Chapter three

Where have you been Jasper?" A voice asked him as he stepped into the house.

He turned around and met his mother Miranda Smith standing behind him with a worried expression. He sighed and hugged her.

"I've been out mom. I didn't know it got so late. You don't need to worry about me, I'm thirty not thirteen." He said to her with a smile.

Miranda frowned, "Well your sister and I have been waiting for you to join us for dinner. You never said you were going to have dinner out, and you were not answering your phone."

"I forgot the phone mom. I am so sorry about that. Stop frowning, go to bed. I'm fine." He pushed her towards her room.

"Your food is in the kitchen if you're still hungry." Miranda said and walked into her room.

Jasper sighed and walked to the kitchen. He dished his own food and sat on the couch in the living room. He had been out searching for a job all day, he didn't find a satisfying one yet. Then he bumped into someone when coming from the restaurant where he had gone to ask for the vacancy.

She was very rude, even though she looked classy and rich. She wanted him to bow down to her, he chuckled at the thought. He thought he has seen stubborn girls, but this one is extraordinary.

He left when her nice friend whom he later found out is Carly spoke nicely to her. He wonders why girls like that have the nicest friends. How do they even cope with people like that?

He wasn't expecting to see her at that lonely road when he did. He was going back home when her car broke down. He watched her come out of the car and made a call. Then she checked the car before some bad guys walked over to her.

He saw how stubborn she was, he wanted to intervene but changed her mind. Then he saw her kick the leader and get chased by the gang. He decided to help her escape, he wasn't in the mood to fight the guys anytime soon. Yet she still proved to be stubborn.

"I wonder why I have to encounter a stubborn person like her. Who is she anyway?" He thought.

He went straight to bed after having dinner thinking his job hunt will start again. Strange circumstances is the reason why he is searching for a job despite having a degree in medicine. It's a sad past he hardly talks about or discusses with anyone. It's been three years already, so he has to move on.

His phone rang just when his eyes were closing to sleep. He already knows who would call him by this time of the night.

"Bella." He called.

"Hey Jasper. I just wanted to check on you since you haven't called all day. How is the job hunt going?" She asked.

"Fine." Was all he could say.

Bella sighed, that wasn't good news.

"Okay. I'll come see you tomorrow. I have to go now, bye." She said and hung up.

Jasper dropped his phone and sighed deeply. Despite all of Bella's persuasion to help him, he refused the help because he wanted to do it on his own. Bella comes from a very good and wealthy family, she has been a very good friend to him since he got back three years ago.

They met when he went for a job vacancy at the Tanner's Corporation. He didn't get hired but he met her, she liked him at first sight.

So they became friends from there. Bella offered to help him in all ways but he refused. He has gotten a lot of job since three years, but they all don't last more than two to six months. He always seems to be unlucky with the people he works with.

"This is so frustrating." He muttered closing his eyes to sleep.

••••

Morning came, Jasper woke up late. Since he wasn't going to work, he found it hard to leave bed early. His sister Stephanie came to wake him up. She tugged his shirt until he opened his eyes. Then she let go.

"What are you doing Steph?" He asked with a frown.

"Waking you up duh." She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because mom asked me to. Move your lazy butt from bed. Breakfast is ready, I am just repeating what mom said." She ran out of the room after saying that.

Jasper shook his head and got out of bed. His sister is up early because she's going to help their mother at her small food stand. Stephanie is still a college student and nineteen, so she's not working much except for helping their mother.

He took his bath and got changed. Then he left for the dining table where his mother and sister are seated eating breakfast.

"Morning mom." He said to his mom ignoring his sister's troublesome stares.

"You finally decided to get out bed." Stephanie cut in.

He still ignored her and ate his breakfast in silence.

"I haven't seen your girlfriend in a while. Where is she?" Stephanie asked making Jasper choke on his food.

"Stephanie!" Miranda scolded and offered Jasper some water.

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't know talking about Bella Tanner was now a big deal." Stephanie scoffed.

"Bella is not my girlfriend! I keep telling you that. I'm done eating." He got up and left.

Miranda glared at Stephanie, "I think I'm full too. Oh I need to use the toilet." She ran away to avoid her mother's anger.

Jasper bumped into Bella just as he got out of the house. She smiled upon seeing him, then hugged him.

"Bella, I wasn't expecting you to come this early." He said.

"I actually wanted to give this to you, that's why I'm here the early. Sorry if I am bothering you." She stretched some papers towards him.

He collected from her and saw it's a list of job vacancies in the city.

"Thanks Bella. You're not bothering me at all."

