Chapter 3 - Operation: Ruin the Engagement

Gaville pulled over in front of a famous club where he and his friends chose to meet. He opened his car door and walked towards the entrance of the club. A blast of loud music and colorful lights welcomed him as he entered.

It'd been two weeks since he came home from America but he hadn't found time to see his college friends until now. He'd been busy with business-related affairs as preparation for his formal introduction as the next CEO of their hotel business. Not to mention his problem about his 'fiancée'.

He smiled upon remembering Shenise. This past few days, Shenise and his 'Operation: Ruin the Engagement' had been his main source of entertainment.

It all started when he realized that his father was serious about marrying him off to the daughter of his mother's best friend. He only found out about his dear fiancée when he came back from America. It was his mother's dying wish and his father was ready to shake heaven and hell just to fulfill it.

At first, he was livid and determinedly said no. But after Deive had an attack due to high blood pressure and was confined for a few days at the hospital, being his father's son won over. It isn't obvious but he loves his father. But of course, being the arrogant, selfish, manipulative, cunning and creative person that he was, he turned the problem into a challenge. And that's when 'Operation: Ruin the Engagement' started- or to be more apt, 'Operation: Ruin Shenise'. His smile broadened with the thought.

Gaville sat down on a table near the bar and ordered a drink. He scanned the crowd for a familiar face but there's none.

Great, those morons dare to make me wait? Not one of his friends was there yet. Then, his mind drifted back to his fiancé.

After a thorough research about Shenise Mien, he learned that the most convenient part where he can attack the woman was at her work. Right after their dinner, he initialized the 'Operation'. The first part was he sent the company where Shenise works a lot of complaint letters about the lady being inefficient and irresponsible. After a week of pestering, the second phase of his plan was ready wherein, with the help of an insider, he managed to spread a rumor that Shenise is a masochist and that the woman had an abortion. Gaville wasn't able to stop chuckling as he thought about it.

I should have been a writer. He praised himself. I'm so good at making up stories. He can almost picture out Shenise's hysterical and fury-filled face. He bet that the lady will be able to stand it for a week and then, she will surrender. If not, well, he could still come up with a couple of creative ways to torment her.

*****

"Shenise I'm serious, you should not think about the rumors in the office."

"You're right, Ryleigh."

Gaville automatically turned his head to the source of the voice. Despite the music around him, he will never miss that voice. It kept ringing in his ears the whole night that first time he ever heard it. He solemnly looked at the pair sitting behind his table. He furrowed his eyebrows and took in the small woman's appearance- straight black mid-back hair, white-porcelain skin, pixie-like- confirmed. The 'Shenise' on that table is his fiancée. He recognized it even though her appearance is far from the hideous look she had the last time they saw each other.

He felt something stir in his guts as he realized how delicate Shenise's features are. Not to mention the lady's melodious and angelic voice that always pulls him out of his thoughts. It even caused him to snap his head towards her when he heard her voice for the first time that night of their dinner. To say that he was taken aback by it was an understatement. He doesn't know the reason but it was very catchy for him.

"Nobody believes in those crap. Cheer up, Shen." Gaville lifted his eyebrows at the gentle tone used with the nickname.

"I know that, Ry. It's just that, it's hard not to get affected." Shenise smiled at the person she's talking to. And the sweetness in the girl's smile did not go unnoticed by Gaville's sharp sensory perception.

He chuckled to himself. At the age of twenty-five, Gaville was already an expert in the art of flirting. And he cannot be mistaken- Shenise was flirting with this guy.

A dark plan in his mind formed immediately. He stood up and walked towards the two. The 'Attack-Your-Opponent's-Weakness' that he learned was really handy.

"What do you think you're doing here, Shenise?" He demanded harshly upon nearing his target.

"Who.. G-Gaville?" Shenise was surprised and did not recognized him immediately.

"Are you cheating on me?" He harshly grabbed the lady's arm.

"What-"

"Isn't it enough that you aborted our baby? Now what's this? You're cheating on me?" He shook Shenise's shoulders.

"Dude, you're hurting her!"

Gaville turned to Shenise's companion. "You! Stay the hell away from this! I'm her fiancé and we even should have a child by now if she didn't-"

"Stop!" Shenise demanded him. "Ry, don't listen to him. This guy is insane-"

"And you'll deny it? You two-timing-"

"You!" Eyes blazing with anger, Shenise stood up suddenly and pulled Gaville away from the table.

