
　　For several seconds he didn't say anything. She is doing her best to keep the eye contact. She is thinking if it's time to tell him about everything but her jittery feelings is stopping her. Seeing his grim expression is definitely not encouraging.
　　He got his phone in his pocket while his eyes are still on her. He just took them off from her when he dialed .
　　"Sonny? This is Nick Alcantara." she heard him told the person on the other end.
　　She decided that after his phone call she will tell him about Blake sitting next to her and shelled seafood for her. She is going to be honest with him no matter what. She felt a burden was somewhat lifted off her shoulder.
　　"So how is business? Is your seafood restaurant doing well?" He asked to whoever he's talking to which made her frown. " Can I as k you a favor?" another question from Nick then he turned on the loud speaker.
　　"Sure! Anything!" The man called Sonny replied.
　　"I was told that someone who fucked with me had lunch at your restaurant today" He informed the other man while his eyes on her are narrowed. Her palms started to sweat more.
　　"I see. So how can I help?"
　　" Can I see the recording of your CCTV between 12 to 2PM ?"
　　"No problem Nick! Come here anytime!"
　　"Thanks Sonny. I know I can count on you. I'll ring you tomorrow before I go there. Please say hi to Linda for me." he added before ending the call.
　　She can hear the thumping of her heart.
　　"Maybe you realized now that I was talking to the seafood restaurant's owner where you had lunch. Sonny and I are very close. We were high school friends. " he revealed with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.
　　Her hand went to her throat. She remembered what he said before.
　　I have a lot of connections, never forget that.