Chapter 5 Denial vs Jealousy

Several Weeks Later

Stefani woke up late today. It was Saturday anyway so she could just lie down on her bed all day if she could. But then there was a knock on her door and at first, she just ignored it. When it kept knocking, Stefani removed her covers, got up, and pulled the door open.

She was then greeted by a maid whom she was a bit close to, compared to the other staff inside the mansion. "Good morning, Young Miss."

"What is it, Rose? Can I sleep more? I want to go back to sleep~," Stefani tries to act cutely at the 25-year-old maid. The maid chuckled but soon became serious and worried.

"But Miss, Sir Jonathan is downstairs with the designer for your engagement party," Rose explained.

Stefani's eyes widened and immediately ran towards the center of the second floor and peeked from the stairs to see if it was true. There she saw Jonathan talking with a woman who looked to be in her 30s, with long shiny black hair and wearing very simple yet eye-catching clothes. Then she watched Jonathan give her a smile. Stefani's eyebrows twitched as she walked back to her room and buried her face to her pillow, then flipped it so she could hide her head under it.

"What's the point of getting a designer-organizer for your "engagement party" if you're already flirting with her? Are you forgetting the fact that you are engaged with someone already? What am I then, if you are already smiling and having a good time with her? Stupid Jonathan!" Stefani began to mutter sourly and bitterly under her pillow.

"Young Miss, you need to get ready now. Miss Ellie won't be here for long." Stefani heard Rose trying to persuade her again but Stefani kept her face under the pillow.

"I don't care. I'm not going to that engagement party anyway," Stefani bitterly replied.

"Young Miss..."

The sound of another pair of footsteps came but Stefani remained on her bed. She didn't need to turn around and see who it was. Just by the sound of the heavy sigh and that alone Stefani could tell who the person was inside the room.

"You can go now."

Stefani listened to Jonathan as he spoke to Rose. Soon he heard the door closed but Stefani still didn't turn or move from her spot.

"How long are you going to act like this?" She heard Jonathan speak and she could imagine the older man's position right now in her bedroom - standing firmly with arms crossed over his chest by Stefani's bed.

Stefani remained silent, unmoving, completely not aware of how awkward and uncomfortable it was for Jonathan to see her on her bed - lying on her stomach - with her butt in view. Jonathan would be lying if he says that didn't make him feel something... inside. He was a man, after all. Though he wasn't sure if that was right to feel towards a high school student. And a sassy one, at that.

She was still wearing panda pajamas, for fudge's sake, Jonathan. Pull yourself together. Jonathan reminded himself.

Dismissing the unnecessary and clearly unhelpful thoughts, Jonathan looked around Stefani's bedroom. It wasn't like it was the first time he came here, in truth, he had been here countless times before. He used to watch Stefani sleep when she was a kid and even played with her numerous times. But that was in the past - before he decided to accept Mr. Hernandez's offer of studying abroad so the man could get him employed in the HE Group. He studied high school, university, and even took a master's degree right away all in Australia, together with his elder sister, Jane. She was now happily married to a man named Chen and was working in a branch building Mr. Hernandez owned as well.

The sound of thick covers ruffling snapped Jonathan out of his trance, making him look at his now sitting, annoyed yet adorable, seventeen-year-old fiancée.

Did he just say that "a" word? No. No way.

"Seriously, why are you still here?" Stefani asked, eyes not meeting Jonathan. Jonathan unconsciously let out a small smile, amused to see Stefani sitting on her bed with messy hair, frowning, lips pouting. Like a baby panda.

Cute.

No. No way did he think of that.

"I think we need to talk," Jonathan said after clearing his throat. He didn't know if it was going to work but he could at least try. He wanted to talk to Stefani about "them". Maybe, just maybe, he could get Stefani to accept their engagement, and who knows, maybe, just maybe, it would turn out to be more than just a paper agreement.

He heard the younger scoffed, eyebrows frowning deeper Jonathan had the urge to fix them with his own fingers but he knew better than to even touch the young missy.

"Yeah I think we do," Stefani mocked and for a moment, Jonathan heard a tint of bitterness in her voice, a different kind of which he didn't really hear that much from the younger. Jonathan watched as Stefani opened her mouth again.

"Just back out. Can't we just stop this engagement or whatever? This isn't gonna work with you and me. We both know the reason why. Also, I don't really want to be engaged with someone I don't..." Stefani trailed off, eyes a bit widening like she just said something she shouldn't.

Jonathan wasn't stupid. He knew the following words so well. He sighed, turned around, feet ready to leave when he heard Stefani's so - so very soft voice - muttering under her breath, halting his moves.

"A-At least don't flirt with someone else..."

Jonathan quickly turned around to see Stefani, head turned to the side to hide her blushing face, still muttering words she thought Jonathan couldn't hear, but the older one did. Clearly. Then it clicked. He remembered acting a bit too friendly to Ms. Ellie, the designer, as he felt a bit - just a bit - excited for this occasion to happen. He didn't know why but after witnessing how his soon-to-be bride acted towards a stranger yesterday, Jonathan couldn't keep her out of his mind. Especially that smile. Jonathan couldn't explain but the need to have that smile on and for him arise each minute it flashes on his mind. He wanted it.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? You're creeping me out!" Stefani said with a disgusted face.

"Just didn't know my fiancée is the jealous type," Jonathan shrugged, deciding to tease the teenager.

Stefani's cheeks heated up as her eyes widened upon hearing the words, her mouth opened immediately and defensively, "S-Shut up! I'm not j-jealous! Y-You're just a flirt! Admit it!"

"Hmm?" Jonathan hummed uninterestedly as his legs started to move, slowly going towards Stefani as the younger kept defensively speaking.

"Why don't you just go back to that woman and flirt with her? You can just exchange flirtatious smiles with each other all day! What if you just get out of my room and meet with that woman? What are you even doing...here..."

Stefani's eyes widened, her cheeks heated up and her heart pounded louder than anything she's ever heard in her entire life.

"I won't flirt with her if you don't want me to. Now get up, fix your hair, dress nicely, and get downstairs," Jonathan calmly whispered against her ear.

Stefani felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt Jonathan's hot breath hit the back of her ear with his husky voice. Before she could angrily snap her head around though, a soft kiss at the back of her ear landed and that was all it took to shut Stefani up. She was still blinking fast after whispering an "okay" when she stood up and quickly went to her bathroom, locking the door as fast as lightning.

After a few minutes, she was walking down the huge staircase, her eyes on Jonathan as the older's eyes were on a brochure-type book he was holding, and the designer whose name was Ms. Ellie sitting next to him close... too close to Stefani's liking.

Stefani cleared her throat, catching both Jonathan and Ms. Ellie's attention to her as Jonathan then noticed how he had sat a bit too close to the woman. He smiled knowingly before standing up, moved to grab and pull Stefani's hand towards him though received a glare from the younger before even doing so. There was the unspoken "don't you dare touch me" and "I hate you" by the way Stefani looked at him and Jonathan could only sigh, thinking of the only thing he could think of.

So back to zero again, huh?