Chapter 4

“Is it… is it against the rules of the event?” I asked Alexander, feeling nervous.

Alexander stopped walking when we reached the pathway leading to the main hall. He turned to face me with a serious expression.

“You have the right to decline it, but if he demands a payback, you don't have a choice but to fulfill your role,” he answered.

“Payback?”

“Yes. If you decline and he wants his money back, the refund will come from you, and the amount will be tripled.”

I was stunned by Alexander's words. Even though I didn't know how much the man had paid, I knew it was substantial. The thought of such a large sum made my knees weak.

“M-may paraan pa bang hindi ko mababayaran ang ganyan? I mean, hindi naman ako mismo ang sumali rito. It's not my intention to join,” I said, my worry evident as I started biting my nails. I didn't have the money; it might even be millions that the man paid.

Alexander thought for a moment. “Hmm,” he put his finger on his chin, “I think there's a way to solve it.”

My eyes lit up, and I moved closer to him, holding his hands. “Really? Is there?”

However, I immediately realized what I did and let go of Alexander’s hands. He looked at me with a slight smile on his lips and a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Yes, there is. But you have to listen carefully to what I’m going to say."

I frowned but felt hopeful. "What is it? I'll do anything, as long as I don’t have to pay such a large amount."

Alexander walked over to a bench near the pathway and sat down. I followed and sat beside him, my anxiety still present. Before I could sit, I accidentally noticed a familiar face passing by a few meters from us.

“That's Madam Matapobre!” I exclaimed and moved to get a better look at the woman. “What is she doing here? Isn't she married? What's up with old people nowadays?”

I moved closer to where I saw the woman, but she suddenly disappeared. My eyes kept searching for her when someone grabbed my arm.

“Is there any problem? Who are you looking for?” Alexander asked. He had followed me, and we were now in the middle of the crowd.

I scratched my head. “Ahh– well, I just saw someone I know,” I continued searching with my eyes. If I find out she’s on a date with another man, I'll report her to Mr. Davis for revenge.

“Mr. Montgomery! I searched for you everywhere. You're just here!”

We heard a woman's voice. We both turned to her, and she approached me. I immediately recognized the man with her—my former manager. I didn't know they were close.

"Yes, and you are?" Alexander responded formally to the woman.

"I'm Jessie Vlomder. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Are you searching again for a new sugar baby?”

“S-sugar baby?!” I exclaimed without thinking. I covered my mouth when I realized how loud I was. “Oh.. okay.. you can continue talking..” I pointed to the exit. “I think I’ll just leave. Bye!”

But before I could walk away, the woman spoke again. “I know you.”

I closed my eyes, debating whether to face them or not. What should I say?

In the end, I chose to face them. I smiled awkwardly and waved.

“Umm. Hello.” Shit, where did my courage go? It suddenly vanished.

The woman dramatically gasped as she remembered me. She even pointed her finger at me.

“You're the staff who got fired!” Her loud voice drew everyone's attention to us. She noticed it too but didn't stop; she smirked at me. Oh no, I knew what this old woman would do.

“I thought this event was for rich people? Why is there a lost mouse here?” she insulted me.

My fists clenched under my dress. My anger flared up inside me, but I tried to hold back. I wouldn't let this woman ruin my day.

I held my head high and looked back at her. “I may have been a staff once," I began, “but that doesn't mean I lack talent or intelligence.”

She smirked, clearly disgusted. "Oh really? And what talent might that be? Serving drinks? Cleaning tables?"

"Well, I can certainly do those things better than you can," I responded with a forced smile, "but beyond that, I have skills and dreams that you could never imagine."

She shook her head, seeming to laugh at my words. "Skills and dreams? Do you even know what it takes to survive in our world? You're just a poor little mouse trying to pretend to be something you're not."

Before I could speak, I felt Alexander's hand on my shoulder. "That's enough, Jessie," his voice was firm. "This event is not the place for personal vendettas. And for the record," he looked at me with a reassuring smile, "I believe she has more talent and potential than most people here."

Jessie smirked and ignored Alexander. "Talent? Potential? This girl?" She pointed at me with her finger as if I were disgusting. "She doesn't have talent. She doesn't even belong here. She's just a poor, talentless, stupid girl who got lucky to be here.”

I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. I felt my hands trembling with anger and humiliation. But I couldn't give up. I took a deep breath and faced Jessie, trying to show I wasn't shaken.

“I may not be rich, and I may have been a staff here before, but that doesn't mean you have the right to put a finger on me. You're rich, yes, I admit that, but we're all going to die and be eaten by worms in the ground. We'll all become ashes and bones, so whatever you have in this world, it's still useless. You're still a person and your farts still stink!”

Everyone fell silent at my response. The woman's eyes widened. I just raised my eyebrows. What if I responded differently?

“Oh my, who is she?” I heard someone whisper, and I smiled broadly. “She doesn't have manners. Clearly poor!” My smile faded at someone else's addition.

I saw the different reactions of the people around us. Some were whispering and staring at me, some were disgusted, and others seemed to pity me.

“Wow, this woman is brave. I couldn’t do that,” I heard a woman behind me say.

“She’s just rude. She shouldn’t be allowed here,” replied another, clearly unimpressed with me.

But some seemed to agree with me. “Well, she's right. We're all the same in the end. We're all just people.”

“But that's not the right way to say it. She's really rude.”

While the people continued their whispers, I faced Jessie again. I smiled wryly. “So, Jessie? Do you have anything else to say? If not, I'll leave. There's no point in arguing with you.”

Jessie's face turned red with anger and shame. “You... you’ll regret this!” she shouted before turning and quickly leaving with her escort.

