The Bachelor - David Dower (freenovel24 .txt) 📗

it quite hard to believe that you’re in this show among all these women…” he said, his voice straight and serious.

Julianne swallowed all over again. Damn, what the hell was wrong with her tongue? “Well, a slight problem occurred and led me here,” she stated, not really ready to offer more explanation.

“Julianne, I’m going to be honest with you.”

She nodded when his eyes locked with hers. God, it felt like she was looking at Zach’s eyes—the older version.

“I know my son,” he started in a low voice. “He acts too impulsively—this,” he motioned with his hand, “this show is a perfect example of that. He does whatever his mind dictates him. But I want to tell you, as his father, that whatever this is between you two, might not be as what he wants to believe.” He looked at her for a long moment before he sipped his water.

Julianne’s heart was racing now. Why did she feel like crying? Why?

“Zach, sadly, is still a child inside. He’s been pampered too long for his own good that he thinks everything is easy to get. I’m not saying you should not believe him. I want to believe what he really feels right now is real myself and I would not even contradict for having you as a daughter-in-law,” Julianne blushed at that last words, “but I’ve seen quite enough in the past to think otherwise. I’ve seen how you looked at him during dinner, Julianne, and I think it will be good for you if you keep your guard up. I love my son. I do. But he’s been a pain in the ass since he knew how to kiss a girl and I don’t want another scandal coming from this show.”

Julianne was near to tears. Mr. Astor hit the right spots. Those were the very same things that had been holding her back since the very beginning and now that she heard it from another person—his father, in fact, of all people—she now strongly had to force herself not to get too involved.

Slowly, she nodded and smiled. “I know. I understand, Mr. Astor. I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t worry, I’ll be leaving here soon. I will make sure that Zach understands that what he thinks he’s feeling is nothing but a weird infatuation.”

Mr. Astor looked at her for moment. He appeared like he wanted to say something else, but he held his tongue. He stepped back and smiled. “Thank you for your understanding.” And then, he was gone, back out into the living room.

Julianne suddenly felt weak. She needed to breathe.

How could she have been stupid? She was right all along. Tonight, she was beginning to believe that Zach and she could actually be possible. But Mr. Astor himself approached her. His father, his own flesh and blood, the person who knew him best, talked to her and told her his doubts that reflected hers from the moment she heard Zachary say those three words.

And now, realizing that she might have been probably right all along, that Zach was just having a childish fantasy of true love, she felt crushed. Hurt. So much hurt her tears welled up.

For heaven’s sake, she couldn’t admit she was in love with him now. She couldn’t let things get complicated.

But what if Zach’s right? What if he’s really telling the truth and he really is in love with you? That hopeful part of her asked.

Time will tell, she told herself, composing her features. When she left, and if all of this stupid show would be over and he would still want to be with her, she’d think about it. But for now, they were in a confined space in front of the cameras, with all the ladies and everything. Here, they had the thrill of hiding what they had been sharing from all the ladies. Here, they were living a fantasy.

Love in front of cameras would never be the same once out in the real world. So, yes, she would give it time. And she had to be on guard.

 *****

Zach saw his father coming out of the kitchen and he started to move but Brent suddenly appeared in front of him with a grin. “Time for a Rose Ceremony.”

“What?” he asked incredulously.

“We had enough shoot for next week,” Brent shrugged. “I don’t know, but I was ordered for a Rose Ceremony,” the host turned around and saw his parents. “Your folks are here?”

Zach nodded.

Brent beamed. “All the more exciting,” and then he turned around, walking toward his father. “Mr. Astor, sir, good evening. I’m Brent—”

“I know who you are,” his father snapped.

His face flushed, Brent turned away and walked towards the ladies. He cleared his throat.

“Oh, oh…Brent, this is a really bad timing…” Chloe uttered.

“Oh, oh…it’s my job,” Brent almost snapped. He was probably still not over the fact that Zach’s father snapped at him. “So, how are you all enjoying this little visit you got?”

“Great...” Pauline beamed. Zach groaned at the remembrance that he couldn’t send the lady home yet. His eyes looked for Julianne. She was standing at the kitchen doorway, her eyes at Brent. What had she and his father talked about?

“Zach, if you will please step right here?” Brent called his attention.

“Yes,” he answered and walked beside the host. A crewman wheeled the roses in and Zach counted them. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, Zach,” Brent chuckled upon seeing his reaction. “You will send home two ladies tonight.”

Gasps of shock erupted from the ladies. “Two?” Amanda asked with fear.

Brent nodded his head slowly. “Yes, two…and without further interruptions from me, I will leave it for Zach to decide. So please, line up and let’s get ready to roll…”

Slowly, the ladies who were surrounding his mother got up with fear in their faces. He saw Julianne from the corner of his eye come forward. Her face was unreadable, and that was when he knew something was wrong. He got nervous all of a sudden. He would be sending home two ladies tonight, which meant their days together were nearing their end.

