Chapter 109 - 109: Invitation Card

At Falcon's Cafe...

Charles di not recover yet from the moment the delivery man gave Elle the bouquet of roses. He was staring intensely at Elle who was examining the flower. Phantom and Charles approached her. They saw her frowning.

"I have a weird feeling about this flower," Elle mumbled.

Phantom:"..."

Charles:"..."

Elle saw the card in the middle of the bouquet. She picked it up and read the content. When she saw the content Elle immediately frown.

'I knew it! It came from him.'

After reading it, she put the card back in the bouquet then she gave the flower to Charles.

The two men were puzzled. 

"Why are you giving me this? This is for you." Charles asked her curiously.

"I don't like flowers. You can throw it if you want." Elle simply said before she left and went to the counter.

Phantom just laughed at Elle's action. 

Charles felt relieved when Elle didn't like the flower. 'Haha, Poor Detective.. he thought Elle can be tamed by giving her flower. It was a mistake.' Charles was rejoicing when Phantom suddenly picked up the card and read it aloud.

"Elle, my savior! I want to invite you to my Birthday Party this coming Friday at 7:00 pm at RZ Imperial Hotel.  I hope you can come. I will be waiting for you there. James Arison."

Charles' eyes widened when he heard it."Master Phantom, what did you just say? This flower did not come from that detective, instead, it was James Arison who sent this?"

"Yup.. why? Did you smile foolishly a while ago thinking that Elle didn't like the flower given by the detective?" Phantom asked Charles with disbelief.

Charles nodded. Then a peal of laughter erupted inside the Cafe. Phantom laughed out loud because of Charles. He shook his head "You are not surprised that James Arison gave Elle a bouquet of flower but you were more surprised that the flower didn't come from Erick. You were just rejoicing a while ago and now, you look so disappointed. You don't really like the detective huh!"

"But I guess, there is another competitor. Good luck Pal!" Phantom patted Charles's shoulder before he went to follow Elle at the counter. Charles was left speechless on his spot while holding the rejected bouquet of red roses in his hands.

"Hey, Elle are you not attending the party?" Charles shouted as he asked her.

"No! I won't!" Elle replied immediately.

"Then what if Selena will ask you personally and she will invite you. What will you do?" Charles asked her again.

"I will just make some alibi! Either I get sick or we have overtime work here at the Cafe."

"Okay! Then I will now throw this bouquet along with the invitation card in it!"

"Just do it. I don't care."

Charles looked at the bouquet of flowers one last time before he threw it in the trash bin inside the Cafe. "Poor Flower! If you are just money or a weapon, I wonder if Elle will just throw you away. Tsk Tsk" he said to the flower.

_____________________________________________

Meanwhile, at a certain Studio, Chlarice was having a conversation with her co-artist.

"Sizy I heard you are dating James Arison, the Chairman of Arison's Holding and Mining Company." One of her friends wanted to confirm it from her.

"No comment." She said but she smiled sweetly at her.

"I guess, I am right just seeing your smile like that it means yes. Hmm, You are a lucky girl! How is he?" 

"Hmm. He is sweet and...yummy!" Chlarice giggled at the thought of James. But she frowned afterward when she remembered that it had been a week after they last have seen each other and James did not make any effort to meet her.

She missed him already. She also had on-going shows that's why she did not have time to visit him. She tried calling him but only his assistant answering his phone and he was always saying that James was busy. She thought he was avoiding her but she rejected that thought when she received an invitation card this morning from his assistant for his upcoming birthday party.

"By the way, Chlarice did you see the trending article regarding the detective you fancied before?" the girl asked her.

"What do you mean article? Are you referring to Chief Detective Inspector Erick Lee?"

"Yes, Sizy! Some time ago, he became trending. Some netizens took his photo while he was hugging a girl in the middle of the high way in City Z. Can you believe it? The famous detective already had a girlfriend!"

Chlarice frowned after hearing that. Erick Lee was someone she couldn't forget. She really liked him. She even lower her pride as a girl just to approach him and show him her motive that she likes him. But in the end, Erick did not return her feelings.

She first met him in a studio where Erick was invited for an interview in one tv program. Erick was the most famous young bachelor detective in the country. She got attracted to him when she first saw him. 

"May I see the article? Can you send it to me?" Chlarice was still curious about him.

"Sure." then the girl forwarded the links of the article to Chlarice. She opened it. She raised her brows as soon as she had seen it. She couldn't see the girl's face but it was clear that it was really Erick in the picture.

"Who is she? She just looks ordinary. What is great about her for Erick to like her? I can't believe it. I think this is fake news." Chlarice commented as she based it on Elle's simple clothing. She was looking down at Elle.

The girl chuckled "Why don't you ask him? He might attend the birthday party of James Arison. According to my source, Selena Arison invited the task force members who are handling their father's case. And Erick Lee is one of them."

"Really? Then I will get to see him at the party!" She said excitedly.

"Hey, Don't do anything there. Remember you are dating James Arison. Don't think of flirting with the detective." Her friend warned her.

