☘︎ Jᴇɴɴɪғᴇʀ Rʏsᴏɴ ☘︎

Going on a shopping-spree is what clears my head when I'm stressed.

The bigger the headache of the issue plaguing me, the more the money I tend to spend. Despite the fact that I nonetheless end up selecting clothes and shoes from the latest collections my personal shopper slash designer purchases and custom tailors for me.

Ethan's declaration earlier about the clown being dead for the last eleven years....it just confirmed what I'd known for a while now.

Yes, maybe Lykas did see a clown in the yatch party and maybe Mia or Francis didn't invite him, but who's to say one of the other guests invited didn't bring along an entertainer in a clown's costume as their plus one? It happens quite often for me to look past it.

When the eerie voice of the clown singing his twisted lullabies had started to ring in my ears, his frozen red smile flashing in front of my eyes. While I just sat there on the leathery chair in front of Ethan's desk, concluding that I'm losing my mind, that I've actually been hallucinating, making the clown up when he isn't even alive. I know I need to see a therapist, ask for medications, but I couldn't just do it yet. I wanted to clear my mind per se.

Even if a part of me longed to stay back when Lykas had looked up at me with concerned eyes as I rose from my chair. He'd asked, "Are you okay? Where are you going? Can I come along?"

My emotions were shut behind a closed lid, I didn't understand how he'd even caught up to the paranoia swirling inside my head. But the fact that he could read me so well had me raising my guards even more. I'd become too comfortable around him lately, I didn't like it.

So to even the track back to a level where I was fairly comfortable, I'd let the ice I usually maintained for people show in my voice as I retorted, "Mind your business, Vitallis."

It didn't make me feel one bit better as I expected. Instead, the almost hurt look that had flashed in Lykas' eyes made me feel ten times worse, adding to my growing headache.

Which brings me to the present.

Glasses on my eyes and a scarf around my neck—a half-baked attempt to conceal my identity—with four shopping bags from Prada, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana hoisted in my arms. In New York's signature place of wealth; The Fifth Avenue.

While Fifth Avenue is a mass street of multi-billions worth mansions and buildings where the richest of New York City cold-war compete against one another through their shiny residences, it is also a shopping center with various luxury brands stores situated at one place, one after another in a neat row.

I spot the Jimmy Choo store and stride towards it, determined to make it my final stop even if Lykas Vitallis' stupid face with those whisky eyes shimmered in sadness still keeps flashing in my mind making me want to scream. A part of me though is happy he's the one occupying my thoughts now instead of the clown, while another part wants to scowl at the absurdity of it.

The moment I'm inside the Jimmy Choo store in it's golden lighted glory, my eyes immediately land on the another two customers already present.

They're sitting next to each other. Mia in a soft pink crop-top with a large bow in the front atop her chest and a miniskirt with little layers that flutter around her mid thighs. Francis wears a plain maroon v-neck cashmere sweater and jeans, but still manages to look ready for a walk up on the fashion week runway. But that's not just it....

Mia's one hand is under Francis' sweater, the other one on his jaw. He's looking up at her with soft eyes and pulling her face to his by the back of her head. Their lips move against each other's. The salesladies are blushing and looking anywhere but at them.

I blink once then twice to confirm whether I'm seeing it right but it's Mia who speaks the instant she spots me, "Jenna!" She squeaks with wide eyes, abruptly pulling away from Francis, but I'd seen the scene already.

My mouth opens with a response then shuts up. Wait when did they.....

Unlike Mia who looks like a deer caught in headlights, Francis is barely flustered as he inches back from Mia and looks over his shoulder at me, "Bonjour, amie." He does a two-finger salute. Hello, friend.

There's a happiness in his voice I hadn't ever heard before. It makes me smile for my friend.

"Since when?" I ask casually, taking a seat on the velvet settee for the customers. I spare the blushing salesladies from more flusteredness by gesturing them to get me the cheetah print boots and velvet pointed-toe stilletoes from the far corner shelf.

