Ten years later

Chapter 3

“Oh, God…” Louise buries her head in her arms on the table. Snoop Dogg’s music, along with the crowd’s screams, echoes in the background. Coupled with the strobe lights, it makes her headache worse. She wants to leave.

RIGHT.NOW.

“Come on, let’s dance!” One of her friends screams behind her ears, and another drags her to stand up. Her eyes squint because of the glaring, colorful lights as she stares her friend down.

Her jet lag’s getting worse. She made a mistake. Louise regrets asking her friends to pick her up from the airport.

This is driving me crazy!

Louise digs her boots on the floor, refusing to get up. Why do I have to suffer this torture? She rubs her forehead.

“Holy mother, this jet lag is killing me,” Louise groans, banging her head softly on the table. This isn’t her type of crowd. She likes to party, but she’s selective.

“I should have gone home instead or to Axel’s place,” she murmurs.

She frowns, shaking the idea out of her mind. I’ve been catching myself thinking about Axel more. Why? Then she let out a sigh — he might not be alone now. She doesn’t want to see him doing his “business” with a woman.

Axel makes it a habit to introduce his women to her because she’s “one of the boys.” Yeah, right. She rolls her eyes. All her friends see her this way.

Throughout the years, she and Axel have formed an uncanny friendship. She knows him like the back of her hand. He looks so prim and proper on the outside, but the truth is, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

What will the world say if they find out that the Great Axel they admire is a devil? She grins, imagining his face when his important reputation crumbles down.

“It will be fun,” she chuckles, tapping her finger on the table while she rests her head on her palm. Maybe I should do something?

“Wow, your smile is scary. Are you planning on sabotaging Axel’s life?” Cherry, one of her close friends, asks while she takes a beer bottle.

“Serves him right for using me as a shield four months ago!” Louise harrumphs as the image of what happened four months ago flash into her head. One of his women harassed her for not giving him freedom when they didn’t love each other.

Then, Axel, with his Oscar-acting skills, tells the woman that he has realized he has fallen for her and can’t live without her anymore. Bull!

“Bastard!” She slams her palms on the table, grabs a glass of margarita on the side, and gulps it in one go like its water.

Cherry, Louise’s friend, glances at her.

“What now? Are you okay?” Cherry asks Louise. The former moves closer to the latter.

“If you didn’t want to come, you should have insisted on it,” she continues.

“They dragged you here too….” They stare at each other, shaking their heads in resignation.

Cherry is one of Louise’s friends from university, and she remains in contact. A certified nerd with enormous glasses and the perfect GPA.

“Yes, I was just sleeping at home. When I woke up, I was already in the car! I have classes tomorrow,” Cherry says.

“Thank God I’m not wearing my favorite SpongeBob nightie.” She grimaces as the horrifying idea of wearing it in the club surfaces in her mind.

“Ugh, Stella always has her way,” Louise scoffs and glances around. The others in their group are dancing under the spotlight, taking all the attention. Stella dances like a butterfly at the center, flinging her head back and forth while swaying her hips. Her actions garner her the admiring gazes of men and women alike. She loves all the attention on her.

“Nah.” Cherry shrugs her shoulders. “I heard it was Rhea who carried me.”

“Damn! How can she be so strong?” Rhea is standing beside Stella. Her petite body and 5’2 height make her pocket-sized venus with an innocent face. But this woman carried Cherry’s 5’8 and curvaceous body to the car.

How did she do it? Supernatural strength? Louise’s eyes roamed all over Rhea’s body. Damn, no one will believe it if I say she can carry a six-foot man, but Rhea did it before.

Cherry and Louise keep their mouths shut as they mind their own business. The former checks out her phone, browsing through some scientific forums while Louise observes the place, hoping to meet a familiar face in the crowd.

Maybe Axel is around… Louise says inwardly, wishing to find his handsome, irritating mug among the crowd of swaying heads.

This isn’t his usual hangout place, though. It will be like winning the most unlucky b*tch of the year award if he comes here. But why are you still looking for him? Her inner bitch asks her.

She grimaces. Axel likes those posh VIP clubs that only the elites of the elites can enter. He isn’t aware of Louise’s arrival in the country.

She didn’t tell him. They don’t keep tabs on each other unless they have to meet or if she makes trouble, which happens most of the time. Alex doesn’t ask for her whereabouts, nor does she ask for his. Most of the time, Louise is traveling.

Taking another glass of margarita, Louise drinks it in one go. Shit, why am I always thinking about that bastard? Is it because I saw him wearing only his bath towel last time… and I accidentally tripped and pulled it down?

Her cheeks heat up. I should forget it!

Louise downs another glass.

Cherry stares at her, surprised.

“I thought you didn’t want to be here? Why are you getting wasted now?” Cherry places her chin on her palm.

“I don’t follow common sense, okay? I’ve been crazy since I was a kid!” Taking off her jacket, Louise stands up.