Frowning, he looked at the roses, and the ladies, in turn. He couldn’t send Chloe and Pauline home. That would leave him only four more spot. One, of course, was already for Julianne. The other three, he would have to blindly pick. Kim would of course have her chance to accept or not considering her growing relationship with Jack Carter.

With one hand, he picked up a rose and looked at the ladies. His mother was seated beside his father at the far corner of the room, away from the cameras, waiting for his decision.

“Julianne,” he uttered. Don’t complain. Of course he would always pick her first. “Will you accept this rose?” he asked when she finally came forward. His eyes silently searched hers. He already knew what her answer would be. He was looking for something else. Like any sign of what might have happened inside the kitchen with his father earlier.

“Yes,” she whispered, lowering her eyes so he couldn’t see through her.

He gave a short nod and continued on with his task. Picking another rose, he called out, “Kim.”

Kim walked slowly, her eyes confused, her feature unsure. She was supposed to be looking at him, but her eyes flickered to his right, just behind him, where Jack Carter must probably be sitting.

“Will you accept this rose?” he asked with a smile, somehow telling her it would be okay if she didn’t.

Her eyes at first were full of questions, but after a few moments, she must have gotten an answer from the man behind him and she said with a smile, “Yes, I will.”

Zach almost chuckled. Jack Carter was not yet ready to let her go. Okay, he would let Kim stay as long as the man stayed away from Julianne.

He picked another rose and called out, “Pauline.” The blonde girl bounced forward with her fake smile and said yes even before he could ask the question. Then he called out Chloe, who, unlike Pauline, decided to be more graceful than usual.

Then, after that was over, when Pauline finally walked away, he looked at the remaining ladies. Penny, Tanya, Amanda, and Stella. He did an eeny-meeny-miny-moe and finally he said, “Tanya.”

Tanya almost leapt up in the air with relief and she hushed out a yes before he could open his mouth. Another eeny-meeny-miny-moe and he blurted out, “Penny.” And the moment he did that, the last remaining ladies, Amanda and Stella, burst into tears.

“Will you accept this rose?” he asked the red haired girl.

Penny nodded vigorously and took the rose from his hand. The girl was too relieved to even speak.

“Ladies,” he addressed the remaining two, “I enjoyed our time together and I hope that you find your own bachelors.”

The other girls walked from their spot and gave the two crying ladies a hug of goodbye and well wishes. Zach on the other hand, was already deep in thought about another matter entirely.

“Earth for Zach,” Liam murmured beside him. He looked up and saw his friend’s laughing face. Liam handed him a glass of champagne and said, “Go toast with the survivors.”

He dragged himself to face the ladies and survived a toast without looking at Julianne. She was avoiding his gaze and he was dying to know what the hell happened again. What did his father tell her this time?

 *****

Later that night, Amanda and Stella went upstairs to pack their bags to go home. A van was already waiting outside to drive them back to the city where they would spend the night before they could fly back home tomorrow.

Zach attempted to talk to Julianne but Brent had some other news. And this time, he was not alone at the center of his room. He was standing beside Zach’s mother.

Zach frowned at his mother and she just shrugged excitedly.

“Ladies, I think your little hiking trip with Zach tomorrow is now officially cancelled, because, Mrs. Astor here have an announcement to make.”

Zach gaped at his mother in disbelief. He turned his head towards his father with an inquiring look and the old man just shrugged. Liam, his stupid friend, was chuckling beside him.

“Hi, ladies,” his mother greeted. “For a long time, before Zach took over this ranch, my husband and I had been sponsoring this little orphanage just outside of town. It is called House of Angels.” She looked at each lady with a warm smile as she continued, “And tomorrow, we will visit them…together.”

The ladies leaped in excitement. Really? Children excited them? Or were those responses just for her parents’ eyes? His eyes diverted towards Julianne. She was not looking good at all. She was pale like she was seeing a monster.

Now, what the hell was wrong?

What was getting into her?

 *****

Julianne was just purely shocked and terrified at the same time. She didn’t know if she would like to come tomorrow. She could pretend to be sick.

But that would be Kim’s excuse tomorrow.

“Hey,” Zach whispered beside her. She stared at him and looked around.

“What?” she forced out a gentle smile on her lips.

“What’s wrong?” his green eyes searched hers.

“Nothing,” she frowned. “Why?”

“You don’t look so well,” he pointed out.

“No, I’m fine,” she shook her head and adjusted her spectacles. “I have to get some sleep,” she added, looking at the crew packing their cameras away. Mr. and Mrs. Astor had already retreated into the guest room after the announcement earlier. Liam was still hanging around in the balcony with Chloe and Pauline. Kim was somewhere and Penny and Tanya had already gone upstairs for their beauty rest.

“What did you and my father talk about earlier?” he asked, holding her by the elbow to stop her from getting away.

She looked up to his eyes and she thought it was a mistake. What she saw there was the same tenderness that she wanted to desperately believe everything he had said in the past. That what he thought he felt was really real. “Nothing. He asked for some water.”

“It took him quite a