*****

Gaville was smirking and contentedly looking at a very pissed off Shenise who is pacing back and forth. He was comfortably leaning against a post outside the club where he was pulled by the overly enraged lady.

"What now? Shoot your fire." He drawled after a couple of seconds. Shenise threw him a glare, but still continued her pacing, then he suddenly stopped and turned to him.

"You know what? I never imagined that there's really someone like you, who would do such childish things just to piss somebody off! How old are you Gaville? Are you really this immature?"

He frowned. For someone who was exposed to a lot of harsh social realities because of work, Gaville found this girl very naïve.

"You disappoint me, Shen. Shouldn't you be used to people like me because of your work at a charity? As for being childish, well, it's okay to be like that sometimes, as long as I can annoy and irritate the hell out of you." He smiled sweetly.

Shenise snorted. "First, don't call me Shen. Only my friends can call me that." Shenise looked at him straight in the eyes. "Looks like you also did not do your homework properly. Complaint letters? Masochist? Abortion? Those are nothing. It would take a whole lot more than that to break me." Shenise said, voice harsh.

The arrogant Eclaire shrugged his shoulders. "Fine then. I can still come up with more creative ways to break you, my dear fiancé." He smirked at her.

"Then prepare to be disappointed. You can't break me, I will not be the one to risk their father's health and pride to stop this engagement." Shenise answered.

They had a glaring contest for a couple of seconds when they heard a scream in an alleyway from the other side of the street. When Gaville looked at it, he saw a small boy laying on the ground and standing near it is a big man. He's about to turn his attention back on Shenise, but his fiancé suddenly ran across the street. Before he could react, he saw that Shenise was already arguing with the man.

"What the hell." Gaville whispered. He had never seen anyone acted so impulsively and stupidly. The argument between the two heated up and he saw the man pushed Shenise harshly. His feet involuntarily took a step towards them, but he stopped dumbfounded when he saw that Shenise did not even paid attention to the man and went towards the child on the ground. Looks like the big man's patience ran out and he slapped Shenise. Gaville cursed as he automatically moved to ran across the street. But because of the green light, he wasn't able to cross the street quickly. He saw the man took a step in front of Shenise and was about to hurt her again. He cursed again and did not mind the traffic light and the cars.

"Shit. I will not reach them in time." Gaville cursed himself when he saw that the man grabbed Shenise's arm. Then suddenly, Shenise positioned her back towards the man and using the arm that was holding her arm, and with all her strength, she threw the man down.

The man was laying on the ground and was groaning in pain when Gaville reached their spot, panting. Shenise was now checking the child and trying to carry him. He approached Shenise in anger.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Gaville shouted. Shenise was startled by him, like she forgot that he was with her a while ago.

"What I'm doing is none of your business."

"Yeah, sure! But you did notice that you could have been seriously injured! How stupid can you get?" He can't believe that Shenise could do such a stupid thing. More importantly, he can't believe that Shenise actually made him worry. Well, it was not that he was worried really or that he actually cared, but seriously, even if he's an asshole sometimes- okay, maybe he's an asshole most of the time, if not all the time- still, he can't just stand there and watch Shenise get hurt, can he?

To his utter annoyance, Shenise ignored him again, like he's non-existent. She was busy lifting up the child. Gaville stared at Shenise while she was weakly and trying so hard to carry the child- a part of her cheek was red and already starting to form a bruise from where the man slapped her. Her lips also has blood.

"You're bleeding." Shenise ignored him again. Cursing to himself, he took the child from Shenise.

"Hey, what are- Gaville!"

"Stop!" He said, crossing the street while carrying the child. Adrenaline already left Shenise's body. It's obvious that no matter what she do, she will never be able to carry the child, unless she drag him along the ground.

"What do you think you're doing? Hey!" Shenise said.

Gaville went straight to the parking lot, then he opened the door to the back seat and carefully placed the child there.

"Get in." He commanded to a still protesting Shenise.

"Gaville, I'm trying to be reasonable here. You can't just- hey!" Shenise argued when he pulled her and firmly but gently her pushed inside his car. Then, he immediately get in the driver's seat and quickly drove.