Chapter 22 - And So She Left
After his last meeting, Lyken went straight to Jada's condo. After everything that's happened between them, he still wants to talk to her, calmly.
He wants them to talk about everything without raising their voices, without insulting or mocking each other. Unfortunately, when he got there, he was welcomed by the note Jada left for the group. 'Europe bound. See you when I see you.'
Honey handed Lyken the note as soon as he arrived. The woman even left a kiss mark on it. According to their friends, they only saw the note when they woke up.
Lyken doesn't have an inch of data that they all stayed at Jada's unit overnight. Regardless, not one of them noticed when she left.
No one knew she was leaving the next day. She only left a note for everyone but she didn't tell anyone. Not even Honey.
"Ly..." Ada called as he handed him a cup of coffee.
"Thank you," he muttered, eyes still glued on Jada's note. "When is she coming back?" he asked no one in particular.
Honey sat down next to him, "Last I heard, she's spending three months in Europe, but she didn't tell us where in Europe the event is."
"I was able to ask Mama Vane earlier after I saw her note. She told me they're going to the UK, Italy, then France. But I didn't ask for more details since their itinerary is usually confidential," Bambi informed them. Lyken creased his forehead at him, "Why didn't you go with her? Aren't you Jada's manager?"
"I still don't have a passport. I haven't applied for a new one yet," Bambi explained, to which Lyken nodded.
His mind, at the moment, was too clouded. He even thought of following Jada in Europe, but he doesn't know where exactly the events are.
Besides, they might have an out-of-country schedule in the company. Also, she's working and he doesn't want to disturb or distract her.
Lyken let out a harsh sigh. He has no choice but to wait for Jada to come back. That's the only thing he could do even if he's feeling anxious that she might be away longer than three months.
Kobe asked Ada and Bambi to buy some beer. After a few minutes, Steve and Robin arrived. They started drinking and talking about random things while Lyken sat quietly in the corner.
"Will it be alright to Jada if we drink here?" He asked Bambi as he recalled they're in her unit.
Bambi gave him a thumbs up as the pink drink from his can, "Actually, Jada likes that. She doesn't want her unit to be left empty when she's not here," he explained.
Ada then came out of Jada's room with a laptop in his hand. He placed it on top of the coffee table and turned it on.
He opened his Facebook and Skype accounts, browsing through his contacts. "She's not online. Maybe they haven't checked in yet," he told Honey.
She asked him to leave an offline message but Lyken wasn't able to read what he wrote. While waiting, the group continued drinking.
After four long hours, they're still alive. Not one of them was drunk yet, as they talk more than they drink. Lyken looked at his wristwatch, it was already ten in the evening.
Recalling his schedule, he was thankful that tomorrow is Saturday. It's fine even if he gets drunk. It's alright to stay here at her unit overnight.
Besides, he needs this. He needs some distraction or he'll end up thinking about her. Heck, he might end up flying to Europe any time.
Ten minutes before the clock strikes midnight, Ada's Skype started ringing. He quickly checked who was calling and he turned the laptop towards the kitchen when he saw that it was Jada.
He even glanced at Lyken, mouthing 'sorry' as he does. Lyken gave him a thumbs up, telling him it's fine, he doesn't have to worry about him.
"Gosh! What took you so long to answer? Are you in the middle of having sex?" He heard her ask Ada as she laughed.
When Steve and Robin peeked, they saw that Jada's camera was turned on, "Wow! Sexy!" Robin blurted out. "Is that Robin?" Jada asked.
"Yes! So go get dressed! You're so immoral!" Ada called her off.
"Really? Coming from you?" she asked, mocking Ada then she laughed. "I thought it was one of your boys!" Bambi showed himself up on the screen, "Dress up! Your body annoys me!" Then he rolled his eyes at her.
Jada let out a hearty laugh, "Don't be so insecure! I still have my bra and panty on, what is your problem? Just imagine you're seeing a gorgeous woman at the beach, wearing a bikini." Lyken can't help but shake his head after hearing what she said. When his eyes landed on Robin and Steve, the two seemed to be enjoying the view.
He lightly kicked the back of Steve's knee and Robin noticed so they both looked at him. They were quick to pick up why he did that, but they just laughed at him.
"Oh, here's Honreta!" Bambi said as Honey and Kobe came out of the kitchen.
Honey smacked Bambi by the shoulder after hearing what he called her. She then sat on the floor and faced the laptop. "My God, sis, what are you wearing?" Honey gasped.
"Bra and panty, are you guys blind?" she asked again, laughing at her friends.
Kobe quickly peeked and when he looked at Lyken, he glared at him. He even teased him, gesturing Jada's curves then giving Robin and Steve a high-five.
"I know! But why is that all you're wearing?" Honey asked again.
"It's super hot here so I'm trying to enjoy the aircon," she explained. "Jada, go dress up, I'm about to throw up," Bambi spouted exaggeratedly.
"Fine!" she spat, "These insecure byotches," she added as she chuckled.
