“How is your wound?” he inquired as he examined my arm.
“Thankfully, the gown concealed my bruise on my right arm,” I added as I raised my right arm to show him that my bruising was hidden by the gown’s long sleeve.
Sister Rosette chose this garment after Alessandre supposedly told her about the previous incident. Fortunately, because my cut was on my right arm, it was concealed by the dress’s long sleeve.
Alessandre gave me a kind nod. Before rising from his swivel chair, he took a big breath. He has not let go of his grip on my waist. It is funny, but anytime I feel the warmth of his body on me, I feel at ease and relaxed.
“Let us go,” he murmured as he motioned me to his office door.
When we exited, we ran into Sister Rosette, who was conversing with Alessandre”s secretary; I believe the two of them already knew each other, as sister appears to be at ease with him, as does Alessandre”s secretary.
Alessandre”s secretary informed his Boss, “Your car is already waiting for you, Sir,” and Alessandre simply nodded.
We also did not take our time talking to them because we were worried about being late for the charity ball we were attending. Before leaving, I said my goodbyes to sister Rosette, who said she would return home soon.
Today, neither Alessandre nor I are with his secretary. Perhaps Alessandre assigned him some tasks. They are too workaholic, I do not know.
They act as if they could carry the money with them to the grave. But I cannot say I blame them either. Money is, without a doubt, extremely vital in today”s environment. You will get hungry if you do not have any money.
What are we studying for if not to have a respectable and decent job? In order for us to be able to make money. The truth is that money is in charge of our lives.
When you have money, you have the freedom to do whatever you want. I will never believe anyone who claims that money cannot buy happiness. Money plays an important role in our happiness.
Will you be content if you do not have anything to eat? Would you be content if you did not have a place to sleep? No, I am afraid.
However, people must learn to stop worshipping money. It devastated me to see how a simple piece of paper can cause family strife and disintegration.
My abrupt notion causes me to shrug my shoulders. My mind has become stuck once more as a result of my wandering thoughts.
When they spotted us, the personnel on the floor where Alessandre”s office was located were taken aback. They have not arrived yet? It is almost eight o”clock in the evening.
They have awestruck expressions on their faces when they see us. They almost dropped their jaws in astonishment as they gazed at the two of us.
“I assume their overtime is too much?” I asked, raising my head to gaze at Alessandre.
I feel sorry for them. I am sure their families are eagerly awaiting their return. I understand that some of them already have children, and it makes me sad that they do not eat dinner together just because their parents have to work overtime.
“They need to work overtime since they did not complete the reports I ordered them to complete properly,” Alessandre remarked coldly, glaring at his employee. His workers averted their gazes.
I would have objected to what he said, so he simply began walking towards his private elevator, and because my hand was linked to his arm, I had no choice but to follow with him or risk being dragged.
When we arrived in the lobby, I couldn”t help but think of the receptionist who had previously harmed me. I am not sure where she is. I looked around the foyer but could not find the mentioned receptionist.
When we passed through the reception area, we noticed a difference in the woman who was standing there. Even the four guards who guarded the gate earlier are not present. I did not notice them from where I had seen them previously. The guards stationed at the gate are already distinct.
When I saw Alessandre”s solemn face, I wanted to ask where they were, but I shut my voice. I have a feeling he fired those guys as a result of the mishap I had earlier.
I could not help but be concerned. I paused for a while to take a deep breath.
When we exited the firm, a gorgeous Lamborghini pulled up alongside us. The driver emerged and assisted us by opening the car door. The automobile then proceeded to our destination.
I just took out my phone and texted Gina, the manager of one of my restaurants” locations. I directed her to Villareal Tower Corporation to send meals. Alessandre cocked his brow at me, but I only grinned back.
I noticed him leaning in his vehicle seat and eventually closing his eyes. He appears tired and sleepy, yet he must still attend the celebration.
Rather than staring at him, I chose to focus my attention on the bustling streets we were driving through. The city lights shone brightly in the dark alleyways. We passed a market with vendors selling street food. My stomach suddenly grumbled.
I grimaced at Alessandre as I clutched my grumbling tummy. I sighed with relief when I saw that he was still sleeping. Is it possible he did not hear the sound my stomach made?
It is only now that I realize I haven”t eaten in a long time. My realization made me wince.
You have the bravery to send Alessandre”s employees food, but you are unable to feed yourself. Tsk, Anna, that was really thoughtful of you.