"Relax friend. I will just test him to confirm if he has a girlfriend now. Besides, I have a new strategy. I am not that innocent like before. I want to try something, like seducing him. Let's see if how he will react." Chlarice giggled after saying that.

"Hmm What if he will bring her girlfriend to the party?"

"Then that is good. I will be able to see myself what is great about her. Hmm, I want to see her face and how she will react when she sees me and her boyfriend having a sweet moment." Chlarice laughed as she was confident that her evil plan will be successful.

After losing her first time to James Arison, she believed that she could use her nice figure to seduce Erick. She didn't try it before when she was trying to get his attention. Erick was a gentleman and a wholesome guy that's why she did not think about this kind of strategy before. Besides she thought before that a kind, reserve, conservative and very refine girl was his ideal girl.

"Then what will you do about James Arison?" her friend asked her with a concerned voice.

"Don't worry. There will be a lot of guests and he will be busy accommodating those guests. I will be fine." Chlarice assured her.

"Honestly Sizy, I feel uncomfortable about this plan . Can you just behave during the party and enjoy the company of your man, James? Just be contented with him and forget about the detective. Besides, James is also wealthy, a billionaire compared to that detective. He is also a very good looking man just like the detective. " Her friend suggested.

Chlarice rolled her eyes. "If you had just seen Erick in person I don't think you can still say that to me."

Her friend just sighed deeply "Alright! I won't stop you. Just be careful."

__________________________________________

In the evening, Elle was watching television in the living room when Erick arrived. Erick's parents already went back to their hometown yesterday. Erick's father was also occupied by something. She heard that he was investigating personally related to his friend's case but she didn't ask him further.  Now the two of them were left in the house.

Elle missed Erick's parents already especially his mom. She really got along well with Sarah. She acted like her real mother. She was thinking about her when her phone vibrated. It was Sarah who was calling her.

Sarah: "Hello Elle my dear."

Elle: "Yes mom?"

Sarah: "I can't contact Erick. Can you relay a message to him? Is he there?

Elle: He just arrived Mom. He is in his room. Wait I will call him.

Sarah: Please ask him, dear, if the green flash drive of his father is with him. Your father is becoming more forgetful because of aging.

Elle: Okay Mom. Got it. Wait for a moment then I will call you back.

Elle hung up the phone and she went to knock at Erick's room. He didn't answer so she just went inside. Erick was not in the bedroom so she went to his study but he was still not there. He was probably in the bathroom.

She went to the bathroom. The shower stopped. He might be done showering already.

"Erick are you there?" Elle asked him.

"Yes, I'm just wearing my clothes," he replied.

She stared at the closed door of the bathroom. She didn't know why but she suddenly became curious how Erick would look like without his upper clothes. She thought he really had a good body built. She already touched and explored his strong abdominal muscles before when she thought it was just a pillow. She blushed upon thinking about that embarrassing moment. She could also feel it every time she was hugging him.

'Hey, what are you thinking Elle?' she scolded herself.

"Your mom just called me a while ago. She wanted me to ask you if you have seen the green flash drive of your father. It seems important."

"Okay wait. By the way, you can check it inside my bag if it is there."

"Okay."

Then Elle went to check his bag. While searching the flash drive inside his bag, she saw a card. It looks familiar to her. It had the same design with the invitation card that James sent to her this morning.

She picked it up to confirm if it was the same invitation card. And it was confirmed. The invitation cards were the same.

Elle's frown as she mumbled to herself "So Erick was also invited to this Birthday Party. Maybe they also invited other members of the task force Eagles and Alpha. They will surely attend this party. "

Seconds later, Elle went out of his room and she dialed Charles number. It was answered by him right away.

Charles: "Hello Elle!"

Elle asked him directly "What did you do with the invitation card?"

Charles was a little bit confused when he heard her question "I throw it along with the bouquet of roses."

"Get it back right now!"Elle ordered him.

"What?" Charles couldn't believe what he just heard. 'Why is she calling me this time and telling me to get that invitation card.'

"I said get it back and give it to me tomorrow!"

"Why? I am already at my house now. You said you won't attend the party and besides, I already throw it at the trash bin what if the garbage collector already collected the garbage today. Just ask Selena for another invitation card." Charles suggested.

It would be embarrassing if she would ask Selena for another invitation card. Elle was now being impatient with Charles' stubbornness.

"I said get that f*cking invitation card right now or else you will experience the worst punishment I can give you!" Elle said with her cold stern voice. Now, this was the type of Elle that he was afraid of.

Charles was now in panic when he heard her warning."Okay, I am now on my way to the Cafe!"

Elle didn't reply. She already hung up the phone.

''Damn! What's wrong with her? Just this morning she said she won't attend that party no matter what but now she called me at this hour, ordering me around just to retrieve the invitation card which I already threw away." Charles mumbled to himself as he wondered why Elle changed her mind.

"I just wish that the garbage collector didn't work today or else I will be forced to steal a f*cking invitation card just to save myself from the worst punishment of Elle."