Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

I stood behind my front door. My mother stood behind me. Her forehead was furrowed in confusion at my behavior, but she let me be. I peeked through the peephole in the door.

I immediately felt relieved. I opened the door wide with a smile on my face. “Jessy!”

“Merry Christmas!”

We hugged tightly. My mother, upon seeing Jessy, groaned. “You dare show your face now?”

“Sorry, Ma’am.”

My mother didn’t particularly like Jessy. Not because she was homophobic or disliked Jessy’s personality, but because she felt Jessy controlled all my schedule. Part of it was my fault for often making Jessy the scapegoat for my absences on Christmas Eve for five consecutive years and for rarely returning to Boston.

“This is for you, Mrs. Baxter.” Jessy lifted a large bag filled with some premium food items.

“Oh, this is rare, honey. And dried fruits, too.” My mother accepted the bag and peered inside.

“Yes, just as you always wanted.” Jessy smiled and nodded at my mother.

“Oh, come in, dear. It’s cold outside,” my mother said, pulling Jessy’s arm and inviting him in. I then closed the door and walked to the bathroom. I knocked softly on the door.

“Come out. It’s not Alan, it’s Jessy,” I said with a chuckle.

The bathroom door opened. Laird and Matthew then emerged. Jessy, upon seeing them, immediately took a deep breath and covered his mouth with both hands.

“Oh, sweet devil. Were you guys doing something naughty in there?” Jessy asked with his cheerful, giggling tone.

“Hey, Jessy.” Laird waved at him. “Meet Matthew. Don’t mind him; by the way, he’s already drunk.”

“Hey. Nice coat.” Matthew briefly raised his hand. I frowned when I heard the drunken man comment on Jessy’s coat-fake Dalmatian fur.

Matthew then sank onto the sofa while I helped Jessy place his bag and coat on it. We then sat on the sofa, encircling the fireplace to warm the air.

“How’s your mother?” My mother asked Jessy.

“She’s better now. She just needs outpatient care once a month. So, I took the opportunity to visit when I heard Fenella was back in Boston.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, wait here, I’ll get some eggnog.” My mother got up from the living room sofa and went to the kitchen.

“What actually happened? I was shocked when I saw your message.”

Jessy leaned in and blinked his eyes. Of course, he hoped to hear the whole story, and that’s what I gave him. I told Jessica everything about how we ended up on a special mission to imprison Alan.

***

“Damn that jerk.” Jessy sighed. His shoulders dropped after hearing the entire story. “I just can’t believe what will happen if he actually ends up in prison. Doesn’t that mean Gene will go bankrupt?”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Most likely. The prosecutor might block the company’s accounts, seize all the company’s contract documents, and eventually, Gene’s office will need to find a replacement.” Laird’s face looked grim as he laid out the potential risks.

“That’s not good. It will halt all the talent at Gene.” Jessy murmured in a low voice. His eyes were fixed on his white sock-clad feet.

“Shit. I forgot about that. If Alan is arrested and the office accounts are seized by the court, what will happen to the models and actors?” I slapped my forehead and leaned back against the sofa. My thoughts drifted to Greg and the others.

“And the other agents too.” Jessy added.

“And Silas, the office boy!” I exclaimed.

My heart sank as I thought of them all. Was I willing to ruin their livelihoods just to take down one person? My hand continued to massage my temple as I stared intently at Laird. He, too, could not offer any ideas and merely frowned, looking at his hands resting on his knees.

“That’s a risk we have to take,” he muttered quietly.

“Why don’t you start your own agency? You could also look for other agencies before the FBI catches that guy.”

Matthew’s voice suddenly cut through all other sounds in the room. We turned our heads toward him with blank stares. His face was red, his eyelids drooping, and he was clearly on the verge of unconsciousness.

“As if starting a new modeling agency is easy.” Jessica sighed irritably and rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, my phone rang again. Alan was calling, and I immediately looked at Laird. Jessy gestured for me to answer. Laird nodded in permission. “Loudspeaker,” Laird said quickly before I picked up the call.

“Hello, Alan.”

“Hi, darling.”

Laird shot me a look. I then placed my phone on the table after pressing the speaker button.

“Hey…, darling.” I shrugged, not sure what to say in response.

“Took you long enough to pick up my call.”

“Yeah, I was entertaining my mother’s guest. Sorry,” I said softly.

“Oh, alright. No worries.” Alan cleared his throat as if holding back his anger.

“So, what’s up?” I asked quietly, trying not to offend him.

“Do you miss me?”

Hearing Alan’s voice again with his seductive tone, Laird stood up from the sofa. His hands were on his hips with an annoyed, crooked smile on his face. He looked at my phone as if he wanted to crush it right then and there.

“Hm…, a little.”

“Ah, that will be good enough. You know I miss you so much.”

He spoke again in a low whisper. His unusual tone made Jessy shiver. Jessy hugged himself, wiping his nose in displeasure.

“Hey, Alan. My mother needs me to serve eggnog to the guests. I have to go,” I said, trying to end this insignificant conversation.

I glanced at Laird, Jessy, and Matthew with anxious hope. Truly, this was becoming more embarrassing for Alan, and I didn’t want to prolong it.

“Oh, yeah, say hi to your mother for me. Actually, I just wanted to extend an invitation to you.”

“Invitation?”

Gosh. Every time Alan invited me to an event, it was usually a trap he had set up for me. The Sexy Cat studio, the new car, Mallory, and so many other things made me increasingly wary of every invitation from Alan. This time would be no different. I was sure he intended to do something to me.

“Yes, Fenella. January 2nd is Amy’s birthday.”

Hearing that name from him, my eyes widened. I snorted with a small laugh.

“Don’t tell me she’s throwing a kid’s birthday party.”

“What can I do? She invited me and you as my fiancee. She said I should introduce you to my family.”

“Have you told Amy about our engagement? Won’t she be upset seeing me as your plus-one at the party?” I groaned in disagreement.

“I only said I was engaged but didn’t say with whom. I wanted it to be a surprise for her.”

“Oh.” I murmured quietly.

“She’s not so bad now. Besides, she’s the one who helped me transform myself to get your attention. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

I shook my head, shrugged, and squeezed the sofa cushion. I did all this silently while he prattled on about the luxurious birthday party Amy was planning. Though I didn’t like it, Laird silently nodded. He gave a thumbs-up in approval while I frowned.

“Oh, well. Alright. I’m sure you’ll be getting an expensive gift for her.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I can buy a gift that expensive since my credit card is blocked.”

Hearing Alan’s response, our attention immediately sharpened. Our bodies tensed, and I leaned closer to the phone on the table.

“The black card you used to buy the ring? What’s going on?”

“Someone used my card to make a large purchase on an online site.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. Have you reported it to the bank? Has the card been blocked?” I asked with my eyes still fixed on Laird.

“Yes. For now, my credit card is blocked, and it will take three days to issue a new one,” he said.

“Have you reported it to the police?”

As soon as I finished asking him, he laughed. “They won’t be of any help.”

“Don’t you want to catch the culprit so they’ll be sentenced?” I asked, my fists clenching the sides of my shirt.

“Don’t bother. I’m too lazy to deal with the police, darling. Anyway, come over next week. Remember, January 2nd. Do you understand?”

Again, I frowned in irritation at Alan’s way of speaking to me like a boss who liked to belittle others under his thumb. But this time I had no choice. I needed to end this call as soon as possible.

“Yes, Alan,” I said obediently.