Can't Lose You

A month from now, Briella is set to marry her long-time boyfriend, Xander Madrigal, the CEO of Star Agency, where they worked together to grow the business. She gave up her career as a popular model to focus on her fiancé’s enterprise. 

“Honey, are you sure you don’t want to come to my place?” she asked her fiancé.

She prepared a surprise for him, knowing he would enjoy it. “I’m sorry, honey, but I really can’t. Why did you arrange this when I have an important meeting?” he replied from the other end of the line. 

She took a deep breath, trying to hide her disappointment. She knew he was always busy with meetings but didn’t understand why he couldn’t spare time for her. Even when they had time for each other, he could still not accommodate her. 

“Okay,” she responded. She wanted to say more, but he abruptly ended the call. 

With a heavy sigh, she put her cell phone beside her, leaning back against the sofa, and stared at the ceiling. His behavior changed since Xander proposed to her, and he had no time for her. They rarely met at the company, and he seldom called her into his office to talk and check on her. He’s been busy with paperwork and outside meetings with his clients. He used to take her to those meetings, but now he leaves her in her office, giving her piles of work that she shouldn’t be doing. 

Her cellphone rang, and she quickly recognized the name Matilda, one of her friends who worked as a model in the company. “Hey, Matty. What’s up?” she asked. 

“Are you busy right now?” Matilda also questioned.

“No,” she replied with a sigh. “Xander won’t visit me today, so I’m just home. Why?” 

“Great! Come with me to choose my outfit for the party I’m attending later! If you’re free, you can accompany me!” Matilda excitedly told her. 

A party? Why not? She’d just be bored if she stayed home all day. “Okay, count me in. Where are we meeting?” she asked. 

“Meet me at the Mall, and I’ll send you the store’s name. Bye!” 

After the call, she dressed and was soon in her car heading to the Mall.

“This looks fine on you,” Matty said, handing her a black backless plunging dress with a knee-length skirt with a slit on the left side. 

“Are you sure?” she asked, knowing the dress would attract attention at the party.

“Yup! You look hot and daring if you wear it. I’m sure you’ll be the center of attention, and you might even find a partner tonight,” Matilda responded with a wink. 

She shook her head. “You know that I’ll get married next month. I should wear something simple and elegant—” 

“Ow, come on, Brie! Don’t be such a killjoy!” Matilda interrupted her. “Put this on for me, please? Let’s say this is my gift for you—one night of freedom! You won’t be able to do this next month, so you should make the most of it,” she said, grabbing her hand and giving her the dress. “Take it. I’ll pay for it. Small gratitude for coming with me tonight!” 

She had no choice but to accept the dress and look at it. It was pretty daring, but she thought there would be no harm in indulging Matilda, who had a point. All right, just this one. After this, she would never join Matilda’s night-outs again.

After shopping for their outfits, they went to a renowned salon to get dolled up. Truthfully, she didn’t need to because she could fix herself up, but since she was with a high-class model, she had to accompany her. However, because her companion was famous, she was overshadowed when her companion’s fans recognized her and started taking pictures. She had to wait for over an hour outside the salon as her companion seemed to have a photoshoot with her fans. 

“I’m sorry, Bri, did you get bored waiting? You should have already gone into the salon and started doing your hair,” her companion apologized. She just smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay. It’s quite amusing watching you interact with your fans.” 

“Well, that’s how it is when you’re famous. You get swarmed by people who idolize you. Too bad for you, your fans disappeared when you stopped accepting projects,” Matilda remarked, followed by a soft laugh.

“Xander prefers that I focus on helping him with his business, and I’m happy doing it because it’s for our future,” she replied. Matilda fell silent and went into the salon first. 

At night, they met again at the very Night Club where Matilda’s so-called party was being held. From outside the club, she could already hear the loud music from within.

“Isn’t it dangerous in there?” she asked Matilda, peeking at the dim interior due to the dimmed lights. Matilda just laughed at her. 

“Is this your first time entering such a club? No wonder you’re boring,” she teased.

“I’ve been to many nightclubs before but not like this. You know, the ones with elite members and gold cards,” she didn’t want to sound arrogant, but she also wouldn’t let Matilda insult her, even if it was in jest, especially when others could hear. 

Matilda didn’t respond and just dragged her inside the bar. The loud music immediately greeted them, and a few people were already looking at them, their eyes filled with admiration for the two of them.

“Oh God, I love being the center of attraction!” Matilda giggled and grabbed her arm. 

“Come on, this way!” Matilda shouted and dragged her to the bar. “Two Bloody Marys, please!” she ordered the bartender. 

“Who organized this party?” she asked, glancing around. She could still recognize familiar faces despite the dim and blinding disco lights. 

