PMS1: President's Forgotten Wife

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5: THE DEAL

"ARE you all right, Jade?" her mind is floating in the air, causing her to stare blankly at the white wall like the questions in her head would be answered by the whiteness just before her. And without the interruption of someone, her mind would still be out in space.

She looked at her back, and there she saw Brent, his workmate, holding a basin. Brent looked like he just got out of his patients after helping them take a bath or so. She fully faced Brent as soon as he put down the basin and wash his hands. "I'm doing fine, Brent. Thank you for asking."

She politely answered before she dried her hands and started walking towards their locker rooms to grab her lunch. "Well, your pensive eyes say it all, Jade. Do you want me to join you for lunch? You know, I can always spare some time with you." Brent asked as he hurried beside Jade. She then lightly chuckled as they continued to walk through the empty hallway.

"Is this your way of getting me to sit with you alone?"

"Have been I transparent lately?" she laughed at his silliness as she scratched the back of his neck. But the laughter didn't last long as worry started to fill her head again. She felt a bit awkward after the silence took over.

After what happened for the past few days, she can't talk to anyone. She's preoccupied with the thought of the accident, and she can't seem to take the scene out of her head. Knowing that her workmates know about it, she can't just put her mind at ease.

"Uhm... I should get going first now, Brent. See you later?"

"Are you sure you don't want my company? Is this because of-" Jade immediately raised her hand to stop Brent from talking. Not that she doesn't want to talk to him, don't mind her rudeness, but she wants to be alone for a couple more days to freshen up her mind.

"Please, don't. And don't say the word pensive. Ever again." People used to tease her when the topic shifts to eyes. She always lacks sleep, and that makes her so tired that makes her sometimes space out like staring at the wall, unconsciously playing with her food, and going to rooms and forget what even to grab in there, and that is the reason why they love to emphasize the word pensive followed by the phrase eyes.

Being a caregiver is not an easy job. She needs to do things this way and that way. Sometimes she even used to do overtime because many patients need them, and she can't just leave her responsibility. She needs to be healthy and brave in this kind of job. She loves her job only as how much she loves her mother and brothers.

She may not be earning a lot of money as other professions do, but what she gains is enough for her daily expenses, and she can send money for her family. It may not be the likely job that someone would wish to do, but she loves what she's doing.

"Hello, miss Jade." A workmate of her, Laura, greeted her as they passed through each other. Jade showed her warmest smile before showing a finger heart at her workmate.

"You look dashing as always, miss Laura." She responded, making Laura lightly chuckled as they wave goodbye to each other, going in the opposite direction. She had a job that she loves to do, with friendly colleagues, and an excellent workplace. What could Jade ask for, right?

She immediately came back to reality when her watch started blinking, making her drag her wrist up just before her eyes.

It was already 11 in the afternoon, and it was time for lunch. And without a minute to waste, Jade went to the locker room, grab her lunch, and went to the cafeteria. As soon as she arrived at the diner, she immediately spotted an empty table just near the counter where nobody seems to want to sit. The cafe is almost packed with other caregivers because it was already lunch. She immediately sat on the vacant chair and started munching on her favorite Filipino food called dinuguan.

She may be a very busy woman, but she always makes sure that she cooks her meal because she loves doing it before going outside for work. As she savored every spoonful of the tasty, mouthwatering food, she can't help but let her mind fly to the scene where the accident happened—the day when Eisen made a scene inside the hospital room.

Well, she wasn't able to immediately understand what the gentleman said, but when Lewis translated those words after Eisen is sleeping, she can't help but be bothered by him blaming her for something she didn't do and don't even know.

Eisen was blaming her, and she wanted to defend herself, to tell him that she didn't do anything wrong, but it would make the problem worsen if she did that. So, she'll talk to him when she gets the chance and tells him that she's not the woman that he should be blaming.

Jade knows that it was the man's wife that he wanted to blame. She knew that, and she's sure of it. But the problem is, it just so happened that she was the one in the hospital, and she looked like Eisen's wife, who made the scene more confusing because Eisen can't even remember anything.