I felt my chest lighten. I looked at Alexander, who smiled at me with admiration. “You handled that well,” he said. “But next time, try to keep your cool a bit more.”

I smiled back at him. “Thanks. I'll try.”

As we walked away, I still heard the whispers of the people. “She’s really brave. I couldn’t do that.”

“But she really shouldn’t come back here. She doesn’t belong here.”

Ugh, I don't care about your opinions. Some rich people are just too full of themselves! They can shove their wealth up their asses!

I followed Alexander, and we approached a large door. He opened it, and I was amazed by the many artworks lined up inside. There were sculptures and, of course, paintings.

“Wow! Why are these hidden?” I asked as I started looking at each painting on the wall. There were abstracts, simple yet elegant pieces, and some that I couldn’t understand but looked aesthetically pleasing. I'm not an artist, but I knew these were masterpieces.

“Half of it was bought by Cazford from different countries and put here for display. He only opens it once every six months,” Alexander replied, standing next to me and looking at one of the paintings.

“Cazford? Is he the owner of the hotel?”

“Hmm, yes. It was his grandpa’s. He inherited it when he turned 20.”

I looked at him. “You seem to know the owner well.”

He looked at me and smiled slightly. I could see a small dimple on his left cheek. He’s handsome. How old is he? He looks mature but not too old. He’s hot when he smiles.

"He's my best friend. Two years younger than me," he answered, looking back at the artwork in front of him.

I remembered the time and quickly checked my watch. 10 pm! Oh no, I won't be able to catch a jeepney! I rummaged through my bag and checked if I had any money left.

When I looked, I saw that I still had fifty pesos in my wallet. This won't be enough for a taxi. But if I head straight to Shena's condo, this should be enough. I'll call her so she can open the door for me later.

I put the money back in my bag, but it fell to the floor. I was about to pick it up when I heard the sound of my gown tearing at the waist. My eyes widened, and I quickly stood up.

Alexander was already puzzled by what I was doing. I grabbed the part where it tore, but I couldn't see it because it was at the back. My fingers trembled as I tried to reach the fabric, but I couldn't do anything. I felt like I was under a spotlight, with the whole world watching me, even though I knew they weren't.

"Damn it," I whispered to myself, struggling to hold back tears.

"What happened?" Alexander asked, concern evident in his voice. He approached me and helped check the back of my gown.

"I think... my gown tore," I said, embarrassed. I felt his hands gently moving my hair away from the torn part.

"Let me see," he said, bending down to get a better look. "Yes, it's torn. But don't worry, it's not that bad. We can fix this."

"Fix this? How?" I asked, hoping for a solution. Anything as long as they don't see the tear. Enough embarrassment for today.

He stood up straight and looked around. Then he took off his tuxedo. My eyes widened, and I covered my eyes with my hands.

"H-hey! Why are you undressing? I'm still young!" I said, flustered. I heard him laugh, so I peeked through my fingers to see his face.

He was now only in his white shirt. His muscles were well-defined, and his veins popped on his arms as he moved.

He approached me and draped his tuxedo over my back to cover the tear.

"You can use this."

I lowered my hands and shyly adjusted the tuxedo he had draped over me. I felt embarrassed for my reaction earlier when he was just trying to help. My mind is so dirty!

"Are you okay with those shoes?" Alexander asked, looking down at my feet. I looked too and saw that the back of my feet was already red. When I moved, it stung a bit.

I didn't expect Alexander to kneel at my feet. He removed my shoes and examined the blisters on the back of my feet.

"It will get worse if you walk with these," he said, looking up to meet my gaze. "Do you mind if I lift you?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

He didn't wait for me to process his question and suddenly lifted me. I yelped and instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. I could smell his masculine perfume.

"Better. You're going home, right?" he asked. I just nodded. I seemed to have lost my voice.

I admit, I'm really thrilled. My heart has been racing, and there's something fluttering in my stomach. Is this what they call butterflies in the stomach? He's really handsome.

He started walking. When I saw where he was heading, I panicked.

"Wait!" Alexander stopped walking. "Are we really going out through the main hall? Isn't there a shortcut?"

"There is. We're going there, but just to the side. Not in the center, so don't worry," he assured me.

I didn't protest anymore. We continued walking out, but there were still people around, so they automatically looked at us. I couldn't handle the embarrassment anymore, so I buried my face in his neck. He smells good.

"Great. We're here," he announced.

I peeked at the surroundings. We were already inside the parking area, heading towards a car.

"You can put me down here. There aren't any people around," I said, and he complied. "Thank you. Was I heavy? I love rice, you know."

He chuckled. "Not at all. You're actually light," he said, holding my arm and feeling its size. "Look. You're so skinny."

I pouted. "Just sexy. This is the body of a sexy person, right?"

He just nodded his head as if agreeing with what I said. I lightly slapped his arm.

Alexander's phone rang, and he quickly answered it. On the other line, I heard a man's voice.

"Alex, where are you? Everyone's looking for you," the man said.

"Just handling something. I'll be there soon," Alexander replied. He hung up and looked at me. "I have to go back inside. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

I was about to respond when I saw a woman approaching us. Her outfit was barely covering her. She gave Alexander a sultry look, completely ignoring me.

She approached Alexander and quickly kissed him on the cheek, which made me stop in my tracks. I didn't know he had a girlfriend.

"Hi babe, I came here to see you!" I bit my lip as they were about to kiss in front of me. I turned around and walked straight out of the parking area.

That woman might cause trouble for me. She looks scandalous. I looked back at the venue as I exited the building.

"This is the last time. I really don't want to attend events like this anymore. Enough with the embarrassment," I said to myself and looked for a taxi.