CHAPTER 136: DARE TO LOVE ME He’s failed
Loli
I observe my reflection in the mirror. I look stunning; I never would have imagined I could look like this. I don’t know what products they used, but my hair looks like it’s ready for a Hollywood gala. If my mother saw me, she’d be utterly floored.
I sigh.
“Come on, Loli, it’s time to go,” Tino enters my room and takes my hand. I watch him as he hurries; he’s a good friend.
In these past days, I’ve learned about the arts of seduction, as Tino calls them. I’m not entirely convinced they’re going to work, but if he insists that paying attention to the guy will help him notice me, I’ve followed his advice. I’ve given Gavin plenty of attention, and even though I haven’t seen any response, my fairy godmother says it will have an effect eventually.
Though I have my doubts, that’s for sure.
I watch as Tino talks to Ash, and the children behave so well, looking as adorable as little royals.
“We’ve arrived,” I tell the children, and they clap, making me smile.
“That beautiful smile will light up your night,” Tino helps me down, and then Alaia, who looks gorgeous, takes the children’s hands.
“Don’t worry about anything, Paula and Elise will handle the little ones, you just enjoy the night,” Ash says, guiding us to the family table where I sit next to her and Tino. They’ve always treated me like one of the family; they’re wonderful people.
The evening starts entertainingly, and my heart races when I see Gavin arrive with a girl. I make a disappointed gesture at the sight.
“Relax, you’ll be able to handle her,” Tino waves his hand.
“I’m not going to steal anyone’s boyfriend,” I quickly say.
“You should have thought of that when we started the plan, darling,” Tino delicately sips from a glass.
Oh, how I wish I had his confidence.
“But what plan are you talking about? What did I miss?” Ash asks, looking lost, and I notice her eyes widen after Tino whispers the plan in her ear.
+8 Poin
CHAPTER 136: DARE TO LOVE M…
I melt with love seeing Mr. Garnett dancing with Alaia; they look made for each other, and the way he looks at her is heart–melting. Then there’s her fiancé, Mr. Cedric. I just don’t understand; she’s going to marry the wrong man, I’m sure of it.
“I’m going to get a new drink; I want to try everything I can,” Tino is about to stand up. Seeing the girl with Gavin talking intimately, I decide to go instead; I don’t want to see them.
“I’ll go,” I jump up, surprising them.
“I don’t know, I want something sweet,” Tino says.
“Me too, Loli,” Ash looks confused.
I walk to the bar, shaking my head. Why did I ever agree to Tino’s plan? The only thing I’ve achieved is to fuel my illusion, but that’s what I am, an illusionist.
I sit at the bar and order three drinks.
“Scotch,” I hear Gavin’s masculine voice and look up at him, not realizing how quickly I did so, and he turns to look at me.
“Moly?” he says, and I feel that word like a punch in the stomach.
“Loli,” I correct him softly.
“Loli,” he says my name, and I nod without interest.
“You look different,” he notes my face. Perfect, different doesn’t mean pretty.
“Thanks,” I mutter. He takes his drink and leaves.
I feel so foolish, and I decide to go to Tino, who notices what happened and tells me he’s sorry, hugging me. I find comfort in his arms when we hear that Mr. Nick has brought Coldplay. I forget my sorrows and decide to enjoy the music, ignoring what’s happening around me.
When everything is about to end and my illusions are shattered, I go to the restroom and almost turn back when I see the girl who came with Gavin to the party.
“You must be Loli,” she looks me up and down.
“That’s right, sorry, but I have no idea who you are,” I say, wanting to enter one of the stalls.
“How can you not know?” she tries to appear friendly, but something tells me she isn’t.
“Well, I don’t,” I reply, and she blocks my way.
“It’s obvious you like Gavin,” she says, and I try to hide my surprise at her words. “He’s already told me that you’ve been attentive and ‘kind‘ to him. It’s clear you’re trying to get in where you don’t belong.”
+8 Point
CHAPTER 136: DARE TO LOVE M…
I knew Tino’s plan was a terrible idea. I was going to step aside, but I went along with his
craziness.
“I don’t want you to get hurt in this. He and I are together; he’s the man of my life,” she returns to her tone, “and as you can see, you can’t compete with me. Besides, he told me he’s tired of
you and your persistence and intensity. Don’t you have any self–respect?”
