Alden Richard Faulkerson is a successful architect, the quintessential office hunk who breaks women's hearts because............. Surprise! He's gay. Nicomaine Dei Mendoza is the corporate IT Girl with a bad reputation but a good heart. The two ar...
Hello there my dears. So sorry for the late post, had a headache that refused to go away. I slept for three hours only because I was watching Alaala last night and of course, the images stuck to my head till I was trying to get some sleep. In case you weren't able to watch it, they're showing it over the weekend:)
Anyway, here's the confrontation you have been waiting for. I hope there won't be any bashing, ok? Fiction, lang po. And I also hope I did justice because I was writing this while my head was still in the throes of migraine. Wala eh compulsion na to write even with this headache. I couldn't let the night pass without updating. Let me know what you think ok? :)
News about Maine's and Alden's engagement spread like wildfire. Of course, with that was the speculation was that she probably was already pregnant, hence the quick decision to get engaged. What they didn't know was that the two were intimate only on the first night of their stay in Singapore, and opted to keep intimacy at bay until they were married.
It was actually Maine's decision to do this, which Alden understood and respected. Surrendering her innocence to him was a gesture of trust, a strong statement that she loved him and completely had faith in him not to take advantage of her. Since they decided on a shorter engagement, the decision to stay safe was a mutual agreement.
They settled on a date for the wedding, October 24, 2018, a Wednesday. It was the day she finally said yes to him a year ago, giving them a little less than five months to prepare for the wedding ceremony. She was excited to be his wife, she was never more certain in her life, she knew they were meant to be together.
Throughout the morning of her first day back at work, she had been getting weird looks from colleagues, mostly at her flat tummy. She wanted to laugh out loud, it was funny how she and Alden seemed to have developed celebrity status within the office.
Cass knocked at her cubicle and had a strange look in his face. She waved at him to sit and waited for him to talk.
"Maine............."
"Yes Cass?"
"Someone left this for you sa guard."
It was a linen envelope, with a photo inside of Alden and Janine kissing.
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(A/N: Just to be clear, the guy in photo is not Alden, ok? Avoiding hanash, hihi)
It was an old photo but it left a bad taste in her mouth. Janine knew what she was doing, thinking she could rile Maine with this. But was not willing to be baited. There was a message at the back of the photo which simply had the time and place.
"7:00 PM tonight, Chateau 1771 El Pueblo."
"Is it from her?"
"By her, do you mean Janine?"
"Yes."
"How did you know it was from her?"
"I saw her a few days ago, lurking around the mall. What does it say?"
"She wants to meet later."
"Are you meeting her?"
"Yes."
"Will you let Alden know?"
"For now, no. I will meet him after."
-----
She was prettier up close, Janine noted. Her doe eyes and naturally thick, long lashes, and her dewy caramel skin was something she would want to trade her fair complexion for. She had a slim and supple body, she also had good clothing sense. It irked her that there was nothing to dislike in this girl, other than perhaps her bad reputation.
"Hello Janine."
Maine gave her a ghost of a smile and stood before her, noting how beautiful Janine was despite her age. Being a fitness buff suited her, she still looked really young, her unlined skin remained flawless. She was wearing a pretty sun dress that showed off her well-toned arms and flawless legs that were crossed at the ankles and slanted to one side.
"Hello Maine, sit. Please."
Both women sized each other up hesitating to speak. Maine's heart thundered, but she looked calm on the outside. She prayed before coming here, asking God to guide her on this meeting. She was going to fight for her relationship with Alden, and she would do it with finesse. She will not succumb to hysterics.
"So.......I'm here. You wanted to see me?"
"I think you know why."
"Maybe you should articulate what you want Janine. I cannot do guesswork."
"I want Alden back."
"Then ask him. Why talk to me?"
Janine was taken aback. This girl had chutzpah, so different from Jade. She had to hand it to Alden, he chose well.
"Alden will not talk to me unless you tell him to. He's nice like that."
"Janine......will you listen to yourself? You know I have a relationship with him, right? And yet you ask me to talk to him, convince him to talk to you, so that you can have him back. Do I have stupid written on my forehead?"
"Maine........."
Janine reached for her hand and looked at her, her eyes imploring.
"Alden and I go way back. I was there when he was going through a rough patch with his family."
"I know the whole story, Janine. Alden told me everything." She said this in a gentler tone, noting how strained Janine's voice was. She felt something akin to pity.
"Then you know what we were before. It was a good relationship. His parents ended it because of our age gap. He loved me first, Maine."
"Janine, I know about Jade. I know what you did, what you're capable of doing. I know you're not a bad person, but really, if Alden does not want to talk to you, doesn't that tell you something?"
Janine was crying in earnest now, and for the first time, the strain showed on her face. Maine felt a tinge of ache for her, remembering those times she cried over men who left her for all the wrong reasons. Maybe in another circumstance, they could have been friends.
"Maine.........I have a proposition."
"What proposition?"
"This will be my last try. I promise that if this does not work, I'll leave you both in peace."
"How can I trust you, Janine? I keep remembering Jade. I'm sorry."
Janine was holding on to her hand in a vise-like grip, her face desperate, it was a little bit scary.
"Please Maine, please listen. This is the last time I will ever bother him."
"Let go of my hand, Janine. I won't leave I promise."
Reluctantly, Janine let go and tried to compose herself. This was a deviation from her plan, but it could still work if she was lucky. She just needed a nudge in the right direction.
"Maine.........let me spend one night with Alden. Just the two of us. If after this he still wants to go back to you, I won't bother you again."