Most of those present were fellow models and friends of Matilda. There were also some people she knew but wasn’t close to because of what had happened to her before and her previous company. 

“My boyfriend,” Matilda happily told her. She raised an eyebrow, not knowing that Matilda had a boyfriend. Matilda had never mentioned it to her, or maybe she was also secretly in a relationship for fear of getting caught in a controversial event. 

“Can I meet him?” she asked. Matilda’s smile widened, and she saw a special twinkle in Matilda’s eyes that gave her an eerie feeling. 

“You’ll get to know him soon, but I don’t know if he wants to meet you. He’s shy and doesn’t show up just to anyone,” Matilda laughingly replied.

“Matty!” a woman shouted, and when she turned around, she couldn’t help but frown due to Matilda’s surprised reaction, and she noticed that Matilda’s face turned pale. “Miss Briella! W-What are you doing here?” the woman asked her in surprise. 

“Edna, Matilda invited me here. Good to see you here,” she said with a smile. Edna’s eyes flickered as she looked at Matilda and then at her.

“I see. Enjoy the party, Bri,” Edna said, and then she left. They both exchanged glances, and Edna subtly smiled at her. She toasted with them, and they danced to the loud and fast music after a while. Matilda also introduced her to other models; she felt stupid because they were all in their worlds. She didn’t even notice the passage of time, and when she started to feel dizzy, she excused herself to Matilda to go to the restroom. 

“Can you still handle it?” Matilda asked her. 

She nodded. “I can still handle it, but I need to leave. It’s almost midnight,” she replied. Matilda smiled.

“Thank you for tonight, I wanted to drive you home, but I can’t leave my friends,” Matilda said, pointing to her friends, who were still having a blast. 

She shook her head and smiled. “You don’t have to, and I can still drive. I’m just going to the restroom, okay?” she said and left Matilda, heading to the restroom.

She passed by the stairs to the upper floor and saw a sign saying VIP Rooms were written on the side of the wall before she entered the restroom. She entered a cubicle and nearly hit her head due to her dizziness. When she sat down, she closed her eyes to rest. 

She didn’t know how long she had dozed off but woke up when she heard people talking outside her cubicle. “Matilda, are you sure you won’t get caught doing this?” 

She furrowed her brow when she heard Edna’s voice. “Shut up, Edna! It’s none of your business!” Matilda snarled at her.

“She won’t find out because she’s a fool and naive! Do you know that I told her I have a boyfriend? She wanted to meet him. I was tempted to tell her the truth, but I know Xander will be mad at me,” Matilda said.

It was like a bomb exploded in her ears. She bit her lip to keep from making a noise, although her heart was pounding loudly. She didn’t know if she heard correctly or if she was hallucinating due to her drunkenness. 

“B-but…” 

“No buts, Edna! Remember, Xander wouldn’t have chosen you as a model if it wasn’t for me!” Matilda snapped at Edna. “Anyway, I need to go up. Xander’s been waiting for me. That woman is so tough, and it took her a long time to get drunk!” 

Briella clenched her fists in rage but knew she couldn’t confront Matilda rashly. She still needed to confirm if what she heard was correct. She remained in the cubicle for a while to ensure she was alone. When she was sure she was the only one there, she slowly came out and approached the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. The alcohol was fading from her body, and her thoughts were clear. She took a deep breath and exited the restroom, quickly heading to the second floor where the VIP Rooms were located. She couldn’t leave without knowing the truth. 

Despite her shaking legs, she forced herself to step forward, ready to check each room to find out the truth. At the third door, she gasped when she heard Xander’s voice.

“Are you sure that Briella went home?” she heard him asking his companion. She slowly pushed the door, just enough to see the two people inside. Her grip on the doorknob tightened when she saw Matilda sitting on Xander’s lap and her dress pulled up to her waist. 

‘Filthy son of a b*tch!' 

“Yup, she didn’t even say goodbye to me because she was so drunk,” Matilda replied. 

“Why did you invite that woman?” Xander asked Matilda, who was facing him and sitting on his lap in annoyance. Matilda giggled. 

“Don’t you like it? I’m trying to make her feel better when you reject her. Besides, I enjoy playing with her now, and waiting for you is boring!” 

She turned dark when she witnessed the subsequent events, she wanted to leave, but her feet didn’t want to move and seemed to prefer to stay. The two were kissing, and Xander’s hand quickly moved down Matilda’s back until he reached her buttocks. She heard Matilda’s loud moan and noticed Matilda’s underwear on the floor. A few moments later, she witnessed the two having sex, and she wanted to scream at their loud moans until she couldn’t take it anymore and ran away from that place.

You will pay for this atrocity! I swear I won’t stop until I bring you both down!