~Jennifer (Jenny)~
No one knew it, but in my next life, I’d love to be a human being, and be born into a wealthy family, of course. I wanted to live a normal and regular life like every other person that was in this room right now, along with me.
It was Sam's welcome party. He had invited me personally, as well as Garrett, Alistair, and of course, Eliana. The music that was blaring through the speakers was soothing, giving a pop and country flow altogether, making me feel relaxed, as I sipped a glass of champagne, just standing in one corner of the room, and noticing everybody else.
Sam was the centre of attention, and everyone wanted to take a picture with him, or ask him questions. He had cleaned up nicely, and was dressed up in a black tuxedo, complimenting his good looks. He wasn’t as good looking as Alistair, but he was certainly good looking, and it would be pleasurable to have him in bed with me. I needed to feel good, and a little bit relaxed considering the drama of the last few days, with Alistair, and his stupid love, Eliana.
My plan had been an epic fail, but I hadn’t given up just yet. It would take more than words for Alistair to cut ties with me, and even if he did ignore me in the office and pretend like I didn’t exist, I knew that deep down, he still cared deeply for me and was willing to give me another chance again, if I asked for it, of course.
Alistair wanted me to beg for forgiveness, and I was going to do it. When he finally forgave me, it might be my last shot at succeeding in my plan, and slowly, I was going to sow a seed of deception in Alistair’s mind. This time around, I wasn’t going to destroy their relationship directly. I’d do so indirectly, and Alistair was going to come running to me for advice on how best to break up with Eliana.
Right now, I may seem like I was clinging to false hope, but my plan was definitely going to succeed this time around. Maybe the good party always won in Indian soap operas, but life was more than just a movie. The only ones who won at the end were the wise ones, who appeared to be good, but were causing chaos at the back.
“Jennifer, it’s so good to see you,” I heard Eliana’s small voice squeal with excitement, as she took quick strides towards me, not minding the fact that she was in heels.
“It’s so good to see you, too,” I said, forcing a smile.
“How have you been?” She asked, with that annoying smile she always had on.
“I’ve been very well, and you?” I replied.
“I’ve been amazing. I don’t think I’ve had the time to really thank you for helping me get Sam back,” She said, expressing her gratitude.
“Oh. I just did what needed to be done. You definitely don’t need to thank me,” I said, still putting on a fake smile.
“Hey, princess, are you okay?” Alistair asked, just coming into view, shooting me a weird glance, as if I had any intention to slit her throat with my claws.
“Yes, I am. You were busy talking to my father, and I decided to leave you both alone when I saw Jennifer,” Eliana said.
He shot me a glance, then looked back at her, smiling broadly.
I rolled my eyes, irritated at how fond they were of each other. I didn’t even know that he called her a princess, until now. Well, it was very understandable. She did look like a princess after all, dressed in a red tube dress, that touched her ankles, silver heels, and a tiara on her hair, which had been packed into a bun. She even had a beautiful necklace fit for a queen on her neck. I remembered that particular necklace vividly, then it struck me, but I couldn’t be quite sure.
“Eliana, where did you get that necklace?” I asked.
She smiled broadly. “Alistair gave it to me. He said his mother would have wanted me to have it,” She replied, looking at Alistair affectionately.
I looked at Alistair, stunned. His mother, Mrs Duke, loved that necklace. Hell, it was even around her neck when she died. It was a family heirloom, and had been given to her by her husband, whose mother had given it to him. The necklace was made from pure silver, and glittered all around with diamonds, with a crystal love-shaped pendant, that sparkled even in the darkness.
“When did he give it to you?” I managed to ask, trying my best not to break down into tears.
“Umm...yesterday. He sent it to me, along with this dress I’m putting on. Why do you ask?” Eliana asked.
“I just... his mother really liked it, and I was just surprised that he gave it to you, without telling me,” I said, as truthfully as I could.
“I don’t need your permission to give anything to the woman I love,” Alistair said.
“Relax, babe. I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that,” Eliana said.
While I had been busy bidding my time, Alistair had been growing closer to Eliana, so much that he had even given her his family’s heirloom. If care wasn’t taken, he could even get married to her at a registry without telling anyone. I had underestimated what they shared because they had only known each other for a short while, but it was time to stop playing nice. I needed to start doing more of acting, instead of just thinking about all the terrible things I wanted to do to them.
Taking out my phone from my clutch, I sent a text to Sam, who luckily had his phone with him, and our eyes met. He gave a knowing smile, and I only nodded my head at him, and watched him go to the DJ, as I had instructed in my text message to him.
A slow song started to play in the background, and with majestic steps, Sam walked up to us, with a wide grin plastered on his face.
“You look stunning, Eliana,” He said, much to Alistair’s distaste.
“And you, too,” She said, with a smile.