When Jada's back on the screen, Honey cleared her throat, "Sis, are you mad at us?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes! Why?" Jada immediately responded and everyone was shocked. Seeing the faces of their friends, she started laughing again. "I was just kidding, calm down! Why did you ask? Why should I be mad at you?"
"Well, nothing. We're just wondering because you didn't even tell us that you're leaving. Remember we usually take you to the airport when you have a gig?" Honey frowned.
"Gosh! Why are you guys being so dramatic?" she asked but her friends didn't respond. "I left around five or six in the morning, I think, and you guys are sleeping. I even saw Robin drooling while Steve's scratching his pee-pee. I thought you guys stayed up late, so I decided not to wake you up," she narrated.
Steve blushed as he was embarrassed by what Jada said about him. Even Robin and Kobe wanted to laugh at him but they stopped themselves.
"Jada, stop making up stories!" Steve snapped.
Jada laughed harder, "I never make up stories, dude! You know that! I wanted to help you but you might misinterpret so I didn't. If I knew you'd accuse me of making up false stories, I should have woken up Ada to help you instead!" Lyken chuckled, in disbelief that she's this silly now. But he missed this, he missed her. He missed the times when they were just hanging around, laughing at their random stories.
'If she knows I'm here, will she still be this crazy to talk to?'
"So how did you get to the airport?" Honey asked.
She grinned at Honey, pointing at the camera, "I borrowed Bambi's wings, I'll just return it when I come back," then she roared in laughter. Honey shook her head at her friend, sending a warning that she was serious about her question. "Fine, you guys are too uptight! Kristoff picked me up. I texted him an hour before I left."
Honey and Bambi glanced at Lyken who forced himself to smile at them. He smiled to hide the pain he felt at the mention of the man's name.
"By the way, sis, if you're staying there for three months, then you're coming back on your birth month. Any plans where we're going?" Honey asked to change the topic.
"I don't know yet, we'll see! I was thinking of flying straight to the States after my gig so I can visit my parents. I'm planning to stay there for another three months."
Lyken felt like someone pinched his heart. 'Does that mean it will take a while for us to see each other?'
"Aw, I thought we're going out of town for your birthday," Honey pouted.
Bambi showed himself on the screen again, "Why don't you go to the States for Christmas instead? Come home after your gig first then let's go to the beach for your birthday, please?" "Hmm... I'll think about it," she responded.
Just a heads up: FindNovel.net is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! "Alright, let us know what your decision is before you come home so we can prepare," Bambi told her.
"Hey wait, why are you getting dressed?" Honey asked, looking closer at the screen, her forehead creased.
"I need to go down later. They're hosting a welcome party for the models plus the foreign guests are here too. How do I look?" Lyken heard her ask so he took a peek.
She's wearing a black mini dress with an open back paired with ankle strap heels. Her hair's untied and her make up is very simple.
Bambi and Honey gave her a thumbs up but Lyken scowled. She's too sexy and he bet there are lots of men there. He felt anxious at the thought.
"So! I'm about to go down. I'll just call you guys when I get a break from my sched. Byeeee!" She waved and blew kisses before ending the video call.
"Are those foreign guests... men?" Lyken asked hesitantly.
"Most of them are. They are usually the sponsors for those events," Bambi explained.
He scratched his forehead as he leaned forward, resting an elbow on his knee. "Can those sponsors date the models?" he asked again. He saw Kobe look at him but he didn't care, he really wanted to know.
Bambi glanced at Honey, wiping his palms on his shorts, thinking whether he should answer or not. "It actually depends on the model. But Jada doesn't go out with sponsors because she had a bad experience with one of them before." "How come?" This time, Lyken can't sit still. 'Why does it seem like her job's dangerous?'
"Ah yeah, that one time in Singapore!" Honey exclaimed and Bambi nodded at her before facing Lyken.
"When Jada was new, she joined Honey's agency. After one of their events, one of the sponsors requested for Jada to come with him for dinner. Well, the foreigner looked decent and young, so Mrs. Romualdez allowed Jada to come with him. But when they were at the restaurant, the guy tried to hold her hand. She let it slip at first, thinking that was it. But after a while, he started reaching for her legs under the table so Jada slapped the guy because he started touching her," Bambi narrated.
Lyken gritted his teeth. 'Why did she agree to come with him anyway?' And Bambi noticed the sudden change in his mood.
"Don't worry, after that, Jada never goes out with any of the sponsors. That's another reason they chose to become freelancers. At least, no one will order them to go out with the sponsors if they don't want to," Bambi explained. Lyken leaned back on the couch, pissed after everything he heard. Kobe even tapped his knee to calm him down, he knew.
"Jada's different now. Nothing will happen to her," Kobe told him.
"Indeed! I remember that guy attended the next event with a hand mark on his face," Bambi chuckled.
The rest of the guys laughed after hearing what Bambi said. But after everything Lyken heard, he suddenly wanted to fix everything between them immediately, he's worried.
If that happens, he'll make sure to ask her to stop modeling. He can't bear the thought of her encountering indecent men, he might end up killing them.
He really hopes he can make her stop modeling. But of course, before he can do that, he needs to find a way for her to forgive him first.