The Devil's Good Girl-Chapter 317: I give up

Fil stared at the person outside the lift with wide eyes. Jackson, on the other hand, squinted a little while he straightened his back.

"We meet again!" he intoned, his lips curled up into a smirk. "Before you accuse me, I didn’t follow you here."

"Well, that’s... reassuring." Fil forced a smile before she quickly pressed the closed button.

Seeing her mischievous action, Jackson timely jumped inside. When he got in, he looked at her in disbelief.

"Miss, did you seriously try to close the door on me?" he gasped, watching Fil looked at him and fake a smile.

"I was in a hurry and I thought you were in a hurry too, considering you stopped this particular elevator when there’s a few more."

Jackson chuckled. "This is the only available one."

Fil didn’t dare indulge with him and rolled her eyes instead. She sighed and squeezed herself in the corner, resorting to giving him a silent treatment. She tried to ignore him as much as she could, wondering why she even chose to get the penthouse.

If she got a unit a bit closer to the ground floor, she would’ve arrived. She wouldn’t have to stay in this lift this long.

Speaking of floors...

Fil arched a brow and glanced at him. "You hadn’t chosen which floor you’re getting off."

"Oh?" Jackson raised his brows and glanced at the buttons. "You already did it."

"Huh?"

He jerked his chin at the buttons. "You already pressed it."

Fil gazed at the buttons, only seeing one button lighting up: the top floor. She gasped and looked back at him, rendered speechless.

"You live on the top floor?"

He tilted his head. "Yes?"

"On the top floor?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You should press your floor number, though."

Fil took a deep breath and looked away from him. She didn’t give out a lot of reaction, but that alone made him squint his eyes.

"You... also live on the top floor?" he asked. "The one who rented out the penthouse for ten years?"

Fil didn’t answer.

She was aware of the two penthouses in this building. There were only two of them, which she already thought would be a bother in the future. Hence, she wanted to rent out both of them when she got in here. Or buy the entire building. Sadly, the other penthouse was only exclusive to the owner of the building and the building wasn’t for sale.

’Owner of the building...’ Fil stopped herself from glancing at him. ’So, he succeeded in this life still, huh?’

Even so, her plans to stalk him seemed like it would be a lot easier... or not.

Fil massaged her temple even though she didn’t have a literal headache. Even so, she found this stressful. Watching Jackson from afar was far better than when he was close by.

’Should I start looking for another place?’ she wondered, glancing at the numbers over the elevator. ’Why is this thing taking so long?’

Her lips curved down, telling herself she only needed to wait just a little longer. Just a little wait. Compared to the millennium she waited, a few minutes was nothing. Hence, she closed her eyes and waited for the doorbell to ring.

’Why is he staring, though?’ she wondered, knowing Jackson had his eyes on her. ’Better ignore it.’

Meanwhile, Jackson kept his eyes fixed on her. He crossed his arms underneath his chest, leaning his back against the mirrored wall.

"Since we’re neighbors..."

"No," she answered even before she could hear whatever he wanted to say.

He chuckled. "You hadn’t even heard what I was trying to say. It’s safe — not the same question as earlier."

"Still, a no." She slowly opened her eyes and glanced at him. "I’m not interested. Whatever it is."

"Why are you so cruel?" he frowned a little. "It’s not like I did something to you."

But she did something to her that even until now, she hadn’t forgiven herself for it. Fil peeled her eyes from him and refocused on the door. She stood straight, seeing that they were about to reach the top floor.

"I’m sorry if what I said in the club hurt you," he expressed dejectedly. "I’m just... a bit excited."

She glanced at him. "I’m not angry," she said calmly. "I just want to rest. That’s all."

"But you sound angry."

"I’m not."

"Are you sure?"

This time, Fil waited until the button of the floor before her destination lit up before facing him.

"Let’s get this straight, Mister..."

"Sisson."

Her breath hitched, a bit surprised that Jackson was born into a family named Sisson. From what she knew, Jackson simply came up with a random surname, since it didn’t really matter to him in the past.

What a twist of fate.

"Very well, Mr. Sisson. Let’s get things straight. We met at a nightclub by accident and the exchange of words wasn’t all that pleasant for first impression. You were reckless with your words and I also had quite a lot to drink," she stressed firmly. "However, I am not angry nor do I have any feelings regarding that meeting or toward you."

"We don’t know each other. It’s a coincidence that we’re neighbors, but I’d rather keep that as that," she continued. "Just neighbors. No bad blood, but not close either. Let’s not get to know each other. I don’t make friends."

DING!

When the elevator rang, she glanced at the lift that was slowly sliding open. Fil cast him a quick look and, without saying a word, she walked out of the lift without looking back.

Jackson, on the other hand, stared at the open lift with a frown. He slowly stepped out of the lift, turning his head in the direction she was heading. Her place was over there while his unit was on the other side of the floor.

In a way, they were still far away from each other, unlike the rest of the units in the building.

A shallow breath slipped past his nostrils as he turned in the other direction. After taking five steps, he stopped.

"I give up," he whispered and turned around, catching her figure almost reaching the end of the floor.

"Is that how you’re really going to react, Fil?" he asked, raising his voice to reach her. "After all these years, why are you acting as if I’m the one who did something wrong when, in fact, you were the one who selfishly took everything away from me?"

Fil’s breath stopped just like her steps. "Huh?"

Her eyes slowly widened as her heart thudded loudly against her chest. His voice echoed on the quiet floor.

Jackson clenched his teeth and stormed in her direction. Since she was just running away from her, his steps hastened. Soon, she was within his reach.

Jackson reached out and clasped her wrist, spinning her around until she was looking at him. "Were you just really toying with me, Filomena?"

Fil held her breath until her neck turned taut. Her shaky and wide eyes held his, which was full of bitterness and confusion.

"What are you saying...?" she blurted out in a whisper.

How did he know her?

How could he remember?

Fil wasn’t even in his life when she reversed the time and rewrote the world. She wasn’t in his life! Therefore, how could he remember her? How could he remember everything?

Myriads of how surged in her mind until that was the only thing she could whisper, "How?"

His eyes shone with bitterness and pain, squeezing her wrist a little. "How?" he repeated under his breath. "What, how? How did I remember you? How did I know? Fil, have you forgotten I carried your heart for a long time?"

Hearing just his last remark alone was enough to prove there was no room for doubt.

He remembered.

She missed this part. It slipped her mind.

"Then, at that time... in the South... you —"

"I remembered," he affirmed, eyes locked with hers. "Everything... and lived it as your will. Yet, even now, this is what you want?"

His eyes burned with spite and impatience yet, the grip on her wrist wasn’t strong. "Tell me. Is there no room for us this time as well? Or weren’t you just interested in me now that you’re... complete?"

Jackson played along the moment they bumped with each other in the nightclub and even until they reached this floor. However, he felt like if he didn’t do anything now, she would just disappear.

If Fil disappeared or avoided him, he knew there was nothing that could be done, even if he used all his money.

"Tell me, Fil," he breathed out. "Did you really love me, or was I just a pawn for your wicked game for your own gain?"

Fil pressed her quivering lips into a thin line as her heart raced against her chest. "I can’t... save you this time if I pass on my bad karma to you," she breathed out, and even though that didn’t directly answer his question, it was enough.

"I missed you, Jack."

The impatience and indignation swirling in his eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by longing and affection. Without saying a word, he pulled her wrist while his other hand crawled at the back of her head, tilting his head and claiming her lips without anything more.

He must have no pride. No matter what — the anger, the resentment, and the pain of longing — he felt in the past, just those three words were enough for him to come crawling back to her shamelessly.