*TESSA*
At 7:pm,I arrived at Cromwell Hotel.
As I got down from the taxi,I took a deep breathe seeing people walking in and out of hall,elegantly.
I walked in too with my gift in hand.
The party planner did a good job…everywhere was beautifully decorated.
I smiled when I saw uncle Wilson.
“Tessa.”He called,cheerfully.
“Uncle Wilson…happy birthday.”I cooed and hugged him.
“I’m so glad you could make it.”He said.
We disengaged from each other and I handed him his gift.
“Oh…you’re so thoughtful my dear.”
I smiled and walked over to say hi to my mother,sister and Uncle Wilson’s wife,Eleanor.
Taking note that my father was yet to arrive…I took it as my cue to leave.
Seeing him and his wife makes me angry….it makes me think about the past and I always do my best to avoid them.
“Mom,I should get going…I have a few things to catch up on…”I let out,slowly standing up.
“Oh no,young lady…you barely even touched your meal.”Eleanor said as she pushed me playfully to sit back down.
“But…”
“C’mon…you literally just got here and we have an important guest coming over.”
“Who’s that?”I asked,curiously.
“He’s the son of Wilson’s friend.And I heard he’s your new boss…what was his name again?Oh…Declan.”
“What?!”I let out startling everyone on the table.
It’s Declan again!
Why is he everywhere?!
Am I the first person to have a one night stand?
Why am I being tortured by his presence?!
Ugh!
Well,we could say my uncle was well to do but not as rich as the level of Declan.
Ahh.
Why do they know someone like him?
Before I could think of the next thing to do,I saw him entering the hall with my father’s family.
Oh no.
I should leave…
I really should.
I saw a waiter leading them over to where I was sitting.
I tensed and whispered to Eleanor.
“Why can’t they sit somewhere else?”
“This is the VIP table,Bella.”She reminded.
I tried not to show how uneasy I was as they all got seated.
I glanced at Cassie Mendez,the woman who ruined my parents’s marriage.
Next to her was her daughter,Anna Mendez…
She was like a goddess….everything about her body looked so perfect…but of course,I heard she had done numerous plastic surgery.
So to me,she was fake.
She was wearing heavy make up as usual.
I wonder if anyone had ever seen what she looks like.
I glanced at Declan who looked so nonchalant.
My father didn’t acknowledge my presence either.
So I choose to focus on the food in front of me.
As I ate,they started talking.
“Oh,Anna…this is Declan Hudson.He’s a son of a close friend of mine.He just became a CEO and I’m sure he’ll have a lot of business with us in the future.You should get to know him.”My father’s voice rung the air.
He runs a small security agency.
“Nice to meet you.My name is Anna Mendez.I hope we get to know more about each other.”Anna said,sweetly.
“Likewise.”He replied,politely.
“We don’t have to be formal with each other,right?”Anna asked.
I rolled my eyes.
I could already tell that she was into him.
I glanced up to see that Declan ignored her and started eating.
“Declan,how about I get your number?You know,we might have some business to go over in the future.”
“You can contact my secretary if you have anything to discuss with me.”Declan snapped.
Despite that,she didn’t give up and continued to pester him.
It was funny to watch.
“Tessa,are you going to keep sitting there and pretend you didn’t see me?You’re so rude.”Cassie said to me.
I scoffed.
Rude?
I’m only doing my best to get through this night.
Why must she deliberately pick on me?
“So?”
“So?Young lady,you lack manner.”
I sneered.”Look who’s talking.”
“Patrick,Are you seriously sitting there and watching your daughter speak down on me?!”
My father instantly looked furious.”Tessa,apologize to her now!”
I snickered.
Apologize,my foot!
*TESSA* “If you had manners,you wouldn’t have turned my father against us.”I snapped,standing up. For so many years…My father hadn’t looked at me as if I was his daughter. Instead,he stared at me as if I was a stranger. When I was younger,my mother had been unable to pay my tuition fee and I wen
*TESSA* When I walked into the house,I met my sister and mother seated on the couch. It turns out that they were waiting for me. “Tessa,where have you been?I was worried…you weren’t even taking my calls.”My mom began. I sighed and slowly sat down. I was exhausted. “How did you get home?”I aske
*TESSA* “Are you here alone?”Ethan asked me. “No,I’m with a friend.” At that moment,Edgar pull over in front of me. “Boyfriend?“Ethan cooed as soon as Edgar got down from the car. “No…a friend.”I retorted but he smiled coyly. “Good evening,sir.”I greeted Declan who ignored me and walked away w
*TESSA* I started working overtime and barely had the chance to eat or do anything personal. It was highly exhausting but I can only hope to achieve this goal. One afternoon,my phone rang out. I smiled seeing it was Edgar. We had talked a few times for the past two days…though it was brief beca
*TESSA* Declan’s demeaning words motivated me to complete the task by all means. I couldn’t wait to round this up and then say;’In your face,asshole!’ Of course,I wouldn’t actually say it to his face. I can just say it in my mind. I actually wished I could really give him a piece of my mind. S
*TESSA* Declan chuckled showing off his perfect set of white teeth. He looked so handsome right now. “You don’t smell nice.”He announced. Ouch. I slowly sniffed my arms. He was right and I felt embarrassed. “I’ll go home and take a shower.” “The bidding starts by 9 and we should have gotten
*TESSA* Declan cleared his throat and moved backwards. “You…you should take off my shirt and put on your clothes.I’ll try to get Stella to leave and then I’ll be waiting for you in my car.Don’t keep me waiting.We’re already running late.”He warned and walked away. I quickly changed into my clothe
*TESSA* Finally,the meeting ended. The door of the conference hall opened and people started coming out. Declan walked out and I tried to read his facial expression. To know if the meeting turned out in favor of the company. But he had a very hard look on his face. My heart fell. This could o