CHAPTER 11: A CAN OF WORMS

“Ouch!” Natasha shrieked as she pulled her foot out from under Michael’s. “That’s like the ten thousandth time you’ve step on my foot tonight,” she complained. “What the hell’s wrong with you?!”

Michael mumbled an apology. He was bored. Very bored. He wished he hadn’t agreed to coming with her to this ball. What was wrong with him? He had never felt like this with Natasha before. Never, that is, until he met Ellen. Ellen was everything Natasha wasn’t. Ellen was lively, bubbly, carefree, simple and down-to-earth. Natasha, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She was a snob, spiteful, vindictive and spoilt. Why hadn’t he seen that about her before? Could it be that Ellen’s strengths magnified Natasha’s weaknesses? Or was he just so blind?

Michael looked at the woman he was holding in his arms. He knew he was probably the envy of every man in the ballroom. This was Natasha Yang after all. Heiress to the Yang empire. And the Yang empire was worth a fortune. Michael remembered how taken he was with her when they first met. Natasha was like his dream girl come true and he had to pinch himself a couple of times when she actually smiled at him. Him. Michael Koo. A mere manager in some company. A nobody. Absolutely nothing compared to who she was. He just couldn’t believe it.

But Natasha was interested in him alright and what Natasha wanted, Natasha got. Michael didn’t complain though. Natasha Yang, the multimillionairess was a big plus to his ego. That was a year ago. Now as he looked at her again, he just felt like recoiling in disgust. He was beginning to find Natasha a pain, what with her constant nagging, whining and whingeing. It was also the iron grip she had over him. He now found it stifling and confining. His thoughts once again turned to Ellen. Ellen. Just the mention of her name brought a smile to his lips. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“I don’t want to dance anymore. My feet hurt, “ Natasha whinged.

Michael secretly rolled his eyes. There she goes again. Whinge, whinge, whinge. She swept back towards their table, leaving a bored looking Michael on the dance floor. He sighed and reluctantly dragged his feet after her.

Meanwhile in a pub somewhere in another part of town...

Sean shook his head as he watched Ellen down the Tequila in one go. Ellen wiped the back of her palm across her lips and turned to look at him. “Your turn,” she grinned as she pushed the glass of Tequila towards Sean. “Come on, you chicken,” she teased him.

Sean scowled and gingerly picked up the Tequila. Bringing it to his lips, he mumbled a silent curse and gulped it down.

“Yuck!” he exclaimed as he quickly reached out for the lemon to kill the taste.

Ellen laughed. “You’re such a wuss when it comes to booze!”

“Hey, that rhymed,” she added with a giggle.

Sean rolled his eyes. “And you’re drunk. Yet again.”

“Am not,” Ellen pouted. “I’m sure they dilute their drinks here. I hardly feel a thing,” she remarked as she lifted the glass to sniff at it.

Sean chuckled. “You look like a dog sniffing that glass.”

Ellen laid a stinging slap across his arm. “Ouch!” Sean yelled. Ellen merely giggled.

“Hey, when are you going to introduce guys to me, eh? I’ve been back so long and it’s only being you. I’m bored, you know.”

“What about Michael?” Sean asked.

“I meant single, eligible guys, idiot.”

“Ellen Hsuan, you’re begging me to introduce guys to you yet you call me an idiot. Is that going to be the sort of gratitude I get?” Sean pretended to look hurt.

Ellen feigned a gasp and clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry Sean gor gor. I promise I won’t call you an idiot again,” she grinned.

Sean laughed. “If I believed your words, I’d be a real idiot. But seriously, what do you think of Michael?”

Ellen frowned. “He’s got a girlfriend.”

“Natasha?” Sean spat out her name in disdain. “Michael can do without her.”

Without thinking, Ellen nodded in agreement. “I know. But does he see it that way though?” she sighed.

Sean chuckled at her remark. “Oh, so you DO like Michael. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.”

“Oh, shut up,” Ellen glared at him as he burst out in laughter.

Unbeknownst to them, there was someone else eavesdropping on their conversation. Chance couldn’t help but smile at the exchange. “What are you grinning at?” A hand shoved a bottle of beer into his face. It was Eros. Chance merely grinned at him.

“Where have you been, man. You’ve missed out on quite a bit,” Chance told him.

“Unlike you, I have a rather busy schedule. Let’s see, there were all these pairings to take care of - an Anita and a Julian. A Nick and an Esther. A Marco and a Joyce. A Jacky and a May,” Eros rattled on, listing the names off his fingers one by one.

“Okay, okay. I get the idea,” Chance quickly interjected.

“That’s not the guy, is it?” Eros remarked, gesturing towards Sean.

Chance shook his head. “Nope, that’s not the guy and nope, ‘they’ are still not ‘together’ yet, if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied with a sigh. “Hey, maybe you should increase the dosage,” he added with a wink.

Eros grimaced upon hearing Chance’s suggestion. “One dose. One shot. There is no more. There is no less. And Eros does not miss, nor does he fail,” Eros explained in five simple sentences. “You comprehend?”

“Ya, ya,” Chance nodded. “I comprehend. I just wish they would hurry up, that’s all.”

“I’m sure the wheels are already in motion,” Eros said.

Michael pulled up in front of Natasha’s apartment. He alighted and walked over to the passenger side and held the door open for her. She stepped out and looked at him questioningly. “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked.

“Err...” Michael stammered. “I don’t think so. I’m rather tired tonight.”

Natasha frowned suspiciously. Tired? You’re off to go look for that bitch again, aren’t you? What the hell do you see in her that I, Natasha Yang, don’t have? She’s nothing but some common...commoner, she scoffed. Okay Natasha, turn on the charm. I’m sure you can change his mind. She smiled at Michael seductively and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But it’s cold tonight and I want you to keep me warm,” she pouted.

Michael hastily removed her arms from his neck. “Erm...Natasha. I’m seriously really tired.”

“Michael darling...” she cooed as she tugged at his coat.

“Natasha,” Michael sighed. Oh well, I guess it’s now or never. “Natasha. Maybe we should cool things off a bit,” he mumbled apprehensively.

Natasha released her grip on his shirt and stared at him. “What did you just say?” Her voice seemed to have dropped a few notches in temperature.

“I don’t think this is working out. I don’t think we are working out,” Michael tried to explain.

If looks could kill. “This has something to do with a particular Ellen Hsuan, doesn’t it?” Natasha asked in a surprisingly calm and collected voice.

Michael was rather taken aback when she mentioned Ellen’s name. How does she know Ellen? They’ve only met once and I don’t remember there being any introductions. “What?” he feigned ignorance. “Ellen Hsuan? Don’t be silly. Of course not,” he lied. “Look, it’s just that I’ve been under a lot of stress at work lately and well, I think it would be better if we took a break from each other,” he continued. Gosh, can’t you think of a better excuse, Michael Koo, he scolded himself.

Natasha scoffed at his explanation. “I see,” she said as she stared at him icily. Michael searched her face for some reaction but there was none. It remained stoic. There wasn’t even the slightest flicker of anger.

“Erm...yeah. Well. Goodnight then,” he mumbled before hurriedly getting back into the car. He hesitated a moment as his foot touched the accelerator and turned to glance at her once more. “Bye,” he forced a smile at her before driving off.

Natasha watched him go off into the night, her eyes burning the fire of a dozen hells.