Chapter 3

• "Arlene, please call Attorney Falcon, tell her that her presence is badly needed here in the company--- and I want her here as soon as possible." he ended the intercom.
• Jacob hasn't seen her in a while. He was so tempted to call her, or go to her place or just see her from afar. But somehow, his male pride wouldn't let him do that. But now, hanggang dito na lang talaga ang makakaya niya. He just needed to see that face to bring back his sanity.
• Two hours later, she appeared on his office wearing a black pencil skirt, and a blouse that hugged her body so well, her breast, waist and hips. His eyes were dancing as he watched her walk towards him. Damn it, the years only made her hotter.
• Heat was traveling south so he controlled himself. Damn, he's starting to have a boner.
• Pervert.
• Tatiana's mind screamed. She's not oblivious to that heated stare he was giving her and he wasn't even ashamed to hide it. After all these years he was still the pervert, vulgar Jacob she knew.
• "Good morning." She greeted.
• "You never fail to take my breath away. You look gorgeous--- and hot today." he said. "You made this morning good by gracing me your presence, attorney.” Jacob grinned, his perfect white teeth showing.
• She shrugged off his wicked games. "What matters are we discussing today?"
• He shrugged, "I just want you to seat in to my meeting and help me decide. A business man from Malaysia wants to invest some share."
• "This isn't a part of my job." she almost snapped. He didn't have her called just for this, did he? She failed to make sandwiches for her son because she was in a hurry to get here since his secretary said that it was urgent!
• Jacob stood up to take off his jacket and draped if on the headrest of his swivel chair. She couldn't help but notice how his longsleeve hugged his body. She swallowed hard before quickly looking away.
• His body was ten times better, the muscles on his chest, his biceps---
• "What do you want for a drink?" Jacob asked.
• "Water, please." she answered in a clipped tone.
• He was also much taller. He makes her feel so small when he's standing beside her. Jacob returned with a glass of water in his hand, and he was smiling--- okay, he looked like a Greek God, she'd give him that.
• She wouldn't call him ugly just because both of them shared a past. Well, a dark past.
• "You had fun checking me out?" She almost throw up the water when Jacob asked her that. She composed herself, looking at him straight face.
• "I was barely looking at you." lie.
• "Were you also excited to see me today? because I was. I always look forward to seeing you." Jacob shrugged. He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms and looked at her. She's so disturbed. His longsleeves were hugging his biceps when he did that.
• She stared at him blankly. “What time does the meeting start?”
• "30 minutes pa, we have some time. Can't we really talk? I just want to know how are you, just wanna catch up. I get that you don't wanna talk about what happened years back---- but I just want to know if you were okay."
• Tatiana saw the pleading in his eyes. She wasn't affected, years of practice she knew now how to become a little less.
• Still, she chose to answer. Wouldn't hurt to let him know a little, would it?
• "I went to law school few months after being in Palawan. I studied in Italy. And yes, I'm great. I'm happy now, I have everything I dream of now, I couldn't wish for anything more." she smiled at him. For the first time she smiled at him after nine years. She felt her heart stop.
• He swallowed. She changed, alright. Even her dreams have changed. She wanted to have a restaurant beside the beach, she wanted kids, a loving husband.... she dreamed of him---- she never said anything about wanting to become a lawyer, now she's surely over him.
• He was hurt.
• "How about you, how have you been?" Atleast she asked how he was.
• "I'm a CEO now. Too far from what I wanted to do... you know, I just want to be a photographer and an artist." he laughed as he remembered himself years ago. "But being a CEO wasn't bad at all, the responsibilities were hard but still I learned to handle it." He answered cooly.
• But are you happy, Jacob?
• She wanted to ask.
• TATIANA was there throughout the meeting. She was pretty impressed with the way Jacob handled the meeting. He was so professional, and no doubt, he really deserves to be the CEO. Looking back, she pictured Jacob years later to be standing in his photo studio, or his art gallery. Not in a three piece suit with a very serious look on his face.
• "Look Mr. Shaw, this is a very fair deal. You give away 3% share and I give you the 1.5% share I have in our hotel." The malaysian mogul pursued. "I am so serious about it I came to meet you myself."
