Nagita's head was so dizzy, she had just returned home at 12 midnight. She had spent a few hours at her subscription nightclub having fun with her friends.
Nagita comes home with stealthy footsteps when suddenly the lights came on. It turned out that Mr. Martin was waiting for her.
"Dad," Nagita was terrified, but Mr. Martin didn't say anything. Nagita thought she would be scolded, reprimanded, or bumped into, but it didn't happen.
"Give it to Cassandra tomorrow." Mr. Martin simply gave an exclusive invitation envelope. After saying so, Mr. Martin went into his bedroom.
Tears slowly descended on Nagita's beautiful face.
Why didn't my father even care about me? He doesn't even ask me, 'Where have you been? Have you eaten?', Nagita thought in her mind. She is frustrated. She picked up the invitation letter and walked into her room in tears.
During this time, her father never loved her. She has always been regarded as a child. Since her mother died, her father has been less talkative.
Though Nagita is the only child in the family—at least, this is what she knows.
She knew her sister had died.
She is the only child—but her father treats her as someone else. Nagita was never considered a daughter by her own father.
Nagita cried.
She forgot about the sexy dress that was still attached to her body. She lay down on her padded white bed, took a pillow, and covered her face.
Tears swept the makeup from her face. The eyeliner applied to her face smudged back and forth as her hands wiped roughly the tears that drenched her tiny face.
"Damn it! Why don't you ever pay attention to me!" she roared. Her voice swallowed the soft, thick pillow that covered her head. "Am I not his real child? That's why he doesn't love me?" Nagita continued to weep. Her heart was broken to see the reality in front of her.
It doesn't feel fair.
Nagita pondered her chest-suffocating fate for about twenty minutes. After that, she took the invitation letter handed to her by her father, then she read it.
"Why, Cassandra!" she cried.
Mr. Martin's house was so majestic and spacious so her father could not casually hear her voice.
The invitation was for Cassandra.
She was satisfied that she had thrown away the invitation letter. But she had to bow down and take the invitation letter again. There's something running in her mind right now.
She can't come to the party, Nagita thought.
"I'm going to Cassandra's office tomorrow but I won't hand her the invitation," Nagita whispered, then she tore up the invitation card and throw it in the trash.
The invitation came from Governor Charles, a close friend of Mr. Martin.
Nagita can tell Cassandra that she has an invitation from the governor; but without the invitation letter, she cannot go to the event
***
In the evening, the event was about to begin, the invited guests arrived.
Nagita wears a fiery red dress that looks elegant. She came alone; Mr. Martin and Governor Charles had important things to talk about, so they arrived early.
Where's Dad? Nagita asked herself. She came alone, so she was more comfortable when she's with her dad.
"Hello Nagita, good evening," greeted one of the invited guests as he walked up to Nagita.
Nagita smiled fakely. The man in front of him was named Sam. The twenty-nine-year-old man had long put his heart into Nagita, but Nagita never pay attention to him.
"Hello, Sam. Come by yourself?" Nagita pretends to look left and right as if looking for someone who comes along with Sam.
Sam replied to Nagita's smile. He's happy that Nagita noticed him, even though he didn't know that Nagita was just making small talk.
"Yes. I came alone. Where is Mr. Martin?" asked Sam.
Almost everyone knows Nagita. Most of them greeted Nagita, and she replied, "Hi!" with a warm smile.
Answering Sam's question, Nagita rolled her eyes, looking for Mr. Martin's whereabouts.
"Ah, there he is." Nagita waved at her father. Governor Charles was also there.
Seeing someone waving at him, Mr. Martin turned his head.
Mr. Martin's smile expanded clearly on his old face.
From where Nagita stood, she could see how familiar her father was to Governor Charles.
"For a moment," Mr. Martin said to the governor, then he walked towards Nagita.
The figure of the sixty-year-old man was getting closer to Nagita. "Where's Cassandra? Did you guys come together?" His father's soft voice instantly slapped Nagita. It was as if a lightning bolt had hit her, so her heart seemed to split apart.
"Cassandra?" asked Nagita in a stammering voice.
Mr. Martin learns about the changes that are happening to Nagita's face. "Yes," he replied briefly.
Sam's still next to Nagita, he's trying to curry favor with Mr. Martin. "Hello, good evening Mr. Martin. How are you?" Sam extended his hand towards Mr. Martin.
Mr. Martin shook Sam's hand. "Oh, I'm good." Mr. Martin had met with Sam several times. He owned a regional newspaper company. His efforts advanced and were included in the list of successful men under the age of thirty.
After chatting for a few minutes, Mr. Martin spoke again to Nagita.
Nagita swallowed her saliva. She remembered she had torn the invitation card entrusted to her.
"Cassandra is sick." Nagita couldn't think of any other reason. That's the only thing that crossed her mind.
Nagita should have talked to Sam about her lies, Sam butt in unexpectedly, "Cassandra? the CEO of the C&D company?" Sam's forehead wrinkled. At lunchtime, Sam just met Cassandra and Santiago.
Nagita's eyes widened. She turned directly towards Sam, saying, "She's sick. And she's in her house right now to rest." Nagita's eyes can perforate Sam's head.
"Huh?" asked Sam in disbelief.
While Mr. Martin was in front of the two, he looked at Nagita.
"No. I greeted Miss Cassandra. I'm pretty sure. Of course, at first, I wasn't sure if it was Miss Cassandra. But after I saw Mr. Santiago who was beside him, I immediately approached the two," Sam said without burden.
"Ehem," Mr. Martin's surprised Nagita.
Nagita knew she was in trouble.
Her heart was pounding, she didn't continue her argument with Sam anymore.
"Cassandra's sick, Dad," Nagita still maintained her opinion. She can't tell the truth, she will be in big trouble.
"Nagita!" snapped Mr. Martin in a high voice; some people were distracted.
"Dad, listen first," Nagita asked in a pleading voice. Both of her hands held Mr. Martin's hand with anxious eyes.
"Have you given the invitation card ... or not?" Mr. Martin asked, glaring at her daughter, who was obviously nervous.