I Don't Love You

Chapter 4

If the original Reina was there, she would probably scream from the top of her lungs, cursing like a madwoman, yet wouldn’t confront her husband. She will start being a pathetic fool, crying like it will suck the life out of her. She is not the original Reina, but the pain she felt was real. Maybe… Reina’s love for her husband was deep enough that her body would tremble and her knees felt weak.

Reina couldn’t utter a word. Her mind is constantly bustling with a lot of grotesque scenes where she would disassemble Leandro to satisfy her anger. She's not the type of woman who will calm herself down when her husband is cheating on her without a sense of guilt. But when a tear fell on her right eye, she knew that it was something that her body knew too well – crying while succumbing to herself with pity.

Right there, she realizes one thing about Reina’s situation. She’s not at fault. Her marriage is ruined, but it is not her fault. Reina threw out her luxurious life so she could be with Leandro and start her new life as his wife. Instead of pampering herself, she focuses on her chores; playing the lovely, loyal wife that will welcome her husband with a warm embrace after a hectic, toxic day. But Leandro… He didn’t care about her. All he wants is to become rich, soar higher, and establish a firm footing in the business industry; tossing his wife into the shadows while cheering himself to the limelight. If there’s one thing that Reina should shoulder as her sin, it was loving a person who doesn’t love her. She wasted her life loving a man like garbage.

Don Mauro wants to reprimand Leandro, but Reina stops him. It is not the time for a petty cat fight. If they wanted to surprise Leandro, they shouldn't alert him that they knew everything. “Dad, calm yourself. We are here to eat our lunch.”

“What? That son of a b*tch is here, he’s flirting with his mistress and will you just eat in silence?”

Reina flashes a playful grin. “I don’t care, Dad. Besides, we have more advantages than them. Instead of barging on them, just retrieve the footage here. It will help us in our divorce trial.”

“Trial?” Don Mauro lifted his chin. “We don’t need such nonsense. I will do my best to prepare this quietly. He will never have a chance to defend himself in court.”

“How?”

Her father held her hand. “Trust me, okay?”

Reina giggled. “Okay, Dad. I trust you.” She stood up and gently pulled her father’s arms. “I want to see all the cuisines available here, Dad.” She didn't want to ruin their happy atmosphere because of Leandro, so she immediately changed the subject.

“Sure. Let’s choose our lunch.”

Reina chose tempura, rice and miso soup with side dishes while her father chose rice, chopsuey, and crab with coconut milk. Both of them happily went back to their seats and started to eat. They didn’t talk about Leandro again. Instead, it became their bonding moment. After the main course, Reina also chose some chocolate mousse cakes for herself and mango tarts for her father. It was her first time to taste those delicacies and she wanted to have more, but she tried to restrain herself. Her father promised her that he would buy clothes for her.

In her peripheral vision, she saw her husband leaving the restaurant when their eyes met. Leandro is scared that she will make a scene if she catches him with his mistress. Reina smiled and decided not to mention it to her father. It is not worth it. Leandro Martinez is a typical male lead. Full of ego, narcissistic, and selfish. The creator showered him with good looks – six feet four in height, masculine body, tan skin, wavy black hair, black eyes, pointed nose and full lips. He looks like a Mexican actor from a 90’s telenovela. While Ailyn Santos, the female lead with a cheerful personality that everybody adores, is a Filipina, she has ash-blonde wavy hair, five feet four in height, slim body, pale skin, gray eyes and thin lips. She is the heroine, so the creator made her look more eye-catching than everyone – Ailyn looks like a flat-chested doll.

After their lunch, they drove and booked a VIP service in BS Mall. It is one of the biggest malls in the country and her father told her that it has a unique way of serving VIP clients. She held her father’s arms as both of them entered the elevator and reached the fourth floor. It's a space for VIP clients. After they enter the floor, her father sits on the L-shaped sofa with her. The room is spacious and there's a small runway in the middle.

A woman in her mid-thirties approached them. “Good afternoon, clients, how can I serve you? My name is Dana and I will assist you today.”

Don Mauro is the one who speaks on her behalf. “The wife of my friend, Mrs. Fallen, is one of your patrons, right? I heard that you are capable of helping my daughter with choosing her wardrobe. I don’t have any idea about fashion, so… I would like it if professionals were the ones to handle it.”

Dana smiled with pride. “Of course, Mr. Del Rosario.” The woman’s gaze shifted to Reina. “Ms. Del Rosario, do you have any preferences?”

Reina didn’t know what to say so she only uttered the words, “Anything. I want comfortable clothes.”

“What do you mean comfortable clothes? You’re not going to wear the jeans and shirt you usually wear, you hear me?” Don Mauro couldn’t suppress his authoritative tone. “Miss Dana, please show us your recent collection.”

“Yes, Sir.” Dana nodded her head. She clapped three times. And within a minute, five racks of clothes are shown; from dresses, jeans, jackets, and every type of clothing you can wear. There are also shoes and bags presented right in front of her. All of it came from luxury brands.

“I also want to see your jewelry collection,” her father asked.

“W-what?” Reina was flustered. She doesn’t know what her father is thinking.

“Of course, Sir.” Dana clapped three times again. Two women came inside the room with a pushcart. Sets of gemstones and jewelry were there. It also has diamond-stud watches. Everything was sparkling in Reina’s eyes. She felt bothered about how much money her father was going to spend for just one day.

“Is that all of it?” Don Mauro looked like he was not yet satisfied with everything that was prepared for them. “Fine. I will buy everything you showed us, Miss Dana. Please prepare all of them and deliver them to my mansion today.”

Dana smiled and showed him a portable credit card machine. The total price of all the items they bought cost a whopping eight hundred million pesos or almost seventeen million US dollars. Reina almost fainted after she saw the eight zero’s on their bill. Don Mauro didn’t even flinch and took out his black credit card. Everything is paid on a whim.

“Thank you for your patronage, Sir.” After it was settled, Dana looked at her again. “Sir, as a bonus for your first purchase of our VIP services, we will give Miss Reina Del Rosario a full makeover before you leave.”

Don Mauro smiled with satisfaction. “That will be nice. Then, you can start immediately.”

“Thank you, Sir. In the meantime, you can stay in our VIP lounge to relax, Sir. Miss Reina is a beautiful canvas, so we wouldn’t take too much of your time.” Dana nods to her subordinates. The two women held Reina’s hand and the three of them went their own way into a separate room.