This Plan Must Succeed.

Thick-skinned.

C h a p t e r : 5

"What are you wearing? Is that even decent?"

"Duh."

"Don't you want to change?"

"It's freezing! What the heck!"

"Too much exposure. This is stressful."

Since Jessi arrived, that's all he's been saying.

Meanwhile, the girl just turned a deaf ear to Jessi's constant remarks.

She had already come this far—was she going to back out now?

And so what? It's HER day.

She didn't want to engage with Jessi because that might ruin her plan if he got annoyed. She had to act demure so Jessi would see how serious and determined she was about this.

She was going for the Dalagang Pilipina aesthetic.

"Legit?"

Yeah, legit.

She turned to her side, only to find Jessi's face right in front of hers, blocking the phone screen where she was watching a video titled: "Tutorial: How to Make a Man Hate You?"

Fast learner, huh?

Lch froze for a moment.

Then realization hit her.

Sheesh, realization.

But…

"Crap." She accidentally said her thoughts out loud.

She shoved Jessi's face away. "What the hell, I'm watching!"

Well, damn.

"You call that Dalagang Pilipina? You're barely wearing anything!" Jessi suddenly yanked the ribbon around Lch's neck, nearly choking her.

He looked like he was playing with a dog, holding onto its leash. Lch, on the other hand, was desperately trying to pry Jessi's hands off.

Poor girl.

Jessi finally let go with a smirk, sending Lch tumbling onto the couch. Her face was so dramatic that she even let out a scream—prompting this fool beside her to burst out laughing.

"You're such an idiot." She shot Jessi a death glare.

Jessi just laughed harder. "Still handsome, though."

I know, Jessi. I know.

tentenentennnn~

"Oh, shit! What time is it?!" She panicked when she saw her alarm.

She immediately threw a rag at Jessi.

"Ouch! What the hell?!"

"Move it! It's already 7 PM! Let's go!"

Jessi had no choice but to get up and help her set up whatever shining, shimmering, splendid decorations she had outside.

—

"Lalalalala—"

"Wait, wait. That's weird. Think of something else, Jess."

"Okay."

Lch went to check the table and food to make sure everything was ready, including the candles and whatever else. Meanwhile, Jessi was in charge of the music.

"We... are... never ever ever~"

She froze when she heard the song.

Wait...

"Getting back togeth—"

"Jessi, NOT THAT!"

"What?! It's a great song!"

"Change it!"

"Nope."

She glared at Jessi.

If Paul heard that, he might not even believe her anymore. Instead of ending their hellish relationship, it might just drag on longer.

Jessi just snickered at her, so she gave him a deadly glare. As expected, he just rolled his eyes at her. Not that it mattered—he was weak when it came to Lch.

Grumbling under his breath, Jessi finally changed the song.

"He looks like a bee while doing it."

"Take my hand. Take a breath~"

Lch smiled.

Finally.

Something decent.

After checking everything and confirming that it was all set, she grabbed her phone. They finished at exactly 7:50 PM. She smiled.

This is it, pansit!

Time to call Paul!~

She dialed Paul's number, and it started ringing.

It just kept ringing.

Ringalingaling.

Ten minutes passed.

"Wow. Famous."

She tried again, but it was the same. So she decided to go to Paul's place instead. She would do anything to make sure he showed up since he rarely answered calls. In the end, she was always the one going to him.

Annoying!

"Jessi! I'm heading to Paul's place. He's not answering."

The moment she said that, Jessi's irritation flared.

"Why are YOU going? Shouldn't it be him? Is it his birthday? What is this? A joke?" Jessi scowled.

She flicked his forehead.

God, this is the first and only time I'm doing this without an excuse. I hope he stops asking questions.

"Just let it be. He feels special. I'll be back. Just be ready when I get back, okay? Turn on the lights here. Okay, I'm off, babush! Muah!" She gave Jessi a quick peck before running out.

She ran out of the house, grinning, and grabbed a cab.

Paul had a car, so why should she bring hers? Less hassle.

Five minutes later, she arrived at Paul's penthouse.

As expected, it was well-maintained.

She paid ₱100, got out confidently, and was welcomed by the fresh air.

She fixed herself and smiled again.

"I can do this."

She walked toward the penthouse and took out the key to unlock the door.

When she entered, it was oddly quiet downstairs.

Weird.

Usually, she'd find Paul drinking with his buddies, surrounded by girls.

So she went upstairs to his room.

"Ahh. Hmmm."

Lch frowned.

"Yes, baby! Do it faster... ughh—"

That sound was… familiar.

"Oh! Yeah! Ahhh... Ahhh!"

Lch made a gagging motion. "Damn, does she have no sense of smell?" She shook her head.

If they got that far, that meant they kissed first, right?

She just shrugged and grabbed a gas mask from a cabinet near the living room.

