It was a draining night, so I had to refresh my energy as I couldn't leave the reception yet. I repeatedly sighed at the mini-bar while cursing the bartender in my head, thinking of grabbing the bottle of Pinot Noir from him as he tended to someone else's drink.
I don't know if he's just slow, or I'm just utterly impatient. Or maybe he was intentionally ignoring me, unhurriedly taking his time so that I'll get my a*s out of his face.
I knew it! That was why when he saw me earlier, he got this you-don't-get-to-order-me look, then turned toward Jurina Palermo, a Latina Hollywood actress, who came seconds after me.
I'm currently at Luna and Matthew Wyatt's wedding reception in the Stella Vista Events Place, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held outside, in the majestic garden of the place, while the sun gradually set, giving a captivating golden hue to the sacred union.
Meanwhile, the classical and golden reception in the grand ballroom was a bit dreamy, as the golden lighting and candlelights flooded the hall. There were glass lanterns suspended on the ceilings, and it was like I was back in the Renaissance Era, with all the gowns and balls, so saying that the wedding was stunning is literally an understatement, not to mention the celebrity guests in their striking outfits.
I thought I should dress simply for today so I won't offend the bride. I'm not part of the entourage, so I went with my sky blue A-line cocktail dress, paired with silver heels, which earned a glorious frown from my acquaintance and my former literary agent, Kelly when she saw me earlier.
The bartender probably thought I was the lamest person tonight because of my bland and unprovocative dress— like a wimpy teenage girl attending her very first prom. And while I'm still not popular enough in the entertainment industry, I already wrote several films for the groom, who happened to be an independent film producer, so I'd slightly understand if the bartender wouldn't recognize me unless he read my books and watched our films.
Or could it be because of my race? Well, this isn't the first time I'm being snubbed in this country for being an Asian, and that's why I'll use my hidden card tonight— my connection with the groom, so I can go back to my seat and have fun with my drinks as I wait for Matt to acknowledge my presence.
I tapped the counter thrice to grab the bartender's attention with my fist. And when he did, he looked at me with a wrinkled forehead and piercing eyes. Oh, how I want to dab my fingers in his sockets.
"I'm Jasle Marie Cinco. This is what you're gonna do. You listen to me while I talk to you nicely, alright?" I ordered the rude bartender. Now I had his full attention, and I could feel that he was seething inside. "Matt told me he left you an instruction. Do you happen to remember that? Well you should, if you don't want to get fired. All I wanted was a drink. So let's get this over with."
His forehead wrinkled, and he looked like he suddenly remembered something. "What's your name again?"
"Jasle!" I shouted.
"Oh! You're Ms. Jasle!" I could see his face flushed in embarrassment before he spun around, grabbed a bottle from the liquor shelf, and quickly gave it to me. It was so awkward.
He then poured a Pinot Noir into the wine glass I took with me earlier. "We done now?"
My jaw dropped when I saw the bottle he handed me was a Cháteau Margaux. It freaking costs more than seventy thousand Philippine pesos per bottle. To think I gave them a freaking Levoit Humidifier that didn't even cost me ten thousand pesos?
Holy crap, Matthew!
I thought of thanking the bartender as I carefully clenched the bottle with my right hand and snatched my wine glass from the counter with my left, but he was already busy with someone else.
I shrugged before I turned around and walked cautiously back to our table when a man in a three-piece maroon suit, suddenly crashed into me. Half of the Pinot Noir on my glass splattered on his expensive clothes.
"What the hell?" I burst out, giving him a deadly glare when our eyes met after he inspected his suit for a second.
I am an athletic person, and I don't easily lose my balance. I also have quick reflexes, so this is a big deal. It could be that I'm more mindful of the hand holding the bottle than the other. Or maybe I was overpowered, seeing his sculptured muscles wanting to be freed from his expensive suit. I bet he's six feet flat, he's not that tall, but he's already towering over me given my almost five-foot height.
I didn't recognize him, so it's safe to say he's not a celebrity or a tycoon. He looked Chinese or Korean. And something about his eyes made me think that I somehow knew him. Could I have seen him before, and I just couldn't remember?
Nonetheless, familiar or not, he wasted my drink. He should apologize for it since he's clearly the one in the wrong. "Just some friendly advice. Maybe you should try to use your eyes," I snapped at him.
