"What don't I do to make my family proud?" Leonora sighs as she goes back to inspecting herself in the mirror. The team did a perfect job with her hair. It's coiled on top of her head with some loose curls, framing her face and her nape. Pearls are put on her hair, and, they make her skin glows with every movement of her head.
She's dressed in a yellow sleeveless heart-shaped dress draped floor flowy train that her mother's designer made for this very occasion, it's very striking. Judging by the look of the dress, Leonora knows it's a traditional design. She loves it.
The dress is simple yet very elegant. The dress is embroidered by flower from chest to above the knee, fits well in the chest and waist area, and one side short slit. The light and the taffeta material moves elegantly with every step. What makes it even more beautiful is the brooch encrusted with diamonds placed on the bodice of her gown. Also, her makeup is always flawless.
Her eyes are bigger and more luminous. Her cheekbones and her nose made to stand out and her face set to be more angular rather than plump. Leonora then closes her eyes for a moment and wishes with all her heart that the dress, the hair and the makeup would all be good enough to make the ladies and gentlemen stare at her side all night long. Not that she's looking for a man or something like that.
They arrive at the driveway of Dark's Event Hall. It's a tall skyscraper in the heart of the metropolis. Right now, the whole building has been transformed from white halls and into a glittering hall filled with decorations.
She watches her parents exit the limousine and waits the driver opens the door for her. Once the door is open, Leonora forces to play the part of being the dutiful daughter once more. She places her hand on her father's arm and let him escort her. Leonora smiles at the media and gives her father a nervous smile. After all, she hasn't been to this kind of publicity for long eight years and she knows she will be the talk of the town.
I can imagine The Daughter of the It List Richest Man Makes A Big Entrance With His Wife And Daughter On His Side as a title on the first page of the magazine and social media.
A few reports approaches them, asking questions that Leonora is to nervous to answer, giving only her best nervous smile. Grace answers politely when a reporter she knows makes small talk, making Leonora to relax a bit and laughs at his jokes. The reporter compliments Leonora's dresses before he rushes over to other rich family.
Leonora parents walk her into the heart of the crowded function hall transformed into a beautiful ballroom. She sees a young man talking to another man, but her eyes are fixed on the first man. He has his back turned towards her, but her eyes immediately zeroed in on him. She notices his tall frame and that he stands about a head taller than the crowd. She also notices the rigid set of his shoulders and his defeated stance as he leans against a marble pillar.
"Patrick!" Martin greets. Patrick is a common name it could be anyone, so Leonora didn't think a lot about it. She then notices the man's body stiffen further before he turns around, then he relaxes and smiles at them. With that smile, she's lost. She locks eyes with Patrick whose eyes render everything else invisible, silent and insignificant around them.
"Patrick?" She says out loud. In her mind, the word clear, but she isn't sure it leaves her lips beyond a pitiful whisper. Patrick strides towards them, Leonora thinks that she must have imagined the whole thing about his rigid and defeated stance.
My eyes must be tricking me.
The media didn't do him justice. He became a man to let any woman drool hard on him, and she understands why he's always changing women and breaking their hearts, that's at least for the past two years when she decided to stop stalking him with a fake account.
Patrick is wearing a blue suit, which draws his body, he has a stubble, a square jaw that makes him sexier than the images printed in magazines. Yes, he became a man that every woman wants, but not that Leonora wants. So much has happened, and she is no longer the same woman who was deceived years ago by an evil love.
As soon as he recognises her, all his circulation began to flow in one direction only. It has been a long time since he has felt like a teenager with hormones exploding in his ears and desperate when he sees a beautiful woman. It's pathetic, but it's inevitable. He walks towards them. And that's when Leonora sees him close up, not from the magazine or social media, but face to face.
"Martin, Grace," Patrick says greeting Leonora's parents.
Patrick Andrade is the last person I wanted to see at the fundraiser. My cruel mind is playing a trick on me, showing me my worst fear after thinking I had gotten past it.
