“No, I’m good, but you should stay and enjoy the party.” She insisted. “I will need all the juicy gossips you’ll learn from all these rich snobs.”
She knew that from the way Jacky was staring at her, she had a million questions behind her stare. But she would just have to wait until Jacky came home before she could talk about him.
But as she said, she would like to hear what Jacky could learn from these people and especially, if people would start talking about her past with him.
She just wondered why her dad decided to invite him to this event, knowing how much she despised him. Her father should be blacklisting him from his social circle for what he did to her. But like always, she never understood how her father’s mind worked. It was too complicated.
“Ok, if it is ok with you, then I will stay. I’ll just see you tonight.” Jacky expressed with a wink.
“Thanks.” She answered back as she arranged herself in front of the mirror before they walked back to the ballroom.
She wished she could just walk straight out of this building, but her mother would always insist that she should follow proper social etiquette. So, she walked back to the ballroom with Jacky on her side.
Find her mom and say her goodbye, avoid bumping into him, and then make a quick getaway. That was her plan. She just wanted to go home without any more difficulties.
“Oh, Marcus is already here,” Jacky announced at her side while she was searching for her mother inside the ballroom.
“What is Marcus doing here?” She asked her as she turned around and followed Jacky’s gaze.
Unfortunately, it was not just Marcus who was here. Alexander was right by his side as they walked in their direction. She just could not believe the bad luck she was having tonight. She just avoided one man that she did not want to see, then there was another one.
Could this night get any worse? Yes, it just did, she thought. “I better look for my mother.” She excused herself from Jacky before the two men reached their position.
She turned around to go in the other direction to avoid Alexander. But it was like fate was playing a joke with her as the other man she was avoiding was starting to walk in her direction. She felt like vanishing at that moment. She wished that a hole would open up on the floor underneath her and swallowed her.
She was going in another direction, avoiding both of them, but before she could move another step, they both called out her name. It was too late for her to escape their presence. She tried to search her brain for ways to get out of this situation, but as of the moment, she was drawing a blank.
“Hi.” She first greeted Alexander since she was already looking at him. Then, turned around to the other man. Trying to remind herself that she should remain calm for her mother’s sake. She also said the same greeting with a forced smile on her lips.
“It’s nice to see you again. How long has it been?” He first opened the conversation. He had been searching for her since he had arrived, but he had a good idea that she was avoiding him at all cost.
“It has been a very long time.” She tried to be polite. She was just glad that he was alone and the bimbo was not with him.
“Hi! I’m Jacky, by the way, Dani’s friend.” She offered her hands to the newcomer, curious of his identity and his relation to her friend.
Judging by the way her friend was acting, he was not just an ordinary acquaintance. If her assessment was right, there was an old history behind their pretentious smile.
“Nice to meet you, Jacky. I’m Nick. An old friend of Dani.” He extended his hand to Jacky, but instead of shaking it, he took it to his lips for a quick kiss.
“Oh, I never heard anything about you. Have you been away?” Jacky was working on her detective skills as she tried to squeeze him for information.
“Yes, he had been to hell, but it appeared that he is back.” She mumbled to herself, but she made sure that he heard her. She did not care if Jacky or the rest did. If she could shout it, she would, but that would cause more problems.
She hated his guts and she would not pretend otherwise. But before she could add more insults to her statement, that redhead bimbo interrupted her by entwining her arms with Nick. The bimbo’s name was Cassie. She used to be her friend and they grew up in the same circle.
“Hi, Dani. Did not expect you will be attending this party? I heard this is not your kind of scene anymore.” Cassie said wickedly as she kept her arms possessively at Nick’s.
“It’s nice that the two of you are still together. You really deserved each other.” Dani kept her composure not wanting Nick to win in this game. She knew he was trying to rile her up, but he would not succeed.
“Don’t be like that, Dani. I could not help it if I had fallen out of love for you. You can’t still be bitter because I chose Cassie.” Nick knew he was hitting her in the right nerve. He could not wait for her to lash out at him and make a scene. “You can’t still be in love with me.”
He hated what Dani did when they broke up. It almost ruined his company. Gladly, he was able to find a way to salvage it before it went bankrupt. Now, he needed her to pay for what she did to him.
When Alex heard the rest of the conversation, he knew that he could not just stand there and let the matter get out of hand. He decided that it was time to step in and be her knight and shining armor.
“I’m sure she’s not in love with you.” Alex interrupted the conversation as he stepped closer to Dani and placed his arm around her waist. “Right, Babe.” He looked at her and waited for her to raise her eyes to him.
When their eyes connected, he gave her a slight squeeze on her waist, signaling that she should follow his lead. She must be still in shock with what he did so instead of waiting for a reply, he lowered her face to her and kissed her. It was no ordinary peck on the cheek.
To Dani, everything happened quickly that she did not have time to react or processed what was happening. And when his lips touched hers, she was at a loss for words. Her mind just went blank. All she could feel was the way his lips moved with hers.
It was a short but thorough one that left them both a bit breathless. Alex smiled at her dumbfounded expression and shifted his gaze to the other man. Nick seemed not amused with what he just witnessed, but that was exactly what Alex wanted.
“I’m Alex, by the way, and this is my friend, Marcus.” Making the necessary introduction since he figured that Dani was still left in a trance after their kiss.
Alex already knew the identity of the man in front of him because he already had him investigated. His association with Dani’s past was very relevant to his future plans. He needed to know everything about her before he proceeded to offer her the contract.
Now, he could see that there was an opportunity here. And when the chance came, he grabbed it. He just did not expect that it would work perfectly according to his advantage.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Alexander Princeton?” It was a mixture of a question and a statement, but Alex opted to acknowledge it. “I heard about the recent success of your company.” Nick continued as he took an interest in the man in front of him.
Nick recognized him in one of the reports he was working on recently. Alexander’s name was slowly climbing in the big league, so he was another competition he needed to watch out for.
“It is doing well, but it is not yet on the same level as yours.” Alex took over the conversation, giving Dani time to seamer down. Whether from her hatred from the man in front of him or from the kiss they just shared. He hoped it was the former.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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