Upon arriving at the event venue, Alexander was immediately greeted by a middle-aged man who had just formed a partnership with him.
“Let’s go inside,” said the man, Tomas, as he often referred to himself. “Oh, wait, who is this girl? I already know this one, he’s Robert. But who is this beautiful girl?”
Alexander and Casandra exchanged glances.
“This is my girlfriend, sir!” Robert said before Alexander could respond. “Allow me to introduce her, sir. Her name is Casandra. Cas, this is Mr. Tomas.”
Casandra nodded, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
“Casandra, sir,” she replied politely.
“Tomas, just call me Mr. Tomas,” Tomas replied. “You are very beautiful and sweet. If only you weren’t Robert’s girlfriend, I would have matched you with my son Maxime.”
The man chuckled slightly. “Don’t take my words to heart, Bert,” he said, patting Robert’s shoulder. “Alright, you two go straight to the backyard, where young couples relax. I’ll take Alexander upstairs; there’s something important we need to discuss before dinner.” Tomas put his arm around Alexander and led him away.
“B-but…” Alexander stammered, feeling flustered. Being hugged and dragged away like this, he didn’t know why he wasn’t willing to let Casandra go with Robert. Even though he asked for it, it still felt difficult to separate Casandra from him.
What a strange man indeed!
“You wait here! I want to greet her!” Robert pointed to a girl sitting in the corner of the room. The girl seemed to be waiting for someone. Whoever it was, Casandra was sure that the girl was expecting someone important in her life.
Seeing how Robert greeted her, Casandra was certain there was an important connection between them. What was it? Casandra didn’t want to know and didn’t care. She preferred to observe her surroundings.
The garden was truly beautiful, filled with various colorful lights that delighted anyone who saw them.
Casandra’s gaze caught sight of a large swimming pool. It was filled with blooming lotus flowers and scattered rose petals. Whether she wanted to know or not, Casandra knelt down and touched one of the rose petals.
“I thought it was fake,” she murmured, taking a single petal and inhaling its fragrant scent deeply. It was something Casandra loved every time she cleaned the backyard of her house.
“Ahh…!”
Casandra was startled. As she stood up, she accidentally bumped into a woman who was about to pose in front of the swimming pool. The woman’s body swayed and couldn’t be prevented from falling into the pool. Casandra tried hard to reach out and grab her but failed. She almost fell in herself.
“I can’t accept this!” the woman exclaimed, pointing at Casandra, who stood there in front of the swimming pool. “I want her to feel what I feel!” The woman gave an order to her assistant, and within seconds, Casandra couldn’t refuse as her body plunged into the water.
Casandra tried to stand up, preventing herself from swallowing too much water.
Casandra coughed. Although she could swim, the water entering her nose and mouth made her choke. The lack of oxygen made her chest feel tight.
“You foolish woman! Can’t you see?” the woman cursed. She grabbed Casandra’s hair and dragged her, venting her frustration because Casandra had ruined her elaborate makeup and expensive dress.
Casandra, realizing she was the cause of the chaos, just accepted the woman’s treatment.
“Oh my… Casandra!!” Robert pushed through the crowd as soon as he noticed Casandra in the swimming pool. Casandra became the subject of mockery and ridicule from the onlookers.
“Come on, get up!” Robert reached out his hand, trying to reach Casandra, but was stopped by the woman who was still with the girl.
“You stay here! Don’t come up until I tell you to!” She grabbed Robert’s hand to prevent him from going up to the surface.
“Why are you going up instead of me? I want to help my friend get up, not you!” Robert protested, pushing the woman’s hand away.
“No, I won’t allow that stupid girl to come up. It’s because of her that I fell into this pool. Help me get out quickly, or this case will be prolonged!” Reluctantly, Robert helped her. He pulled the woman out of the swimming pool.
“Don’t help her before I’m satisfied. Let her be a spectacle for people to see, so she learns her lesson. No more disrespect that would make me soaked and endure this humiliation. Damn it!” the woman cursed, readjusting her appearance that would never be the same again.
Robert could only sigh as he witnessed everything. He wanted to help Casandra get out, but the woman in front of him had yet to give permission. Judging from the attire she wore, Robert was certain she was not an ordinary woman.
“What’s happening outside? The commotion that reached the dining hall where the VIPs are dining.” Alexander looked at the large mirror that directly faced the swimming pool. Many people were gathered there, as if watching a show.
Robert winced. “This…”
“What is it, Bert? Is there a problem?” Alexander caught up with him. Robert’s sudden hesitation made him feel that something was amiss.
“Casandra?” Alexander guessed.
“That…”
“I’m going there immediately.” Alexander ended the call. Without asking for permission from the others, he left the ongoing dinner event. He ran as fast as he could to reach the swimming pool area.
Alexander was restless. He guessed what was happening with Casandra there. It had attracted a crowd of people to gather at the edge of the swimming pool.
Alexander also predicted the worst thing that could happen to Casandra.
“She probably walked while looking around and accidentally fell into the swimming pool.” Alexander speculated in his mind. He kept running, pushing through the crowd.
“There she is…” Alexander breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a woman drenched on the edge of the pool. But the woman was not Casandra.
“Huh?” Alexander was taken aback when his gaze met Casandra, who was in the swimming pool. The girl turned her face away, afraid to look at Alexander, who had just arrived.
“What are you doing?!” Alexander exclaimed, causing the people who were crowding around to give way for him.
They all whispered to each other, questioning who Casandra really was, as the CEO of a company had intervened in her problem.
“Mr. Alexander, what…”
“What happened?” Alexander’s jaw tightened, as if ready to crush anyone who dared to cause trouble for him.
“She pushed me, causing me to fall. That’s why I asked my assistant to retaliate for what she did. As punishment and compensation, I won’t let anyone help her.” The woman explained, adding a little spice to ensure Alexander wouldn’t blame her.
Indeed, Casandra was at fault here, but she did it unintentionally. Not by pushing, as the woman claimed. The difference may be small, but it ignited Alexander’s emotions. He took out his business card from his wallet.
“Contact me here. Report all the losses you’ve suffered.” Turning to Robert, who was unable to do anything, he said, “Help her get out of there!” He walked away, leaving the crowd behind.
Alexander also tried his best to thicken his skin. He brushed off the embarrassment caused by Casandra’s actions.
“Don’t judge Mr. Alexander poorly. Casandra is my girlfriend, and he’s only helping to resolve this issue. It was my mistake for neglecting her. And one thing I want to emphasize here: I believe Casandra didn’t do it on purpose.”
Instead of calming down, the people there started whispering even more. They questioned why a man with such a prominent name as Alexander would go through the trouble of defending and helping his secretary’s girlfriend.
“He must be involved with Alexander.”
“That must be true, because Cesilia is now busier with her work.”
“Cesilia doesn’t want to have children either, so of course Alexander found another way,” others chimed in, looking down on Casandra, who was now being assisted by Robert to get out of the swimming pool.