I will probably just eat at the party. Isn”t it true that there are foods there?
I was completely unaware that we had arrived at the party location. The celebration will be held in a well-known hotel and casino. I noticed a number of costly automobiles parked. It will most likely be up to the businessmen who will also be present at the celebration to decide.
Alessandre was the first to exit the vehicle. He walked over to my side and pushed open the door for me. The simultaneous snapping of the cameras almost blinded me when I got out.
Obviously, this celebration is about more than just charities; the wealthy utilize it to gain exposure for the gifts they will make. I clutched Alessandre”s arm tightly.
Fortunately, there were guards in the way of the hapless journalists who wanted to interview Alessandre and me.
They are inquiring about our relationship. They are wondering if that is true or if it was merely a marketing gimmick.
I shivered when I heard that question. Why would we lie about our engagement in order to garner attention? Are they thinking rationally? The Villareals do not require any phony publicity gimmicks to gain public attention. They are the focus of everyone”s attention.
Furthermore, we are not the type of people that crave attention.
The next question I heard completely stunned me. They want to know if the report that my and Alessandre will be forced to marry is genuine.
There are rumors that there are photos of Alessandre with a woman who is clearly not me. I raised my eyes to Alessandre.
He must have been asked that question by a member of the press. I could feel his fist clenching. He inhaled deeply and continued walking.
My mind flashed back to Cassy”s face. I am certain she is the woman mentioned in the media. She, not I, should be Alessandre”s roommate right now.
My chest throbbed with a pulsing agony. I am not sure why, but knowing Alessandre is in love with someone else makes me sad. And this is what makes me nervous. Since then, I have been avoiding it.
I may be naive to everything and have never been in a relationship, but I am not a fool if I do not understand how I am feeling right now. And I am terrified. I am afraid to acknowledge and label this emotion since I know I will be the one who suffers in the end. I will still be the loser in the end.
Your arrival was announced by the emcee. Many of the visitors had arrived before of us, which I noticed.
We were hailed by them. They were introduced to me by Alessandre. I smiled at people who greeted us and greeted them back, but the truth is that my hand is getting cold and my knees are faltering.
This is not something I am used to. I do not want to be the focus of these people”s attention. Women my age are rolling their noses at me. They stare at me from head to toe, as if they have already made up their minds about me. I felt little because of the look they were giving me, but I did not let them know.
I smiled as I stood next to Alessandre, wearing my brave mask.
As Alessandre finally led me to our table, I took a big breath. I gasped when my back dropped on the chair, as my leg was already hurting from walking and standing for so long.
I simply took my foot away from my heels and massaged it lightly. These are not something I am used to wearing. After all, at school, I only wear sneakers and rubber shoes, or possibly up to two-inch sandals.
Fortunately, I had avoided tripping earlier. As Alessandre spoke with businessmen he had met before, that was the thought that ran through my head.
I wanted to excuse myself and leave Alessandre alone because I had no idea what they were talking about, but I could not.
Why are they conversing while standing up, eh? Did they not know that they can converse while sitting?
The celebration has already begun, and I have no idea what is going on. I am not sure what they are up to; they are the wealthy, not me.
People came up to us from time to time to say hi to Alessandre. I had a good meal. After speaking with one of the vestors of his company”s recent project, Alessandre served me earlier.
I was taken aback when the already boisterous audience fell silent. They are both staring in the same direction. I returned my gaze to what they were viewing. I sat up straighter in my seat when I recognized the person they were staring at.
As she walks down the corridor, all eyes are on her. She is dressed in a sultry halter slim solid wine sleeveless base dress.
Men gaze at her with love, while women gaze at her with a satisfied smile. As a photographer approaches her to snap some shots, she smiles into the camera.
When I looked at Alessandre, I was dismayed to see desire and love in his ocean blue eyes as he stared at Cassy Esguera, his fiancee, rather than me.
My heart breaks seeing him show Cassy the love he had never let me experience, even for a moment. When Cassy and I locked eyes, my hands were trembling.
She gives me a nasty grin. When she abruptly moved towards us, I felt like I looked like I saw a ghost.
Her gaze turned from me to the man sitting next to me. She gave him a big smile. The hand that Alessandre had on my leg before has been gone. I noticed him clenching his fist. As he watches Cassy make her approach to us, his mouth is clenched hard.
Cassy dropped her face to kiss Alessandre on the lips when she eventually got near enough. That was the most terrible thing I expected to see tonight, but I was mistaken. I noticed Alessandre enlarging their kiss. They are nearly kissing in front of everyone, including myself.
