Original Love

Episode Nine

The smell of luxury and designer perfume quickly overpowered Austin's nerves as he slowly walked through the huge black revolving doors of the 901 Hotel at J Avenue downtown, followed by the lovely figure of Samantha Winters dangling behind him a few steps away, with a shadowed scowl drawn on her face. They're already thirty minutes late for the opening ceremonies of the Prime Gala event tonight, but judging from the complacent grin Austin is flaunting off, he doesn't seem to care that much for some sleazy red carpet entrance. They could go on without them, for as long as he knew.

He was here tonight not because of the spotlight and the booze. Austin was here because she is here. And he wasn't going to let the chance of seeing her again after a long long time, passed by without even trying harder. 

Austin was never really known to be the "real forlorn lover" classical type--the one who dedicates his time and attention to just one girl--like he is expected of. And he might even try to claim he truly loves (does he?) this girl so much. But because of the unreliable display of his insane huge ego as a man who loves attention (mostly women's) ever since the start of his horny middle school years, people have built this kind of image of him who is knowingly inconsistent in the matters of fidelity. In short, he was a flirt and a cheater.

And because of such fact, along with the populace's acclamation, it is therefore expected that as soon as Austin entered 901, he didn't stop himself from mirroring back the looks of interests he receives from hot young ladies hanging at the main entrance lobby, who were all giving him sultry smiles, while he waits for Samantha to catch up in her seven-inch black stilettos.

"This is ridiculous," Austin registers the familiar soft husky voice of his childhood friend grumbling from behind him, and he grins. 

He turns around and sees Samantha watching him closely, pink lips drawn into a thin line, with an impatient look on her face and arms crossed in front of her. He had to admit, she looked quite ravishing in that rosy gold fitted gown, complimenting her bleached locks. A sultry sight with an endless tanned leg exposed through that very long slit on the side of her outfit, indulgently exposing a feature of hers that could make any man's mouth water with lust. Like him.

"It was your plan," Austin flatly remarks, a smirk emerging on his face, giving her a languid look as he takes in her appearance (eyes raking down to up), while mentally picturing what she would look like without that thin fabric of her dress. Samantha scowls at him in return as soon as he finally landed his eyes back to hers.

"Are you done now?" Samantha snarkily asks, irritated at his blunt show of indecency, while Austin just smugly smiles back at her. 

She's confident of her appearance, that's for certain, looking very gorgeous with her long blonde wavy hair tied in a classic ponytail, crowning her face. She'd spent two hours this afternoon just to organize her look, blow-by-blow describing the perfect image she wanted to her hairdresser and stylists because she was very determined to be the most-talked-about beauty at this big event.

Yet, somehow, beneath all of her accentuated and elegant exterior she had managed to achieve just for tonight's event, Samantha still can't help but feel a bit worried and frightened about how things would end up once she and Austin began working on their plan. The damn What kind of force exactly had to manage her to create that? And why? 

Samantha shooed her confusing thoughts and entirely decided to stare at the blue-eyed greek-god-looking man in front of her. She slowly takes another deep breath for a moment, gathering enough courage inside her, before finally offering her hand to her handsome escort who's watching her with a challenging stare.

"Let's just do this fast, shall we?"

"If that's what you wish, my lady." Austin playfully mocks back and gently takes her hand, planting a soft quick kiss above her knuckles, a lingering one. "I can't wait to get it started."

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The whole party was boring and predictable, just like what Samantha and Austin had imagined it would naturally be--classical music playing here, chitty-chatty there, formal greetings here and there, then business talks about blah, blah, blah...

Austin is already on his fifth refilled glass of champagne, trying to suppress a sleepy yawn at the same time when he suddenly catches a glimpse of a figure appearing from the event hall's entrance. A familiar brown hair simply tied up into a stylish bun and curvy hips swaying in the way that Austin had reminded of someone he knew... Three years ago.

Elle walks across the room with her parents hanging beside her, as they garner the attention of the majority of the crowd. 

Amelie Kingsley.

She was used to the spotlight, her face has been prepared for this, and she had expected all the eyes, scrutinizing, anxiously gaping, and staring at her as if she had just been raised from the dead. Well, technically, she has been really dead to them for being gone and silent for the past three years, when she had run away to Paris to mend the broken pieces of her life after being hurt and humiliated from an ugly major break-up. 

Now, her unannounced return to Prime East was just as what she'd expected and prepared for, along with the huge transformation she had strategically planned on showing everyone. For sweet revenge.

Samantha silently watched her stunning best friend, who's currently enjoying the attention and the lights from a distance, still oblivious of her presence sitting there with the man who had broken her heart. She loves Elle but she hates her overflowing bluntness this evening--showing herself off too much like she's doing now and stealing the spotlight from her, unfortunately. 

She bit back a scowl at the sight of Elle's skimpy tight green dress, barely covering her long thighs, and decides to sneak a glance at Austin, who had his body frozen on his seat while he stares longingly at Ellie, who's looking absolutely breathtaking from where they sat.