"Laurene!"
As soon as I entered the VIP room, Jorih was the first to greet me. She stood up from her seat and walked towards me. Sheriah and her boyfriend also glanced over.
"Why are you late? I've been trying to call you!" She exclaimed, gesturing in front of me. She was wearing a mini tube dress with her long blonde hair tied in a ponytail.
"Uh, I was just busy, but I'm here now," I replied, making an excuse even though I knew I simply overslept.
She looked me over. "Wow, you look stunning today, so unbothered, right? You're killing it!" I just smiled as she playfully tapped me.
I was wearing a fitting black backless dress that accentuated my cleavage. My hair was styled in loose waves.
"Hi Laurene, babe!" greeted Sheriah.
I kissed her on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Sheriah."
"Thank you! I'm so happy you came. You've been absent for a few days," she remarked.
Our companions in the room glanced over at their conversation. Since there were more men than women, their eyes were mostly on me. I nervously scratched my arm due to the anxiety.
"Yeah, I had some things to take care of," I answered.
Jorih chuckled, "Well, you made quite an entrance, and I think everyone here appreciates it. Come, have a seat." She gestured to an empty spot beside her.
I walked over and exchanged pleasantries with Sheriah's boyfriend before noticing Tristan in the corner. He was drinking alone, seemingly indifferent to his surroundings. I wanted to approach him, so I excused myself from Jorih, who was now engaged with new arrivals.
"Tristan."
He turned to me and smiled faintly. "Hey." He raised his drink and took a sip before speaking again. "How are you? You've been absent for a few days."
I couldn't look him directly in the eyes as the past awkwardness lingered. "Oh, I, uh, might transfer to a different school."
He raised an eyebrow while looking at me. "You're avoiding him?" I hesitated to smile. "Come sit here, let's talk. We haven't talked since that night," he added, noticing that I was still standing in front of him.
I sat in the empty chair next to him, watching as he poured himself another drink.
"I guess, one shot is okay?" I nodded and took the glass but didn't drink immediately.
"The school said the video was edited, but I didn't believe that," he said. I felt nervous. I swallowed and couldn't meet his gaze. "They told us that to clear the misunderstanding. Why didn't they just announce that the Professor has a twin?"
"Do you know?"
He glanced at me before shifting his gaze back to the drink he was swirling in his glass.
"Jorih told me," he paused. "If I hadn't pushed her to tell me, she wouldn't have said anything. So, why couldn't they tell us that the Professor has a twin?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I left after that, but Dean spoke to me on the phone and said they would handle the explanation. I just let it go."
"You can't just leave it like that, Laurene. There are many of us there; someone will speak up."
"What can I do? If they ask me, I'll tell them. It's my fault that it turned out like this."
He seemed curious about my statement. "How is it your fault?"
I looked away and took a sip of the drink, but I was surprised when someone snatched the glass from my hand. I stood up immediately.
"Tsk, you're not allowed to drink."
All my memories from the past few days and the anger I felt rushed back upon hearing that voice.
I turned to him, and he was already standing there, holding the glass I had just touched. He raised an eyebrow, took a sip, and placed it back on the table. We both stared at him, and even the people in the room fell silent.
I made sure because I might have made a mistake, but due to his different fashion style, I quickly realized he was Professor Zaiden's twin. He wasn't wearing glasses now, and his hair was neatly styled. I also noticed a slight tint in his otherwise black hair.
He licked his lips and approached the empty chair to sit in front of me, scrutinizing me with his eyes fixed on mine.
"What are you doing here?" I asked calmly, even though I wanted to shout at him.
"I invited myself. What's the occasion?" The nerve of this guy to come without even knowing the reason.
"Why are you here if you don't even know what the occasion is? Are you stupid?" Everyone gasped at my words. I looked at them and only then remembered that they didn't know that Professor had a twin. I thought he would get angry, but he just looked amused, staring at me. He was still seated and observing my reaction. I felt a mix of anger and embarrassment because of this guy. How dare he.
"I didn't know. I just thought it was a regular party," he replied with a smirk, seemingly unfazed by my frustration.
"A regular party? You barged in like you own the place!" I retorted.
Zairon leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Well, it's not every day that I get invited to a celebration. I figured I'd check it out."
He looked me over, and there was a glint in his eyes. "By the way, nice dress. Really accentuates your, uh, assets," he added, gesturing with his eyes towards my cleavage.
I furrowed my brow at his actions. "Seriously? I'm not interested in your flirty moves, especially after what happened. How audacious." Fortunately, I redirected my attention to what the others were doing, and Tristan had suddenly disappeared. I hadn't noticed him because of this guy.
He chuckled lightly. "Come on, relax. I'm just here to have a good time. No need to be so uptight."
I couldn't contain my anger. "Uptight? You're the one who suddenly showed up here without an invitation! What's your agenda?" I was suspicious of this guy; he was becoming too intrusive.
He moved closer, and in the dim light of the room, his smile became even more irritating. "Agenda? None, just wanted to see if the rumors about a gorgeous lady making the party more interesting are true."
"Wow, flattery. As if that's going to work for me," I said, opening my phone as if I had something to do and sat back down.
He grabbed my phone, holding it in front of him. With one hand firmly gripping the chair's armrest, he leaned in, bringing his face closer to mine.