As they go, I turn to my still pink-cheeked sister and an almost smug other bestfriend, with a raise of my brow expecting a possible answer.

"Like six days??!" Mia's words are so squeaky and embarrassed, it's cute.

"Seven days, amour. Seven days. I asked you out the very next moment after Lykas proposed Jennifer." Francis deadpans, but there's a smile on his lips.

I refrain from focusing too much on Lykas' name. The feel of his warm mouth on mine, the tug of his teeth on my bottom lip, the hardness of his large hands gripping my hips on the dance floor is still imprinted in the recesses of my brain. But then the memory of his hurt eyes earlier break the spell.

My insides twist in a foreign sense of guilt and I shake myself out of it instantly. It was just a pretend kiss and sad eyes moment damnit, why am I suddenly thinking so much of him?

"Their proposal was so romantic. And that kiss." Mia sighs dreamily, oblivious to the fact I'm trying to avoid the subject.

"We could try to imitate?" Francis asks hopefully to her.

"Yeah?" Mia asks distractedly, seeming to be in her own mind. She looks to Francis, communicating with her eyes and he freezes like he's imagining the scenario.

I want to roll my eyes at their sudden friends-to-lovers cheesy dynamic, even if a teeny, only teeny, part of me thinks it's too adorable and that their pair was long due to get together as a couple. I've always been a secret shipper, although no one needs to know that.

"It got Mia almost getting engaged for me to get it together and know what kind of idiot I'd been all this time by not confessing my feelings to her. Otherwise I'd have never known she likes me too but thought I didn't like her in a romantic way." Francis mumbles, picking up a hot-pink gorgette bow stilletoes from the fur rug on the floor and holding it out to Mia.

Mia tries on the stilletoes, the hot-pink colour contrasting beautifully against her pale feet. She smiles gleefully at it.

But I freeze on my spot and flick my gaze between both of them, "What engagement?"

It's Mia's turn to go wholly still.

Francis doesn't notice her reaction and furrows his brows. I think I see a flicker of guilt and pain flash through his irises before it clears immediately and he looks straight at me, "The one with the business deal between Vitallis and Davidson Group."

Hold on. . .

Mia has ditched her pretty shoes and is now silently glaring at Francis but he seems oblivious to her drilling gaze.

"Vitallis Group? You mean. . ." I let my sentence trail.

"With Lykas, yes. Why do you think I hated him at the yatch party once he mentioned his name? Their engagement had been fixed for months—" Francis pauses halfway, his eyes widening in realization, "Oh my God, you didn't know. Shit."

Mia looks about ready to bury Francis right here, a complete opposite to the sweet look she had on minutes ago when she was kissing him. But she turns to me in urgency, "Don't think too much about it. The engagement was just supposed to be a business deal. We didn't like each other in any romantic way. Me and Lykas were going to keep it platonic even if we got married. He loves you, Jenna. That's why he ditched the deal to be with you."

I'm not hearing half of her words. The only thing that makes sense is Mia and Lykas were going to get engaged, and I didn't even know about it, all this while. It's good it turned out for everyone's benefit. But what if Mia had actually had romantic feelings for Lykas and I'd been the thorn unknowingly?

I know I can't stay stuck on the what ifs but it still doesn't erase the fact that Lykas hid about the engagement from me. I'd trusted him with my deepest secrets, almost considered him friend when he'd kept me in the dark from the very start.

A foreign unreasonable anger bubbles inside me being fueled by the stress of the scandal, the unplanned engagement scheme Lykas offered, the last few days deluding that the clown has been following me and realizing the clown doesn't even exist. There's a flicker of hurt too, but I push it to a shabby corner in my heart.

The ice returns with full force as I fix my gaze on Mia, "Tell me everything about this deal and the engagement."

