As Jayden turned to face Penelope, he was taken aback by the turmoil etched on her face. Her eyes seed to hold a mix of emotions, and Jayden’s instincts told him that she was genuinely troubled. He sighed, his expression softening.
"No, I’m not," he replied, his voice calm and asured.
Penelope’s gaze intensified, her eyes searching for sothing in his expression. "So why are you pretending like it never happened? Why won’t you call by my first na?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of vulnerability.
Jayden exhaled, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I thought you wanted to forget about it. So I acted mature and decided to keep things professional so you’d be more comfortable."
He took a deep breath, his eyes locking onto hers. "But the truth is... I don’t want to be mature. I don’t want to forget about that night... because I can’t. It was the best thing I’ve felt in a long ti."
Penelope’s eyes widened, a mix of surprise and happiness crossing her face. "Really? Is that what you really feel?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jayden nodded, his gaze holding hers. "Yes, Penelope. It is."
A soft smile spread across her face, and she looked relieved, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you for saying this, Jayden. You don’t know how relieved it made feel."
Jayden smiled back, feeling a sense of connection with her. "I’m glad to hear that."
Penelope’s gaze lingered on his, her eyes sparkling with a hint of curiosity. After a mont of silence, she spoke up again. "Jayden... do you like ?"
Jayden’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a flutter in his chest. He did not see that question coming, and he wasn’t sure how to respond.
Of course he liked Penolope. Who wouldn’t?She was beautiful, hot, sexy, brilliant, powerful and independent. But Jayden was too conflicted to admit it. He didn’t know whether he liked her solely because she was beautiful and nice to him... or because he felt a connection towards her.
"I... I don’t know," he replied, his voice hesitant.
Penelope’s face dropped slightly. "I see." she muttered, forcing a smile. "Well, it was nice to have this talk with you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day," she said, turning to leave.
Jayden sighed deeply, realizing he had ssed up. He needed to fix it. Fast. "Um... Penelope, please wait," he called out, his voice urgent.
She turned to face him, a raised brow indicating her curiosity.
Jayden cleared his throat, feeling a sense of nervousness. "Well... I was wondering if... we could, maybe... go on another date. Just the two of us?"
Penelope’s expression remained neutral for a mont, and then a smile ford on her lips. "Okay, I’ll give you one last chance. Don’t disappoint , Jayden," she said, her voice playful, before turning and walking away.
As she disappeared from view, Jayden couldn’t help but chuckle. He had a feeling that he was in for a wild ride with Penelope. With a spring in his step, he left the mansion, heading back ho, feeling hopeful about the future.
As Jayden arrived ho, he was greeted by the familiar sight of his living room. He trudged towards his bedroom, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders. Just as he was about to enter his room, he heard a sweet, familiar voice call out to him.
"Jayden."
He turned, and his eyes landed on Tasha, who was standing a few ters away. She was wearing a large pink tee that dwarfed her fra, with black shorts that were completely covered by the shirt, giving the illusion that she wasn’t wearing anything else. Jayden’s eyes lingered on her for a mont before he smiled and approached her.
"Hey, Tasha," he said, taking her hands and kissing them softly. "How was your day?"
Tasha’s face lit up with a smile. "It was a bit stressful, but I’m fine. How about you?"
Jayden sighed, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. "Mine was... complicated. I got a job though."
Tasha’s eyes sparkled with excitent. "Really? That’s great, Jayden. I’m so happy for you. What’s the job?"
Jayden hesitated for a mont before responding. "I get to be a bodyguard... to Cassandra." he said casually.
Tasha smiled. "Okay, that’s nice. So... Wait a minute." she paused, her smile dropping like a mask.
"Did you just say Cassandra? As in Cassandra Isley?" she asked sharply, her voice laced with a hint of incredulity.
Jayden gulped, feeling a sense of trepidation. "Um... yeah. Her mum asked during our date together."
Tasha nearly choked on air. "Wait, what?! You had a date with Penelope Isley? When?"
Jayden replied carefully, "Last Saturday."
Tasha took a deep breath, rubbing her temples in frustration. "I can’t believe this... that woman and her daughter. And this whole ti, I didn’t even know."
