XVI - Untrust

"The relatives refused to have a word, as they insisted on taking a hiatus after such chaos simply brought by a boasting college student." The man reports continuously, Denise taking notice of their speech, Naria's drastic changes and the unanswered mysteries finally makes a connection.

Glancing at the celebrity, her unfazed and full focus on the screen, "It must be hard," She says so pitifully "If you're comfortable, may I know what really happened? it's okay you don't have to tell me everything though."

"There is no use of being secretive, besides it's on the media now and everybody knows." The celebrity expresses it so laid back and simple. Yet her rage fires up within her fist when she crushed the cigarette to ashes. Flicking every bit of her fingers to shake off the dust.

Denise just helplessly watches the tension boiled over again, the celebrity across would fix her seat, her coat is removed to cool her flaming temper, sat with legs crossed, ankle over knee, and hovering the entire thing on front of her like a wrathing shadow. "There's something about us we struggle over that people don't understand, it's called Competition." Naria explains "Though of course, nothing still beats the poverty itself, and that shall never be overlooked."

"It's not always an easy task to gain of wealth. Nothing must be depended on, anyone and anything can be your enemy." Her aunt comes up first on her mind, she'd clench her fist holding back in the grudge, "Even your family." she whispers, which unfortunately not easily heard of the last part.

She sits still with her domineering stance, a contrast to her softened eyes glaring at her earrings wrapped neatly with tissue, "As you can see, my lola sacrificed a lot and gave me her position. I know I promised to work for my family, but everything just happened so quickly, then all of a sudden, a mere stranger came announced knowing more about her than me."

The girl frowns, tightening her grip onto her phone cringing to remember it back again the incident, worsening the feeling when she received Isaac's message from an hour ago "I'm really sorry, she went too far."

"Oh, she did, and I'm thankful for it."

"Thankful? Why?"

"Without her, how long would've I be this clueless? But for her insensitive actions, it comes with a price."

She fidgets, as she constantly looking back at her phone, irresponsive to Isaac's last message saying, "Don't waste your time on the wrong girl." With a stolen picture of Cheska and her friends back together with wide smiles on their faces.

Disagreeing with Isaac's advice, she turns her phone off and focused back on her conversation with the celebrity "No one's going to hurt her, right?"

"Excluding a possible case of cyberbullying now that she's everywhere on the internet, maybe." Calmly giving a dry reply, however noticing Denise's persistent heeding of her colleague, she raised her head up and pondered "Are you really sure you can help me?"

"Of course, anything!" She replies enthusiastically, with her smile forced, trying to ignore Naria's plausible theory of Cheska's safety.

Alas, she wouldn't be able to avoid it as when Naria says this; "And if it means throwing your colleague to jail once her true intentions were revealed, would you still do it?" It was unlooked for, Denise couldn't stop blinking in utter shock "Oh I-I'm sorry, I know you'd do everything to protect your family's privacy, but I believe Cheska would never do anything wrong."

"You even said you were thankful of her; it was an unfortunate yet ignorant mistake, I'm sure she just wasn't aware-"

"So did you. You weren't aware of it too."

She quickly makes herself appear smaller, gesturing persuasively to take things slow with an apologetic tone, "Look, I know her better than everyone else, not even her new friends would understand, please give her a chance just this once."

How soundless Naria went, she goes still trying to reconsider. "Denise." She calls, "Care to tell me again what you're studying for?" Befuddling the girl, she wasn't able to answer Naria's question. "You wanted to be an attorney, right? Are you sure you're truly aware of what lawyers do?"

"If you really want to help, then so help me get her out of my sight. When I figured that childish colleague of yours had a plan to wreck our reputation, you must do everything as I tell you to. You want to be on my side? Defend me, not her."

"I-i understand where you're coming from," The desperation in Naria to save their business is in fact heard loud and proud, Denise understood that, but she denies her one-sided statement, as she tries to change the celebrity's mind once more "I swear I would really love to help you, ma'am, I promise that but not in this case. I know who she is, and I have proof-"

"Show me then, do it now!" Her palm slams onto the table, the objects bounced and tumbled down onto the ground, startling the other customers nearby and making Denise jump. She shrinks regretting the moment she takes the wrong and definitely scary turn.

"Didn't you mention before you two aren't friends anymore? I'm guessing you probably have never talked to her since, no, she didn't want to, maybe she even tried distancing away from you." Seeing Denise went completely blank, convinced that all what she assumed was true, Naria impatiently retrieves one of her earrings from the wrapped tissue and puts it on afterwards, "This was a waste of time."

Then wearing the coat back on as she left their table, on her way to look out a taxi ride, but Denise quickly chased before the celebrity would set foot out to the road "Wait, please don't leave yet!"

Naria shakes her head to see Denise's short attempt blocking her way, "I'm grateful to meet a genuine fan, I really do, but our business has been suffering enough and I don't have no time for nonsense. Believe me I tried protecting your colleague as well."

"You did?" She paused, taking steps back now that an available taxi came up the side, responding to Naria's signal.

Before she enters as she opened the door cab, Naria scoffed "You have no idea what they're capable of, don't you? I think you really need to reassess your bias but what should I expect, you're only a stranger to me."