Chapter 20 The Past

Rena pounded on the table once more to emphasize her point, causing Spencer to wince.

"It wouldn't be clear if I didn't get into the details," he muttered under his breath. "Alina was indifferent with Mr. Miguel for a very long time," he continued. "She accepted his love, but did not reciprocate it. She didn't express her true feelings to him. But he was very persistent. We all thought he was crazy. Why go through such lengths to pursue a woman who won't give him the light of day? But Alina had that effect on men. When Mr. Miguel first saw her, he was instantly captivated by her charms; it was like love at first sight. Although Alina had many shortcomings, he still thought she was worth the wait." Spencer paused, looking for the right words to say. "Basically, he did a lot of things to show his loyalty to her. I still don't know why he thinks Alina is the best girl in the world-- is it just because she's beautiful?"

He frowned. Raising his head, he found the two women staring at him. Rena was glaring, but Leena's eyes were filled with a certain sullenness.

It seemed this was all incredibly difficult for Leena to hear. She reflected on what Spencer said, which made her heart sink even deeper. She suddenly wondered if she had meant anything at all to Miguel. If he loved Alina that much, why did he even ask her out?

Spencer looked at Leena remorsefully. However, he wasn't done talking. "Somewhere along the line, something happened, which made Alina finally notice Miguel's efforts... We all know that Alina came from a poor family. Her father died when she was very young, and her mother made a living selling vegetables. She lived a hard life. One day, her mother collapsed. Heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital to receive treatment. But it wasn't enough, Alina's mom needed to undergo an expensive operation. Alina might've had many rich suitors at the time, but none of them offered to help her-- except for Mr. Miguel. He lent her the money she needed. He took Alina's mother to the best hospital in A city to get treated by the best doctors. He even watched over her mother personally, every day. That was probably why Alina had a change of heart. Mr. Miguel was the only man who treated her right."

Despite not looking up, Spencer could feel Rena glaring at him murderously. He quietly picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip before continuing. "They dated for a few years, until their graduation in college. They wanted to get married, but Mr. Miguel's parents had already arranged for him to go abroad. Moreover, his parents were against their union. They thought Alina's family background wasn't worthy of their son. Of course, it's only natural for a family like that to want their son to marry into another rich family. After all, his brother's wife is of noble descent. As a result, Mr. Miguel's parents kept trying to interfere in their relationship. This led to one misunderstanding after another, until finally, Mr. Miguel and Alina broke up."

"But he still didn't give up her?" Rena frowned.

"Alina plays with men's hearts. Many pursued her, even when she was in a relationship with Mr. Miguel. One day, Alina grew fed up with the fact that Mr. Miguel wouldn't marry her... so she caved in, and cheated on him. Mr. Miguel found that she often went out with Dylan Chen, the boss of the Empire Group. Later, he cornered and questioned her. She broke up with Mr. Miguel and chose Dylan. Then, she just disappeared from our life. Unfortunately... Dylan Chen has a wife." Spencer's voice trailed off. He nervously glanced around, afraid that he'd spoken too much. Shaking his head, he went on, "But Alina d

idn't mind. Dylan Chen is a ruthless man. He is not afraid to do anything. He'd pursue anything he wants, no matter the consequence. He is good at spoiling women, so yeah, it's not surprising he won Alina's heart. Rumor has it they dated for a pretty long time, but after a while, Alina wanted him for herself. Dylan, on the other hand, was no fool. His wife is the daughter of the former boss of the Empire Group, and has a great influence in it. But what about Alina? She is nothing compared to his wife! She did not come from a wealthy family. It is only fitting for her to be his mistress."

Spencer paused again, adding a bit of sugar to his coffee. Stirring it slowly, he continued. "I have no idea when Alina finally realized she had no future with Dylan Chen, but obviously, she decided to come back to one of her past lovers. And Mr. Miguel is the best one among them. As you can see, she is pestering Mr. Miguel again."

Rena sneered unhappily. "It seems that she's so attractive that men would jump at the chance to get her attention! Even Miguel and my Jimmy... Jimmy, who has no power nor influence, still tried his luck and pursued a woman as sought after as Alina. Unbelievable!" Rena was at a loss. She didn't know who to blame. Was she supposed to hate Alina, Jimmy, or herself? 'Do I really hate Alina?' she pondered silently.

'Or was it my fault for falling for such a wretched man? I hate myself!' She clicked her tongue in frustration. The aura emanating from her was so foreboding, it sent a shiver down Spencer's spine. 'Leena's best friend is the devil,' he thought. At the thought of Leena, he turned to look at her.

But Leena was utterly silent, her eyes staring blankly at the table. She looked so hurt, so vulnerable... Spencer couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Miss Yang, you don't have to be sad over this. Mr. Miguel sometimes has these lapses in judgment. But I think it'd be better for you to let it go. Yes, you and Mr. Miguel grew up together, but you can't compare yourself with Alina. His heart was already hers before you came into his life."

"Don't try to comfort someone by telling them to give up," Rena scolded. It seemed she was so angry about Leena's situation that she'd forgotten about her own kerfuffle with Alina.

"Fine, I'll just shut up then," Spencer snapped.

"You are Spencer Lu, right? Go back and tell Miguel and Jimmy to never cross paths with me. I will beat them to a pulp if they do. They're dead meat!" Rena shouted in a fit of rage.

"Wait, who is Jimmy?" asked Spencer, bearing a confused expression.

"Why bother asking? Just tell Miguel then!" Rena cursed vehemently.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Spencer muttered, losing his patience. "You keep on picking on me, I didn't even do anything to you!"

Leena stood up before Rena had the chance to retort. "Thank you, Spencer. For telling me everything. I have to head home now."

Rena got on her feet too and followed her friend out of the cafe. "How about I drive you home?" Spencer offered. "Today... After all, I am Miguel's friend." He sighed, fumbling for the words to say.

"How about I beat you up instead?" Rena threatened him arrogantly.

"Hey, stop that." Leena calmed her friend down. "Spencer is a good man." Then, turning to face him, she said graciously, "Thanks for the offer, but there's no need. We can get back by ourselves. Good-bye, Spencer. We might not see much of each other in the future..."

After bidding her farewell, she took Rena's hand and left. After she split with Miguel, she would quit his life. So, she wouldn't see Spencer for a while, unless he came to the Heaven Hotel.