"Patrick! What a surprise to find you here," Leonora's father says, with a polite smile.They exchange a few words about work and what time Mr Andrade will arrive. Ten years ago, Martin Dark was one of the generalist Law lectures of Patrick until he graduated, and thanks to Martin and John, Patrick graduated with excellence.
Leonora didn't feel anything like a racing heart and all the symptoms of a girl in love, but she feels something strange. Staring at him is weird. That feeling is mutual. She looks more beautiful, she has changed her haircut, but the scar on the eyebrow is there, and her perfume is the same. He keeps his lips closes as he looks at Leonora seriously.
"Hello, Leonora! So the rumours are true." He says monotonic, as if they saw each other last week. Leonora could hear the bitterness on his voice as he utters her name. She fakes a smile on her face and looks at him as if his presence doesn't affect her. Her parents didn't notice the bitterness from the interaction between Leonora and Patrick.
"What rumour, Ricky?"
Really, Ricky? This is totally inappropriate. Especially when he treats me formally. What happened to the plan to treat him with indifference.
Surprised, Patrick raises his left eyebrows at her, but she maintains her ground. "That you're back. Who could have imagined the prodigal daughter would come back one day." He says, but now his voice laced with mockery.
"As you can see, Patrick. One can never go astray from home forever, right?" She asks with the same tone of voice.
"I have to admit that eight years in UK did you good.. You look different and more mature." Patricio says right before he lifts her hand and places a kiss.
"Well, we all have to change at some point, don't you agree?" Leonora asks him, raising her eyebrow. Patrick looks at her for a few seconds before he replies.
"You're right. We should keep up with the time. Anyway, where's your date?" He asks, taking her by surprise, but she says nothing. Watching Patrick and Leonora staring at each other, Martin decides to break their staring contest.
"Well, you kids better catch up and Leonora maybe you can ask Patricio about your doubts regarding work," Martin says, and at that moment Leonora believed him. She's going to work at AD & Associates Law Firm. That's what she always wanted, but now she's not so sure.
"Or you can continue where you guys-" Grace Dark starts, but her daughter immediately cuts her off.
"Thank you, Mom. I believe I have a lot catch up to do. Right, Patrick?" Leonora asks glaring at him. Patricio looks at her and smirks. Looking into his green eyes, she sighs. Leonora's parents decide to leave the two alone to talk, believing this would be a perfect opportunity for reconciliation. However, they are far from knowing how wrong they are. Leonora and Patrick exchange quick, exasperated glances before their parents disappear into the crowd.
He continues as handsome as I recall.
A lot of questions runs through her head, but she shoves them in the back of her head when she sees something different in his eyes. His smile was warm, his voice was soft...yet his eyes were very cold, and alert.
Welcome to the lion realm!
Leonora realises that she will be working with none other than the Patrick Andrade, her ex boyfriend.
"Well, if you don't mind, I would love to do that catch up now," Patrick says asking for permission to take Leonora with him.
"Go ahead, son." Martin says as he walks away with his wife to greet the guests. Patrick pulls Leonora to the bar and asks for a simple double scotch.
Patrick decides that he would do what him and Zadie has talked about: clarifying their past but instead, he did the opposite. "Now, Miss Dark, I need to clarify some rules." Leonora nods. He speaks in a thick but calm voice. Leonora lifts her gaze and looks at Patrick's cold expression.
"Are you by any chance mute? Say something. For what I know, when we're dating, you weren't mute." He says making Leonora snort.
Since when did Patrick become this arrogant, cold, rude and a jerk man? I'm so disappointed.
Patrick is very much surprised when her gaze did not consist of pain or surprise. Her gaze held confusion, sheer and utter hatred. But before he could comment on it or ask why someone touches him on the shoulder, making Patrick to turn around to meet his friend smiling face.
"Won't you introduce me to your beautiful friend to your best friend?" A man asks.
Best friend? A lot of changes might have happened here.
Leonora tries to remember if she did come in contact with him when she came back seven years ago for Nadia's bachelorette party, but she comes out blank.
"Of course," Patrick grins. He stands and places his arm on Lucio's shoulder as he looks at her.
