High Class.

Episode 9: A Life So Free.

"Hahahahaha!". Everyone could hear the laughter coming from the other side of the room, Genesis felt slightly embarrassed but at the same time she felt free, like she was doing something she really wanted to and not scared of what others will say, she smiled as she stared at Yvonne who covered her mouth with her right hand to stop herself from another outburst as Daniel continued his jokes.

"And so... I ended up going to that blind date instead of Laurence" Daniel said as he sighed.

"That was awful" Yvonne shook her head, she glanced at Lian who was turning the drink in her glass.

"And how did Lian take it?" It was Genesis who asked and Yvonne stared at her, Lian looked up.

"How was I supposed to take it, my boyfriend was cheating on me" Lian said bitterly, winking at Daniel, she smiled. "We didn't talk for like two whole days" She said, looking directly at Genesis. "But we did reconcile, eventually"

Genesis sipped the wine in her hand, looking away. Daniel tactically stood up, he didn't want to be the reason for anyone's ill feelings. "I'll go get more wine, Lian?"

She glared at him, she was angry he was being such a punk.

"No more wine for me" She said. "I am staying sober for my case tomorrow" She turned to Genesis. "Would you like more wine?"

"No, thank you" Gene said. Lian stood up, Daniel held out his hand for her, Yvonne didn't understand why he did that and Gene tried to look cool which she actually did like a true Chua, the couple walked out together and the silence remained.

Yvonne raised her glass up. Gene turned to her with a stony look.

"Cheers?"

Gene snorted. "You are crazy" She smiled and they clinked glasses.

#. #. #. #.

Eva slide her fingers across his shoulders as she walked away, Laurence felt like a fool as she left, he was sitting with friends from college, everyone with his or her spouse and he was alone while his soon to be wife was sitting three tables away having fun. He tried to look okay but his mind wandered to Yvonne again, what she said to aunt Grace, he tried to push the thoughts out of his mind but he saw an ex classmate of his and his fiancee kissing at the table. They didn't stop.

"Gosh, Kelvin go get a room!" Eva said as she resumed the table. The others laughed.

"Laurence, what is wrong with your sister, isn't she joining us?" Melanie asked, as she took one more glass of wine.

"You are going to be too drunk to go home, Sweetie" Her husband ordered, taking the glass away from her, she didn't have the energy to stop him.

"You have a beautiful fiancee, Laurence" Mercy Gor said to him. Everyone turned to Yvonne at the other table, she was chatting with her group again. Laurence was thinking. Eva raised her glass up as she stood.

"Friends!, let's make a toast to our soon to be groom and his bride, Laurence Chua and Yvonne..." She trailed, looking expectantly at Yvonne to produce her surname. Gene frowned.

"Solis, Yvonne Solis" Yvonne said, smiling.

"Solis" Eva completed dryly, turning back to her friends. "Cheers to them!!"

"Cheers!!!!"

As Eva took her seat beside Laurence, Gene frown deepened.

"Your place is with them" She turned to Yvonne. "Go"

Yvonne turned to Daniel and Lian.

"Ok, Eva isn't my friend at all but I know a Mata Karenjang (name for a homewrecker) when I see one" Lian said, Gene felt like giving her a thumbs up but then that would be over her dead body.

Yvonne stood up, smiling, she walked to the table, as she walked she tried to look at Laurence as if she was looking at Benjamin, with so much love. His eyes met her's and he looked surprised as she flashed a flirty smile, it made his heart flutter.

When she got to the table, Eva's glare met her but she was smiling like an innocent person, of course she was innocent. The other ladies at the table turned their eyes on Eva, she didn't have to be so shameless even after knowing he has a fiancee. But for Eva, it was the greatest humiliation, leaving the seat for this low class woman.

"Mercy Gor" Mercy flashed a smile at Yvonne as she took her seat.

"Nice to meet you, I am..."

"We already know who you are, darling" Melanie cut in. "You stole the school's crush, what I mean is the national crush,tell me how you did it?"

Her husband turned to Laurence and Yvonne looking apologetic.

"Yeah" Another classmate chipped in. "How did you two meet?"

Yvonne turned to Laurence, she was smiling. He didn't know why, he felt she was going to fabricate a silly love story.

"We met in London" She said, he knew it!!. She should have just stuck to the original fake story.

They were keen, especially Mercy who was a reporter.

"On a ship" She continued, he had to really turn to her now. She was actually telling the real story as if it meant something to her. She smiled. "I approached him first" She nodded, the ladies chuckled. "But he did the talking"

"Was it love at first sight?" Melanie asked.

"No" Yvonne laughed. "It was a need for company, but we decided to get to know each other more and we saw that we just couldn't am....." She turned to him, her face unsmiling. "We decided to have a baby" She turned to the others.

"You won't mind your story on the covers of the news paper, right?" Mercy smiled.

"Never ever tell Mercy your secret" A classmate said. "By the way, Why isn't Luis or Julio here?"

"Yeah, Peanut said he wouldn't make it because he had to finish a movie back in China" Another classmate said.

"Peanut?" Yvonne looked confused.

Luis Chua, AKA Peanut, was Laurence's cousin and Aunt Grace step son, she had found out two years after her husband's death that he had a one night stand with a woman who had a son for him and who had not even a bit of motherly love for the boy and had him dumped in an orphanage. Grace took him and cared for him, he was stubborn like his father and she was tired of dealing with him so she let him do what he wanted. So Luis was produced and enjoined into the Chua family, a kid damned to the highest level of poverty rose to wealth and power through the love a woman had for her late husband. He was nicknamed peanuts because he was a crazy and creepy person and because he was of average height, Esther first called him " You demented Peanut!!" and the name stuck.

Yvonne was quiet throughout the ride home, Laurence held a tablet throughout the ride and never looked up from it, she looked out of the window occasionally and wished she could just live a normal life, without caring and being scared of what people might say.

Twice, Laurence looked at her, he saw her close her eyes and leaned back and soon she was asleep, quietly she slept.