Chapter 351 - Stand up for yourself

~Salina~

When Jeff saw two Isabella's bodyguards in front of the hotel suite, he was happy. Not because of the bodyguards, but because he knew that girls came back from shopping. Jeff didn't miss that one of the bodyguards is very anxious, and that got Jeff worried.

"Is something wrong?" Jeff asked the bodyguard who was frozen, not sure how to respond.

He followed Isabella for years and knows that Isabella gets a thrill out of a thought that she can conquer a heart which belonged to a man previously. She is not embarrassed to make the first move, even if the other side is taken. Every time Isabella is alone with another female, he would become anxious, wondering how much of a mess she will cause this time. And now Isabella is with JoAnna inside, and JoAnna's fiancé is back. How should he respond to this when he does not know what is the situation inside?

Jeff was not sure what is going on, but he realized that the bodyguard is hiding something. For some unknown reason, he was worried if JoAnna is OK. Without waiting for the bodyguard to respond, Jeff got inside the suite. As he entered the hallway, he stopped in his tracks when he heard voices from the living room.

[JoAnna]: "I'm sorry, Isi... but this is not how things work."

[Isabella]: "How will you know if you don't try?"

[JoAnna]: "Some things I don't need to try... I know that my heart belongs to Jeff. No matter if you are a male or a female..."

[Isabella]: "I just wanted to see..."

[JoAnna]: "You wanted more than just that. I'm not that naive."

[Isabella]: "It seems I can't win you over, can I?"

[JoAnna]: "You are very sweet... but I am taken."

Jeff was confused. 'Why does this sound like a breakup? Or is it a rejection?' As crazy thoughts started appearing in his mind, he decided to walk in. He found JoAnna and Isabella sitting on the sofa.

"Jeff!" JoAnna exclaimed and went to embrace him. "How was the meeting?"

Jeff looked at Isabella and saw that she is uncomfortable, maybe even embarrassed. He frowned and focused on JoAnna who seemed to be fine, smiling brightly at him. He still wanted to confirm, "Is everything OK?"

JoAnna nodded and looked at Isabella, "Yes, everything is fine."

Isabella looked at JoAnna gratefully, "I need to go now." She stood up.

"Don't you want to hear how the meeting went?", JoAnna asked.

"Oh, yes... Meeting." Isabella stopped, obviously waiting to hear about the meeting, but she didn't dare look at Jeff.

Jeff noticed that Isabella is hiding something, but he decided to ignore her and faced JoAnna. He has good news to share, and since JoAnna is fine, he does not care much about anything else. "It went good. At first Lambert was resisting the idea, but I think I converted him."

JoAnna awkwardly smiled, 'Converted? Interesting choice of words...' She didn't dare say that at loud in front of Jeff when Isabella is there. Who knows what he would do?

Jeff held JoAnna's hands, excitement was oozing out of him. "What is certain is that there is no more agreement between Lambert and Oscar related to me and Isabella. That was the only obstacle for you to marry me. Right?... It's gone."

JoAnna showed a huge smile and hugged Jeff. "You have no idea how much this makes me happy."

Isabella cleared her throat, "If there is nothing else, I'm leaving."

Jeff glanced at Isabella, "Your father needs to hear from you that you will commit to the task. If you don't convince him, he will find you another suitable candidate. Sophia is coming here tomorrow, and we can help you out, but that is only if you are willing to work on this. Don't make us waste our time... make sure to focus on what is important." Jeff ended with a warning.

Isabella nodded in understanding and headed outside.

"Isi, wait!" JoAnna called. "Let me walk you out." JoAnna left Jeff behind and took Isabella's hand in hers while walking out.

When the door opened, bodyguard that sweated froze, staring at two of them. He was trying to understand if his mistress did something to JoAnna or not. When he confirmed that Jeff didn't explode and that Isabella and JoAnna are on good terms, he sighed in relief.

"I hope you decide to fight this and stand up for yourself." JoAnna hugged Isabella. "Jeff and Sophia are great, and they can teach you everything you need to be successful. Don't give up. I'm not very useful related to running a business, but I can always lend you an ear and be a good friend."

"Thank you." Isabella hugged JoAnna and held her tightly for few seconds before letting go. "Thank you...", She repeated before turning toward the elevator and leaving with two bodyguards.

JoAnna got back into the suite and faced Jeff's inquisitive gaze. "Yes?"

"I need to know what exactly happened." Jeff had a pretty good idea, from the part of conversation her overheard. However, he wanted to know what happened before he came back.

JoAnna knows that Jeff is very observant, he didn't miss Isabella's strange behavior. And she does not want to lie to him... they agreed that there will be no lies between them. "Are you sure you can take it?"

Jeff steeled himself. "Try me."

JoAnna was thinking how to tell him that Isabella wanted to kiss her, and probably more than that. "Let's say that I was never this openly pursued by a female."

"I see..." Jeff sat on the sofa. He guessed that something like this happened. He pulled JoAnna in his lap an embraced her tightly.

"Oh? I was expecting a more energetic response." JoAnna was surprised to see Jeff in such a sorry state.

Jeff sighed, "Like?"

"When someone showed interest in me so far, you would go all caveman-style wanting to bash people. And now you seem... dispirited." JoAnna observed changes in his expression. Somehow, he looked... sad.

Jeff took a deep breath, inhaling scent of her shampoo. "When a man dares to look at you, I see him as a competition. The only thing on my mind is to make him give up by showing him that I'm better than he is, and that he is not worthy of you..." His voice trailed off and they were surrounded in few long seconds of silence. "But if the one pursuing you is a woman, I don't know how to react. It's a different category all together. If you get attracted to her, how do I compete with that?"

JoAnna leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for explaining."

"Thank you for telling me about it.", his voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

JoAnna never saw him this defeated. It made her heart ache. "Jeff?"

"Yes?"

"You know that will never happen, right?"

He sighed and took a deep breath. Thought that he might lose her flashed through his mind, and he was not able to get a hold of himself.

Seeing that he is not responding, JoAnna lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "Don't worry about things that will never happen." JoAnna caressed his cheeks and admired his perfect face for some time before continuing, "There is no man or woman who can attract me. My heart belongs to you. I don't want anyone else." She kissed him on the lips. "Cheer up. You officially removed the agreement out of the way, we should celebrate."

"Yes, we should." Jeff acknowledged. "But first... can we stay like this a bit longer?"

"Absolutely." JoAnna rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

They held each other for a long time, without a word.