Dating Mr. Arrogant

chapter 25 - you better break up with him

ELLE

Tiny bare feet slap against the hardwood floor. The toddler zooms past me in only her Disney print underwear, her hair matted with sticky applesauce. She squeals at the top of her lungs, sounding like a proud Spartan warrior fueled by sugar and boundless energy.

"Jasmine baby, mama's tired!" Mom calls out, shuffling past me in her slippers, but Jasmine has already disappeared around the corner. She tucks her newly cut long bob behind her ear. She joked that short hair is a tactical advantage when it comes to wrangling an energetic toddler. I guess my parents are still adjusting to the hurricane that is Jasmine, struggling to understand the difference to my own relatively calm childhood. I just say it's because she's petite and fun-sized.

Thinking about my sister makes me think about Giselle. I wonder if they'd get along just as well as Jade and I. Giselle is more like me whereas Jasmine is more like Jade. They'd balance each other out... or Jasmine would turn Giselle into another sugar-fueled Spartan warrior.

Jasmine's tiny voice chirps from the living room, failing to mimic my mom's usual tone of concern. "Awe, poor mama!"

I burst out laughing. "I've never heard her say that."

Mom stops with a wry smile. "I always say poor baby when she gets her usual bumps and bruises. It doesn't sound quite as sweet coming from her." She shakes her head, and then her eyes focus on my outfit. "Are you going on a date with Ace?"

My stomach goes on a rollercoaster loop. Her question catches me off guard, and for a moment, I find it hard to keep my face expressionless. I don't want to give her any hint of the emotional rollercoaster Ace is putting me through.

I glance down at my denim jeans ripped at the knees, black square-neck crop tee, and 302 court sneakers. It's a comfortable and casual look that's hardly something I'd choose for a date. "No, going to an arcade with some friends. He's out of town."

"Okay, please be safe. The media is crazy with their interest in you and Ace. The soccer game, the restaurant..." Mom trails off. I can hear the concern in her voice, as if she wants to bring something else up. Before she can say anything else, a loud bang erupts from the living room like a cabinet or door slamming. With a groan, she rushes off to investigate.

I turn to leave, but Dad calls my name from his home office before my hand can touch the front door handle. Peeping in, I find him clicking and clacking his finger away on the computer mouse, his brows knit in concentration. Files and binders and documents from old cases are stored neatly behind locked glass cabinets. He keeps his office clean, besides the mess that's on his desk. I've noticed how busy he's been, and I'm guessing it's about the case he's working on for Mr. Daniels. I'm not exactly sure what kind of case, since he's been pretty secretive about it. Dad takes confidentiality pretty seriously. So much so that he keeps his office locked when he's not at home. I do remember him mentioning Richards Finance Group that day that I overheard them in the kitchen.

"What's up, dad?" I lean against the doorframe, hands gripping the wood.

He glances at me briefly, then jots something down on a notepad before meeting my gaze. "I got a confirmation email from that big-name makeup company. If you're ready, I need an e-signature from you. The contract is all set. The shoot will be broken up into weekends since school is important too."

A smile breaks out on my face. The big-name company he's referring to is Enchante Beauty, the cosmetic giant that slid into my DMs a couple of days ago. They want to collaborate on a high-profile campaign to revive a beloved discontinued product. I think I screamed into the phone for a straight minute when I FaceTime'd the group chat that now includes Jade. But it didn't matter, everyone else was screaming along too.