CHAPTER 4 - FLIRTING WITH THE CEO

“That is very interesting, to say the least,” he commented. “Instead of the other way around, I am the one who serves as an inspiration for others,” he responded arrogantly.
Because I needed a break from his attitude and arrogance, I took a moment to reflect. I couldn't continue to put up with his attitude. “Can we take a short break?”
“Yes, of course! If you’re hungry, we can have some snacks,” he stated.
“I just need some fresh air,” I answered and immediately strolled towards the door. While on the terrace, I couldn’t stop shaking my head in disbelief that Lance Salcedo was the most arrogant human being that I had the misfortune to meet. I was concentrating on my thoughts when he joined me on the terrace. I frowned at him immediately, but he just smiled.
“Do you smoke?” He inquired when he lit one for himself.
I glared at him for being insensitive. How could he smoke beside me? Slowly, I distanced myself and walked towards the boardwalk to be alone. When he followed me into the boardwalk, I sneered at him. “Are you a dog?”
”Now that’s an insult!” He complained.
“I want to be alone for a moment, but you keep on following me!”
”You shouldn’t have come here if you’re just going to act like a prima donna,” he said.
I was taken aback by his statement and replied angrily, “I’m not trying to be a prima donna, sir!”
“Oh really? What about your behavior? Since you came here, you were never professional! Perhaps you should tell me the truth that you are not a journalist! Who sent you, Alexa? Did you sell your soul to a devil to make both ends meet?”
“How dare you, Lance!” I exclaimed, and a slap immediately landed on one of his cheeks. “How dare you!” The moment he grabbed my hand, I was ready to strike him again, but he was fast enough to stop me. My eyes widened in horror when I realized that he would kiss me after slapping him so hard! First, I tried to look away, and then he began to laugh.
“Alexa, you're not getting a kiss after that slap,” he announced as if he has access to my inner thoughts!
“I don't need a kiss from you,” I said. “After all, who wants to be kissed by a guy who cleaned his teeth with the same material I used to clean his toilet bowl?”
“Will you be disappointed to know that I don’t reuse my toothbrush?” He responded with a question to shut me up.
When Lance's question rendered me speechless, I narrowed my eyes at him! We only dated for a few months, and it also happened a few years ago. “Should I take note of the fact that you have a photographic memory and can remember everything from the past?”
“What happened between us is still vivid in my memory,” Lance replied with a shake of his head.
I smirked as I arched my straight brows towards him. “Mr. Salcedo, you're such a liar.” Do you want to know something? If there's one thing I'll never forget from our past, it's time you asked me to murder my own child!” I yelled at him, and I could see Lance's jaw clenched, but he couldn't deny what I said. It was the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth, and he knew it deep down!
“I cannot change what occurred in the past, but I can assure you that I am a better person now.” He responded though it wasn't the best response I had hoped for.
I could only shrug off my shoulder as a person who questioned every word that came out of his mouth. “Are we going to proceed now?” While pointing to my recorder and his seat, I asked him. Lance nodded and sat down in front of me, and his self-assurance almost irritated me!
“Yes, let's get this done as soon as we can,” Lance replied sternly, and I could tell he wasn't in the mood to play games by his expression.
I exhaled deeply after two hours of interviewing him and realized that I had completed the task. I expressed my gratitude for his flexibility and extended my hand for a handshake. Lance, on the other hand, only stared at my hand before walking away to the kitchen. I followed him after raising my eyebrows at his abrupt change of attitude.
“Hey, that was impolite!” I had no right to reprimand him and should have ignored or walked away, but his cold demeanor irritated me!
“What is it? When I wouldn't take your hand in mine?” Lance inquired, and he handed me a glass of cold refreshment.
“That's exactly what I'm saying! Was it indispensable for you to do that?” He laughed when I asked him. “Can you tell me if something is amusing?” His laughter irritated me, and I desperately wanted to kick him in the groin.
“Wow, you're hilarious! What happened when you tried to be cool since you arrived on my island?” He inquired, and I believed he thought my discomfort was amusing.
I corrected him, saying, “I can tell your imagination is wild.”
Lance locked his gaze on me, and I couldn't look away. “Am I hallucinating, Alexa?” He asked.
I refused to acknowledge his question with a shake of my head. “I'm not sure what's wrong with you, but now that I've finished my work, there's no reason for me to stay here any longer.” Mr Salcedo, thank you for your time.” I said my goodbyes to my ex-boyfriend and made my way back to the living room, where I had left my bag.
