chapter 5

With a final look in the mirror, she grabbed her phone and dialed Carolyn's number. "Hey, I'm all dressed and ready to go," she announced, a nervous tremor in her voice. Despite being a confident woman, Vanessa felt nervous about her meeting with Darryl Peter. 

Carolyn's voice boomed through the phone, warm and encouraging. "Guess who is ready to explore? Vanessa! 

“Explore my ass.” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “You know I don't want to do this. I don't want this for myself.” 

“I know you don't want this, but you have to do this to get your purse back.” Carolyn encouraged Vanessa over the phone. “Remember, just be yourself and be on your best behavior.” Concern laced in Carolyn's voice.

“Are you kidding me? I'm always on my best behavior”. Vanessa tried to ease the tension she was feeling. 

“That is the biggest lie in the universe, Vanessa” Carolyn laughed, boomed over the phone. “ You should get going now. You can't be late on your first date with Darryl.” Carolyn teased her.

“It is not a date! I agreed to this because you advised me to.” Vanessa defended herself. “And how would I get my purse back if I don't meet him today?” 

“You had a choice” Carolyn told her. “And you made the right one. Darryl may be a good guy. Who knows?”

“From what I saw, Darryl and good don't belong in the same sentence,” Vanessa hissed.

“Vanessa.” Carolyn called her name to stop her from overthinking.

“Yes,” Vanessa replied with a sigh.

“Just go there, and I assure you that you won't regret this.” Carolyn's voice laced with compassion and understanding.

“Okay. Talk to you later.” Vanessa exchanged goodbyes with her best friend before hanging up on the call. 

The glowing streetlights adorned the buildings as Vanessa stared at them. The cityscape shimmered outside Vanessa's building as she walked outside her house. Their reflections caught on the sequins of her emerald dress, making it shine bright like a constellation.

She ordered a ride and, luckily for her, the ride got to her place on time. Slipping into the waiting car, she handed the driver the address. A knot of anticipation tightened in her stomach. Her head was a rollercoaster of different thoughts. 

As the ride unfolded in a comfortable silence, Vanessa was sure about one thing; she would give Darryl a piece of her mind. Hopefully, after this rendezvous, she won't meet the childish man again. 

The car stopped and that was Vanessa's clue that she had arrived at her destination. She knew it, Darryl wouldn't waste any opportunity to flaunt his money. The restaurant was a five-star restaurant. The up-to-down glass building screamed wealth. 

As she approached the entrance of the opulent restaurant, a figure stopped her. “You came?” Darryl said as he got closer to her.

Truly, Darryl messaged, but he didn't believe Vanessa would come. Maybe stealing her purse was a great idea, he thought.

Vanessa rolled her eyes at the sight of Darryl. “No, my doppelgänger came.” Sarcasm dripped as she spoke.

“It is too early to be feisty, sweetheart.” He smirked. “Let's get you in.” Darryl offered to take her hand, but Vanessa ignored him. As they walked into the restaurant, Vanessa could not resist the urge to stare at the opulent restaurant. 

This place is magnificent, she told herself. She didn't want Darryl to know that she was moved by his choice. Darryl, who already knew how to impress women, smiled triumphantly as she watched Vanessa's reaction. 

Quickly, she composed herself. Unknowing that Darryl had seen her already. Putting on her confident facade, she faced Darryl as they settled down on the reserved table. 

“Hand over my purse.” Vanessa commanded. She didn't want to waste any of her time on a playboy like him. It was not like she was interested in him, she just didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

“Why are you in haste, my love?” Darryl asked her. “Check the menu and pick your choice.” 

Was he trying to get on my nerves? Vanessa asked herself. “Hey! Mr playboy, I'm not here to dine with you. I'm here to get back what you took from me.” She poured out her heart, as she was already getting pissed about everything.

“I don't think you dressed up just to grab your purse, sweetheart.” Darryl allowed his eyes to move over her body as he shamelessly checked her out. 

“Are you seriously checking me out?” Annoyance laced in Vanessa's voice as she questioned him.

“Am I not allowed to check you out?” He answered her with another question.

She hissed, “Let me make this clear to you, I'm not here to waste my time with you. Hand over my purse and we'll call it a day.”

“I knew you wouldn't make it easy for me, so I already ordered for you. I hope you'll like it.” He ignored her rant and signaled to the waiter.

Vanessa remained quiet as the waiter filled their table with varieties of food. The aroma of the pasta filled her gut and her stomach grumbled. This food is like a temptation, but she was not ready to go easy on Darryl. Her initial plan was to frustrate him tonight, so he wouldn't have it in mind to meet her again.

“Let's eat” Darryl's voice dragged her out of the conflict brewing inside of her.

“What would your girlfriend think if she happened to see you with another woman?” Vanessa asked him, giving him another reason to stop his games with her.

“Is that your way of asking if I have a girlfriend?” Darryl teased her. Darryl wondered why she was bringing up his girlfriend. Tania is nothing close to being his girlfriend. He is not interested in having a serious relationship, not with Tania and not with Vanessa herself. 

“I don't have a girlfriend.” He answered her. Vanessa could not believe what she had just heard. How would he lie to her face? She could remember vividly, his girlfriend was pissed when she volunteered to dryclean his shirt. How could he lie without blinking? 

This was the reason why she doesn't trust men. She believed they were manipulators and liars. She knew nothing good could come out of Darryl. She could not believe Carolyn was fooled by his appearance. 

She looked around the restaurant, hoping she would find something to calm her down, but she noticed something else. Vanessa noticed that no single soul was in the restaurant with them. Why was nobody here? She pondered.

“Did you chase everyone away with your awful aura?” She asked me spitefully.

Darryl noticed her mood had changed, before it was just a facade. But now, she sounded pissed. He didn't plan on giving up on her yet. Even if she plays hard to get, he will still seduce her and fuck the stubbornness out of her. He laughed at the thought. 

Vanessa, who watched him as he laughed, thought he was laughing at what she said. “Can you be serious for once, just once?” 

“Seriousness is a luxury, I can't waste it.” He replied. “I didn't chase anyone, I just don't want many eyes around us.” He answered her previous question.

“Are you saying you booked the whole place?” Vanessa could not believe what she heard.

“Was the gesture too small for you, milady?” He teased her.

“How could you book the whole place?” She asked him. “Definitely, this would have caused you a lot of money.” She voiced her concern.

Vanessa was sure Darryl was playing a game but booking the whole restaurant was a waste on his side. Well, that's one of the repercussions of being a playboy. She pondered on how much he would have lavished just to impress other women. The thought of it made her pissed.