"Why don't we just enjoy the party, Laurene? No need to make things complicated."
I stood up, knowing our faces were about to meet, but I didn't back down and raised my hand to reach for my phone. I didn't avoid his gaze and was just an inch away from kissing him. He grinned while locking eyes with me.
"I'm not interested in whatever you're trying to do. Find another woman to play with," I snatched my phone back and pushed him away to create some distance between us. We were too close; I was losing my breath, especially with his intense gaze.
He smiled even wider and glanced around. "The selection here looks good. But it's still better if I choose you." Damn this jerk, I can't stand being around him.
"Zairon, just stop!" I sternly scolded, glaring sharply at him. "I don't need this right now," I said, setting my phone aside and avoiding his gaze, sitting on a different chair as people slowly left the room, probably heading out to dance.
He leaned towards where I sat and whispered, "Relax, I'm just having a bit of fun. No harm in that, right?"
"I doubt your idea of fun is harmless," I said, forcing a smile. How can he be so indifferent? Like nothing happened? He's really pissing me off.
He approached me again, suddenly grabbing my wrist and pulling me up. I didn't immediately defend myself when he brought his face close to my neck. I felt the tip of his nose tracing my skin until it reached my cheek.
"You smell so good, Laurene. I miss smelling you." I shuddered at his action, and even though I felt weak in his presence, I pushed him with all my strength.
My push only resulted in a step back, but it was enough to keep him from getting closer as I quickly moved several feet away. I glanced around, and Sheriah and Jorih were gone, but there were still people around, seemingly indifferent, with some even kissing on the side.
"Are you jealous of them?" I was startled when he placed his hand on my waist from behind. "Do you want us to do the same, baby?" He said in a sweet tone.
While he held my waist, I felt the heat of anger in my chest. "Don't touch me like that, Zairon. I'm not happy with you."
He smiled flirtatiously and continued to coax me. "Relax, I won't hurt you. Just trying to have some fun."
I shook my head and removed his hand from my waist. "I don't find your idea of fun amusing. Stay away from me."
But he wasn't deterred. He turned to me with a teasing look in his eyes. "Come on, don't be so uptight. I'm just being friendly. Friendly with a little flirt," he said with a grin. Why is he so annoying? Professor Zaiden wasn't like this.
"Friendship doesn't involve invading someone's personal space," I said firmly, trying to hide the anger enveloping me.
He grabbed my arm and tried to make me face him. "I know you're still upset about what happened at University, but can't we just enjoy the night? Forget about the past, Laurene."
"Don't you understand the word 'no'? I don't want anything to do with you," I shouted in his face.
I walked away from him, but he kept following me. My blood was boiling, and my patience was wearing thin.
"You can't avoid me forever, Laurene."
I stopped and glared at him sharply. "I can avoid you eternally, Zairon. You're not important to me, so I don't care about you. Please, leave me alone."
I quickened my pace and left the VIP room. My blood boiled at the sight of him. I didn't want to see him; his voice annoyed me, and I got irritated every time I saw his face because it reminded me of their deception towards me.
My steps slowed as I felt a wave of dizziness again. I hadn't even had a drink; what was happening to me?
"Baby!"
Even feeling dizzy, I continued walking without looking back, but he quickly caught up to me.
"Hey, why are you leaving me?"
I pushed him away because he was getting closer to me, and I didn't want him near me, especially since I was irritated by his cologne. His perfume was completely different from Professor Zaiden's, and I preferred the latter's scent over his.
"What's wrong? Don't you understand? Please, I don't want to see you or be with you. You're not the one I want to be with, Zairon. You're not the man I want. Do you understand me?" Frustration boiled over, and suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes.
"B-baby..." he softly said, but it only fueled my anger.
"Don't call me baby! Leave me alone. Find another woman to play with because you won't get anything from me!" I shouted in anger.
"You want me to find another woman?" He seemed taken aback by what I said.
"Yes! You won't get anything from me. I can't love you!" I yelled out of frustration.
"You can just pretend that I'm Zaiden, Laurene. I don't care if you mention him when we're together, but don't ask me to stay away from you. I can't do that." He spoke seriously.
"You can't do that, but you can deceive me? What's that about?" I snapped back.
"I won't take back what I said to you. I won't regret what I did. If you try to push me away, I'll find you anywhere, Laurene, so don't bother planning because it will be useless."
I couldn't stand what he was saying, and my anger flared even more. "You're unbelievable, Zairon. I don't want anything to do with you, not now, not ever!"
"You really can't resist me, Laurene. You can push me away, but you drive me crazy. I'm crazy, Laurene, you can't push a crazy person like me."
"Zairon, you're not crazy. You're just selfish," I said, trying to hold back my emotions. "You only care about what you want, not what I want or need."
"Laurene, I--"
"No, Zairon," I cut him off, tears streaming down my cheeks. "You don't get to speak. You don't get to spin this situation into something where you're the victim. You lied to me, you deceived me, and you expect me to just forgive and forget?"
"Laurene, please," he pleaded.
I took a deep breath and averted my gaze from him. I wiped away my tears because why should I cry over this man?
"Do you really know what you want, Zairon? Because it seems like you don't. It looks like you can't understand that I don't want you," I said with a hint of resentment in my voice. "You're not the one I want, Zairon, you know that, so why do you keep forcing yourself on me?"