The Bachelor by David Dower (read along books TXT) 📖

this show with you in the first place,” the man said with a smile. “I didn’t like the air you surrounded yourself in and it made me want to gag every time you smile like you own everything.”

Zach scoffed. “You should do a high-five with Jules for that.”

“But somehow, I saw and noticed you grow up as a man. I knew about the arrangement you had with Julianne in that plane when you first met. You led her to believe you’ll send her home and you didn’t. It was a childish act. You also made every freaking thing you could do just to get her alone. You reveled in the thought that you got all those women, including the two upstairs, down on their knees for your attention. You don’t want to know the stories going on around the crew when you were acting like a child. But you changed. I guess you changed a lot, didn’t you?”

He sighed, his eyes looking at the same line of horizon. “I don’t know, but I feel different. I see things differently and if that’s a big change, I guess that’s good, right?”

“Julianne wouldn’t have given you a chance if she thought otherwise,” Jack said, nodding his head. “So, big guy, I need to go and see to it that your last chance of playing a childish game goes well.”

“It’s not going to be a childish game, man,” he shook his head. “It will be a moment of truth and consequence.”

Jack frowned. He didn’t know exactly what Zach was planning to do. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see…” Zach grinned and walked away.

 *****

Julianne was doing her laundry when her phone rang.

“Julianne speaking,” she said after picking up the phone.

“Turn on your television! They’re going live in minutes!” Kim’s ecstatic voice boomed in her ear.

“What?”

“The show is going live any minute now!”

“But it’s not yet the Rose Ceremony—”

“Just turn on your television and watch! Don’t hang up!”

“Okay,” she walked around the room and searched for her remote. When she found it, she pushed the red button. There was no need for her to scan for the channel because it was already on. “Okay, explain what’s going on?”

“Jack called me earlier and told me something big is going to happen tonight.”

Julianne’s mind started wandering around different thoughts.

What is Zach up to now?

“What something big?”

“I don’t know but Jack said Zach wants you to watch.”

“I don’t know, Kim, I’m having a bad feeling about this one…” she uttered. Knowing Zach, he was definitely up to something if he wanted her to watch the show.

“If Zach wants you to watch it, it could mean he’s really up to something big,” Kim uttered repeated her thoughts. “Don’t put down the phone because we’re watching it together.”

Julianne didn’t answer because she was trying hard not to panic or get too excited.

“You there?”

“Yes,” she breathed out.

“It’s on!” Kim cried out and Julianne’s eyes flickered to the screen in front of her. She dropped down on her couch and watched.

 *****

Zach faced the two women, innocent of what was about to happen. They were dressed for travel, their pretty blond hair styled fashionably.

They were expecting him to give one last final speech before sending them home for tomorrow’s event, each hoping that they would be receiving a ring from him.

Liam’s words rang in his ears. This was a wicked consequence to do, not something he had imagined from his friend, but considering what Chloe and Pauline did to Julianne while she was here, it was the least he could do.

He was going to send them home anyway, so why further drag the matter?

Brent was nowhere in sight that day. Well, the host was expecting to have his shoot tomorrow, so he had gone on his way to prepare…for nothing.

Zach cleared his throat and looked at the ladies seriously. This was no laughing matter even for him. He knew that he would be hurting them and he felt bad about it.

“This will be a goodbye speech,” he finally uttered.

The smile on their faces did not waver. Of course, they were expecting him to say goodbye until tomorrow when he’d meet them again.

“Seriously, this is a goodbye speech,” he repeated, looking them in the eyes.

Slowly, visibly, their smiles turned to frowns. Chapter 31

“What—” Pauline started but somehow, she couldn’t finish her sentence that her mouth remained open. Chloe’s frown deepened.

Zach was serious though. It was not the time to look at their faces and laugh like he would have if he was his old self. But he bet Liam was laughing his ass out by now wherever he was. At the moment, he was more concerned on how to say the words he needed to say so that he could make the girls know that he was sincere and sorry for what he was about to do.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said with full-blast honesty. “I know I’ll be unfair to both of you and myself if I continue on with this,” he added and that was the moment when Chloe’s mouth dropped open in that pretty way of hers.

Everybody was silent now, including the crew behind them. Fatima, who was standing just a few meters away, dropped her clipboard on the floor. Zach couldn’t see Jack’s reaction but somehow, he got a feeling that the director already saw this coming. Everyone in the crew knew of a surprise but still, it was apparent on their faces that they didn’t see this one coming.

