Chapter 6- Ben betrays Anne.

“What a presence of mind Ben has! His act was indeed a heroic one!” exclaimed one of the guests.

“Whatever it is, he still didn’t deserve the employee of the year award, I think, remarked another guest.

´But how did he manage to see whatever was happening behind him? I mean, he was on the interior part of the stage collecting the award, and the chandelier was way behind him. But still, he saw that it was falling. Does he have superpowers or something?” remarked another guest.

I heard everything, but I hardly gave a second thought about the supernatural powers and his ability to sense things because, at that moment, I just felt too happy that Ben loved me and cared for me so much that he noticed the chandelier falling and saved me. I was just overwhelmed with joy at the thought, and I wanted to share this new development with my bestie, Lily. At that moment, the guests or my business seemed to be less important to me. What obsessed me was only Ben and his love for me. I could see that his eyes had turned red. “Does he also have the same feelings for me?” I thought.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I even forgot about the chandelier and the guests. My thoughts were disturbed when Ben pushed the chandelier a little, and it fell away from us on the floor of the stage. It shattered and broke into pieces as the stage had considerable height.

But surprisingly for me, the thought of getting smashed by the chandelier didn’t matter, and what mattered was only being in Ben’s warm arms. But for the presence of the guests, I wouldn’t have missed the chance to cuddle him. It felt so good! Better than all the luxuries in the world!

“You are now safe, Madam, and I think I can collect the award,” he said, slowly removing his arms from around me as he said this.

But once the award ceremony was over, I tried to approach him, but he drifted away from me. “How dare he!” I told Lily as I described how it felt for me to be in Ben’s arms with her. She didn’t want to leave this chance of teasing me, and she did that to such an extent that it made me blush.

“See, Anne, Ben is dancing with Sara, the head of the sales department. They look so good as a couple! Sara is looking gorgeous!” Said Estella, my doctor friend whom I had personally invited to the party. She knew nothing about my feelings for Ben.

I exchanged glances with Lily as we both peered into the ballroom, only to find Ben entwined with Sara. There dance was simply adorable.

The scene was simply too unbearable for me to digest, and I walked out of the ballroom, tossing my feet. I took my seat in the bar area and ordered beer for me. I started drinking in anticipation that Ben would come and stop me from drinking. But I ordered drinks after drinks. But to no avail. I couldn’t find Ben anywhere. Lily came and took the seat near me.

“Stop this, Anne! Don’t be so childish! It is common for guests to dance in couples at a party, but that hardly means that they are in a relationship" Lily tried to console me.

“It’s not like that, Lily; if he were even a little worried about me, he would have noticed that I was drunk, and he would have stopped me from doing so just like you did it, Lily! Because you care for me. He doesn’t care for me, Lily. I was mistaken that he loved me.” I burst into tears as I said so! The effect of beer was such that it made me forget my position in the company and made me behave irrationally.

Finally, I was so drunk that Lily couldn’t control herself anymore. She came near me and snatched away my beer glass.

“Don’t you dare order another peg for yourself, Anne? Try to take it easy. You should be going home now." She just tried to lift me up as she said so. But I was overly drunk and almost lost my senses.

“Heaven knows what he thinks of himself. He received all the limelight because of me, and he is showing attitude now. I will soon show him his position. I am sure to sack him tomorrow.” I kept blabbering as Lily led me towards the gate.

Lily called out my chauffeur to drive me home, but I became rigid. “Allow me to drive my BMW myself. I don’t like anybody else touching my brand-new car. Is that heard, Lily, or else I will suspend you too? Did you get that?”

Lily had no other option left but to let me drive myself. Although she was worried about me, she had her five-year-old son waiting at home, and it was late at night, so she left me to my fate.

I was somewhat excessively drunk, as I was not used to drinking much. I was getting hangovers, making it difficult for me to drive. I wanted to call my chauffer and give him a ring, but then the hangover had almost deprived me of my senses. I started regretting having chosen to drive the car myself. A truck came at a speed of 80 km/hr as if on purpose with the intention of killing me. How could I forget that I had so many opponents who might not miss a chance to finish me off? It would be such a good excuse for them to avoid getting arrested, as I was myself defying the law by driving while intoxicated.

I tried hard to focus and avert the accident by applying a break, but then I noticed that the breaks had already failed. Had someone bribed the security guard? How could this happen to the car of a prominent person like me? “Oh no!” A scream left my mouth, and I fell, almost unconscious on the steering wheel. But I could see that some hand had just overturned the truck, and it just slid sideways and fell into the ditch.

I hardly remembered anything else that happened afterward. The next morning, I woke up to find myself in the hospital with Estella beside me.