CEO PLUS SIZE CRUSH

180 PARTY INVITATION

Back at Mrs. Cruz’s villa, Beauty and Jessie walked down the hallway toward their rooms. Beauty tried to stay calm, but her mind kept drifting back to Bruno.

He was not here with the rest of them, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Lots of questions came flooding into her head.

Where had he gone? Was he off with one of the models, having fun, getting drunk, and laughing while she caressed his body? Possibly making out.

Those models were as desperate as Kathy. Surprisingly, Kathy seemed to have given up on him; ever since that dinner talk, she had not been seen, not even once, throwing herself at Bruno.

If Kathy could move on, maybe she could forget about Bruno too.

Once inside their room, Beauty tossed her purse onto a nearby chair and sighed as she sank into the bed.

Jessie who had followed her to the room, plopped down beside her, stretching out with a contented sigh, then turned on her side to face Beauty.

"What a day!" she snapped.

Beauty drew a deep breath.

"Tell me about it."

"Can you imagine life without you? Thank goodness Bruno saved you...how did you not see the...pit or whatever?"

"I am as confused as you. All I did was take a step, and then that’s all I can remember. My voice did its own thing; it was horrifying," Beauty replied.

"Beauty, don’t be mad...but, you know, I think Bruno still cares about you. The way he jumped into that river without hesitation? He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t still feel something. Give him some time...okay?"

Beauty’s lips pressed into a thin line.

"Jessie, please, let’s not talk about Bruno." She looked away, hoping to end the conversation. "I’m grateful he saved me, I really am. But if he’s ready to move on, I’m not going to stop him."

Her voice was steady.

Jessie was surprised at how much control Beauty had at the moment—she was growing indeed—but she also noticed Beauty’s hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress, betraying her.

Jessie sighed.

"You’re just saying that because you don’t want to admit you still care. Admit it, Beauty, you’re hurt. And it’s okay to be hurt. There’s no perfect relationship out there; you have to make it work somehow."

Beauty shook her head and forced a small laugh.

"Jess, I don’t want to waste my time wondering about Bruno’s feelings, if he still loves me or not. He saved me, yes, but if he’s done, he’s done. I have to love myself and value myself, right? I can’t beg a man to love me...isn’t this what being secure is all about?"

She stood up and headed toward the bathroom, trying to avoid Jessie’s piercing gaze.

Jessie sighed again.

"To be sincere, Beauty, if I had someone who loved me the way Bruno loves you, I would beg him, I would take him back, I would fight. But I respect your choice."

Beauty closed the bathroom door. She closed her eyes with a deep breath, then opened them slowly.

"Take him back, fight? Why is Jessie talking like this? Why would I fight for love? Doesn’t that make me insecure?"

She turned the shower on to drown out her own racing thoughts.

Maybe it was better this way, she thought. Maybe Bruno was better off with someone else, someone without all this...complication.

Meanwhile, Jessie lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone. She wasn’t convinced by Beauty’s cool act about letting go; she knew her friend too well.

A few minutes later, her scrolling stopped, and she gasped, her eyes widening as she read a post.

"Puerto Rico! Don’t miss tonight’s advance birthday celebration for the billionaire heartthrob Mr. Bruno! Exclusive party, open to fans! Starts at 9 PM! Venue..."

Without hesitation, Jessie knocked on the bathroom door.

"Beauty!"

Beauty’s muffled voice came from inside. "Jessie, what now?"

"Bruno’s birthday party! Tonight! We completely forgot about it. You and I are going!"

Beauty groaned, the sound of the shower nearly drowning it out.

"Nope! That sounds like the worst idea ever. Besides, we’re not even invited."

"We are invited, Beauty. The whole team was invited. It’s left for you to decide whether to go or not. He saved your life; won’t you go and appreciate him with a birthday gift?"

"It’s a party in advance for his real birthday. I can go to the main party. This is just for Bruno and his fangirls."

"Well, I am a fangirl, and don’t lie, you are too, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t go!" Jessie leaned against the door, her voice full of excitement.

"No way, Jessie!" Beauty cut in.

"We don’t even have anything to wear! And it’ll be packed with his Puerto Rican fangirls, showing off the curves to get his attention and all that."

Jessie grinned.

"So what if his fans are there? You’re not worried, are you?" She smirked mischievously. "Or...maybe you’re jealous?"

"Jealous?" Beauty huffed, though she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Jessie, I am not jealous. I just think it’s ridiculous to go to that party. Besides, like I said, we don’t have anything to wear."

Jessie shrugged.

"I mean, he is your ex...it’s okay to get jealous, Bea."

Beauty opened the door, her wet hair wrapped in a towel. She stared at Jessie with a mixture of annoyance and exasperation.

"I know what you’re planning. You want us to make up, right? I really want to move on...I am serious."

Jessie shook her head, smirking.

"Fine, I won’t force you. You can move on and forget about him...good luck."

She walked back to her former position.

Beauty looked down, biting her lip. She hated the idea of going to the party, seeing him doing fan service, surrounded by fangirls who were most likely flirting with him. However, staying back, not knowing what was going on there, and overthinking about it will definitely feel like a brain torture.

"Fine. We’ll go to the party. But if this turns into a disaster, I’m blaming you."

"No...we’re not going anymore, so don’t worry about the blame," Jessie said, scrolling through her phone with a frown.

"We are going...don’t make me change my mind again," Beauty snapped back.

Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Admit it! You wanted to go in the first place."

"Fine, I admit it. So we’re going," Beauty replied, pouting.