Thanks God, Lúcio came to stop me. For fuck sake, I'm a criminal lawyer. I'm an objective person and I say things objectively, but because at that moment I'm talking about things that even make my head hurt. I'm not prepared to deal with that or her, that won't be good for me.
"Lucio this is Leonora, and Leonora, this is Lucio, my best friend. Leonora will be working with us." Lucio chuckles.
"Nice to meet you, Leonora."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Lúcio."
The moment that Lúcio arrived, a change takes place in Patricio. He lets out a real smile for the first time tonight. After Patrick introduces Lúcio to her, the two starts to make jokes, and Leonora also finds herself smiling.
After a few minutes, Lúcio excuses himself saying he is going to get a girl for the night. At the same moment, Patrick cell phone rings and he moves away to answer the call, Leonora goes to the bar where they are serving some drinks. She orders a dry martini and takes the first sip of the drink, giving an almost inaudible moan of satisfaction. Leonora looks at the entrance to the hall and saw that the place is full comparing when she arrived, she's so distracted to see Patricio joining her.
I wish he could leave me alone. At least for another hour, but here he is. I wonder what he wants.
"Well, I think there's nothing I can tell you about the company. You should be thankful for having a father who gave you the chance to work in one of the biggest law firms in the country, so make sure to keep the company reputation intact. I meant it, Leonora. Don't drag the company down, I'm warning you." Leonora just stares at him, too stunned to answer him. Standing in front of Leonora is the 30 years old man she once loved with all her heart. Now is replaced with a self-centred, a jerk version of the man he used to be.
Do the eight years we stayed a part changes a person that much or is it just a special treat for me? Either way, Patricio isn't the same man anymore, unless all this is a part of a cruel act that I still have to wake and talk to the man she came to know for the past 22 years. Whatever game he's playing, I didn't like it.
"I don't care where you studied, but I do care about my work place and company, so do your best to bring results up." He says, like he didn't know Leonora well enough.
But what a jerk person he has became, the power made his personality grow to the worse. I swear I would punch him in the face if I hadn't studied so hard for this kind of opportunity.
"As you wish," she says not having the time to argue with him.
"Look, Leonora..." Patrick starts to speak again, but Leonora is no longer paying attention to him. She is busy looking at her surrounding and trying to spot someone she knows. Marcella couldn't come tonight because she had things to do, Nadia is busy with family dinner at her in-laws, Janelle once again she's working a double, Zadie is busy decorating a wedding but that didn't mean Leonora had to stuck with Patrick for the rest of the night.
Will he be like that all day at the company? I don't even want to know.
"Are you even listening to me?" Patrick snaps, making her turn to him.
"Since we're not at the company, so I kinda decided to stop listening to you. Sorrry not sorry, but since I have better manners, what were you saying, Patrick?"
She's really getting me out of my mind. What is so hard for me to just clarify things and move on from her? Why can't just do that instead of saying things that don't even makes sense. "I said no getting to the company anytime you want!" He snaps.
Leonora scoffs. "I can't. I've other commitment, and I believe John knows that. I will do what I'm supposed to do and nothing else, but don't worry, I'm extremely punctual. Now if you will excuse me,"
As soon as she gets up, and turn her back to leave, she feels Patrick gaze on her, once again making her sick.
"By the way, Miss Dark. You look cute. For the first time, I saw you trying to impress people." Patrick says, trying to provoke her.
"People change, Patrick Andrade. People change!" That's all she can say during her wracking encounter and nervousness that consumed her. She immediately leaves the bar not missing the look and ironic smile he gave her.
Cute? Who does this guy think he is? The Greek God of the world? Yes, he has become taller than the last time I saw hin, handsome and brooding, with white skin, black hair green mesmerising eyes. Who I'm lying to? That man is...He's the definition of Greek God. Cute? I'm not an exuberant model, but cute? I honestly don't want to know what is the next thing "Mr Patricio Andrade" will do.
And I will be there ready to face him without running the risk of losing my job, I will not let my guard down.
Leonora spots Lúcio talking to a blonde woman, who is laughing at the lies he feeds her. She finds her parents and joins them on the table.