Getting angrier by the second and wanting to mess up her pretty hairstyle, I breathe to calm
myself, knowing I could get fired if I made a scene like that.
“Of course she has self–respect!” Tino enters boldly, leaving me stunned. “This beautiful girl is worth more than you and me combined, and calm down, okay? No one here is trying to
interfere. If he said all that, it’s because you two are a perfect match.”
I take Tino’s hand, and he squeezes it tightly. I couldn’t love him more. At that moment, I
realize Ash is also with us, looking at me and saying, “Calm down.”
“If you’ve said everything you need to say, please,” I point to the door, “continue enjoying the
party with the man of your life.”
The woman looks at the three of us and nods, lifting her chin.
“Who does she think she is?” Tino waves his hands furiously.
“Are you okay?” Ash approaches and hugs me.
I nod, but I feel terrible. What that girl said affected me.
“It’s incredible that Gavin talked about you to that woman. I didn’t think he was like that; I can’t even call him a man,” Tino says furiously.
“I have to give up. This was a terrible idea; your plan failed,” I say with a growing anger in my
chest.
“What are you talking about? I told you my plans don’t fail,” Tino shakes his head.
“But what did you hear?” Ash scolds him.
“You’ll see, you’ll see it worked,” he points at us, offended.
“No!” I raise my voice. “I won’t see anything because I have to forget about him. I have to ignore him so much that even he will doubt his existence,” I say with a confidence I’ve never felt before in my life.
“That’s the spirit,” Ashley nods, supporting me, and Tino seals his lips but continues to look
thoughtful.
*****
3/5
+8 Point
CHAPTER 136: DARE TO LOVE M…
Gavin
It was nice to receive the invitation from the Russells for Alaia’s birthday celebration. It’s not common in our line of work, but it’s not right to refuse an invitation, so my father and I agreed that I should come. That’s how we’ve made decisions for the past two years. I like what I do. Since I was a child, I watched my father rise in the United States Army. I was always proud of him and followed his example. I attended a military school and spent two years in the army before starting to work with my father in his own security company, which is well–known, and that’s why we work with the country’s elite.
There’s no doubt that the Russells are an interesting family. There’s the cousin who dresses like a boy for reasons we don’t know and shouldn’t investigate. There’s the funny gay guy, the little kids who are the most important members of the house and are under two years old, the girls who work in the house and stare at us whenever they can, and finally, there’s the nanny. I know perfectly well that her name is Loli; she’s made sure I know, and it’s interesting to see how she tries to get my attention. Needless to say, in my job, it’s forbidden to cross that line, and besides, I’m not attracted to women who are so accommodating. It’s too obvious. I’ve tried to show her my indifference so she would stop, but it’s useless; her attention has
continued.
“I love your hair,” Sharon, the woman I’ve been interested in for a while, says. I’ve felt attracted to her because she always said no when I invited her, which made her a challenge for me, and here she is now, smiling at me, something that pleases me.
“Who is the blonde girl at the bar?” my companion asks, looking at Loli as she enjoys the
concert.
“She’s the nanny for the kids,” I point out the little ones, “a kind and attentive girl,” I sip my drink and shrug. That’s all I’ve seen of her. Sharon looks at me for a few seconds and then
nods.
A couple of hours pass, the celebration is coming to an end, and I see Sharon returning from
the restroom as the guests start to leave. She smiles at me and takes my arm to head to the
exit. We walk to my car, and I open the door for her.
“Oh, I forgot my purse,” Sharon says before I close the car door.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” I say, heading back to the hall.
I walk back to our table and find the small purse on one of the seats. I quickly grab it and
encounter several people at the entrance. I see one of them trip on a step, and I rush to
prevent them from falling. I help them back to their feet and realize it’s Loli when I finally see
her.
4/5
+8 Points
CHAPTER 136: DARE TO LOVE M…
“Tha…” she begins to speak before turning to look at me, but her smile fades and changes to an annoyed expression that I can’t understand. She abruptly pulls away from me and walks off.
“Thanks, Gary,” she says, straightening up, and I frown. How can she not know my name? Without giving me time to speak, she turns around and, with a confidence I hadn’t seen before, walks to one of the cars.
Perplexed by her behavior, I walk to my car, where I have to watch once more as the van she got into leaves. The girl I know wouldn’t have behaved like that.
