Loving Madeline

347  I Am In Love

Charlotte's POV

"You like Jack, right?" Cecily asked, and I slowly nodded my head as I blushed. I still feel shy even if I don't need to pretend how I feel in front of her anymore.

"Are you sure you don't like Jack, Cecily?" I asked back, and she beamed at me as she shook her head.

"Even if I have feelings for him, it still is useless. Jack only has eyes for you, Charlotte." She answered, and I blushed even more.

"You looked great together, and you deserve each other," my best friend added.

"I don't know, Cel, it seemed wrong and unethical. He is working for me, and it would not look good," I answered.

"Come on, you are business partners; for me, no one would give a damn." She stated, and I couldn't stop smiling at her.

I walked back to my room feeling happy, but my face fell when I remembered what I had done to him a while ago. I lost control of myself again because I was jealous of our guests interested in Jack.

I tiptoed as I passed his room, and I hastily opened my bedroom and got inside, feeling nervous. I quickly showered and changed into my night dress.

"I should apologize to Jack tomorrow. I can't dare to face him now after what I said to him a while ago," I mumbled to myself as I collapsed in my bed.

I should zip my mouth every time I am near him to avoid further damage to our future relationship. Yes, I felt like a high school girl who was dreaming of having her first love. It was late for me, but I don't have any regrets, and I am sure of how I feel.

It dawned on me I was in love with Jack Morigan, and I couldn't wait to be his girlfriend. I fell asleep with a smile on my face

I woke up earlier than my usual time to have my morning run. I need to be in shape if I want to win, Jack. It is inevitable that he will meet beautiful women every now and then, and I wanted him to see me as his only woman.

I was looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror and couldn't believe I felt conscious that Jack would see me in my attire. I wore brandless tights and a black racerback, and I suddenly wished I was in the Divenson mansion where I have my pricey clothing.

The manor was quiet, and I felt glad I hadn't seen any guests. They must be in their rooms sleeping since I knew they had fun last night and went to bed late. If Cecily didn't tell me about Jack's feelings for me, I am sure I am still angry with him.

I could feel the early breeze that tickled my skin as I started to run. I was listening to my favorite playlist with my earpods, and I was singing with the artist. I couldn't believe I felt so alive and happy for the first time after my father and Parker died.

If I could only turn back time, I would do things differently, but it was too late now. One day, I would go to my mother and ask her forgiveness. I want to make her to be proud of me when we meet again.

I am happy that for the next couple of days, we are fully booked, and we got a lot of bookings online that we couldn't accommodate. We just got our first batch of guests after my brother. But after I put Jack's name on our website as our chef, prospective guests flooded our web page and official email with messages.

I am grateful for the response of the people of my new business, but I was worried that Jack might find someone else. It would be hard on my part. I can't take it if he falls in love with one of our guests.

My feet suddenly felt heavy as I set aside my worries and continued to run around the property. I was sweating and panting when I suddenly wanted to scream when I saw Jack on the fields running with one of our guests.

It felt like someone had punched me in my gut as I watched them from a distance with jealousy written all over my face.

"Get a grip of yourself, Charlotte," I mumbled to myself, and I tried to take another way, but I was facing a dead end, and I didn't have a choice but to go back and face them.

I must face them with professionalism, but I will really talk with Jack later. It was unprofessional for him to have a run with one of our guests, and I knew this woman only wanted to get into his pants.

"Good morning to you both! I am glad I am not the only one who is health conscious." I greeted them with a smile on my face, but I avoided Jack's eyes the whole time as I turned my attention to his company, the woman named Jen. Among them, she was the one who was more interested in making Jack her boyfriend.

I couldn't get their conversations out of my mind last night; it took me a long time to fall asleep, and until now, her words echoed in my head. I knew she found Jack hot and handsome, and even if I warned her he got a girlfriend,  it didn't stop her and her friends from formulating a plan on how to seduce Jack.

"Good morning, Miss Charlotte. I hate to jog or to do any exercises, but I learned from one of the staff that Jack always has his run in the morning," Jen replied, batting her eyelashes.

"I want to know him more; that is why I only have two hours of sleep since I woke up early to catch up with him." She added with a smile, showcasing her perfect white teeth while I was clenching my teeth and trying my best to look okay.

"Oh, that is wonderful. Our chef is good at influencing people, and I am glad he is kind enough to jog with you," I said, smiling at her.

Jack remained silent, but I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was staring at me the whole time I was talking with Jen.

"See you around, and I hope you enjoy your stay," I said.

"Of course, I am having one of the best days of my life; after I learned he was here in Barcelonia, I didn't think twice about begging my father to allow me to come here using our private jet." Jen declared, and I could tell she was telling us she came from a wealthy family to impress Jack.

"Oh, that is great! You must be close with your father." I replied.

"Of course, I am his only child, and he always has me what I want. What Jen wants Jen gets, that's how my friends would describe me." She answered, and I shyly smiled at her.

"I am enjoying my time as of the moment since I am going to replace him when he steps down from his position. I am the only heir of my father's company, and he was always worried about me. I am sorry if my bodyguards are all over the place." She added.

Her father's secretary booked her accommodation together with her friends, including her bodyguards, who were staying on the opposite wing.

Her bodyguards tried to be invisible, but I could feel their presence when Jen and her friends arrived.

"It was okay; your father pays for their accommodation and food; it is good for our business," I said.

"I planned to extend our stay for one more week. Would it be possible?" She asked, and I quickly shook my head.

"I am sorry, Miss Jen, but we are fully booked, and as much as I want to accommodate you and your friends, I can't do that since our rooms are limited," I replied.

"You've got extra rooms; why don't you use them?" She asked.

"We needed to renovate those rooms." I insisted.

"I am sorry, but I can't," I replied.

They can extend, but I don't want her to flirt with Jack for the whole duration of her stay, and I will end up miserable.

"Charlotte, I think we can still accommodate them," Jack interjected our conversation, and I couldn't believe he wanted her to extend her stay.

"Jack, I wish to speak with you later, Miss Jen. I will notify you if we can accommodate your extension, but as of the moment, I can't confirm yet," I said, and it was hard for me to control my anger because of what Jack had said.

I used to flare up quickly, but now that I am running a business, I should learn to control my anger.

"If you will excuse me, I needed to get back in the house," I said and turned my heels before any of them could reply.

I walked straight to the main door, and Cecily's forehead furrowed when she saw me. I greeted her but didn't stop to talk with her as I made my way to my room.

I was so happy when I woke up this morning, and I couldn't believe Jack would ruin my morning again. I guess Cecily was wrong; we are the exact opposite. We couldn't agree on the same thing, and I hated him for flirting with another woman.

The day passed in a blur, and I was glad I was able to avoid Jack for the rest of the day by staying in my office the whole time. I asked one of the staff to deliver my food, and I ate in my office.

It was already late when I returned to my room. I took a hot shower and got ready to sleep when I heard knocking on my door, and my heart hammered when I found Jack on my door looking as hot as ever.

"Charlotte, we need to talk," he said.

"Jack, it is nighttime already; we can talk about business tomorrow," I replied as I tried to close the door in his face, but he was strong and held the door frame.

"I wished to talk with you about us, not about work," he responded, and my heart raced.

"I don't think there is something we should talk about after I saw you with Jen. You even helped her by convincing me to let her extend her stay," I said.

"You should leave now, Jack. I am…" My words died on my lips when Jack captured my mouth. My entire body felt so weak as my anger evaporated in the air as I felt his mouth continued to devour my lips.