MIDNIGHT FLOWER

CHAPTER 7: THE MYSTERIOUS MAN

Vincent stiffened, his grip on Jenny tightening reflexively. He turned to face Shau, masking his irritation with a forced smile. “Oh, hey,” he said, trying to sound casual. “I’m just helping her get home. She’s had a bit too much to drink.”

Shau’s eyes flicked to Jenny, who was too out of it to even recognize him. His gaze then shifted back to Vincent, and he didn’t like what he saw. There was something off about this guy, something predatory. “She doesn’t look like she’s in a condition to give consent,” Shau said coldly, stepping closer. “I’ll take her home.”

Vincent’s smile faltered. “I’ve got it covered, man,” he replied, a slight edge to his voice. “You don’t need to get involved. Besides, who are you?”

"And who are you? Her boyfriend?" Shau wasn’t having any of it. He could see the fear in Jenny’s face, even in her intoxicated state, and he wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. “It's none of your business who I am! I said, I’ll take her home,” Shau repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Vincent hesitated, weighing his options. But one look at Shau’s determined expression told him that he wasn’t going to win this. With a muttered curse under his breath, Vincent finally released Jenny, who immediately slumped against Shau’s chest.

“Fine,” Vincent said, stepping back. “She’s all yours.”

Shau didn’t respond. His focus was entirely on Jenny, who was now clinging weakly to his shirt. He carefully adjusted his hold on her, making sure she was secure before turning to walk away.

"Oh, I get it," he said with a chuckle. "You're the guy who hurt her, huh? The one who broke her heart? And now you're playing the hero? Funny how that works."

It made Shau stop going back to his car. His jaw clenched, guilt and anger flaring up inside him. Seeing her like this, vulnerable and in danger, awakened a fierce protectiveness in him.

The man laughed derisively, backing away. "I knew it. You’re the one who did this to her. She wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for you."

As Shau guided Jenny to his car, he couldn’t shake the anger boiling inside him. He didn’t know what Vincent had planned, but he was glad he had arrived when he did. Jenny was vulnerable, and the thought of anyone taking advantage of her made his blood boil.

Once they reached his car, Shau gently helped Jenny next to the driver seat, fastening her seatbelt before closing the door. He then walked around to the driver’s side, casting one last glance back at the club where Vincent had disappeared into the night. His words suddenly echoed in his mind.

"You're the guy who hurt her, huh? The one who broke her heart? And now you're playing the hero? Funny how that works."

With a sigh, Shau started the engine and began the drive and decided to take her in his condominium. She was already drifting off, her head resting against the window, but Shau couldn’t help but feel a sense of protectiveness over her. He didn’t know what their relationship was supposed to be, but one thing was certain—he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, not on his watch.

As they drove through the quiet streets, Shau’s thoughts drifted to the night they first met, the connection they had shared, and how everything had spiraled from there. He wasn’t sure where they stood now specially that she acted cold when they saw each other the last time, but he knew one thing for sure: he wasn’t ready to let her go anymore.

Shau’s Condominium, Late Night

The city lights flickered through the large windows of Shau’s sleek, modern condominium. The night was quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning and the occasional distant sound of a car passing by on the street below. Shau carefully carried Jenny in his arms, her head resting gently against his chest. She's too drunk to stay awake.

As he reached the bedroom, Shau pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked in, the moonlight casting a soft glow over the neatly made bed. He carefully lowered Jenny onto the bed, her body sinking into the plush mattress as he pulled the covers over her.

For a moment, he simply stood there, looking down at her. She looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, her features softened by sleep. It was a side of her he hadn’t seen before, one that stirred something deep inside him. He realized that in all the times they had spent together, he had never really taken the time to just look at her.

As she lay there, with her hair splayed across the pillow and her face relaxed in slumber, she looked almost angelic. The sharpness and coldness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a serene calm that made her seem even more beautiful. Shau felt a pang of something he couldn’t quite name—regret, maybe, for the time they had lost, for the way things had ended between them, but he is not yet sure.

His eyes traced the delicate lines of her face, the gentle curve of her lips, the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. In the dim light, she seemed almost ethereal, like something fragile and precious that he was afraid to disturb.

