I Love You But...

XIII

"Congratulations, Mr. Alexander." A man in a suit said as he extended me his hand.

I took his hand and shook it. "Thanks."

"I'm Harley, the organizer of this event. I would like you to meet Mr. Jeane, the reason behind this contest."

"Hi Alexander, I am Jeane Florent. Congratulations on winning."

"Wait... You are..." If I'm not mistaken, he's the owner of several money-making establishments.

"Yes, that's me. The owner of JF Hotels and Resorts International." He said humbly and smiled.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, sir."

"Same for me."

"So Mr. Alexander," Harley interrupted my amusement of seeing a tycoon up close and personal, "aside from receiving the grand prize, we would like to discuss another matter with you. Please have a seat."

"I'm just here to receive the check, right?" I asked, suddenly becoming confused. Mr. Jeane and Harley smiled.

"Mr. Alexander, I am the senior events manager of the JF Hotels and Resorts. And I would like to enlighten you about the situation you're in." Harley said confidently. "Having this contest is a means of finding the best wedding singer; because in six months, Mr. Jeane's daughter will be married."

"I see... And please, call me Al."

"Okay, Al. Aside from it, you will also be the singer of the whole Florent clan. But of course, it will still depend on your availability. And you will be paid for each event."

I felt my jaw dropped. I am completely overwhelmed.

"Did you find it surprising, Al?" Mr. Jeane remarked.

"Actually, it is surprising, sir. I only know I won this contest, and then surprises are suddenly revealed. I think I'm taking time to absorb the information."

Mr. Jeane laughed at my naivety. "Al, it's okay. As long as you sing at my daughter's wedding." He signed a check and gave it to me. "Here's your prize for today."

There are eight digits written. One hundred thousand. Wow.

"And Al, please sign this agreement." He slid the paper towards me.

It states that I will be the wedding singer of Mr. Jeane's daughter and will be paid on the day itself. I signed it.

"Sir, the agreement only mentions your daughter's wedding and not of the whole Florent clan."

"Al, we just have to be sure that you will be there at my daughter's wedding. That's why there's a written agreement. For the Florent clan, it is only a verbal one. But one thing's for sure, if you sing for one Florent, the other Florents would like to have you, too."

"Well, that's nice." I said, still overwhelmed with how lucky I am to win this contest.

"So we'll see you in six months, Al. I will contact you prior to that." Harley placed a hand on my shoulder. "Here's my card, in case you need anything."

"Thanks."

Wow. This is great. I won and received the grand prize, I have a future event on my calendar, and I might have more events to come. Great. Everything is great. I thought to myself while holding the check and Harley's card as I walk out of the room. I will surely thank Jamie for bringing this up.

"Hey Al!" Speaking of the angel.

"I never knew you waited for me."

"Oh, it's fine. Of course, I wanted to congratulate you, but I saw you went backstage with someone."

"Ah... That is - "

"But let me give you a hug." She placed her arms around my neck and rested them on my shoulders. "Congratulations, Al. I have always known that you can do it."

I am still for a few seconds, unable to move a muscle in my body until I realized I've been holding my breath. "Thank you, Jamie. Thank you for believing in me. Without you, this will never happen." I embraced her without having second thoughts. I like having her arms around me; it is comforting. If we could only stay like this for a while.

"So," she let go of her embrace but kept her hands on my shoulders, "can you tell me what happened back there?" She looked at me like a child interested in grandma's fairytales. I removed my hands on her waist, although it seems that she doesn't mind if it stays there.

I told her about the overwhelming encounter with Jeane Florent, everything about it.

"Al, that's wonderful. But I'm afraid they will take you away from me."

"Don't worry, Jamie. I will always be your wedding singer."