"Ja!" she almost choked on her food when a high-pitched voice started to call out her nickname just across to where she is seated. She immediately grabbed her water bottle and cough lightly before scanning the whole area where she could find that familiar thin voice. And just like what she thought, there she was, her friend Gina or 'G' for short, standing in the doorway of the cafeteria, holding a few clean sheets in hand.

She persistently waves her hand towards Jade, asking her to go near her. "Is there something wrong, G?" she asked and was about to help Gina to carry the bedsheets when Gina distanced her hands away from Jade's grasp.

"No need for that, Ja. Someone wanted to talk to you. He's waiting on the benches."

"He? Are you sure he is waiting for me? Because—"

"Oh, come on! Just go out there and see for yourself. Don't keep the handsome man waiting. Go get it, girl!" Gina bumped her shoulders against Jade's, causing her to almost trip.

Her friend looked so excited as she hummed through the hallway and lightly swayed her hips like the way her grandma used to do. She shook her head as she went to the bench where a handsome man is waiting for her. And as she didn't expect, a man wearing this usual business attire somewhat stood out and caught everyone's attention.

"Excuse me-" she was about to ask the man if he has mistaken her for someone, but when he turned his attention towards her, her jaw unconsciously dropping the word "Oh" hanging in the air.

"Miss Guevara, we need to talk. And when I mean talk, we should be somewhere private." His baritone voice did give his look justice. His hair was so shiny it feels like a whole bottle of oil poured into it. The way he carried himself made her starstruck! Like seriously starstruck! Who wouldn't dare to look at this gorgeous man with perfect features, right?

She remembered the days way back in high school. Lewis would look so perfect even just by sipping a juice worth five pesos coin. But seeing him now, she doesn't even know if the word Perfect would even do him justice!

I mean, look at him-

"Jade!" she flinched when Lewis snapped his fingers in front of Jade. "Stop whatever you're... doing and listen to me." He irritatedly uttered as he reached something from his pockets then handed it to Jade.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at Lewis's hand, holding a white handkerchief.

"What was that for?" why would Lewis hand her a cloth? Then Lewis looked at their surrounding before he motioned his hands on his face before answering,

"You're drooling all over. might as well want to wipe that away."

"Oh my God!" she immediately grabbed the handkerchief from Lewis and wiped the side of her lips; the heat started to rise on her cheeks. It feels like burning, but the more she thinks her cheeks are, the more it burns! And she hates it when that happened! An excellent way to get yourself embarrassed in front of your now so-called frenemy!

"I'm sorry you were able to see it—"

"What do I expect? You never changed." She never what? Is that supposed to be an attempt to bring the memories from the past? Or something to insult her?

Jade knows that she always daydream of Lewis when they were in high school, but she knew that Lewis was never the one for her. She knew from the beginning that they're nothing but friends. Only friends. Whenever she daydreams of him, Lewis would take that as a compliment. But Jade never knew what Lewis felt way back then.

She was daydreaming because she was amazed by how Lewis's life turned out so well. With a lot of money to buy anything, what could he ask for, right? And now, she seems to be very disappointed. And it hurts to see him see her as a stranger. Jade then handed the handkerchief back and composed herself in front of Lewis, as a professional would do.

"If you're here to insult me, Mr. St. Clair, then you are free to leave because I have no time to hear how embarrassed you are for meeting someone out of your league." As soon as she said those words, silence then immediately took over, making the air a bit awkward as the tension between them grows.

But Jade couldn't take it anymore. As much as she wanted to clear things out between them, she just wanted to leave and never see his face again.

"If you do not intend to leave, then I guess I have to..." She turned her back at him and was about to take a step away when a firm hand grips her wrist, stopping her from her tracks. And when she faced her back, she saw Lewis intently looking at her, with irritation, worry, and guilt written all over his face.

And before she could talk, he started walking towards the exit, and she's been struggling to get out of Lewis's grip, trying to avoid making any scenes that can attract attention. As soon as Jade and Lewis are far away from prying eyes, Lewis decided to let go of her.

"I said, we need to talk in private!"