Shau sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her, and continued to watch her sleep. It struck him how different this was from the way he had always viewed their time together. Before, he had seen Jenny as fun, someone to spend time with without any strings attached. But now, seeing her like this, he realized there was so much more to her than he had allowed himself to see.

He reached out, his hand hovering just above her cheek, hesitating for a moment before gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. The touch was light, barely there, but it was enough to send a shiver through him.

As he sat there, watching her sleep, Shau felt an unfamiliar sense of longing—a desire to be with her again, to go back to the way things were before. But he knew it wasn’t that simple. Too much had happened, and there was too much left unsaid between them.

Shau’s Condominium, Morning

Jenny stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains. Her head felt heavy, a dull throb pulsing at her temples as she tried to make sense of where she was. The unfamiliar ceiling above her was the first thing that struck her, and with a start, she realized she wasn’t in her own bed.

She sat up slowly, the plush duvet slipping off her shoulders as she took in the room around her. It was spacious and modern, with sleek furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the city skyline. Panic bubbled up in her chest as she struggled to remember how she had ended up here.

What happened last night? she wondered, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory. She remembered the club—the loud music, the flashing lights, and the drinks her colleagues kept handing her. There was Vincent, who had tried to get close to her, and she vaguely recalled refusing his offer to go back to her place. But beyond that, her memory was hazy.

A soft splash of water came from the direction of the bathroom, and Jenny’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, Vincent.

The thought sent a rush of anxiety through her.

Did I end up going with him after all? She felt a wave of nausea, not just from the hangover but from the thought that she might have made a huge mistake.

Desperately, she tried to remember more, but everything after her refusal to Vincent was a blur. She could only hope she hadn’t done something she would regret.

The sound of the shower running in the bathroom made her snap into action. Whoever was in there—Vincent, she assumed—would be done soon, and the last thing she wanted was an awkward conversation or to face the consequences of a night she couldn’t fully recall.

She looked around frantically for her belongings, spotting her shoes and purse on the floor near the bed. Jenny quickly slipped out of bed, careful not to make any noise, and grabbed her things. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tiptoed toward the bedroom door, her only thought being to get out before Vincent could come out of the bathroom.

She paused for a moment by the door, listening to the continued sound of the water running. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and slipped out of the room as quietly as possible.

The hallway outside was just as unfamiliar as the bedroom, and it only added to her disorientation. She hurried down the hall, trying to ignore the growing sense of wrongness that gnawed at her. Something didn’t feel right, but she pushed the thought aside, too focused on her escape to dwell on it.

As she reached the front door, she paused just long enough to throw on her shoes and check that she had her phone and keys. With one last glance back, she opened the door and slipped out, her footsteps quickening as she made her way down the corridor and toward the elevator.

Once inside the elevator, Jenny let out a shaky breath, her nerves still on edge. She leaned against the cool metal wall, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

I need to get out of here, clear my head, she thought, wishing she could just erase the last several hours from her memory.

As the elevator descended, she tried to push aside the lingering unease, focusing instead on getting home and trying to figure out what to do next. Little did she know, the man in the shower was not Vincent, but Shau—the one person she never expected to see again, especially not like this.

As Shau stepped out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his neck as he dried his hair. The steam from the hot shower still lingered in the air, curling around him as he walked back into the bedroom. He expected to see Jenny still asleep in the bed, but he was startled to find the bed empty.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly scanned the room, hoping she had just moved to another part of it. But it was clear—Jenny was gone. The duvet was still rumpled from where she had lain, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

A sudden panic gripped him. He hurried to the bedroom door and swung it open, stepping into the hallway. His eyes darted up and down the corridor, but there was no sign of her. The condo was silent, save for the faint sound of the city outside, and the only traces of her presence were the lingering scent of her perfume and the slight indentation on the pillow where her head had rested.

"Baby?" he called out, but the silence that greeted him only confirmed what he already feared—she had left.

