'That was an astounding speech!' the party host commented when Ember was finished. The crowd would surely agree with the host as well. They were all mesmerized not just by Ember's beauty but by the intelligence she possessed. It's obvious in her words. And by that, the more that Jayden was curious of her.
Jayden clapped his hands together with the crowd yet his mind was somewhere else as his gaze was fixed on Ember. She was there, a picture of a woman of grace and elegance, of beauty, intelligence, and power, yet deep within him, his heart was pinched by that memory she was bringing for him to recall -- Layne Ember the farmer Omega. Jayden shook his head.
'It's not her! She's too far from her!' he told himself.
Ember waved at the crowd who were elated by her speech, and then a slight moment, her eyes accidentally met with Jayden's. They stare for seconds. She could sense some fire and awkwardness in his gaze. Ember didn't want to be intimidated, he stared at Jayden until he was the first to withdraw his gaze. Ember turned to the side and secretly smirked for overpowering Jayden with that slight action she did. She continued waving to the crowd unbothered despite her feeling that Jayden's hot stares were still on her. She chooses to ignore her.
---
The second part of the event is the dinner party. After all the guests were full, sweet music was played on the dance floor, and next was the voice of the party host inviting the guests to have a dance. Livy took Jayden's hands, but he wiped them off.
'What's wrong with you?' Livy frowned.
'Are you going to embarrass me here?' she whispered gritting her teeth.
Jayden glared at her, 'Why? What are we huh?' he asked.
Then he looked at her from head to toe, 'I have no obligations to obey that petty romantic request of yours,' he said.
Then, Jayden slammed the tablecloth and stormed out of the party hall, while Livy was left glaring.
'Liv, I think it's time you change your approach at Jayden,' one of Livy's friends suggested.
Livy rolled their eyes at her, and scoffed, 'So you know better than me huh?'
Her friends were shut into silence. They were actually her mean girls, Livy's mean girl group. They have been friends since their college days, in fact, they were there when Livy killed Ember. They know the truth, but they choose to keep quiet. They're scared of Livy. They know how she is when angry so they won't try infuriating her.
'Look, Liv, we're just---'
'Am I asking your opinion, girls?' Livy interrupted.
'Well, Jayden is wrong! He has obligations with me since I was the chosen Luna for her! Her father and my dad had chosen us for each other and he can do nothing about that!' Livy insisted.
The girls then zipped their mouths and changed the topic.
'Here, just drink it away instead!' the other girl said to Livy.
---
Meanwhile, Jayden took a deep breath as he found his way to the mini garden outside the party hall. This area is silent and a little peaceful, away from the party noise. It's been a long time, yet he still feels like he's a college student who's still under the rules of his father. He had become the chairman of the Alpha Club, and he successfully inherited the alpha position of their pack, and yet he's still here, trapped in his father's control.
Well, he's a good son, he tried so hard to be, and he obeyed everything his father requested him to do until he came up with choosing Livy as his Luna. That's when he had too much, yet he cannot say right to his father's face that he really doesn't like Livy, that he really wanted to wait for the Moon Goddess to choose Luna for him, instead of giving into his father's marital arrangement for him.
'F** is this alpha life!' Jayden whispered while angrily kicking that small rock beneath his shoes.
'Ouch!'
Jayden's eyes widened when he heard a voice in the dark. He suddenly realized that he might have hit someone with that rock he just kicked. He rushed to where the voice was, and the more stunned he was when he saw that it was Ember.
'L...Layne Ember?' he gasped. There's some kind of hesitation, of restrained passion in the way he uttered her name.
S***! Jayden she's not the Omega whom you have been waiting for long to return! Jayden reminded himself.
'Are you hurt?' Jayden asked. He rushed to check her, but Ember quickly pulled her arms.
'I'm fine!' she said in a snobbish tone.
Jayden then felt awkward sensing the dislikes in Ember's tone. But then he saw that reddish patch on her arm so he insisted on helping her.
'You've got bruised, look--'
'I said I'm fine!' Ember raised her voice.
Jayden was slightly stunned.
'Look, sorry,' Ember sighed, lowering her tone this time.
'I said I'm fine. I can take care of myself,' she said and turned to leave.
'Wait!' Jayden stopped her.
Ember clenched her fists. She's actually trying hard to compose herself in Jayden's presence. She won in intimidating him a while ago, but it's a different feeling to have him up close, near to her like this. She cannot deny that Jayden Luca after all those years was still charming. But then, Ember suddenly recalled that day when he broke her heart, where he betrayed him so that little admiration she felt right now was quickly replaced with rage. She then, turned facing him, glaring, " What is it?" she uttered raising one eyebrow.
'Uh...that was such a nice speech!' Jayden muttered.
He's obviously trying to establish a conversation with her, and perhaps a friendship. But again, Ember reminded herself that this is how it was before too, that he tried to win her before only to find out that it was fake. She needs to be careful this time.
Don't fall for his nice words, Ember! She reminded herself.
'Thanks!' Ember replied sparingly.
She tried to leave again, but Jayden said another word which almost got her cornered.
'That word you said was just too familiar, the... there's no such thing as perfect love only true love,' Jayden said.
'I heard that before from someone else.'
Ember was a bit startled by what she heard. It was like she was drawn back to the past, to that moment when she said those words to Jayden.
Sh**! Why did I unconsciously say those? She whispered to herself.
She tried to flash a casual smile and said, 'Well, almost all know that quote, it's famous so I just quoted it!'
'Besides, I'm referring to the love for education, not to a certain person' Ember added, trying to not sound defensive.
Jayden nodded, 'I see.'
'Why does it hit you anyway?' Ember asked.
Jayden shook his head, 'Nothing it just reminds me of someone,' he said.
Ember's eyebrows raised, 'someone? Has Jayden Luca changed that he's now reminiscing about someone over a Chessy quote?" she said laughing. And that appears insulting to Jayden.
'You don't know me!' Jayden said in a firm offended tone.
'The one who said that was the love---'
Ember placed her fingers on Jayden's lips stopping him from uttering more words lest she'd fall again. She flicked her hair and lowered her face to him close enough that they both could smell each other's scent. Ember moved even closer that their lips were just inches away, yet she didn't want to give him such satisfaction, she was just teasing him.
'Boy, there's a fine line about holding onto someone's memory, it's either we do it out of love or out of guilt,' Ember whispered.
Then, she tapped Jayden's face and smiled, and left. While Jayden was left speechless as if he was enchanted.
Her scent, the look in her eyes, the way my body reacts to hers when she's near...and oh! That f*** smile of hers why does it look seductive when she's just clearly annoying me? Jayden thought to himself.
Then he tilted his head, 'but wait, damn! Did she just call me -- boy? I'm not a kid!' Jayden whispered gritting his teeth.