“Before I take your words, I would like to add a few things,” he said once again, his voice the only sound in the room. “I would like to address the issue of the reason why I became the Bachelor,” he shifted his weight on one foot. Hell, he should have asked to sit down. “It started with a bet.”

With that last word, Pauline and Chloe straightened on their seats and glared at him. Oh, so now he was the villain. Good.

“A bet I started with a friend.” With the mention of that last word again, a knowing look washed over the girls’ features. Liam was not going to like this. “A long time ago, a few months ago, I never believed in love. I thought it was just a piece of trashy word some optimistic crazy person coined to sell greeting cards and flowers. I wanted to prove to my friend that I can ditch twenty-five women and never look back at any of them. And I was confident I would win.” He looked them in the eyes and a smile crept up at one corner of his mouth. “I never thought I would be very wrong. Very wrong indeed.”

Somehow, Pauline and Chloe must have found something hopeful with his last sentence that their glares turned to sweet smiles. Really, these two should have joined a drama contest. They were so good at shifting from one facial expression to another.

“And I let it go,” he added and once again, their faces were startled. “I let her go because she wanted to. We made a deal that I’d let her go right after the top four.”

He let his words linger in the air until they finally registered in everyone’s mind. Pauline gasped and Chloe almost growled or something.

“Yes, it’s Jules. I’m in love with her and I think I might have made some mistakes because she still went away. I guess it was for the best because I couldn’t stand another day seeing that you girls hated her. Still hates her by the looks on your faces,” he added the last words with bitterness. “I guess you have your own reasons for hating her and I respect that. I also have a few reasons why I’m doing this damn speech. See, obviously, I lost the bet and as a consequence, I was tasked to do this.”

Zach could almost taste the curiosity hovering over everyone and he hated the moment. He wished he didn’t have to do this, but he had to for two reasons. One, so that Liam would stop prodding him. Second, because he believed that Pauline and Chloe deserved to know that they at least needed to change in some ways if not all.

“Pauline, you’re beautiful, sweet, sexy, and caring,” he started, and the girl smiled at him. God, he wished he should just stop there, but he remembered his purpose and continued, “Caring in a way that you care for no one at all but yourself. Maybe it’s because you grew up with a bunch of brothers who would do anything for you. Don’t take that in a bad way. I respect your brothers,” yes, of course he had to say that unless he wanted Tom and Jerry to come throw a grenade at him. Pauline’s face had turned sour. Girls tend to have that expression when you throw negative comments right at their face, so he was okay with that. “I appreciated you when you pretended to be Jules’ friend, but that respect flew out the window the moment you talked trash about her. Never in my time with Jules did I hear a single bad word about you, just so you know.”

Okay, maybe he should stop right there because he was sounding like a nagging preschool teacher.

“Just…” he couldn’t find the right words as he stared at Pauline’s tear-streaked face. “Just learn to love your friends as much as you love yourself and you’ll find the perfect guy for you. We like our women to be confident with themselves that they don’t have to make some people look bad.” He shifted his head at Chloe’s direction and added, “That same goes with you, Chloe. I like you, I really do,” he admitted and Chloe smiled at him warmly but not as confident as her usual smile, knowing for certain that she would receive some nagging as well. “You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re confident—not just confident enough though,” he said in a low voice.

Pauline was sobbing now beside Chloe whose face was fixed with an awkward smile as she received his words.

“You never hid your opinion against others and I liked that about you. But I wish that you’d stop talking about yourself all the time. You don’t have to brag about how you were a few years ago because any man good enough for you would still want you if you will only show them your real self. I know that somewhere out there, someone will see you for who you are without you telling them every detail of yourself and they will love you for it. You have a very loving family who is eager for your attention. Give them that and you’ll receive the love you’ve been looking for.” He added a smile when finally, a tear rolled down Chloe’s face as she nodded.

That was what he liked about Chloe. She could understand.

“I’m not saying this because you were horrible to Jules. And I’m not saying Jules is perfect. If she were, she would have given you guys some lessons,” he chided. “But I just hope that you respect my decision and accept my apology for giving you false assurance that someone’s going to get a ring from me. Well, someone would get a ring from me if she would