"I don't plan to be with you in the same room not longer than a minute or even a second..." she attempted to leave, but Lewis grabbed her wrist and dragged her to where he parked his car. Jade kept on struggling, but she couldn't fight for her freedom because Lewis is too strong. And with that strength, Jade can't fight back.

"I'm not here to talk about the past, Jade! Now, get inside the f*****g car, or I'll make you!"

"And I don't want you to talk about it! If you want to stay away from me, then stop showing wherever I go because I can and would punch you in the face, and I won't care even if your broken nose costs a lifetime!"

"Jade, listen to me!" he grabs both of her shoulders and shakes her to calm down.

"Just please listen to me."

"Fine. Give me a real reason as to why I need to even listen to you?" Jade shrugged Lewis's hands on her shoulders and waited for him to respond. He straightened his suit before looking directly into her eyes,

"You saw how my brother acted on the first day he laid his eyes on you. You saw how his gaze burned with anger and unknown emotion. You saw how his body responded to you. You saw that."

"And what are you pointing out now?" He took a deep breath before releasing them and answering her question.

"My brother reacted that way, and that triggered some of her memories to come back. And you're the only solution I could think of that would be able to help him remember his past."

__________

JADE remained seated on the passenger's seat of Lewis's luxurious car. Lewis wanted to talk to her inside the car, and she agreed immediately to get over with what Lewis is planning to tell her. She doesn't want any paparazzi to steal pictures, knowing that Lewis is a well-known billionaire. And an issue that involves rich people is the last thing she wished to happen in her life."

"So, are you just gonna keep quiet in your seat while you waste my time?" she asked when Lewis didn't even bother to start a conversation. He was just there, sitting like they both have all the time in the world.

"Well, I wanted to hire you as Eisen's private caregiver because first, I know that you may be able to help him remember things from the past, and helping him remember something will make a huge difference in his life. And besides, he may know who is behind the accident. The second reason, it because I know you can handle the job to take good care of him like no other—" his fingers was counting as he spoke, but Jade raised her hand to stop him from talking, and then she asked him.

"What makes you think that I could trigger his memories to come back? How could you say that I can do the job like no other?" Lewis unconsciously rolled his eyes in disbelief as he faced in front of the car.

"Because you're passionate about what you do, and that is enough reason to make me think that you suit the job perfectly." his hand gestured as he spoke, and Jade nodded before motioning him to continue.

"Continue..."

"And lastly, I want him to forget the love he had for Alicia. So be his forgotten wife." She chuckled in disbelief as she heard Lewis's last sentence. Her? His forgotten wife? Is he out of his mind to tell her that?

"Are you nuts? Did someone knocked you out earlier before you came to see me?"

"I need you to make him realize that it is not too late for him to love someone more deserving than Ali." Lewis seems not to be bothered by what she said. He is telling the truth.

"Everything that happened was not my doing, Lewis, and I'm sure you know that very well. Why not just bring back his wife and make her do the talking?"

"Because I don't want her back to his life. And lucky enough, we can't contact her, and we can't let her know about the accident."

"You don't want Alicia to come back to Eisen's life, but you want to use me to help him remember? Are you dumb?" if she can remember it clearly, Eisen is caught in an accident because the man mistook her for someone else. Second, she was almost choked to death by Sceven because he mistook her as Eisen's wife. And lastly, she was slapped HARD by Mrs. St. Clair because she thought she was Alicia who hurt him.

"I have my reasons, and you'll know them when the time comes. As for your payment, I will pay you enough to send your mom to a doctor and support your brothers in their studies. Once they top their class, I will arrange and give them a full scholarship to their chosen university. All you need is to help him remember everything, and you'll be out of the picture before you know it."

"I don't know. I signed up to be Eisen's caregiver, Lewis. Not to be an unknown wife?" couldn't her life get any better?

"Fine. No fake wife. Just make him sign the divorce paper and help him remember what happened at the bar. Because that night, someone called him, and I feel like the caller caused the accident." Her brows furrowed as she heard about a phone call. She can't remember seeing Eisen talking on the phone, so she thought she's the reason.

"How are you so sure that someone called him?"

"Because his phone is proof. So please, take this job. I promise not to let your family know about this, but I can assure you, they will be in good hands while you're focused on this job."