Enraptured

(Clarice)

“CHOOSE your assignment.”

I swiftly caught the envelope that Maggy tossed at me upon entering our office. My forehead creased. But when I opened it, I instantly got the message the second I saw the close-up pictures of three different men. I took a quick glance at each picture. All the men were equally handsome. Each of them had shown a glimpse of their personality based on their posture.

The man in the first picture had a blank expression on his face. The second gave off a nerdy vibe based on his thick glasses and an uncomfortable smile on his lips, and the third had a bewitching smile as if he was seducing whoever took his picture. The last man caught my attention.

Maybe because out of the three siblings, only that man did not resemble Benedict McClennan so much. That old bastard was the man who stole our wealth and destroyed our families.

If the third man in the picture was my target, I could somehow manage to control my anger and would not be tempted to cover his face. The two other men were Benedict McClennan’s carbon copies. I took the picture and showed it to Maggy.

“I will take this one,” I said before handing the remaining pictures to Yalena, who was sitting beside me on the couch. It was Yalena’s turn to choose. The last picture would automatically become Maggy’s target.

After a while, Maggy nodded. “That’s Alano McClennan, the notorious womanizer. He is Benedict’s second son, and according to the rumors, he’s the most playful among his siblings. Are you sure about this, Clarice?”

I smiled, amused this time. “Am I supposed to feel offended? It looks like you are doubting my abilities, Maggy.”

Maggy chuckled. “Of course not. You’ve come so far, Clarice. How could I ever doubt you?” She raised her hands as if she was surrendering. “You’ve always been an asset to our Company. You have your way with people. So, a tease versus a tease...” She winked. “Will surely be a fight worth watching.”

I was about to speak, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Not long after, Julian barged in. I stiffened.

“Clarice, I need to talk to you for a while and—” He stopped midway when he saw the picture I was holding. Julian was the only man I ever trusted; he was my best friend. But unfortunately, he fell in love with me.

In another circumstance, I would have allowed myself to fall for Julian because he was everything a woman could ask for in a man. He was almost Prince Charming. But I was no Cinderella. I wasn’t planning to be a heroine in a love story.

I planned to be the villain.

That’s why I couldn’t allow my heart to waver. My mission with the De Laras had to come first before anything else. Love was not included on my priority list right now.

“So… you are going to push through with your plan, Clarice?”

Julian was also the only man who knew about the plans I had with the De Lara twins. I could never keep a secret from him.

“Yes,” I answered coldly.

Julian was taken aback while the twins remained silent. He took a deep breath before speaking. “You don't have to go back to Manila and risk getting yourself hurt all for revenge. I can help you. I have my men who can—"

“The best revenge is not hurting someone physically, Julian,” I responded, deliberately cutting him off. “It’s targeting the human’s most sensitive part: the heart.”

“Clarice, Maggy, and I are no longer the same people. If we want to, we can choose the easy way to have our revenge,” Yalena butted in. Just like me, she was done choosing her target as well. “But we’ve waited so long for this. We can’t be distracted by the easy way no matter how tempted we are.”

My chest tightened. When we were teenagers, we made a vow in front of our parents’ graves that we would make Benedict McClennan pay. But now that we have the means to fulfill our plans, we could not find the old man anywhere. We had a feeling that his three sons were hiding him, so we decided we would destroy his sons first since they were the thorns in our path towards Benedict.

“Does this mean that you are really going back to Manila, Clarice?” Julian asked instead.

“Yes,” I said without an ounce of hesitation. I could not afford to be swayed by the pain in his eyes. My best friends and I struggled so much just to get where we are now. It made me realize that life is a battle. And sacrifice is a must.

Because no one wins without sacrificing... a whole damn lot.

“YOU MADE my day by being here with me tonight, Clarice. Thank you.”

I seductively ran my fingers from Russel’s shoulder to his neck all the way to his jaw. When I saw him swallow hard, I flashed my sweetest smile. If only Russel knew that I should be the one thanking him right now.

I came back to Manila last week. Maggy had everything set already, including my papers, the place where I would stay for the time being, and the car I would use.