"I figured that I should create another list. At least I'll be able to help with something."

Jasper nodded, "That is very thoughtful of you. I am grateful for your help, thank you Bella."

Bella smiled, "It's nothing compared to what I can do for you Jasper... Would you like me to accompany you to check some of those places out?" She suggested.

"There's no need Bella. You have done more than enough. Let me take it from here." He declined.

Bella felt a familiar feeling of disappointment. He always says that, even though he needs help, he rejects it.

"Okay. Let me drop you off on the way then. I'll be going to the mall." She offered again.

Seeing that he can't decline this offer again, he nodded in agreement and followed her to the car.

"Could we have dinner together later this evening?" She asked as she drove away.

"Are you asking me out?" He teased.

Bella laughed nervously, "You're funny Jasper. You're acting like we're strangers and this is our first time going out."

"I'm supposed to treat you to dinner."

"We're friends. There's no rule to that so let's have dinner together."

Jasper agreed later on. She dropped him along the way and he found his way to the job vacancies again. Folding the papers on his hand. He tried a lot of places till afternoon and still didn't get a good response. Everyone is either afraid of his last records or they say things that flare him up.

He stopped at a cafe to have lunch before going back to continue the job hunt. He is used to hunting for jobs and eventually getting one after a few days. It has only been a week since he left his last job.

After having lunch, he came out of the cafe checking the next place on the list. His eyes stumbled upon someone crossing the road engrossed with a phonecall that the person is not looking.

A fast moving truck was going that way. Like flash, he rushed to the road and pulled the person out of the way falling on each other. His eyes widened on seeing who it was.

"You?" They both said at the same time.

"Get off me!" She yelled at him.

He got up without helping her up. He straightened his shirt, how rude. She's still as rude as she was before, nothing ever changes. He doesn't understand why he keeps crossing paths with her.

"I actually just saved your face from being crushed and this is how you thank me?" He asked her.

She got up dusting her dress and frowned.

"Thanks but you almost broke my back. How am I supposed to thank you then."

Her arrogance made him enraged. She still has the right to tell him that after he just ended up saving her life again.

"You're quite rude and very arrogant. If you had been crushed, I know we wouldn't be having this conversation now." He said.

She frowned, "Do you want me to compensate you? Since I now owe you my life. Name your price."

Jasper chuckled, "You think money is enough to solve everything?"

Raina looked at him from head to toe, "You do look like a good amount of money would be enough to help your life."

"I think I'd rather leave right away."

"Stop." She stopped him.

He stopped, "Now what?"

"What's that in your hand?" She asked him checking the paper in his hand.

"None of your business." He was being rude this time.

Raina scoffed, "You're looking for a job?"

He frowned in frustration, "What's it to you?"

"I am only trying to pay back the favor you did for me but it seems you don't need it. I will not stay here and condone your arrogant behavior." She flared up.

Jasper glared at her, "I don't need help from someone like you. Yeah, I appreciate your kind offer. Thanks."

Raina felt insulted. No one would ever reject a job offer from her. She was more annoyed with the fact that this man doesn't know her well enough to accept help from her.

She wanted to break him down and make him stop being arrogant. She stopped him again.

"100, 000$"

Jasper stopped on hearing that. He turned again, seeing her serious face.

"What is that for?"

"To work for me." She replied.

"I'm not interested."

She nodded, "I thought as much. You must need a lot of money at this time. 500, 000$ a month."

Jasper couldn't believe she was making the offer bigger after rejecting it.

"What exactly do you need me to do for you to get such an amount every month?" He asked her.

"Work for me." She said again.

"How am I sure you are not a scam? How can you even pay me such an amount just to work for you? You didn't even tell me the nature of the job. Am I going to be killing people for you?"

Her face reddened with anger, "You!"

She took a deep breath, "Do you have any idea who I am? That money is less than what I make in a few hours. Paying you will not be the problem. And I won't send you to kill people, unless it's necessary."

"You will be working as my personal bodyguard and driver. You will swear to always protect me and I will pay you according to the agreement."

Jasper watched her rant, he still refused to believe such an offer would be valid. Yet he decided to play along.

"Your offer is tempting but how can I be sure of what you're saying. Who are you?"

Raina raised her head proudly, "I see you don't know who I am, that explains all your rude and arrogant replies. I am Raina Williams. The president of the Williams corporation and CEO of Rainhigh Group."

Jasper knew who she was as soon as she introduced herself but decided to tease her.

"I'm sorry, that doesn't ring a bell."

That made her face go hot, she became really angry and embarrassed.

"What?!"