Everyone is perplexed by our presence.
They are surprised to see Cassy and Alessandre.
Even though it is pointless, I avoid staring at the two of them because my eyes have already seen what they are doing. The sound of their kissing is clearly audible.
When I looked around the audience, I noticed that their eyes were filled with sorrow as they looked at me. As they stare at me, I can practically hear what they are thinking. They felt I was deplorable.
I am tempted to yell. I am in tears. I want to go out of here and never come back, but my entire body is paralyzed. My throat hurts from suppressing my tears. My tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I managed to control them.
My pride is the only thing about me that has not been shattered. That is all I have got right now. I am not going to cry in front of them. I do not want people to notice my frailty.
I do not want them to talk about how horrible they think I am and how miserable I am. They finally stop kissing after what seems like an eternity.
“Oh, hello, Annalise! There you are. Remorseful, I kissed your fiance. Old habits die hard,” she added, her tone mocking rather than sorry.
I could hear the faint chuckling of those who had heard her say it. I merely nodded and smiled at her.
She then walked away from our table. I am not sure where she went when she walked away from our table.
As if nothing had happened, the visitors returned to their seats.
I tried to hide it with my trembling hand. I tried everything I could to keep the pain I am experiencing hidden.
I avoided glancing at Alessandre, who seemed unconcerned about my presence. He kept a steady gaze around him. I am guessing he is hunting for Cassy.
Instead than thinking about what I had just observed, I chose to concentrate on my phone. Even though I had already studied it a few times, I prepared for our school classes in advance. I also used my cellphone to complete our project, which will be handed in next week. I will just use my laptop to edit it.
I am worried I will start crying if I think about it again. I am not going to cry about it.
I noticed Aiden was online and sent him a message, which I rarely do. My social media account is rarely used by me.
When I messaged Aiden, he was taken aback. When he promptly responded, I took a deep breath. I humbly request that he keep me company. He was perplexed as to why I had abruptly struck up a conversation with him. He also inquired as to my whereabouts and activities. I just told him that I went to a charity event and that the party was so dull that I am now harassing him.
I let out a sigh of relief when he didn”t press me further on who I was with, which I am grateful for.
His meaningless stories delighted me in some way.
In the meantime, I have forgotten what happened before, but the ache in my chest persists. Aiden has my gratitude since, despite being preoccupied with his studies, he chose to speak with me. Perhaps if he did not do that, I would lose my mind.
Right now, I am a jumble. I am unable to think clearly, and all I can think of right now is the pain in my heart. I paid no attention to what was going on at the party. The truth is that I am no longer interested in this party.
I would have left sooner if I hadn”t looked so terrible. I am not supposed to be here, and I am not going to be.
This area makes me feel as though I cannot breathe. This location, these people, they are all sucking the life out of me. What happened in my life to bring me to this point? Why should I, of all people, have to suffer like this?
I feel like everything I am going through is painful. The first is my parents” demise. Why am I being forced to go through this? I was completely shattered. I am not sure if I will be able to get up. I am exhausted. I have no idea why I”m still alive.
I would want to pose a question to God. Why am I here? I am not sure why I always feel like I am in pain. Even if it is just once, I would like to experience genuine bliss. I am not asking for anything more.
All I ask is for happiness for my soul. All I want to do now is sleep. All I want is to know that I am loved. That I am valuable and that there are individuals that care about me. I will give up everything just to be happy. I will take care of everything.
I felt Alessandre rise from his seat, but I did not turn to face him. I could feel his intense gaze on me, but I chose to concentrate on my phone.
I am terrified to see how he reacts. I am terrified the truth will hit me in the face and tell me that he will never like me. That I am nothing more than a relationship destroyer. I do not want to see his enraged expression.
Despite this, I am too afraid to see it for myself. Is it foolish of me to think that when the time comes, he will like me as well? That he will finally see how valuable I am? Is it unreasonable to keep hoping that he will accept me as well?
I want his undivided attention, affection, and care. I want him to feel the same way about me as he does about her. I would like him to be gentle with me. I would also like to see him grin as a result of my presence. I would like to see him smile.
But I know I will never be able to have that. As a result, I was content to spend my time with him.
Is it selfish of me to suggest that all I want is for him to look at me? I simply want him to look at me without looking at me with hate in his eyes. That is all I am requesting.