He scoffed upon hearing my words. "What a nice way to apologize." He openly gaped at me in astonishment, shaking his head as he turned his back on me and walked away. I was shocked in disbelief that he disregarded me.
What! Am I the *sshole here?
Honestly, I was thinking of grabbing his arms and challenging him to a fight or whatever, but it suddenly came to mind that I'm at a wedding, a celebrity wedding in particular, so obviously, lots of media personalities were probably fishing out for controversies that might arouse in this major event.
Why are there loads of jerks here tonight? This is why I don't appreciate attending events requiring me to associate myself with everyone I do not know. And this is like the third time I'm attending a huge one because of Matthew.
I kept myself busy with my food and drink as I got back to our table, and I didn't realize that I was sort of murdering my food with a knife when Kelly spoke, surely to annoy me even more.
Can't anyone just shut up?
"Jasle! Can't you lighten up a bit? You should have intervened at the ceremony earlier if you're gonna act that way," she muttered softly but deadly.
I shook my head in frustration while the rest of our acquaintances giggled. She didn't know what I had gone through minutes ago. How dare she lecture me. She's lucky I didn't have the energy to argue with her. "Whatever."
She still thinks I'm onto Matthew, just because of a silly lore that a man and a woman can never be just friends.
Don't get me wrong. The groom, Matthew, isn't my ex or anything. I'm not romantically involved with him. Though he's tall, handsome, rich, and influential, he's just another pawn for my next endeavor.
"Now this reminds me of Matthew's story from where they first met," Kelly narrated to our acquaintances at our table. "Matthew told me that he found her, in that same f*cking way, with the same f*cking expression, while slumped alone in the garden of Lex f*cking Gala, blissfully sipping her f*cking punch." Our friends, who were at the same table, burst out at her words.
Yes, she got it right. My father, Ronaldo Cinco, owns a medium-scale talent agency here in Los Angeles and brought me to that event. I indulged because I needed that event to interact with prominent people in the industry if I wanted my books to get recognized.
Tim, Wyatt Film's thirty-three-year-old cinematographer, reacted. "My gosh, why are you such a loner?"
I couldn't hold back myself and threw him a contemptuous glare.
"Don't you dare underestimate this woman's capabilities. Because on that very night, she made Matthew promise to adapt our novel into a film," Kelly went on, tapping my head like I'm her prized pup.
"What? He immediately agreed? How did you do it?" Melanie, Matthew's forty-three-year-old secretary butt in. She was only hired two years ago, so I guess she didn't know about the whole story.
"I jokingly dared him to adapt my novel, and he half-drunkenly agreed," I explained, sipping the rest of my Pinot Noir in dejection. They all look at me in anticipation.
"That's it?" Darlene, our twenty-eight-year-old assistant director, chimed in.
"That's it."
Kelly chuckled. "Nope! Matt dismissed her crazy idea after she went to his office two days ago after that gala."
Melanie gasped. "Oh, God! I remember it now! You persuaded him by using your dad's fortune!"
Little did they know that I persuaded my father too. He went mad when he learned about it. He knew about Matt's company and even told me there's no chance of salvaging Wyatt Films anymore. Thankfully, I proved my father wrong.
I sighed softly. "Let's all stop this. This isn't the place to talk about such stuffs."
"Oh, God. You saved us. You saved the company, Jasle. You saved Matt. And we'll always remember that." Melanie commented.
Tim changed the topic. "Okay. Let's stop talking about Jasle. Let's talk about Luna instead."
We all groaned in annoyance. This guy is really meddlesome.
"What about them? Darlene asked out of curiosity. She wasn't there yet when we held an audition for the female lead of our movie, No Boobs Since Birth, where Matthew played the love at first sight card and ended up with Luna Kim snatching the role, so she didn't know.
I exhaled softly as I looked at Matthew's happiness as he danced with that brat, Luna. She is a Korean model turned actress and the main lead of our recent romance-comedy, our highest-grossing movie.
"Honestly, I don't know why Matthew fell in love with Luna instead of other lead actresses from our other movies. However, who are we to question Matthew's feelings, right?" I hope that would end the stupid conversation.
