Nora’s POV
I noticed how the Sandra lady had been clinging to Ray all night, her laughter a little too loud and her touch a little too familiar. It was as if she was trying to stake her claim, and I felt a prickle of irritation at how she feigned politeness towards me while clearly trying to assert her dominance.
It was high time I gave her a dose of her own medicine.
I cleared my throat, drawing their attention.
“Humm,” she stammered, looking up at Ray, hoping to get him to save her from the awkwardness.
“She’s my friend,” Ray said, a polite smile spread across his lip as he stared at her.
She smiled awkwardly aswell, certainly not pleased with his response but choose to act along anyways.
“Wow friends, that’s nice.. I must be mistaken. The way she held on to you earlier, I actually thought there was more. Too bad, you both actually look good together,” I said, batting my lashes at them while hiding the sarcasm in my voice.
The tension in the air thickened as I left their circle, leaving them utterly speechless, especially Sandra. I could practically feel her glare burning into my back.
As I walked around the room, shaking hands with shareholders and making acquaintances, I felt a renewed sense of confidence.
This was my domain now, and I wouldn’t let anyone, take that away from me.
I was still lost in my thoughts, when I spotted someone familiar in the crowd. It was Emma.
She stood out as always, well adorned in a beautiful pink dress, her hair stylishly packed, she stood with a group of other girls, laughing and giggling, oblivious to my presence.
I suddenly have the urge to ruin her moment, she can’t be laughing and giggling happily while I have to hide behind an hijab
A funny idea crossed my mind, and I decided to go ahead with it. Good thing Jake wasn’t anywhere around her.
I picked up a glass of wine from a passing tray and walked slowly toward her direction. The moment I got close enough, I acted like I had slipped, pouring the entire glass of wine down her front.
Emma jumped up, her eyes wide with shock. “OMG, you fucken moron! What have you done ?”
“I’m sorry.” I said trying to clean the wine off her dress with my hands, knowing fully well it will only spread the color more.
“Get your filthy hands off me,” she screamed hitting my hands off her “You ruined my dress you imbecile! Do you know how much this cost?!”
“I’m sorry! It was a mistake! I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I said, feigning innocence.
“Sorry for yourself, you low-life creature!” she retorted, her voice dripping with disdain.
“What is going on here?” Ray quickly approached, concern etched on his face.
Sandra came along with him aswell, and from her expression I could tell what was going through her head. She’s probably thinking I cause trouble everywhere I go.
Too bad that’s the new character I want to portray now.
“Can you imagine this foolish girl just ruined my dress?” Emma cried, her voice rising.
“Which foolish girl are you referring to? Do you mean the CEO of the biggest company in Paris? Is she the one you’re calling a fool?” Ray shot back, his tone protective. “You mustn’t have been briefed before coming to the party, she’s the reason there’s actually a party. And you a guest dare call her names ?” He added his voice rising with every word.
Jake, who had been across the hall, rushed over, his eyes darting between us.
“What happened?” he asked, confusion and concern etched across his features.
Emma pointed at me with a trembling finger. “This-this girl just ruined my dress!”
Jakes eyes were wide opened when he realized who Emma was pointing to.
“Get her out of here before I call the guards to do it myself,” Ray demanded, his voice shrill.
Jake glanced at Emma, the humiliation evident in his expression. He hesitated, clearly torn between loyalty to her and the reality of the situation.
“I think I’ll handle this,” Jake said, his voice firm. “Let’s not escalate things any further.”
Feeling the weight of the moment. He didn’t utter any more word and simply took Emma by the arm, leading her toward the entrance, her protests echoing in the room.
“I’m really sorry about that,” Ray said, bringing out a handkerchief to wipe off the droplets from my dress. His contact on my skin sent shivers down my spine, and I felt a rush of warmth flood my cheeks.
“Thank you very much, I’ll do the rest myself,” I replied, taking the handkerchief from his hand.
Holy moly !!
Why I’m I shy around him all of a sudden. I could feel his eyes on me, searching for any sign of distress, but I managed to keep my smile in place. I was satisfied with my little show.
As Emma and Jake left, I felt a sense of satisfaction wash over me. I had disrupted their moment, and I could see the confusion and frustration on Jake’s face as he walked out with her.
“Are you alright?” Ray asked, concern still evident in his voice.
“I’m fine, really,” I assured him, folding the handkerchief neatly in my hands. “It’s just a dress. I’ll get it cleaned.”
Ray’s brow furrowed as he studied me. “You handled that well. It’s not easy dealing with confrontations like that.”
“Thank you,” I said, my eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’ve had my fair share of practice.”
“Would you like to join me for a drink?” he offered, nodding toward the bar. “I think you deserve a reward after dealing with that drama.”
I hesitated for a moment, weighing my options. “Sure, a drink sounds nice,” I replied, trying to keep the playful tone.
Sandra who we had both totally forgotten about, she was standing right by our side when the drama unfolded feeling totally left out.
She walked closer and walked in-between Ray and I, hitting my shoulder lightly, and sighed a very long sigh to draw our attention before finally walking away.
I and Ray exchanged glances unsure of what to make out of what just happened.