The car was already parked inside Alejandro’s resort. All I had to do was to get the key from Radha, Maggy’s assistant, who picked me up from the airport. She was also the one who handed me everything I needed to know about Alano McClennan, including his work schedule. There was no doubt that Maggy knew that Russel Alejandro owned the exclusive resort where I was staying. Russel’s father was one of the shareholders in McClennan Corporation; that’s why it was the place she chose for me..

I smiled inwardly. Among the three of us, I have always been the risk-taker. I’m the one who makes all the necessary urgent decisions. Maggy was the clever one, while Yalena, her fraternal twin sister, was the most observant and analytical among us.

It had been four days since Russel introduced himself to me while I was dining in the restaurant inside his resort. For the past few years, I made it a habit to only surround myself with the people who could help me reach my goal. That was the only reason I allowed Russel to get close to me while I was still studying the information about my target.

And luck was on my side.

Last night, Russel came to my room and invited me to be his date at a party held by the McClennans. They were celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the McClennan Power, Oil, and Mining Corporation in the country. Ansel handled everything related to the power plants, Austin took care of the mining, while Alano was in charge of the oil.

The beautiful life the McClennans now had was supposed to be ours. But Benedict stole it from me and the De Laras. My smile faded at the thought.

“Clarice? Is something wrong?” Russel asked. Concern was visible in his eyes.

I struggled to bring back the smile on my lips as I took my hands off his face. His shoulders drooped as if he wanted me to touch him more. From the first time I saw him, I knew that friendship was not the only thing he wanted. And I used that to my advantage. Now, Russel seemed to be getting the wrong idea because ever since we arrived at the McClennan mansion, he began marking his territory and would not allow any man to dance with me.

A few songs had passed already and here we were, still dancing.

I was getting bored, but I tried to conceal it. My target was still nowhere in sight. But when I looked around for the umpteenth time, I accidentally locked eyes with a man who was standing near the grand staircase. He was staring at me while holding a glass of wine.

Among the guests, the man stood out. Maybe it was because of what he was wearing. Only the McClennan siblings were wearing white three-piece suits at the party. I’d seen his two brothers earlier and they had no effect on me. But this man was different. Maybe it was because of the inviting look in his eyes.

There were a few couples standing between us in the mansion’s wide living room. But that did not stop me from seeing how his lips curved into a naughty smile.

Finally, you’ve decided to join the party, Alano.

“Excuse me. I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” I said to Russel when the music was over. I was about to turn my back from him when he caught my wrist.

“I will take you there.”

My brows furrowed. This was the reason I still didn’t have a boyfriend. Even though I’m now twenty-eight, I’ve never had one. The men I met were all needlessly possessive. How many Russel’s have I met before? I’ve lost count. The second I see that quality in a man, I immediately cut ties with them. Now I’ve stopped dating completely which has served its purpose since I had to focus on the mission at hand.

“Russel, dear.” I smiled and exposed my dimples. “I hate complications. We’re just friends and yet, you are already suffocating me.” I leaned towards him and whispered in his ear. “Just so you know, the last man I dated lost me because he was too obsessive.”

Tension crossed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was just—"

“Ssh, I get it.” I pressed two of my fingers to his lips. “You are worried, I know. But allow me to breathe, Russel. I’ve always been a free soul. I hate being caged,” I added before I took his hand off my wrist.

I went to our table and grabbed my purse before I went to the garden to get some fresh air. Parties bore me to death; I’ve already been to countless parties over the past few years.

I took my phone out of my purse and sent a text message to Radha.

Find me a new place. ASAP.

Radha replied right away. I will have to inform Ms. Maggy about this first, Ms. Clarice. What reason should I tell her?

Tell her that Russel was useful. But his purpose has now expired.

There was no more reason for me to keep hanging out with Russel. Because from tonight onwards, I would move on my own. It was enough that he was the bridge I needed to enter the McClennan residence. I was about to put my phone away when it rang. It was Julian. I took a deep breath before answering the call.

“This is a long-distance call, Julian. This better be important.”

“I’m still hurt by what you did. Yet, I still can’t help but worry about you. Your father died because of the McClennans and your mother is still suffering because of that. What if, along the way, something happens to you, too? Look, if this is about the money, I can give you that,” Julian said, not giving me a chance to speak. “You know I can give you the world, Clarice. Just marry me.”

