POV: Victoria
I stood and watched as the girls danced with him one after the other, dancing with elegance and poise. I still can’t believe that Gramps did this for Raphael and I. My eyes took in the elegantly decorated ballroom with shimmering lights and lavish decorations. It’s so beautiful and it’s held in my honor as a part of the family, the Hawkins family.
If only Raphael could see me the same way if only he would consider me a part of his family. My eyes went to the guests who were dressed in their finest attire, clinking glasses of champagne and mingling throughout the room. It landed on Raphael and I noticed he had his eyes on me all this while. I smiled at him but he looked away, ignoring me.
Cindy looked confident, she was sure she would win the competition. She had been to countless parties before and was known for her graceful dance moves and charming demeanor. As she took her turn dancing with Grandpa, she twirled and swayed with practiced elegance, expecting to win over the old man’s favor. Hell, I was sure she had won already because she made the crowd go wild with her elegant moves.
And yeah, she sure caught the eye of a few guys in the room. But she failed to make the old man laugh, and just like I thought, she didn’t last long on the dance floor. He was sick of her vibrant energy in a few minutes and he beckoned for her to be stopped before she drained him completely.
Alas, it was my turn to dance with the old man and I felt nervous as I approached him, a smile plastered on my face. I know I have already captured Grandpa’s heart with my genuine warmth and radiant smile. But I still need to dazzle the crowd like everyone else did, I need to earn that Diamond and not just get it handed to me because of Raphael. I’m an escort and it’s my job to dazzle men and keep them happy for the time they paid for.
If I can keep a random guy engaged and excited, I can also dazzle this old man, right?
As we glided across the dance floor, I kept my eyes fixed on him, smiling genuinely. After a few minutes on the dance floor, I noticed that he was tired already. For some reason, he loves watching me dance instead of dancing with him, I noticed he heaved a sigh of relief when I’m dancing on my own. But when I lock hands with him again, he frowns deeply.
I decided to make it easier and fun for him. I twirled to the other side of the room and pulled a seat that was just lying there. I kept twirling my hips as I carried the seat to the dance floor and kept it in the middle of the dance floor. I smiled brightly as u walked up to him and held his hand, leading him to the dance floor.
“Opa, you look exhausted. Why don’t you sit while I dance for you and not with you,” I told him, smiling. I danced in front of him, swaying my hips to the sound of the music and I made up a few funny steps just to make him laugh and keep him entertained. He laughed so hard that tears filled his eyes, and the crowd cheered excitedly, clapping and cheering me on.
Grandpa’s eyes twinkled with delight, and it was clear to everyone in the room that I had won his favor. When the music was over, the guests gave me a standing ovation and Gramps also stood up and pulled me into his arms, pecking my cheeks.
“It’s been a while since I laughed so hard, Victoria. I haven’t had this much fun in one night. You are such a joy giver, my darling,” he teased me excitedly, his face full of smiles. Raphael, beamed with pride as he walked over to present my prize to me. He had watched me win the competition and he looked happy and proud.
I was presented with the dazzling diamond necklace, a prize that sparkled almost as brightly as my eyes. The crowd cheered with excitement, I felt so proud of myself and I wished Mom and Claire were here to see me honored and celebrated. Mom would be so proud of me and Claire would scream out her excitement and run over to hug me.
I miss them both, I can’t wait to go back home to them. Raphael took the necklace from the box and I smiled as he helped me put it on. I pushed my hair to the side, leaning to let him put it on with ease. He clipped the lock perfectly and he leaned forward to place a kiss on my neck, acting all romantic.
He is acting like the perfect gentleman, showing his affection publicly. In my heart, I thought he suddenly fell in love with me after watching me dance. But he leaned over and whispered in my ear,
“Don’t get your hopes up, it’s all part of the plan. We are acting, remember?” he asked, smiling brightly to make it seem like he just whispered something romantic to me. I smiled in response to his mean joke. If it’s acting he wants, I’ll show him how to act.
We were still on the dance floor, after he put the necklace on me, he asked me for a dance and I gladly obliged him. The spotlight focused on us as he put his hand around my hips. I put my hand around his neck, smiling excitedly as he led me to the middle of the dance floor once again. One of the guards ran over and moved the seat away, giving us enough space to move around.
We moved together with effortless grace, our eyes locked in a private world of shared joy and connection, at least that’s what everyone thinks anyway. As the music played around us, Raphael leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to my lips, putting a show in front of the envious and disgruntled gazes of Cindy, Charlotte, and the other girls.
“Cool, I love it!” I smiled and sighed in contentment as I leaned my head on his shoulder, loving every minute I spent with him on the dance floor. I felt as if I was in the arms of the one man made just for me. It felt so perfect, so fucking perfect. It would have remained this cool if this asshole didn’t ruin it for me,
“Don’t get too comfortable, this is not real, it’s all part of the deal. Don’t overdo it and ruin it for me. You don’t have to lean on me, I’m not your pillow!
And don’t fucking get your hopes high, I won’t fall in love with you!” he told me, shaking his shoulder to make me uncomfortable and get me to take my head off. How can someone so cute turn out to be so fucking annoying?
“What makes you think I had high hopes, Raphael?
You are the weird CEO, everyone knows you are mean and heartless. How the hell will I be in a fake relationship with a weirdo and still have high hopes?
That would be stupid!” I told him, chuckling at the end, making him groan in anger. His arm around my hips became tighter and I felt his hand crushing my hips. It’s obvious he hates it when I refer to his mean reputation at work, he hates being called a weirdo, that fact is clear now.
“You are trying to infuriate me, aren’t you?” He asked me, smirking at me.
“It’s funny how you find it so easy to insult me anytime you want but find it so hard to take an insult yourself. I’ll stop being rude when you stop calling me names, I’ll stop calling you the weird CEO when you stop calling me a gold-digging whore. How’s that?” I asked him with a smile that made him groan and his forehead creased in anger.
“I know what you are doing, Victoria, I know you are purposely trying to get on my nerves. But trust me, it won’t work, not tonight. This room is filled with reporters and our business partners. So I won’t fall for your games and I won’t let you infuriate me either!” he lets out furiously while keeping the smile plastered on his face.
“Yeah, whatever. Let’s stop fighting and just keep pretending to be in love, okay?” I implored, earning a scoff. We stopped arguing for a few minutes and just danced, but Mr grumpy here wouldn’t let the quiet moment last for long.
“My grandfather wouldn’t let me leave without proposing to you. He seems to like you and I just don’t see why. I mean, you are not that beautiful and there is nothing special about you to like, is there?
What did you do to make him like you so much?
I’m pretty sure you did something, I mean, he wouldn’t just see a slut and love her so much after spending just two days with her, would he?” he asked, sounding so annoying.
“You must derive some kind of joy in putting me down and making me feel worthless. What makes you think you are so special, asshole?” I retorted angrily, fuming with rage and yet trying not to glare at him. The funny thing is that we were both furious and abusing each other, but we couldn’t take the smile off our faces, we had to keep up appearances, and we had to keep pretending to be in love. Isn’t that crazy?