I know. Luna got a freaking attitude on sets and kept changing her lines. I was actually against her claiming the role when other actresses who auditioned were way better than her. That woman can't even be natural on camera. I'm thankful to Rob Fietro, Luna's on-screen partner in the movie, for he managed to carry the whole film despite Luna's rubbish exaggerations. Thanks to our movie, her Instagram followers tripled, and she got several endorsements back in Korea and Hollywood. Plus, she got Matt's love.
Kelly scoffed. "That's why it's a good thing she played a dumb, ignorant, flat-chested, Asian woman, and that role alone f*cking suited her well." I rolled my eyes as they all chuckled. "I tell you, she'd be the end of him," Kelly went on.
This bitch!
I sighed again in frustration. Next time, I'll draw a line between my acquaintances so they wouldn't dare invite me to their special occasions. I asked Matthew for a favor weeks before he announced their wedding. And when I rejected his invitation, he offered me a deal. The director role of our next movie for his wedding— the only reason I'm torturing myself in this uncomfortable environment. This is just a small hurdle for my career advancement.
I was about to open my expensive wine when Kelly nudged my arm. "They're calling us," she explained when she saw my confused reaction.
"No. I didn't hear my name being called."
Her lips curled into a sneer. "It's time for the toss, brat!"
"Oh!" I exclaimed, understanding her excitement. I think it's her most awaited part of the wedding so she can display herself to everyone. Why would I catch the bouquet when I'm not dating anyone. "I'm good. You can go by yourself," I excused myself.
This time she slapped my arm. "Are you dumb or what? This is your time to
see Matt, so you can finally go home and have your Asian-beauty rest."
I was actually amazed at her suggestion. But before I could react, Tim interrupted us again. "Are you seriously dissing the throw?" He peered intently at me.
"Why?" Melanie asked curiously. "Don't you want to get married? It's not so bad," she tried convincing me. Oh? Is that why she was divorced thrice?
"Don't y'all get it? She's still single!" Kelly ratted out. They all laughed at the plain insult.
"Why don't you take this opportunity to get boned tonight?" Melanie commented, eyes sparkling at her idea.
Kelly scoffed. "As if she wanted to get boned!"
Now, I can feel my blood curdling in anger. This isn't good. I don't want to make a scene at Matt's wedding.
"Excuse me, I came here to celebrate Matt's significant day. I don't have the same thinking as you, guys, coming to a friend's wedding to get shagged. Come on, guys. How do you do that? How do you come to that level of thinking?" I replied sarcastically.
When I saw Melanie's reaction, I thought I knew what she would say. "Oh, my gosh. Please don't tell us that you're still a virgin?" She gave me one hell of a dubious look.
That's it. I'm done.
I rose from my seat, and I could feel the tears wanting to escape my eyes as I clenched my jaw.
"OMG! It's true!" Kelly exclaimed exaggeratedly as I marched away from them.
"What's with the Asians and their precious virginities?" Tim asked as his voice became fainter.
I should see Matt right now to leave this place while I can still hold myself back.
I spotted a few celebrities joining the toss. Luckily, I saw Matt beaming on the right side of the elevated platform, behind the ladies eager to catch the bouquet, so I had to walk around the hall behind the eyes of the gawking crowd.
I met Matthew's gaze as I made my way up the stage. However, I didn't get a chance to approach him.
I don't know when Luna raised her arms or tossed the flowers, but when I saw a ball in the air diving toward me, my athletic instinct kicked in, and I stopped in my tracks. Whenever I'm stressed, I find it fulfilling to hit a ball with my wrist; plunge into cold water, or jog for hours. It's like I'm expelling my stress away.
Flashes of light and clicking sounds filled the entire hall as I bent my knees, put my arms together, and hit the ball hard with my wrists as it came in contact. I smiled as it flew back in the air, only to realize that it wasn't a ball to begin with.
My jaw dropped as I saw the rosy Peonies scattering in the air, slowly falling into pieces, hitting the maidens who were now throwing me with shocked, annoyed, and disgusted looks. Then I hear the crowd laughing and booing simultaneously.
Then I turned to look at Matt, who clearly expressed his shock and disappointment at me.
What the heck did I just do?
The shuttering of cameras went on as I stood there in front of everyone, stunned and embarrassed of myself.