Chapter 5 5. You're Mine

"Wait, why did we stop here, Sir?" Nadine asked in confusion as Brian parked his car in front of a boutique. Without responding to Nadine's question, Brian opened the car door for her and led her into the store. Nadine followed Brian reluctantly, entering the boutique through the glass door. She scanned the entire store, which displayed branded clothing. Nadine occasionally had to swallow her saliva when she saw the price tags on the clothes, all of which were expensive and well beyond her budget.

Brian returned to Nadine after instructing a boutique employee to gather a selection of clothes for him.

"Is Mr. buying clothes for his girlfriend?" Nadine asked curiously, puzzled by the number of clothes the boutique employee was holding next to Brian.

"Miss, please help choose some clothes for my girlfriend. I'd like tunics and dress pants," Brian ordered the boutique employee. Nadine froze as the employee began placing clothes on her body.

"Just great, he's claiming he has a girlfriend now. He couldn't even ask me out, let alone start dating," Nadine grumbled to herself, frustrated with Brian's audacious behavior. She couldn't believe how brazen he was acting.

"Starting tomorrow, wear the clothes I've bought for you to work. If it's still not enough, we'll go shopping again," Brian stated coldly without a hint of expression. They were now standing in front of Nadine's apartment building.

"Would you like to come in, Sir?" Nadine replied with feigned politeness, offering Brian to come inside. However, Brian was not Brian if he couldn't manage to irritate Nadine.

"I purposely dropped by," Brian replied, whispering close to Nadine's ear. Her heart raced instantly, her face feeling flushed.

"Let's go in, then, Sir." Nadine opened the door and left it open as Brian entered her apartment. The apartment Nadine had bought was spacious, though it still appeared somewhat empty. Many items were stacked in boxes in the living room corner. Brian sat in the middle of the living area, observing the entire space: two bedrooms, a living room connected to a family room, a dining area, and a detailed kitchen.

"Sorry, Sir, my apartment is a bit messy. I haven't had time to organize it yet," Nadine said as she placed a cup of coffee on the coffee table in front of Brian.

"Thank you, Nadine," Brian replied with a smile as he took a sip of the still-hot coffee.

"His smile... I might fall in love all over again," Nadine muttered to herself, enjoying that sweet smile. It was the first time Brian had smiled like that at her since they reunited.

After finishing his coffee, Brian excused himself. He knew his limits; he couldn't allow himself to fall into a grave sin again. Their past relationship had taken the wrong path, and Brian was determined not to repeat it.

"You belong to me," Brian said, then walked away, leaving Nadine frozen at her apartment door.

***

The next morning, Nadine dressed as usual, ignoring Brian's cold demeanor.

Half the day passed in silence, the room devoid of any sound. Brian was engrossed in reviewing the documents he needed to sign, while Nadine was buried in her work. The words Brian had said the night before didn't bother her much; she was confident that he must have a girlfriend. This time, Brian was probably playing tricks on her again.

"Where are you headed, Sir?" Nadine asked in surprise when she saw Brian organizing his documents and putting them in his bag. It was unlikely that Brian would leave the office this early.

"You can head home; I have something to attend to," Brian replied coldly without looking at Nadine, then left the office and headed for the elevator. Nadine internally cheered when Brian's figure disappeared into the elevator. Finally, she could leave work early on a Saturday. She had missed her little sweetheart, who she hadn't seen for almost two weeks.

***

"It's rare for you to be home at this hour," Amanda said suspiciously as she saw Brian climbing the stairs to his room.

"I'm tired, Mom, just want to rest," Brian replied lackadaisically. Amanda didn't pay much attention to his response and returned to watching her favorite TV show in the living room.

Around 7 PM, Amanda called Brian to have dinner together. It was a rare occasion for her eldest son to have dinner at home with the family; usually, Brian returned from work around 10 PM.

"Brian, why don't you go out tonight? It's Sunday, after all, and it's been a while since we've spent time together like we used to. You're always working," Gaby, Brian's younger sister, pleaded in a whiny tone.

"I'm not in the mood, besides, if I go out with a high school kid like you, people might think I'm hanging out with a fan club or something. It's not on my level!" Brian replied, continuing to eat his meal.

"Gaby, your mission is to persuade Brian. I want to go out with him; it's been so long since we've had a proper outing like we used to. He's always working," Gaby asked Amanda, her mother, for help.

"Alright, Brian, just humor your sister. Gaby misses spending time with you," Amanda said, looking at Brian with a stern gaze, signaling an order that couldn't be refused.

"Fine, go change, don't wear shorts!" Brian instructed Gaby, who responded by placing her hand on her forehead without a second thought, mimicking his commanding tone.

"Classic Gaby," Cakra said with a smile.

"Oh, Brian, how's Nadine's performance at work? Is she doing well?" Cakra asked, making Brian's expression turn sour instantly.

"She's doing fine, Dad," Brian replied curtly and unenthusiastically. Cakra and Amanda exchanged glances, suspecting that something had happened at the office.

After dinner, Amanda sent a WhatsApp message to Danisa, smiling happily as she read Danisa's response. Cakra shook his head, amused by his wife's nosy and curious behavior.

"Let them figure things out themselves, dear. We don't need to get involved," Cakra advised calmly, then sat next to his wife, planting a quick kiss on Amanda's forehead.

"Mom, Dad, we're heading out," Gaby said, approaching her parents and planting a kiss on both their cheeks.

"Don't cause any trouble, and don't make your brother angry," Amanda advised her daughter.

"Got it, I promise!" Gaby replied, followed by laughter from her parents.

"Can we ride on Big Brother's motorcycle?" Gaby asked, her eyes sparkling. Brian nodded and affectionately ruffled Gaby's hair. Gaby never got close to boys her age; Brian would instantly interrogate any male friends who came to their house. Gaby didn't mind; Brian spoiled her as much as she spoiled him.

***

While buying drinks at the food court, Brian accidentally caught sight of Nadine walking hand-in-hand with a young boy around 4 years old.

"Wait here, Gaby. I'll go to the restroom," Brian excused himself, moving closer to Nadine. However, his steps faltered when he saw a man he recognized approaching Nadine. The man was holding a balloon and proceeded to pick up the child, cradling him. They seemed close and happy together. The man was Dave, Brian's business partner whom he had met yesterday.

With a heavy heart, Brian turned back toward Gaby and insisted they leave. On their way to the mall's parking area, Gaby kept complaining, but Brian hardly heard her; his mind was still consumed by what he had just witnessed.

"Mama, I want chocolate ice cream," the cute voice of a little boy snapped Brian out of his thoughts in the parking area.

"Mr. Brian!" the man who had been with Nadine greeted, approaching Brian and shaking his hand. Brian reciprocated Dave's handshake, but his gaze remained fixed on Nadine, who also looked surprised by this unexpected encounter.

"Brian, let's go for a walk. It's Sunday, why stay home?" Gaby's annoyed voice brought Brian back to reality, and he followed her, leaving his thoughts behind.

"Let's go home, Gaby," Brian said, his mind still filled with the image of Nadine and the little boy.

"Come on, let's go home. Why are you getting lost in thought?" Gaby impatiently urged while pulling Brian's hand. Brian stared at Nadine with an unbelieving look, and Nadine gazed back at Brian with teary eyes. She wanted desperately to be honest about everything.

"Alright, let's go!" the little boy called, instantly breaking the eye contact between them.