“You are right,” I responded while rubbing my temples. I sat on the bench and scanned the area. There was no one else but me in this place. It looked like all the guests were into partying, unlike me. I would rather stay in this dimly lit garden.

Julian came from one of the most prominent families in the States. We met through his friend who owned the modeling agency where I used to work. The connection was there on our first meeting. We hit it off right away. He was fun to be with. We went out a few times, but they were all friendly dates. Julian was like a brother to me, but that changed when he confessed to me one day.

His family owns an empire, and with his wealth, he could indeed provide me with everything I needed.

“You could give me the world, Julian, but that’s the problem. I don’t want it. I do care for you, but I’m not into this marriage thing. I’m sorry,” I bluntly said since I hate beating around the bush. I’ve rejected him before, and it saddens me that I have to do it again tonight. “There are more important things that I need to do than stand in front of a priest with you and make empty declarations of love that I don’t even believe in.”

(Alano)

“BE HONEST with me, brother. Did you and Clarice break up? Was that the reason she showed up here with another guy?”

I was about to follow Clarice when Austin blocked my way and interrogated me. His brows were knitted, which made me laugh. I patted his shoulder.

“Relax, Austin. This is the reason why everybody thinks you are older than me. You worry a lot. Clarice and I didn’t break up.” We were never a couple in the first place. “We just had a little misunderstanding.” Just like this relationship that only you and I knew about. “I better go now so I can talk to her.” And finally introduce myself to her.

“All right,” Austin answered with that same stern expression on his face. “Alejandro was with her the whole time, so I thought you two broke up.” He shook his head before giving way. “I like her for you. I don’t see any women loitering around the mansion anymore. And that happened ever since you started seeing Clarice. I will support anything that will make you change for the better, brother. So, go and get your woman back.”

I laughed before heading to the garden. Excitement filled my veins. I first saw Clarice in Denver. It had been nine weeks since then. I went there for a business conference, but it ended early. A female colleague invited me to a fashion show. I was bored, so I decided to give it a go.

Clarice was the star of the night back then. She was the one who modeled for the finale. And she had everyone under her spell, including me, the moment she walked out onto the stage. It was like she had this magnetic charm that pulled people towards her. And I liked her eyes. They were as dark and mysterious as the night.

I wanted to approach Clarice after the show, but there were so many people lined up to talk to her. Besides, I needed to go back to Manila the day after. I had my assistant research the enigmatic model and was over the moon when I found out that she was still single. But that happiness disappeared when I discovered that she was actually a supermodel. I knew it would be tough to get inside her world.

Still, I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to meet her after I was done dealing with all the paperwork in the office.

Clarice Alvero had me enraptured the first time I saw her. I was determined to find her after this party so I could formally introduce myself to her. This was the first time I have ever wanted a woman this badly. I’ve lost interest in other women after seeing her. That’s why when Austin teased me after I stopped bringing women home, I told him about Clarice and showed him her picture. I was only kidding when I told him that she was my woman. I didn’t know that he actually believed me. Austin could really be amusing at times.

I was surprised when I saw Clarice in my family’s mansion tonight. She was the center of the males’ attention, and she was not even aware of it. She just kept dancing with Russel. Remembering that made me flinch.

Not long after that, I saw Clarice alone. She was looking in the opposite direction and was busy talking to someone on the phone. My throat went dry at the mere sight of her exposed back. From the light post, I could see her clearly. The male guests’ eyes had been feasting on her creamy skin ever since she had arrived.

In her white bareback gown, Clarice made it hard for everyone to ignore her. Her gown was simple, but it emphasized her sinful curves. There were many things I wanted to discover about her… including the many beautiful things hidden underneath her gown.

I shook my head and shove that naughty thought away before walking towards her.

“You’re right. You could give me the world, Julian, but that’s the problem. I don’t want it. I do care for you, but I’m not into this marriage thing. I’m sorry,” I heard her say. I couldn’t believe she was breaking someone’s heart using that soft voice. “There are more important things that I need to do than stand in front of a priest with you and make empty declarations of love that I don’t even believe in.”

I was taken aback for a few seconds. I was right. This woman was really something. It looked like there was a man proposing to her over the phone. And while many women would grab the opportunity, this one downright declined the ‘world’ that the man was willing to offer. I grinned and clapped my hands.

“Very well said, woman.”