***

☘︎ Lʏᴋᴀs Vɪᴛᴀʟʟɪs ☘︎

The LED television screen receives the full wrath of my deep frown, while I glare at Rapunzel and Flynn Rider on the boat, nearly sharing a kiss after having already enjoyed exploring the village together. Bitches didn't have any right to have such romantic moments while my non-existent love-life drowned in the ocean. Fuck I'm jealous of Disney characters now. Who the hell put this movie on?!

Groaning, I run a hand through my already messy hair, proceeding to tug at the top two buttons of my shirt that's suffocating my wind-pipe and slump back on Jennifer's living room's couch.

Ethan slides his gaze from the files in his hands and raises a brow in question, "What's the problem with you? Why have you been sulking ever since we left my office?"

"I'm not sulking." I all but growl at him the exact same time there's a scoff from my left.

I turn my head sideways to find Siya, Jennifer's HR & PR manager rolling her eyes, "Isn't it obvious, Langford? He's not very thrilled to be in your presence."

Instead of taking offense, Ethan's lips quirk up in an amused smile and he too leans back on the couch like me, "What about you, Okoye? Happy to be in my presence?"

Siya passes him a cursory glance, "Some people really do think very highly of themselves." And then she ignores him, gets off the couch and wanders to the far end of the living room to dial another number and starts yelling into her phone. Poor person who's on the receiving end. But I have to give the credit to her, she'd done a splendid job in shifting the scandal news from headlines and then making broadcasters delete the murder article completely in the past week.

As Siya retreats, I drill holes into Ethan's head because I remember Jennifer had given him a full nod of acknowledgement before she left but she'd thrown those cold words at me.

With a resigned sigh passing his lips, "See I'm already annoyed that I can't find a single thing about the another girl who was kidnapped along with Francis, Mia, me and Jennifer. All the records of the other girl is gone. It's like that girl didn't even exist and wasn't even kidnapped along with us. It makes no sense." Ethan lifts a file at my face, "And then there's you glowering at me like I stole your favorite toy. What is it?"

I scowl at him. I'm not even a scowly person and yet I can't stop scowling. It kind of reminds me of Jennifer's scowl before she left and the lump in my throat tightens. Mind your business, Vitallis.

Even if I can't stop thinking about her soft lips on mine and that soul-shattering kiss on the dance floor, I thought we are friends. Friends don't cold-shoulder you, do they? Ugh why am I feeling like someone stabbed me in the heart?!

Before I can scowl more at Ethan though, the front door bursts open and Jennifer walks in carrying an array of shopping bags with her. She doesn't even spare me a glance, even when she acknowledges Ethan and Siya with another one of those nods.

My heart clenches and I try not to throw a tantrum over the lack of greeting like a toddler. Even if I know my obsession to gain her attention is borderline childish.

When Jennifer starts stalking towards the open-arms stairs, I jolt up from the couch in panic and go after her as though the moment I'd loose sight of her, I'd loose her forever.

My hand gently clasps around her elbow near the stairways, stopping her on her tracks, "Hey, why are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?" I ask hesitantly.

Jennifer doesn't even look at me, she stares straight ahead, "Except hide the fact you were going to get engaged to Mia on the day of the Davidson Group's annual ball and the engagement had been fixed for months before that?" She yanks free her hand out of my hold, "Nothing other than that, I suppose."

Jennifer's silhouette retreat up the stairs and out of sight while I'm left standing at the foot of the stairway, with my heart twisting in regret.

Shit. I should've told her about it.

--------᪥♔︎᪥-------

I'm dropping little little hints in these sorta filler chapters so that everything doesn't get dumped on y'all and it all clicks on the final revelation of the clown's identity and stuff. Do read carefully, hints are EVERYWHERE 👀

Do you think Jennifer overreacted?

Lemme know your thoughts and theories on the chapter!

Now I shall go take some much needed sleep at 2AM. Tataaa. Have a nice day, tiny hoomans!