Shau quickly crossed the hallway to the front door, flinging it open and stepping into the corridor beyond. His heart pounded as he looked down the long, empty hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He half-expected to see her waiting for the elevator or walking away, but the hallway was empty. She was gone, and there was no way to know which direction she had gone or how long ago she had left.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, frustration and worry mingling in his chest. He couldn’t believe this was happening. After everything that had happened between them, after finally getting the chance to see her again, she had vanished, just like that.

Shau quickly pulled out his phone, his fingers moving almost automatically as he tried to call her. But as he dialed her number, he was met with a cold, automated voice telling him the call couldn’t be completed. He tried texting her, but the messages wouldn’t go through. He could not even find her social media account. It was then that the realization hit him like a punch to the gut—Jenny had blocked him.

He cursed under his breath, running a hand through his damp hair. Without any way to reach her, he felt completely powerless, a sensation that only deepened the frustration gnawing at him. How had things gotten to this point? He had thought there might still be a chance to make things right, but now it seemed that chance had slipped through his fingers.

With a heavy sigh, he turned back to his unit, closing the door behind him. He couldn’t shake the image of her face from his mind—how peaceful she had looked when she was sleeping, how desperately he had wanted to talk to her. But now, it seemed, that opportunity was lost.

Office, Monday Morning

The office buzzed with the usual Monday morning energy—phones ringing, keyboards clacking, and the scent of fresh coffee lingering in the air. Jenny sat at her desk, her mind still groggy from the weekend’s events. She tried to focus on the report in front of her, but the memories of the hazy night out kept intruding.

Kier appeared beside her cubicle with a mischievous grin. “So, did Vincent drive you home safely to your apartment?” he asked, leaning in with an eager expression.

Jenny blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Uh, yeah… I mean, I think so,” she stammered, her memory of the night still foggy. She remembered refusing Vincent’s offer but nothing after that.

Before Jenny could gather her thoughts, Gemma sauntered over with an amused look on her face. “Well, that’s funny,” Gemma said, crossing her arms. “Because Vincent told me that when he tried to take you home, some guy showed up and insisted on taking you instead.”

Jenny’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Who…?”

Gemma nodded, clearly enjoying the revelation. “Yeah, he said the guy seemed to know you pretty well. Vincent even asked me if it was the guy who ghosted you, but I told him I had no clue. So, now I’m asking you—who was the mystery man that took you home?”

The guy who took her home…? Could it have been…? No, it couldn’t be. But then again…

She looked up at Gemma, trying to keep her expression neutral, even though her mind was racing. “I… I honestly don’t remember. Everything after the club is kind of a blur.”

Kier and Gemma exchanged curious glances, sensing that Jenny was holding something back. “You really don’t remember anything?” Kier pressed, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Jenny shook her head, forcing a small smile. “Nope, not a thing. I guess I just had too much to drink.”

Gemma frowned, clearly not satisfied with the answer. “Well, whoever he was, Vincent wasn’t too happy about it. He kept asking if the guy was someone special to you, Wasn't he the guy who ghosted you?”

"I... I don't know. I’ll try to remember, but I doubt I’ll figure it out. I probably just misunderstood what happened.”

Gemma gave Jenny a skeptical look before turning away. “Well, if you do remember, you better tell us. We’re dying to know.”

As Kier and Gemma started working, Jenny slumped back in her chair, her mind swirling with the implications. Who was the mysterious guy? It can't be Shau because he has no heart for her anymore, uh no. He never gave his heart to her at all.

Jenny couldn’t shake off the curiosity gnawing at her since that night.ⁿ The memory of waking up in an unfamiliar room haunted her—she needed to know who had taken her to that condominium after the clubbing. She had assumed it was Vincent, but something didn’t sit right. After all, Vincent was supposed to drive her home, not bring her to an unknown place.

As soon as she finished work, she decided to confront the mystery head-on. She found herself standing in front of the sleek, modern building where she vaguely remembered being the night before. Her heart pounded as she approached the door of the unit she recalled.

Hesitantly, Jenny pressed the button of the doorbell. The soft chime echoed behind the door, but there was no response. She waited a moment, then pressed it again—still nothing.

She shifted nervously on her feet, biting her lower lip when she pressed again the button and heard a click from inside followed with the opening of the door.

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