• "Strike bankings is a bank. We don't a share in a hotel. Do we? You're asking for a huge percentage of share, Mr. Solim. Too much."
• "You should think this over, Mr. Shaw. My client will put millions for this share and entrusts you some shares in his hotel." The corporate lawyer of Mr. Solim bargained.
• "Tatiana?"
• "Yes?"
• "What do you think?"
• She looked at him. He was wearing a game face on, She couldn't figure him out.
• "I think it's a fair deal. You're getting millions from the buy out and he's giving you the 1.5% percent share permanently once the partnership lasted 2 years, which will, of course, add few to the net worth of the company." She said. "Besides, Mr. Solim is a famous businessman in Malaysia. It would be great to have connections with other entrepreneurs all over the world."she told him. "Think about it first, then set another meeting.”
• She was really a smart woman. What she said next was a blur to him. He had his focus on her, just her. Fuck business meetings. He just wanna keep looking at her.
• He was looking at her like he does years ago. His eyes were hooded and dancing. It was something he does before when She used to say something nice or interesting, or tell him a story that would fascinate him.
• He nodded. Then turned his attention to the two people who were across them.
• "Okay. Where do I sign?" He blurted out.
• "What are you doing?" Tatiana firmly asked.
• Jacob gave her a plain shrug that irritated her.
• "Shaw, what are you doing?" She whispered.
• "You said that it's a good deal, so Im taking it.”
• "But I didn't say you do it right away! For god's sake it's your's and the board's decision and they're not even here."
• In the corner of her eyes she saw that the Malaysian attorney started sorting out the papers.
• "If you'll excuse us." She stood up, holding Jacob's arm.
• "You still hold my arm like you used to.” she heard Jacob say.
• She rolled her eyes. "I was dragging you out. What the hell are you doing, Shaw?”
• He gave her a bored look. Though in the back of his mind he liked this version of Tatiana. Feisty, professional, mad... Yeah, she looks ten times hotter and sexier when she's freaking mad.
• "You said it's a good deal, I trust you, that's why I'm signing."
• "That is not the point." She argued. "You will need the options of the board members. You have to go back there, Mr. CEO and tell them you got carried away and you will set another meeting with them."
• Jacob wanted to reach out and kiss her. But he refrained to do so. He didn't want to receive a royal slap from this woman.
• "Okay." He said.
• "Okay? That's it?"
• "Yeah. Your wish is my command, Tatiana."
• He was acting childsih and nonsense. She hates it.
• Or maybe he was just trying to impress her. For goodness sake it was even not the right moment to do that! He just risked his millions for his stupid immaturity!
• “Damn.” Jacob cursed.
• His breathing was erratic. He was panting. It was 3 in the morning and they'd been up to it for few hours already. This leggy model was just tired as he was.
• "That was amazing, Jake." The model sighed. What was her name again? Jacob thought.
• "You were amazing, too. I love how your tongue worked all over me." Jacob winked. He layed next to her.
• Yeah? Weren't you just imagining that it was Tatiana and not this leggy blonde you brought from the bar?
• The small voice inside him asked. Naked, he stood up to drink some brandy.
• Why was he doing this, anyway? Simply because he was so frustrated with her. He couldn't accept that she has changed so much. Couldn't accept that while he was out there searching for her, waiting for her to come again, she was happy. Yes, he was jealous of the way she was happy without him.
• And maybe he has someone that makes her happy now. Someone who showers her love like you did, someone who makes love to her passionately and telling her how beautiful she was.
• 9 years was a long time, Jacob. You can't blame her if she's found another man.
• Angrily, he put on his clothes.
• "Jake, where are you going? I thought we're going to the cruise---"
• "Forget about it."
• He was already putting on his shirt. "Will you stop being such an asshole? I thought you said---"
• "----It was a good sex, Marlene. Whatever your name is. And thank you. But that's it. I'll send you flowers in your agency."
• "What the fuck?!"
• Heaving out a sigh, he stormed off the hotel room and got inside his car. He called his secretary. "Please send me the address of attorney Falcon. Urgent, please."