Chapter 5 5 Meet Lawrence

I MADE MYSELF busier in the office the next few days. "Bestie, is everything okay with your wedding?" I asked while slicing the grilled pork chop on my plate. Cindy invited me to have dinner outside tonight. "I m working on your gowns. I want you to wear something a little daring," she said while her eyes were glowing. "Don t make it too pretty. Your brides maid might beat you up. You should be the only one who is beautiful there." I chuckled. "No. Of course, my gown also looks fancy and gorgeous for me just because Carrick thinks so." She even touched both her cheeks then shook her head. I just rolled my eyes and continue to eat my food. "We will do the fitting of your gown this coming Saturday. Carrick s cousin is with you to fit his too. Oh, bestie, he s so handsome! My gosh!" she said with a red face. "Tsk. Here we go again, Cindy. I don t want to be linked to boys yet. I want to focus on our family business," I said with a smile. "Hmp! I just want you to enjoy your life. Also, bestie, Lawrence seems to be single now. Although, from what I heard, he s a certified Casanova and many women are chasing and crying for him." "So he s a playboy." I lightly shook my head. "Well, despite that, he s a good catch. I met him at their family reunion, and Carrick took me to their resort," she said, still thrilled. I just shook my head and continued eating; seems not interested at all. *** SATURDAY CAME, THE day of my gown fitting. Lucky to have a generously proportioned body, so I m not used to dieting. I got out of the car wearing a white long sleeve polo and spaghetti top underneath. I just matched it with skinny black jeans and a white stiletto. I let my wavy hair blow over my shoulder. Wearing my sunglasses, I went straight into the boutique owned by Cindy. "Good morning, Lenny!" I greeted the receptionist at the front desk. "Good morning, Miss Margaux." "Is Cindy already there?" "Not yet, Ma am, but she seems to be on the way," she answered. "Thanks!" I turned my back on her and started roaming around the boutique. I see a lot of dresses and mannequins displayed near the glass window. I can say Cindy is successful. This has always been her dream—to become a famous fashion designer. I was busy looking at the clothes when the man who had just entered the boutique caught my attention. A man in his late twenties, wearing a blue long sleeve polo and black jeans. He slowly walked toward the front desk with full of authority. I immediately frowned when I saw the man Cindy was referring to. "Hi, I m looking for Miss Cindy Fajardo?" I heard the man asked. "Are you Mr. Lawrence Saavedra?" Lenny asked uneasily in her seat. "Yes." "She s on her way now. Maybe you want coffee or tea first?" she offered with a huge smile on her face. My eyebrows rose at what Lenny had done. Why didn t she even offer me water? "No, thanks. I ll just wait here," the man said in a baritone voice and sat down on one of the couches there. "Okay, Sir." Lenny s smile immediately faded from her lips, and she returned to her working table. I secretly smiled because Lenny s strategy did not work. *** I KEEP LOOKING at Cindy s work, but I can t help but return my gaze to the man who was now staring at me. I quickly divert my eyes to the gowns in front of me. Until I felt him stand up and slowly walked closer in my direction. "Hi!" he greeted. I slowly nodded. I have to admit, he is breathtakingly hot with his angular face, dark brows, expressive pair of eyes, and heart-shaped lips. I also noticed he didn t lose his smile as he looked at me. "What s that smile for?" I asked irritably. "Nothing. It s just . . . what a small world!" I rolled my eyes and ignored him. His jaw tightened before turning around and walking towards the front desk. I followed her gaze as I spoke to Lenny. I think the two are getting along well with Lenny s boisterous laughter as if they were the only person inside the boutique. I rolled my eyes again and removed my sunglasses impatiently. I started to step out of the boutique. "Ma am Margaux, are you leaving?" Lenny asked me with a big smirk on her face. I looked at her sharply, then the antipathetic man who seemed to lose his grin. "Yes. I will reschedule my meeting with Cindy because I have a sudden meeting," I said. "Ah, is that so? All right, I ll just tell Ma am Cindy when she arrives. Just be careful," she said. I finally went out with irritation. I opened the door of my car and rushed into it, but I just sat there. I can t understand myself. I suddenly felt annoyed at the scene earlier. I calmed myself down before turning on the ignition but was surprised to hear a series of knocks on my car window. There, outside my car, I saw a big smile on Cindy s face. I quickly lowered the window. "Margaux, where are you going? Aren t you going to measure your gown now?" she asked with a wrinkled forehead. "I have a sudden meeting, so can I just reschedule it? But don t worry, Lawrence is there," I said firmly, not looking at her directly. "Oh my God, have you met him? What can you say? Isn t he handsome?" she asked tremblingly. Yes, he is handsome! I whispered at the back of my head. "Ah, yes, I met him," I replied before restarting the car engine. "Wait, are you really not going to fit your gown today?" she asked with wrinkled brows. I felt guilty because I really didn t have a meeting to go to. I just wanted to avoid the scene earlier. "Alright, I will cancel all my meetings for today," I said, turning off the engine again then getting out of the car. Cindy s face lit up, and she hugged me tightly. "Thank you so much, bestie!"