Chapter 14: Coincidence or fate

Alexander watched as Dani's car sped away. The manner Dani acted around him spiked up his curiosity. Jacky said that she was shy or was that just being sarcastic. Based on her demeanor, she could handle herself quite well.

There was nothing shy about her as she shot him down. He marveled at the way she treated him back at the bar as if he had a plague she had to avoid at all cost. He was quite interested in her. It was a refreshing change from the usual women that he had met.

"Yes, Boss." One of his security closed to him, approached him when he beckoned him over. "What do you want me to do, Sir?"

"I want you to follow her." Gesturing to the car that just left. "Make sure that she doesn't notice you." He instructed, as the man rushed to his car and went on his way.

He, then, rode his car and went on his way. He noticed that she was driving way slower than the normal speed. She was probably contemplating if she should come to dinner or ditched it, he figured. He decided to overtake her car and just wait for her at the restaurant. That was if she bothered to show up.

Dani, on the other hand, was heavily debating to go or not. She was not obligated to have dinner with them, but that would be abandoning her friend. Although she believed that Alex was a good guy, remembering their first encounter. She was not sure about his friend, Marcus.

"Oh, Jacky. What have you done this time?" She mumbled inside the car as she stopped at the gas station she saw on the road and tried to calm herself down.

Even if she did not show up, they would eventually bump into each other now that they were going in the same circles. Better not let him noticed that she was avoiding him. That would prevent suspicion that she was hiding something.

She revved again her car, bringing it back to life. She decided to just sing along with the music as it blasted around her. Making her forget about her problems and taking the edge of her impending encounter with him once again.

Eventually, Dani resigned to endure a few moments of her time in their company, and then she would just make an excuse later to go home early.

When she arrived, Alexander was already sitting with Marcus and Jacky. They chose a posh kind of restaurant, something she would expect from rich men like them. She was used to be in this environment before, but it had been a while since she was in one.

"Sorry, I was late. I had to stop by a gas station and it took forever." She moved to the vacant seat next to Alex since she had no choice. It was the only available seat on the table.

Alexander stood up and pulled a chair for her. She mumbled "Thanks" with a smile, but he could see thru her façade. She was very uncomfortable and would rather be somewhere else based on his observation considering her body language.

She just wanted to get this dinner started so she could make her escape before anybody suspected anything unusual. She grabbed the menu and ordered quickly since the rest had already done it.

As they conversed around the table, she noticed that Alex kept on looking at her. As if he was studying her. She suddenly felt anxious, not liking the way he was analyzing her.

Then, he slowly saw the resemblance when the light caught her face. The cheeks, the nose, and the lips. He would never forget those features. She looked more mature now even without the heavy makeup, but he was seeing the similarities in her features.

Could she be the same girl he shared a passionate night with more than a year ago? But that could not be because the girl he was with was bold. She was not afraid to get what she wanted. She certainly looked different, with the hair and the way she dressed. It might be a coincidence that they might look the same.

Yet, when their hands connected earlier, the electricity was present. The way her eyes reacted, there was recognition in it. Then, the incident at the office of Mr. Jenkins, he was sure he saw her hiding in the corner cabinet. He spotted her looking at him when their eyes connected before the elevator closed, she knew him.

"My pleasure." Carefully observing her face as he grazed his fingers thru her bare shoulders as he moved away to seat beside her. The way she flinched at the contact only confirmed that the simple touch affected her as much as hers did affect him.

Marcus and Jacky were oblivious to what was happening to the other two as they were engaged in their private conversation, which dominated the table. Although they tried to include them in the conversation, Alexander and Dani found themselves in an inner battle of will.

Dani, doing her best to hide her secret while Alexander was doing the opposite. He wanted to uncover the truth.

Dani decided to maintain a low profile during dinner. Limiting her participation to the minimum.

Jacky touched Marcus' arms, openly flirting with him. "Tell me. Are you both here for business or pleasure?"

"Business, but it doesn't mean that we could not take some time out for a little bit of fun," Marcus said as he took Jacky's hands on his own. They learned that Marcus was Alexander's friend and the head of his legal department.

"Are you girls from around here? Have you known each other long?" Marcus asked Dani, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I was born and raised from these parts. Although we only knew each other when we both started working with Mr. Jenkins." Jacky answered him eagerly.

"Don't you like to travel?" Marcus asked Jacky who was busy flirting with him.

"Oh, I would love to but I never got the chance," Jacky said regretfully.

"You should visit Seattle when you get the chance. It is a nice place," Alexander state, directing her suggestion to Jacky, but he was still observing Dani for any kind of reaction.

"Oh yes. I've heard from Dani how lovely Seattle was in her last visit last year. It was sad that I was not able to come along with her then because I got sick." Jacky suddenly stopped when Dani discreetly kicked her in the ankle under the table.

Hearing Jacky's reply to Alexander's suggestion, Dani suddenly realized what she had feared. Alexander recognized her and he was trying to confirm it. She had to stop Jacky from divulging more information about her.

"Dani, what…" Jacky was unable to continue as Dani pinched her side. "Ouch."

"Are you ok?" Marcus said concernedly. On the other hand, Alexander was amused at what he was witnessing. This night was becoming more interesting by the minute, he mused to himself.

"I think she's got the bug in her stomach. You must excuse us, but we need to go to the ladies' room." Dani immediately pulled Jacky on her feet and strode away from their table.

Alexander could see how Jacky protested as Dani dragged her across the room, which only further confirmed his earlier assessment. Dani and his mystery woman were the same. Now, all he had to do was confront her.

When Marcus invited him tonight, he was not expecting that they would run into her. Although her image occasionally popped up in his mind, he never had intended to look for her. He was contented to dream about her. One night of a mistake was all it was, and he had no plan of making it more complicated.

However, seeing her earlier at the office and then meeting her again at the bar piqued his interest. Coincidence or fate, it did not matter, but he was certainly curious why they had to cross paths again.