She took out her phone and dialed Paul's number—the very person she had been waiting for and the last person she expected to pull this kind of nonsense.

A few seconds later, she heard his ringtone—one she made herself.

Without hesitation, she kicked the door open.

Plak!

"Damn, ladies, scrub yourselves first before doing that."

Paul's eyes widened in shock as they met hers.

"Surprised?"

Then she whacked the girl with an air freshener.

"Oh god! Hey, Lch! What did you do—"

Boogshh!

"You dare talk?!" She then sprayed Bygone insect spray all over him.

As the two collapsed, she dusted off her hands, grabbed some paper, an illustration board, and a marker, then tied them up with a rope.

Paul was barely conscious, completely disoriented. But he was snapped back to reality when Lch smacked him with a slipper.

"You—pak! —never—pak! —feel—pak! —guilt—pak!"

She dropped the slipper and crossed her arms.

"Did you think you were Edward?!"

She then grabbed a gift from her bag and hurled it at Paul.

"Here! You ungrateful jerk! That's a toothbrush! And it comes with toothpaste! It's expensive, too!"

She was about to throw a bag of chips but stopped when she realized it was food.

Instead, she opened it and started munching.

Then she laughed.

You know the Oblation?

—

The moment she stepped outside, it started pouring.

Lch punched the air.

"YES!!!!"

She didn't have to put up with Paul anymore. And Jessi wouldn't scold her for dragging him into her plan.

She poured all her joy into the rain.

Then…

Beep beep!

A van's headlights shone directly at her.

She squinted and was shocked to see Jessi inside.

Jessi frowned at her. At first, he thought she was just some crazy person dancing in the rain.

"J-Jessi?"

She expected him to scold her. But instead, he stepped out and gently pulled her into a hug.

"Huh?" Lch was confused.

"I know love lives are cruel, but I'm sorry yours turned out this way." He dramatically acted concerned.

He led her into the car, looking pitiful.

"Let's go, Lch… Inside the car, okay? We'll get sick out here." He pouted.

She was about to smack his head when she saw her reflection in the car window.

Her makeup was smeared all over her face.

"Damn. Embarrassing."

As they walked, she kept throwing sharp glares at the person beside her. What the hell was going through his head when he hugged her? If he was really concerned, he should've wiped her face first. But no—she noticed how he even smudged her makeup more before stifling a laugh.

"Choke on it. Damn you."

The moment she got into the vehicle, she immediately felt the cold air, making her hug herself for warmth.

"Oh, here, take this." Jessi handed her something.

Lch looked at him shyly.

"Why does he seem so prepared?"

Inside the paper bag was a black hoodie, black Adidas jogging pants, socks, underwear, and two pairs of Gucci shoes—one black, one white.

Everything looked brand new.

She grimaced. "I feel like I'm about to be auctioned off."

Even the clothes shimmered under the light. It was almost blinding.

Not to mention the price tags.

"You really didn't come prepared, huh?" She quickly pointed out when he pulled out even more paper bags.

"Yeah, I pretty much expected this. HAHAHA!"

"Screw you."

He immediately raised his middle finger in response before gesturing toward the back. "Go change back there."

"Got it."

She went to the rear part of the vehicle, where a black divider separated the front from the back.

This was typical of Jessi's car. It was practically a mobile home, complete with a bathroom, kitchen, bunk beds, a living area, and a wardrobe. To Lch, this was what she would call "Barbie's Van," a reference to Barbie's mansion inside her van.

During their time as agents, they never had the luxury of stopping at a restroom or finding a place to change. If they did, criminals would probably be celebrating already while waiting for them to arrive late.

Lch quickly put on all the clothes and chose the black shoes.

Like duh, it's raining.

After changing, she grabbed a towel and wiped off her makeup. Then, seeing Jessi's collection of skincare products, she decided to use every single one of them. By the time she was done, half of them were nearly empty.

Satisfied, she went back to the front.

"Lollipop?" Jessi offered.

She took it, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. A few moments later, Jessi glanced at her.

"So, what now?"

Lch furrowed her brows. "Whwat dow ywo mewan?"

"No clack clack drinking session?" Jessi mimed taking a shot.

Lch laughed. "Swure! Let's—" She suddenly paused as a thought hit her.

She quickly pulled the lollipop out of her mouth, looked at Jessi nervously, and tugged at his jacket.

"Jess?"

"What?" he asked while brushing Lch's hair.

"Did you clean up all the food outside? And did you blow out all the candles inside?"

Jessi's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He scratched his head before answering.

"Uhh..."

"Uhh?"

"No?" He smiled.

She looked at him, utterly horrified.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"It's fine, let's go!"

"WHAT IF MY HOUSE BURNS DOWN, JESS?!!—"

"I'll just let you crash at mine!"

"JESSI?!!"

Acting like he heard nothing, Jessi stepped on the gas.

"JESSI??!!"

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