Chapter 2

(Clarice)

“You made my day by being here with me tonight, Clarice. Thank you.”

I seductively ran my fingers from Russel’s shoulder to his throat all the way up to his jaw. When I saw him swallow hard, I flashed my sweetest smile. If only Russel knew that I should be the one thanking him right now.

I came back to Manila last week. Maggy had everything set already which included my papers, the place where I would stay for the time being, and the car I would use.

The car was already parked inside Alejandros’ resort. All I had to do was to get the key from Radha, Maggy’s assistant, who picked me up from the airport. She was also the one who handed me everything I needed to know about Alano McClennan, including his work schedule. There was no doubt that Maggy knew that Russel Alejandro owned the exclusive resort where I was staying at that’s why it was the place she chose for me. Russel’s father was one of the shareholders in McClennan Corporation.

A naughty smile tugged at my lips. Among the three of us, I had always been the risk taker. I was the one who made all the necessary and urgent decisions. Maggy was the clever one while Yalena, her fraternal twin sister, was the most observant and analytical among us.

It had been four days since Russel introduced himself to me while I was dining in the restaurant inside his resort. For the past years, I made it a habit to only surround myself with the people who could help me reach my goal. That was the only reason why I allowed Russel to get close to me while I was still studying the information about my target.

And luck was on my side.

Last night, Russel came to my room and invited me to be his date at the party held by the McClennans. They were celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the McClennan Power, Oil, and Mining Corporation in the country. Ansel was the one who handled everything related to the power plants, Austin took care of the mining, while Alano was in charge of the oil.

The beautiful life the McClennans now had was supposed to be ours. But Benedict stole it from me and the De Laras. My smile faded at the thought.

“Clarice? Is something wrong?” Russel asked. Concern was visible in his pale green eyes.

I struggled to bring back the smile on my lips as I took my hands off his face. His shoulders drooped as if he wanted me to touch him more. From the first time I saw him, I knew that friendship was not the only thing he wanted from me. And I used that to my advantage. Now, Russel seemed to be getting the wrong idea because ever since we came to the McClennan mansion, he began marking his territory and did not allow any man to dance with me.

A few songs had passed already and here we were, still dancing.

I was starting to get bored although I tried to conceal it. My target was still nowhere in sight. But when I looked around for the umpteenth time, I accidentally locked eyes with the man who was standing near the grand staircase. He was staring at me while holding a glass of wine.

Among the guests, the man stood out. Maybe it was because of what he was wearing. Only the McClennan siblings were wearing white three-piece suits at the party. I’d seen his two brothers earlier and they had no effect on me. This man, however, was different. Maybe it was because of the inviting look in his eyes.

There were a few couples who were standing between us in the wide living room of the mansion. But that did not stop me from seeing how his naturally rosy lips curved into a playful smile.

Finally, Alano decided to join the party.

“EXCUSE me. I’ll just go to the bathroom for a while,” I said to Russel when the music was over. I was about to turn my back on him when he caught my wrist.

“I will take you there.”

My brows furrowed. This was the reason why at twenty-five, I still didn’t have a boyfriend. I never had one. The men I met were all needlessly possessive. How many Russels had I met before? I’d lost count. The minute I saw that quality in a man, I immediately cut ties with them. Recently, I’d stopped dating completely which had served its purpose since I had to focus on the mission at hand.

“Russel, dear.” I flashed him a smile, exposing my dimples. “I hate complications. We are just friends and yet, you are already suffocating me.” I leaned towards him, his shoulders tensed, as I whispered in his ear. “Just so you know, the last man I dated lost me because he was too obsessive.”

Worry crossed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was just-“

“Ssh, I got it.” I pressed two of my fingers on his lips. “You are worried, I know. But allow me to breathe, Russel. I’ve always been a free soul. I hate being caged,” I added before I took his hand off my wrist.

I strode to our table and snatched my purse before I went to the garden to get some fresh air. As someone who had been to countless parties over the past years, events like this bored me to death.

I took my phone out of my purse and sent a text message to Radha.

‘Find me a new place. ASAP.’

Radha replied right away. ‘I will have to inform Ms. Maggy about this first, Ms. Clarice. What reason should I tell her?’

‘Tell her that Russel was useful. But his purpose has now expired.’

There was no more reason for me to keep hanging out with Russel. Because from tonight onwards, I would make a move on my own. It was enough that he became the bridge I needed to enter the McClennan residence. I was about to bring my phone back inside the purse when it rang. It was Julian. I took a deep breath before answering the call.