“Can I have this dance, please?” He requested, extending his hand.
Eliana looked confused, as she looked at Alistair, then at Sam, not knowing what to say.
“Go on, Eliana. I’m sure Alistair doesn’t mind you dancing with your childhood friend, or do you, Alistair?” I asked, wearing a smirk on my face.
Alistair cleared his throat, noisily. “I certainly do not,” He said, in a firm tone, suggesting he didn’t mind, but I knew he did mind.
Eliana gave him a quick peck on his cheeks, accepted Sam’s hand, and in the next instant, they were gone, dancing in accordance to the beat.
“She was so eager to leave with him, but didn’t want to offend you,” I noted, taking a sip of my champagne.
“Jenny, whatever it is that you are playing at, just stop already,” He said.
“Trust me, Alistair. I am definitely not playing at anything. I was just saying that your girlfriend, who you happened to give your mother’s necklace without even knowing her for up to two months, wouldn’t have gone running off with another man had you been a good dancer,” I said, with a wink.
“You’re not a good dancer either,” He said.
I chuckled. “Well, I am better than you are. You may seem perfect, but the creator proved once again that only He is perfect. The only thing that’s wrong with you is that you can’t dance,” I told him.
“If I decided to learn how to, I’ll win awards for dancing in a matter of weeks,” He boasted.
I chuckled again. “I’ll take your word for it,” I said.
“You know I’m right,” He defended.
“Like I already said, I’ll take your word for it,” I told him, and we both smiled at each other.
“So...”
“So, here’s me saying that I’m sorry for being a crazy bitch. Eliana’s such a sweet lady, and I feel bad for saying awful things about her. You’re my best friend, Alistair, and I never want to lose you,” I told him.
He poked my forehead.
“Ouch!” I yelled, wincing in pain, as I glared at him.
He gave a broken laughter. “You deserve worse, but I’m willing to let it slide,” He said.
“You don’t hate me again then?” I inquired.
“I’ll never hate you, Jenny,” He told me.
“Thank you for forgiving me. I promise not to act in the manner I did ever again,” I said, not meaning it in the slightest bit.
He couldn’t tell that I didn’t mean my every word, of course. I was a werewolf, and if I wanted, I could make my heartbeat steady, even when I was telling lies, so that no one will find out that I wasn’t telling the truth.
“I forgive you, Jenny,” He said, giving me a squeeze on the shoulders.
“Now, in the spirit of forgiveness, shall we all raise a toast?” Garrett asked, coming out of nowhere, with his hand around the waist of his beloved, Carrie.
“Where’d you come out from?” I asked.
“You should be asking him if he was eavesdropping on our conversation,” Alistair said.
“You know he was,” I said, with a smile.
“Actually, we just got here. We only heard the part of Alistair saying that he has forgiven you,” Carrie said.
“You’d surely like to defend him, how do I know I can trust you?” Alistair asked.
“Well, she’s telling the truth,” Garrett said.
Alistair shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so,” He replied.
“Meanwhile, I got a job with Carrie at her veterinarian clinic. I have been going to see her there, and the animals love me...”
“So, you decided to leave the job I got for you and work with your lover?” Alistair asked, before he could complete his statement.
“I’m working for her actually. She owns the place, and the work there is less stressful compared to the work you got for me at the hospital. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but...”
“...but you are a lazy piece of shit,” Alistair concluded, on his behalf.
Garrett chuckled. “I guess you could say I am,” He said.
“Congratulations, Garrett. At least, you’re doing something. It’s best to do what you love to do, than to do something you’re not even interested in doing,” Alistair said.
“Thank you,” Garrett told him.
“Can we raise our glasses now?” Carrie asked.
“Well, not without us,” Eliana chipped in, walking towards us, pulling Sam by the hand.
“We noticed you guys wanted to toast to something, and we couldn’t bear being left behind,” Sam said.
“So, what are we toasting to?” Eliana asked, grabbing a glass of red wine from the bartender, while Sam took a glass of champagne.
“Let’s just to ourselves,” I said.
“Sounds good to me,” Alistair agreed, as well as the others.
We raised our glasses, and they clinked. “To us,” We said, pressing our lips to our glasses, and taking sips of the contents it contained.
Some people may like to classify this as a happy ever after, but the story only just begun. Everyone seemed happy, but I wasn’t happy yet, neither was Sam happy. Not everyone should have a chance at happy endings, not everyone deserved to be happy; but after all I had passed through in life, I did deserve a happy ending, with Alistair by my side.
I wanted to have Alistair, I wanted to find happiness. It didn’t matter how many bones I needed to crack, it didn’t matter how many people’s lives needed to be ruined. Eliana had had life go in her favour for way too long, but that was no longer going to be possible. Things were going to change. After all, change is the only thing that is constant in life.