Jayden rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a sense of guilt. "I’m sorry, Tasha. I wanted to tell you sooner, but it slipped my mind," he said with an apologetic smile, expecting her to be annoyed.
However, Tasha’s expression was more complex than he anticipated. She seed... calculating. "It’s fine, Jayden. It’s not your fault. It’s that fox and her shaless mother," she muttered, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Jayden raised a brow, sensing that sothing was brewing in her mind. "How did you even get affiliated with them?" Tasha asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Well, Penelope invited to her house after i ca out of coma." Jayden explained. "She wanted to thank for saving her daughter... Cassandra."
Tasha sighed. "Oh, I completely forgot. It was Cassandra you saved from the field that day," she said, slapping her forehead.
"But still..." she continued, her voice stern. "...Why did you agree to go on a date with her?"
Jayden swallowed. He didn’t know how to explain himself. At the ti he agreed to a date with Penelope, he and Tasha weren’t exactly... together yet.
"I... I didn’t..." he stamred. "She was..."
"Forget it." Tasha cut in sharply. "It’s happened already. No use crying over spilled milk."
Jayden raised a brow, he didn’t understand what Tasha ant. He didn’t even understand her current behaviour... She was pacing back and forth, acting like she was at war with sothing.. or soone.
"Tasha..." he reached out. "Are you..."
"How does it work?" she interrupted.
Jayden raised a brow. "Huh?"
"You being her bodyguard. How do you work?" Tasha asked, her voice sharp. "I want to know."
Jayden replied, "Well, I have to go with her anyti she wants to go sowhere public. Although it’s not necessarily every ti... I an, I don’t have to follow her everywhere. Just so places."
Tasha nodded, her eyes never leaving his face. "I see. So you won’t be with her most of the ti?" she asked, her voice cautious.
Jayden smiled, trying to reassure her. "I won’t."
Tasha took a deep breath, her expression unreadable. "Okay, that’s good. Though not good enough..." she muttered to herself, as if scheming sothing.
Jayden’s concern grew. "Tasha, are you okay? Is this about the job? Are you uncomfortable with it?"
Tasha forced a smile, but her eyes betrayed her true emotions. "What... of course not. I an, if it makes you happy, then I’m cool with it. It’s not like I’m worried about you spending more ti with Cassie or anything."
Jayden chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. Cassie and I are just friends. Besides, I heard you both used to be good buddies," he said, trying to jog her mory.
Tasha’s expression turned cold, and she looked away. "Yeah, we were... until she betrayed ," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jayden’s eyes widened, sensing a deeper issue. "Tasha..."
But before he could say anything else, Tasha cut him off. "I don’t wanna talk about it," she said firmly
Jayden nodded, respecting her boundaries. "Alright, just... don’t do anything crazy," he said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
Tasha forced a smile, but her eyes still held a hint of determination. "Sure," she said, her voice soft.
Jayden smiled back, feeling a sense of relief. "Good. I have to go rest a bit," he said, letting out a yawn. "See you later."
He kissed her forehead and headed back into his room, closing the door behind him with a sigh. Then he crawled into his bed and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion wash over him.
anwhile, Tasha walked back to her room, her mind racing with thoughts and emotions. She was definitely up to sothing, and Jayden’s words of caution only seed to fuel her determination.
As she entered her room, Jessica looked up from her ga, concern etched on her face. "What’s wrong?" she asked, noticing Tasha’s tense expression.
Tasha exhaled, her eyes flashing with a mix of emotions. "We have a situation," she said, her voice low and serious.
Jessica’s eyes widened, and she put down her joystick. "What kind?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Tasha’s smile was cold and calculated. "The kind that requires careful planning and execution." she said, her eyes glinting with determination.
Jessica’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Tell more," she said, leaning forward in her seat.
Tasha took a deep breath, her mind racing with possibilities. "I think we might have a competition... two competitions. But don’t worry, i know what to do." she muttered with a smirk.
She was going to take matters into her own hands, and nothing was going to stand in her way. The ga was on, and she was ready to play.
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