Underneath it, she wore a sexy halter top. The white halter neck top hugs her curves. It shows off her 22-inch tiny waist, the deep cleavage-like mountain peaks, and perfectly sculpted collarbones.

The strap holding the halter neck on her body runs from the front to the back, revealing her bare back with a vivid rose tattoo, looking alive. Her snow-white skin shines against the light, attracting attention.

Louise pairs the halter top with tight-fitting jeans and black boots. The jeans encase her long legs perfectly, showing off her toned thighs. The shoes make her look badass.

Usually, Louise doesn’t dress like this, but she wants to show off the new tattoo on her back: the red rose.

Then, Louise sashays to the dance floor.

“Don’t leave me here!” Cherry shouts, but Louise ignores her. She moves to the dance floor and lets down her hair, throwing her scrunchie.

Men look at Louise with admiration and obsession, while women gaze at her with daggers of envy. The girl from high school who liked rock and roll style and wore baggy clothes bloomed like the rose on her back. Her black hair sparkles when the light hits it, and the beautiful waves dances along with the music. Eyes as green as a forest sparkle, enchanting people.

Sadly, her fiancé isn’t aware of this side of her. To him, Louise is one of the boys. She prefers to act like one when around him because her goal never changes: she wants to dissolve the engagement. It will be a problem if he develops feelings for her.

“Yes! You’re finally here to party,” Stella shouts. Louise asks where Rhea went, and Stella informs her that Rhea disappeared with a blonde man, and when Stella sought her out, she found her in a lip lock.

Louise and Stella’s bodies sways to the music, their hips shaking with the rhythm.

“This is my favorite!” Louise's waist moves like a snake, her butt shaking with every beat of the drum. Her hands travel from the top of her dark locks and downwards. She immerses herself in the music, forgetting about her initial annoyance at being here.

Stella cups her own breasts and caresses her waist while facing Louise. The former loves her body and has a bit of a narcissistic side. Louise is sure that Stella will never find love because she has high standards.

Louise whips her hair to the side when a man touches her waist. She slaps his paw away and glares at the person. Stella stops dancing as well, closing on Louise as a protective gesture.

“Miss, dance with me,” the man says. The smell of alcohol wafts from his mouth and enters Louise’s nostrils. She hates it to the bone. Louise backs away, but the man steps forward, invading her private space.

“Don’t play hard to get. When you’re dancing like that… you’re definitely looking for a mating partner,” the man says in a jeering tone.

“I’m telling you to dance with me!” The drunk jerk grabs her arm, so she grabs his collar, steps forward, bends her body, and throws the man over her shoulders.

“My butt! My back!” the man shouts like a pig in a slaughterhouse. Louise glares at him, then at the rushing men toward them.

“Boss!”

Louise doesn’t like the way this man acts. In her anger, she “accidentally” steps on his fingers while she moves away. Her boots were thick. A satisfying crunch echoes in the now silent club.

“Shit, boss!” Multiple men surround her and Stella.

“Great, here we go again,” Stella murmurs, her eyes widening as she stares at Louise’s back. Trouble follows her friend around.

“Beat that woman for me! Beat her good!” The man shouts, hugging his broken fingers. “I’m a senator’s son... you’re going to pay for this!”

His lackeys swarm toward Louise. Oh my, this doesn’t look good! But despite thinking this way, Louise grins and raises her arms in a fighting position.

All her life, she practiced with her brothers. And in her heart, Archer’s family motto guided her way: Never run from a fight, even if it’s a losing one! No retreat, no surrender! No pain, no gain!

“Cliché and corny, but it works well for me,” she thinks.

Suddenly, a man grabs Louise and places her behind him. He towers over her, maybe around 6’2. Then, in a very domineering way, he stops the men from charging.

She gasps. He’s pointing a gun at them!

Louise’s heart races when she hears the safety click. It’s as if Moses has parted the sea as the bar clears up really fast.

She squints and moves to the side a bit, trying to see his profile, but the visibility is bad.

“One step closer, and you’ll pick up your guts all over the floor. That is... if you’re still alive by then,” the man declares in an icy voice. Her eyes widen; damn, he sounds… it’s like his voice is caressing her ears. Her cheeks redden.

Shit, why am I thinking like this in this kind of situation? The alcohol’s getting into my head...

This man exudes danger, but she likes it. In fact, danger is her adrenaline rush. Then, the sound of police sirens breaks the stalemate in the room.

The senator’s son laughs loudly and screams, “Good luck in jail!”

She starts to panic as well. Louise looks around.

Where did my friends go? They were just around me seconds ago! Really great friends! Louise pouts.

Why did I visit the bar? Her face darkens while she imagines waving a knife at Stella's pretty face. She looks back at her savior, but the place is now empty.

“What.the.hell? They left me all alone!” Louise screams as the police rush in.

Great, I’m so in trouble right now.