Chapter Seven: My Little Mischievous Munchkin!

Trina's POV 

Justin's face instantly whipped in our direction upon hearing Eleanor’s voice and even though I saw the surprise on his face which is undoubtedly due to the name she addressed him with, his eyes lit up at the sight of her. He quickly flung the sign he was holding aside before meeting Eleanor halfway and scooping her in his arms. And just as he always does, he began spinning her around, eliciting giggles from the delighted little girl.

“There's my little princess! I missed you so much, pumpkin!”

“I missed you too, Daddy!” She responded, emphasizing on the “Daddy” while stealing a furtive glance at the gorgeous blonde. 

Holy macaroni! What on earth is my little mischievous angel up to? Surely not I’m thinking! I know she's very fond of Justin and even though she never said it out loud, her actions speak clearly enough– she wants him to be her dad. She had gotten that notion so much into her head that she hated to see him with other women— just like now.

 Unfortunately, I will have to disappoint her because I don't have that kind of feeling for Justin. All these years, he has been only a friend, and that’s what he’ll remain. Justin is a very good guy from a well-renowned family and so he deserves to have just the perfect match— a beautiful young lady from an equally rich family  who's single and unattached, unlike me; a penniless single mother whose family has abandoned her. No, I don't want to be a burden to Justin and tie him down to a someone like me!

However, it seems Eleanor's plan worked perfectly because the smile on the blonde woman's face suddenly disappeared, her eyes widening as she observed the scene before her. She glanced between Justin, Eleanor and I, before a disappointed look appeared on her face. Without a word, she turned and quickly walked away.

Justin put down Eleanor before crouching down to her level and high-fiving her.

“Atta girl! You were amazing! Can we make this into a habit? Any woman you see trying to hit on me as from now henceforth, just send her away using this same tactics. Deal?”

As Eleanor happily nodded her head in agreement, I tsked at him.

“Tsk tsk tsk. What an ungentlemanly act by the supposed gentleman, Mr. Justin Myers himself. Using my daughter as a shield against all those eligible ladies vying for your hand? Nah, not gonna work, Mr.!”

Justin chuckled as he got up to his full height and stepped forward, engulfing me in a warm embrace. My body instantly stiffened out of reflex but I allowed myself to relax into his familiar scent.

“Welcome home, Trina.” Justin murmured, his familiar gentle voice tickling my ear.

Pulling back, I put on a smile on my face as I responded  “Thank you, Justin. It's good to be back after all these years.”

But even as I said that, I myself could feel the lack of conviction in my voice. Did I really mean that? Is it really good to be back? Only time will tell…

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As Eleanor happily took a sip of her chocolate drink, she smiled at me before announcing, “I’ll wait for you guys in the car. But please, don't rush yourselves because of me. I'm gonna play games with Uncle Justin’s chauffeur’s phone. So relax and enjoy!”

With that, she bounded off towards the waiting Mercedes, which is visible through the window of the Starbucks coffeehouse we were lounging in. Justin had insisted on treating us to a drink before we left the airport. I shook my head with a faint smile on my face. My little princess just won't give up on trying to play the matchmaker!

I turned to face Justin, my finger absentmindedly tracing the rim of my coffee mug as I listened to him ramble about how he missed us a lot and how he had been forced to return back to America before Eleanor and I. 

Looking at me directly in the eyes, he spoke in an earnest voice, tinged with regret.

"Honestly, I never wanted to leave you guys in Paris but my family... they just wouldn't stop calling. Ever since my dad passed away, every day, it was one message or another about the company, about my responsibilities etcetera etcetera.”

I gave him a reassuring smile to show him I understood quite alright, before brushing it aside."Oof! I told you several times in the past that there's no need to worry! It's all in the past now and thankfully, we fared well in your absence. Besides, your family needed you and you had to be there. Your family's business is important to you, Justin and I’m glad you're doing a great job at handling it. "

Justin ran a hand through his hair and a frown materialized on his face, indicating his frustration.  "Of course the family business is important but so were you… are you! You're very important to me, Trina, you and Eleanor. I wanted to wait until you were through with studies and everything so we could  come back together when we were both ready but…"

When he trailed off and sighed deeply in frustration, I couldn't help but ask, "But what?"

Although he always told me everything when we were in Paris, he had strangely just packed his stuff and called me out of the blue one fateful day, telling me he was leaving for good the following day. I didn't ask for his reason as at then and he didn't elaborate, much unlike his usual self.

"The shareholders threatened to sell the company," Justin admitted. "They said that if I wasn't willing to step up, they'd find someone who was. And I just couldn't let that happen. Myers Enterprises has been in our family for generations."

Knowing he needed it, I reached out, placing my hand lightly on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"You did the right thing, Justin. I'm proud to have you as my best friend!"

As I said that, Justin fixed his eyes into mine, and I could see different emotions swirling in his blue orbs "I've missed you, Trina. Every day since I left."

His piercing look and those heartfelt words made me uneasy all of a sudden but thankfully, I was saved from an awkward response when a woman suddenly approached our table, her eyes wide with excitement. "Excuse me," she addressed Justin with a breathless voice. "You're Justin Myers, right? The heir to Myers Enterprises?"

Justin just gave her a half-smile before responding, “Yes, I am.” It was quite obvious that he was just trying not to appear rude but was actually uninterested.

But the woman seemed oblivious to his lack of interest as she excitedly rambled. "Oh my God! It is such an honor to be meeting you in person! I'm such a huge fan! The work you did to grow the business in such a short time is just incredible!"

The woman wasn't lying when she said she's a huge fan because she instantly launched into a detailed account of Myers Enterprise's latest projects, praising Justin over and over in the process. Meanwhile, I carefully observed Justin as he spoke to the woman. Although all his responses were cordial, I could still see the lack of genuine enthusiasm in his eyes. 

He has been my best friend for years so I know him quite well to understand he's clearly not interested in her. However, she might just be exactly what… who he needed. So many women have been showing interest in him but he never gives anyone any chance and if he keeps doing this, he might miss out on the right one. And thinking of the right one, who knows if it might be this particular woman? Looking at the two of them, I made a quick decision.