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º Suspicions º

"Who's calling?"

"It's Dad," Jeihral replied flatly to his girlfriend's narrow-eyed questioning. He didn't need to ask her specific questions or study her reactions to conclude that she was busy entertaining suspicions about him being glued to his phone again.

Nothing new. These days, she seemed to especially enjoy pointing out his faults and flaws every time they got to spend time together. He just wanted to hang out after another ridiculously busy morning, but it seemed she would rather bicker with him all day than act friendly for at least an hour.

It didn't surprise him anymore, though. Her heavy mascara and eye shadow did nothing to conceal the stink-eye she gave him when he glanced up from his phone.

The makeup suited her a lot of ways, sure...but sometimes he wanted her to tone it down. She was already naturally beautiful—gorgeous, even—with a svelte but curvy figure most women wouldn't eat for days to have.

Favoring diet fads often, Shariena kind of obsessed with her appearance. Being a celebrity did that to you, he guessed. Her job as a model and brand endorser meant she had to look great all the time. Well, at least that was her excuse every time he would hint at the way she presented herself in public.

He would appreciate it if she just dressed more conservatively every time they went out on dates, but, it wasn't like he could control her and the way she lived her life. The reality had been the opposite, in fact. "Can I take the call, or you'll just keep making that face all day?"

"Answer it. I don't care." Sharie shifted in her seat. Her off-shoulder dress showed her smooth pale skin and thin arms. She scoffed and looked away when he kept staring at her. Like it disgusted her or something.

His loud ringtone distracted him again. Jeihral stared at his phone screen once more. It was barely an hour after his lunchbreak. Why was his dad calling again?

"If it's really your dad," Sharie mumbled nonchalantly while the cool wind fluffed her long and softly curled brown hair.

"Why would I lie?" Jeihral showed her the name and photo currently displayed on the screen. Now he was sure she was very much in the mood to pick a fight again. Shocker.

"If you say so."

Keep calm. Keep your cool. She's just begging for attention, his brain reiterated while he tried to hold back a frown. At the moment, listening to his father's demanding orders actually sounded less depressing. So he picked up. "Yeah, Dad. What?"

"Where the heck are you? Get back here now."

"Having lunch. Why? What now?"

"Who's with you?" asked his dad. His questioning tone had a tinge of irritation but Mr. Han sounded less nagging than usual. Some female voices could also be heard in the background.

"Shariena," Jeihral replied after a few seconds of hesitation. He knew his dad still preferred him to stay a bachelor rather than get serious with Sharie.

The don's growing list of WHYs was pretty convincing, but Jeihral still couldn't find it in him to just break up with his girlfriend of five years now. They had already been through a lot, and he had no time to date and find himself a new love interest who would be up to or up for a long-term relationship with a busy guy such as himself.

Put it simply, he was tired of changing girlfriends. At times he would think he was better off being a single guy in his 30s, but his father and the rest of their family would always contradict that opinion. Jeihral didn't need to test the accuracy of the fact; his father was just the type of parent that enjoyed setting him up with every young, single woman he came across.

To the Hans, it was almost like it was a crime to be single and childless if you were already past your twenties, and his uncles, aunts, and cousins were on the same page on the matter. Problem was...Sharie didn't want kids.

"I told you to attend this meeting and have a talk with our clients. Get back here now." With a sigh of disappointment, Mr. Han ended the call in his usual authoritative tone.

Instead of reacting, Shariena stayed silent in her seat and kept scrolling through her social media accounts. As a matter of fact, she managed it as if her life depended on it. In retrospect, it actually boosted her career, so to speak. It was just part of her daily routine now. She spent most of her day on social media that it would actually surprise him whenever she bothered to send him a text.

"What time's your photo shoot again?" Jeihral asked his date just to strike another non-hostile conversation.

"Seven. But we should be there before five." Sharie let out a sigh, then stayed on her phone and continued to ignore their table full of barely touched lunch meals and the saucers with their dessert.

Why did he even bother ordering all of these? Such a waste of time and money. She didn't even appreciate the gesture for a second and completely ignored the food after several bites.

"Five? Bit too early," Jeihral muttered while trying not to sound too complaining. He didn't have the energy and patience to argue with her today, so he'd rather not mention he had to work overtime until eight tonight. It would spark another outburst he certainly could do without at the moment. "Could we just... I'll tell the driver to take you there—"

"Don't bother." Sharie pulled a face again. "I'll drive myself." She even started texting to keep ignoring him.

"Shariena, come on..."

"What?" She wrinkled her perfectly done eyebrows at him.

"I'm trying here. Okay?" He leaned forward, hoping for her complete attention and...perhaps some understanding. "You know how swamped we are with work right now."

"Oh, 'cause I'm not?" His girlfriend avoided his gaze again. She even scoffed at his plea for some consideration.

"I honestly thought you'd understand." Jeihral lowered his voice and waited, but even when he asked, she still wouldn't look at him. "Believe me or not, I'm just...trying to reach out, to make amends—"

"No; you're not." Sharie scoffed again and gave him a faint, insincere smile. "You're just trying to get rid of me."

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