On my way out, I tried calling Liam's number but was unable to connect. I attempted several times, but it appeared that he had switched off his phone. I bit my bottom lip while wondering why he switched his phone when I made it clear to him that I needed to return to the mainland after the interview.
“Is there anything wrong?”
I was startled when Lance suddenly talked behind me, and I replied to his inquiry with, “I can't get in touch with him.”
When he asked, “Who?” a wrinkle appeared on his brow.
“Liam,” I replied. “Is there any other way for me to contact him other than through his phone?” It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when I checked my watch, and I needed to get home before dinner because my mother was expecting me!
“I'm sorry, but all he has is his phone,” Lance responded.
“However, what will I do if I am unable to contact him today?” Liam wouldn't be able to pick me up from Isla de Salcedo, which made me nervous.
He replied, “Don't worry, there are plenty of rooms in the villa.”
“No, I have to get home!” I insisted
“Then, go if you can swim back to the mainland!” Before vanishing from my sight, Lance yelled at me.
I tried to contact Liam for the nth time after Lance left me, and when he remained outside of the coverage area, I tossed my phone into the chesterfield sofa and sat beside it. I put my hands on my head and tried to come up with a different way to get home, but Lance's voice echoed in my head when he told me to swim back to the mainland.
What kind of person could be so cruel?
It was around five o'clock in the afternoon when I abandoned my plan to return home and began looking for Lance. He was smoking a cigarette when I found him on the veranda. I told him, “I think I'm going to have to take your offer to stay here for the night.”
“You know I don't mind if we stay here for the rest of our lives,” he said quietly.
“Would you mind if I asked you to stop?” I was irritated by his cheesy lines and everything else he did while I was around.
“Can you tell me why you think we're going to meet again?” Lance asked.
“What are you talking about? Do you want to tell me that we'll have to meet again someday? Or we are soul mates? Is that the message you're trying to convey to me?” In my response, I couldn't help but be sarcastic.
“Now that I think about it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and not everyone gets it!”
Lance was adamant that our meeting was important. I tried to dismiss his theory, but I couldn't help but think about our fateful meeting. “For us, Lance, there is no second chance.” I gave him my word of assurance.
“How did you figure that out? After five years, this is the first time I see you again, but I can tell you still like me by the way you look at me. Is that correct, Alexa?”
Lance assumed that after all these years, my feelings for him had not faded. What a crazy person! “You're insane!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, I'm completely enamored with you.” He said the words as if he had never abandoned me before.
“Well, you can tell the Marines about it. Can you recommend a room for me to stay in for the night?” Before we could go any further into our tragic past, I changed the subject. Lance motioned for me to follow him, and I did so. After that, he showed me the room that I could use, and I protested. “Why here?” I inquired.
“Because it's the closest to my room,” he replied, seemingly oblivious to the fact that what he had done was wrong.
“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed. I told him, “Let me transfer to a different room,” but he shook his head to refuse me.
“Do you still feel uneasy around me?”
“What are you talking about?” When I couldn't speak right away and just stared at Lance, he grinned. “Can you tell me why you're doing this?” I inquired because his behavior perplexed me.
As he opened the door to let me in, he said, “Don't make it obvious that you still have feelings for me. Now, go ahead and take a shower or a nap.” Before leaving, he stated, “I'll wake you up when dinner is ready.”
Once inside the guest room, I began to wonder why he was acting so strangely. But, I reminded myself, I wasn't over him yet, and that was even more difficult!
The guest room was also decorated in the same modern and sleek style as the rest of the villa. I stretched out on the queen-sized bed, admiring the gold chandelier from my vantage point. Lance suggested that I take a shower or rest, but I couldn't do both because my mind kept wandering back to the previous day's events.
I was overdramatic because we had only been dating for a few months. The only difference was that I was able to become pregnant in a relatively short period of time. Lance must have assumed I was the same naive girl he met years ago, but he was mistaken because the innocent woman was no longer inside me!
At a quarter to seven, the man followed through on his promise and knocked on the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by his smiling face and the same set of dimples that had drawn me to him years before still had the same effect.
“Dinner's ready,” he announced.
“All right, I'll be there in a second,” I told him and shut the door behind me so I could check my appearance in the mirror. But, hold on a second, why should I bother? Before I walked to the door, I questioned my sanity in front of the huge mirror.