Taming Demi's Mom (ONGOING)

Chapter 18

{JACKSON}

"OH, hi Jackson!" A flirtatious greeting from Sabrina as she sat on one of the stools at the bar counter.

I regretted coming to this hall's bar to get a glass of white wine. I didn't want to see her because she's flirting with me. My throat was getting dry from my continuous chats with other people here, and since no bartender passed by where I was standing, I went to the bar myself.

I ignored Sabrina and approached an older man who was preparing and mixing wine inside the counter.

"One glass of Rombauer, Sir," I said as he turned to face me.

He smiled at me. "Take a seat while I prepare your order," he enthusiastically replied and then he turned his back at me.

I sat on the farthest stool at the counter. I needed to distance myself from Sabrina. Fortunately, three stools separated us.

Sabrina has been very vocal about her feelings towards me since she joined our company as the head model. But women like her base their affection solely on money and looks. Besides, I don't feel even the slightest attraction towards her. I've been avoiding her since then, especially now that I'm already with Victoria. She'd surely be jealous if she saw me with Sabrina. And even though I'm enjoying the feeling of her jealousy, I still didn't want her to feel that way toward any woman.

"Why do you always avoid me, huh?" Sabrina asked, now seated on the stool beside mine. Her hand brushed my shoulder, but I quickly moved away from her touch. When did she move to sit beside me?

I looked at her seriously in the eyes. "Sabrina, please. Stop bothering me. I have a girlfriend now. Isn't that reason enough for you to stop? Plus, I don't want Victoria to feel jealous because of you," I explained to her in a serious tone.

She leaned in towards me. I knew she only wanted to show off her ample cleavage, but I kept my gaze fixed on her eyes. Even though Victoria isn't here by my side, I won't do things that I know would upset her.

"Are you uncomfortable around me, Jackson?" Her voice carried a seductive tone. What kind of question is that? She made a lot of assumptions, and it's quite irritating. Is she truly that insensitive?

I averted my gaze. Shortly after, the bartender handed me the white wine I had requested earlier, and I started sipping on it.

"Hello? Am I talking to someone?" Sabrina persisted, but I ignored her. Let her be.

I stood up, carrying the wine glass in my hand. She was about to grab my arm, but I quickly pulled it away from her. As I moved away from my previous spot, I breathed a sigh of relief because there would be no more disturbances or irritations. I'm trying to be nice to her because she's my Dad's employee and my coworker. But with her actions, I'm really losing any reason to interact with her properly.

I'm at the right age to inherit my Dad's position as the owner and CEO of our company, but I don't want to just yet. It's the only thing that occupies Dad in his daily life, so as long as he can handle it, I let him be to keep him from getting bored. I'm already taking care of about half of his tasks to lighten his workload.

"MR. Jackson," someone called my name.

I glanced at Halsey. I also looked beside her but couldn't see Demi. Wait, why isn't Demi with her, and why is she here? Perhaps there's something important she needs to tell me, leaving Demi with Victoria for a while.

I signaled Halsey to wait for me in a corner with a bit more space away from people. I faced my companions and excused myself, saying I just needed to attend to something important. Then, I completely ended my conversation with them.

This whole ball has no program. It was made just to give the opportunity for all prominent people from different countries to gather at a grand ball. The purpose of this was only pure socialization and showing off wealth. It happens every 10 years, and different countries take turns hosting each ball. This time, New Orleans is holding the occasion.

As I approached Halsey, I noticed she couldn't look straight into my eyes.

"Sir, I'm sorry. Demi escaped from me. She wanted to go to her mommy and join in at your ball," Halsey explained guiltily to me.

"Continue searching for her, and I'll look for Victoria because they might have met already," I told Halsey. She promptly obeyed my command.

I didn't feel angry with her. It wasn't her fault what happened. Children can be wayward, and it's natural for them. But I couldn't help but feel anxious as Demi might get lost in the crowd.

I immediately took my cellphone from my pocket and texted Victoria. But several minutes passed, and she still hadn't replied, so I started looking for her. I went up to the second floor of the surrounding hall and searched for Victoria among the crowd. I easily spotted her because she was the only one wearing a light violet gown.

She was walking faster, heading towards the place where we last saw each other. Perhaps she had already seen my text message and simply forgot to reply to me. I couldn't help but smile because she's really cute if my assumption that she forgot to text me back is correct.

I went downstairs to approach her. It took me a while to walk through the crowd. Sometimes, I even accidentally stepped on the stiff trains of the women's gowns. Why do they need to wear gowns similar to those worn by princesses with overly voluminous skirts that extend down like balloons?

I stopped in my tracks upon seeing Victoria. As she looked in my direction, our eyes met. She was embraced by a man whose back was turned towards me. I only saw him just now. I was sure it wasn't Anderson or Lion. I felt a pang upon seeing what I saw, but I trusted Victoria. Maybe this man was one of her family members or a close friend of hers.

I was about to step closer to them when they both parted from their embrace. The man turned to face me. As soon as I saw his whole face, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over me. I felt like I had seen that face before. It was very familiar. Where did I see it?

Demi? He looks very much like Demi. I furrowed my brow. I scrutinized his face carefully because I might be mistaken, but he really looked so much like Demi. When the realization sank in, I felt a chill run through me.

I gathered my courage and walked toward them, one of my hands clenched into a fist. Perhaps Victoria has an explanation for this matter. I just hope it's an acceptable one.

"Do you two know each other?" The man with Victoria asked, exchanging glances between us.

I looked into Victoria's eyes. I beg you, Victoria! Tell me that my suspicion is wrong. Tell me he's not the man.

"Jackson," Victoria called my name. It seemed like she wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't manage to voice it.

Please, tell me about it, Victoria. I'll believe everything you say.

My jaw tightened as I saw the man put his arm around Victoria's waist. Yet, Victoria didn't react. My eyes started to plead with her.

"Jackson Bianchi?" The man remarked to me. So he knew me by my name? It's not surprising either because our family name is famous worldwide.

When I faced him, I tried to force a smile even though my jaw was clenching from the anger and pain I felt due to the scenes unfolding before me.

"Yes, I am. And you?" I tried to calm my voice, but I could hear how strained my speech was.

He offered me his hand. "Liam Davis," he replied briefly.

I was about to shake his hand, but my hand stopped in mid-air because of what he said next.

"I'm Victoria's husband," he added, which shattered my heart. He then looked at Victoria with affection in his eyes. I dropped my hand, which I intended to use for the handshake.

I looked at Victoria. "Your husband?" I asked with a furrowed brow. Her eyes were really telling me something. Why couldn't she tell me instead of making me look foolish here?

"Have you lost the ability to speak?" I calmly asked Victoria, even though I really wanted to be angry with her for how she was acting towards me.

God knows how hard I'm trying to maintain my composure in front of them. Why can't Victoria help me out of this situation? Is she just going to stare at me and say nothing to defend herself?

"We're still legally married," Liam said to me.