“This is a long distance call, Julian. This better be important.”

“I’m still hurt by what you did. Yet, I still can’t help but worry about you. Your father died because of the McClennans and your mother is still suffering because of him. What if along the way, something happens to you, too? Look, if this is about the money, I can give you that,” Julian said, not giving me a chance to speak. “You know I can give you the world, Clarice. Just marry me.”

“You are right,” I responded while rubbing my temples. I sat on the bench and scanned the area. There was no one else but me in this place. It looked like all the guests were into partying unlike me who would rather stay in this dimly lit garden.

Julian came from one of the most prominent families in the States. His family owned an empire and with his wealth, he could indeed, provide me everything I needed.

We met through his friend who owned the modeling agency where I used to work at. The connection was there on our first meeting. We hit it off right away. He was fun to be with. We went out a few times but all those were friendly dates. Julian was like a brother to me but that changed when he confessed to me one day.

“You can give me the world and that’s the problem, Julian. I don’t want it. I do care for you but I’m not into this marriage thing. I’m sorry,” I bluntly responded since I hated beating around the bush. I’d rejected him before and it saddened me that I had to do it again tonight. “There are more important things that I need to do than stand in front of a priest with you and make empty declarations of love which I don’t even believe in.”

(Alano)

“BE HONEST with me, brother. Did you and Clarice break up? Was that the reason why she showed up here with another guy?”

I was about to follow Clarice when Austin blocked my way and interrogated me. His brows were knitted which made a huge grin spread across my face.

I patted his shoulder. “Relax, Austin. This is the reason why everybody thinks you are older than me. You worry a lot. Clarice and I didn’t break up.” We were never a couple in the first place. “We just had a little misunderstanding.” Just like this relationship that only you and I knew about. “I better go now so I can talk to her.” And finally introduce myself to her.

“Alright,” Austin answered with that same stern expression on his face. “Alejandro was with her the whole time so I thought you two broke up.” He shook his head before giving way. “I like her for you. I don’t see any women loitering around the mansion anymore. And that happened ever since you started meeting Clarice. I will support anything that will make you change for the better, brother. So, go and get your woman back.”

I chuckled before heading to the garden. Excitement filled my veins. I first saw Clarice in Denver. It had been nine weeks since then. I went there for a business conference but it ended early. A female colleague invited me to a fashion show. I was bored so I decided to give it a go.

Clarice was the star of the night back then. She was the one who modeled for the finale. And she had everyone under her spell, including me, the moment she walked on the center stage. It was like she had this magnetic charm that pulled people towards her. I was first lured by her eyes. They were as dark and as mysterious as the night.

I wanted to approach Clarice after the show but there were so many people who lined up to talk to her. Besides, I needed to go back to Manila the day after. I had my assistant research about the enigmatic model and was over the moon when I found out that she was still single. But that happiness disappeared when I discovered that she was actually a supermodel knowing that it would be tough to get inside her world.

Still, I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to meet her after I was done dealing with all the paperwork in the office.

Clarice Alvero had me enraptured the first time I saw her. I was determined to come to her after this party so I could formally introduce myself to her. This was the first time I had ever wanted a woman this badly. I’d lost interest in other women after seeing her. That’s why when Austin teased me after I stopped bringing women home, I told him about Clarice and showed him her picture. I was only kidding when I told him that she was my woman. I didn’t know that he actually believed in me. Austin could really be amusing at times.

I was surprised when I saw Clarice in my family’s mansion tonight. She was the center of the males’ attention and she was not even aware of it. She just kept dancing with Russel. Remembering it made my eyes flare in jealousy.

Until I saw Clarice. She was looking in the opposite direction and was busy talking to someone over the phone. My throat went dry at the mere sight of her exposed back. From the light post, I could see her clearly. The male guests’ eyes had been feasting on her creamy skin ever since she arrived at the party.

In her white bareback gown, Clarice made it hard for everyone to ignore her. Her gown was actually simple but it emphasized her sinful curves. There were so many things I wanted to discover about her… just like the many beautiful things hiding underneath her gown.

I shook my head and shove that naughty thought away before walking towards her. I couldn’t believe I caught her breaking someone’s heart using her soft voice.

I was stunned but only for a few seconds. I was right. This woman was really something. It looked like there was a man proposing to her over the phone. And while many women would grab the opportunity, this heartbreaker downright declined the ‘world’ that the man was willing to offer.

A smile played at the corner of my lips as I clapped my hands. “Very well said, love.”