I didn't bother to look as Mark and his girl left the restaurant. I will never understand people like him. How can you get together with someone and dump them after one week without feeling bad? How does one even have the heart to have a fling with someone?

I looked up at Jace and saw him let out a breath. He was blushing. I retracted my hand immediately. What did I do that for? "So, he's gone," I muttered.

"Thanks," he said with a slight smile. "You didn't have to say I was your boyfriend. What he said was true. We aren't dating anymore. As much as I don't want to admit he's right, I don't want to tell lies."

"Some lies are meant to be told," I replied with a smirk.

"Naughty Belle," he chuckled.

I chuckled. Just then, our food arrived. I thanked the waiter and he left. Needless to say, the food was good. Why else would we eat here?

I thought back to the first time I came to La Masseria. It was my very first date with Jace as his girlfriend. It was the day I told him what my father did to my mother. It was the day I first told him about my concerns about our relationship.

He told me that there was nothing to worry about. He told me about his life with famous parents. He bore his heart to me like how I did to him. He followed me back on Instagram, something I wished he would do since I started liking him.

And I unfollowed and blocked him on Instagram without a second thought when he left me so suddenly five years ago.

"How's life with your parents now?" I asked.

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, um, it's still the same as ever. Dad wants to train me to lead the company in future, though. I don't think I'm ready for that at the moment. I want to keep my personal life in order first."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I don't know how not to make it sound corny but I can't stop thinking about you. I feel bad about what I did and I want to make things right. Until I do that, I don't think I'm emotionally ready to take up such a big responsibility," he replied.

I nodded. He was thinking about me. He's willing to give up his birthright for me. No, stop thinking like that, Belinda! He will have to get the company sooner or later. He's the sole heir to his family's company. He has nothing to lose! My conscience was in a constant battle with my heart. What should I listen to?

"I'm sorry. Did I make things awkward again?" he asked.

"No, it's okay," I replied, shaking my head. "So... how's Mrs Leighton? Does she miss me? I haven't seen her in ages except on TV, of course. She dyed her hair brown, right? She looks good. She can pull off any hair colour. What an idol!"

"Yeah, she did," he chuckled. "She kind of misses you. She ghosted me for one month for hurting your feelings. She was like, 'How am I supposed to explain to her dead mother that my son broke her heart?' It was... scary."

I giggled. Mrs Leighton is a famous actress by the name of Avery Hudson, her maiden name. She's my mother's close friend when she was alive. When I was a child, she used to take me to have tea with Mrs Leighton because she couldn't possibly leave me at home alone.

I didn't even know I met Avery Hudson, a Hollywood star and my idol, so frequently when I was a kid. I met her again when I had dinner at Jace's house five years ago. It was amazing. Yvette was so jealous that I got a selfie with her.

"I think it'll be nice if you can come over for dinner again," he suggested.

"No... It doesn't feel right. I'm not your girlfriend. It's weird if I'm coming over to your house to have dinner with your family," I replied, pushing a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"It's okay! I'm sure Mum wouldn't mind. At least do it for her," he pleaded.

I thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll come over for dinner someday."

"How about today? Mum's free. She can cook. Do you miss her pasta?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," I chuckled.

"Great! I'll text her at this instant," he said and whipped out his phone. "Okay, done. Thanks for agreeing to this. Mum will be so happy to see that you're doing fine. She's been worried for you. Your aunt isn't telling her anything which I assume is your doing."

I nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I told her not to talk about me. I didn't want your mother to convey whatever my aunt told her to you. I didn't want you to know anything about me. It's childish, now that I think about it."

"It's okay. I understand. I will probably do the same if I were you," he said.

"That's... good to hear," I muttered.

"Then, how are things with your parents?" he asked.

My smile dissipated immediately and I reclined my hands. "Same as ever," I replied. "It's been nine years since I moved away and I'm still counting. And they're not my parents. My father doesn't act like one and my stepmother is not considered my parent."

He nodded slowly. "So it's as bad as ever."

"Yep," I replied. Awkward. "It doesn't matter. They lead their life and I lead mine. Our paths don't cross and it's perfect. I haven't heard from them lately. They haven't called me. I guess they finally understood what 'don't try to contact me' means."

"Belle," he sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry," I uttered. The image of my half-siblings flashed across my mind. "Nicole should be twelve and Nigel should be eleven now. Last I saw them, they were babies. I doubt they even know of my existence, not that it matters."

He placed his hand over mine. "You can't be sure of that."

I shrugged. "Anyway, how was college?"

"It's fine," he replied. "It's such a pity we couldn't go to college together. It'll be nice if we had a photo of us at our graduation. I know it's my fault. You don't have to tell me. I know I tossed that opportunity aside. As you can guess, I studied business at Stern. You?"

"I'm glad you know," I chuckled. I studied at NYU as well. It was a twenty-minute drive from my house. What can I say? It was the nearest reputable university to my house. Besides, we weren't taking the same course. "I studied drama at Tisch."

"Oh, I'm surprised I never saw you," he muttered.

"That's because I avoided you," I replied. "I didn't hang out at Greenwich Village. I drove home immediately after class and I especially avoided the area you live in."

He nodded slowly. "Fair enough," he murmured. "So, drama, huh? Do you want to become an actress or something? Like my mother?"

I blushed. "Yes, your mother inspired me to become an actress which explains why I chose to study drama in college. I know acting is not easy but it'll be cool if we can act in the same movie one day. I need her comments on my performance."

He smirked. "I'd like to see you on Broadway one day. Mum and I will be watching you."

"Ooh, having Avery Hudson watch me perform on Broadway is such an honour! I will definitely work on appearing there," I replied with a wink.

"I wish you all the best," he said.

"Thank you," I replied, grinning from ear to ear.

We paid for our meal separately and left the restaurant. I will pay for the expensive dishes while you pay for the drinks and sides, his words from five years ago rang in my mind. I shook that thought off. We will never return to that state again.

I got into my car and drove back to Manhattan. Just then, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID: Jace. It was GameSetMatch's call function. There goes my mobile data. I put it on speaker. "Turn to your left," he said. I turned to look. He smiled at me and waved.

"Focus on driving. You don't want to get into a car accident and ruin that pretty face of yours. You're being a safety hazard to both drivers and pedestrians, including me," I replied, looking straight ahead.

"I'm glad you find me pretty. I'm enjoying your concern," he said.

I rolled my eyes and hung up. I stepped on the accelerator and sped past him. I looked at his car from the rear-view mirror and smirked. Catch me if you can.

***

A/N:

Mrs Leighton! Isn't she lovely? Do you have a mother who somehow seems to prefer other kids? Jace relates.

Isn't racing fun (and dangerous but that's not the point)? I won't know cuz I can't drive but at least I can run...

Belinda want to follow her idol's footsteps and she also happens to be her potential future mother-in-law~~ oh, this is so wholesome!

Keep reading for more! :)