Chapter 5

The crinkle on Shane’s forehead increased when he saw how well Audrey got along with the blonde man who’s showing off his biceps by wearing an apron and not a proper shirt early in the morning. He stood a few feet away from the dining table, leaning his back on the metallic door frame, and watched them conversed while exchanging soft giggles that irritated him. It wasn’t his thing to eavesdrop, so he faked a cough several times to announce his presence only to be totally ignored as the two were totally immersed in each other.

‘Who is he?’

Shane combed his jet black hair with his fingers when Audrey couldn’t stop laughing while brushing her teeth. He thought for a moment she changed because of losing a lot of weight but seeing how careless she could be, he knew that she’s definitely the Audrey he grew up with. Reminiscing some scenes fifteen years back, a smile crept on his lips but immediately faded when he heard what she said.

“What did you say?” he asked in a soft voice, but he made sure she heard it.

Audrey froze in her seat. The expression on her face was somewhat surprising and at the same time worried. He waited for her response, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she started taking a bite and complimented the man beside her about how he cooked the food and came up with a superb flavor.

“I’m talking to you, Audrey,” Shane’s tone was no longer calm. There was a hint of annoyance and urgency in his voice.

“We can talk about it later, Shane. Why don’t you take a seat and eat with me?” Audrey replied without looking at him. He clenched his fist and walked closer to the table.

“Who is he?” he asked her the question that lingered in his mind when he saw the other guy. His eyes were focused on the topless blonde who just picked his folded shirt on the counter to wear. The latter looked back at him and their eyes met. Shane didn’t like it that the other had a pair of green eyes and it suited him very well. He was the first one to pull away from his gaze. ‘Where did she meet this guy? He’s definitely not a local,’ he asked himself as he sat on the chair in front of her.

“His name’s Nathan,” she answered after taking a sip of freshly squeezed orange juice. “He’s currently working for me,” she added and continued munching on her favorite fried chicken wing.

‘Working for her?’ Shane almost choked on his saliva on what she said. “Why?” he asked, still not convinced that the guy’s simply working for her. His eyes shifted back to Nathan who took another set of dishes for him.

“Nice meeting you, Mr. Vargas. I’m Auddie’s assistant,” Nathan said which made him cough for real.

“Why would she need an assistant?” he asked but Nathan just shrugged. “Hey Chub, don’t tell me you became someone great while you were away?” He turned to her with disbelieving eyes. “That would be impossible… haha! I mean you may have lost weight but you aren’t someone like a big star or something who needs an assistant, right?” He shook his head while trying not to laugh at his own idea. “I don’t even have my personal assistant anymore despite being a famous actor… Hahaha. I’m sorry, it’s just that my idea is so silly that I wanted to laugh but…”

“Who cares?”

Shane didn’t complete his sentence when she gave him a cold look. “W-what?” He couldn’t believe he stuttered in front of her. 

“Audrey I－”

“I said, who cares?” Again, he didn’t expect her to interrupt him for the second time. “So what if you’re famous and I’m not? Is the privilege of having someone work under him or her exclusive only to people like you?”

He was unable to retort anything against what she said. She was right and he was insensitive. His hands trembled as he felt shivers from her cold stare. Her crisp voice added up to the freezing tension he felt. Shane was aware that he went overboard, and he was guilty. “I’m sorry if I have offended you,” he whispered before attempting to leave.

“Stay,” Audrey said, which made him stop. 

“Eat your breakfast. You don’t have the habit of wasting food, no? Finish everything up,” she added and emptied her glass. That was when Shane noticed her cleared plate. ‘She finished her food so fast.’ He nodded his head like a good boy. For some reason, he felt intimidated by the way she treated him since she came back.

“Where are you going?” he asked the lady when he saw her storming out of the kitchen.

“None of your business,” she plainly replied and went on.

Nathan, on the other hand, cleaned up after Audrey’s used dishes before following her outside the kitchen. Shane was surely amazed at how efficient the guy was towards his employer. “I wonder how much she pays him,” he blurted out in a daze.

“Just a few bucks, really.” He was taken aback when he heard Nathan’s answer. He turned his head and saw him come back to get his phone on the table. “She gave me more than what I needed though, enough for me to offer her my utmost loyalty,” Nathan muttered and left.

“Phew!” he breathed when he was finally alone. “Why do I feel that I don’t like that guy? And he called Chub Auddie… Audi? Hah! Even with his blonde hair and green eyes, I think I still look more charming.” Shane rubbed his chin as he drowned himself deeper in his thoughts about comparing his visuals to the foreigner. He went back to his senses when he heard the loud sound of the car engine from the front.

“There she went after telling me that we’ll have a talk,” he mumbled, rubbing his temple. It was his first day of the week off he got for the last six months, and he was supposed to relax yet having Audrey return saying they have something important to discuss made him anxious. He was trying to play it cool though he could see the indifference in her eyes.

‘All right, Chub. Let’s get things straight and free each other.’