Mantisha's heart was pounding hard, she could feel the beats in her throat. She had severe stage phobia, despite of knowing how to sing, she could not participate on any competition or performed anywhere. Nobody except her mother and her grandfather were aware of her singing skill. But here she was, performing a pure dramatic entry she practiced a thousand times in front of her dressing table, yet she felt her performance was deteriorating slowly, as she walked like a proud peacock.
Her palms were sweating, she felt suffocated. Yet she maintained her composure.
Hundred... Ninety nine... Ninety eight... She started counting backwards in her mind as she moved slowly between the crowd, to calm her mind.
Her eyes were extremely sharp. With every step she took, she could see everybody's judgemental eyes. Admiration, amazement, awe, envious, and... DESIRE!!!
She paused for a couple of seconds while feeling a burning gaze towards her. She slightly frowned her eyes as she looked at a particular way. And her gaze landed on a face that stunned her.
'Huhh. Who is he! Wait, is he not the one from yesterday? What is he doing here!'
She felt her face was burning just by thinking of his face, by the thought of him kissing her.
The people around her started whisper gossiping among themselves. They did not know her, also they were afraid of asking her who she was. The gown she was wearing could draw the limelight back to her without wasting a minute. But then she appeared with a historically valued royal tiara. Just who was she! They could only assume.
However, the whispers got a little louder and Mantisha felt her feet were stealing. She walked at an extremely slow pace by which people assumed she was walking leisurely.
Meanwhile, not so far away, four people stood together as two of them were watching Mantisha and the other two slowly distanced themselves.
"I did not think she would be such a wolf in a sheep's clothing." He chuckled as he took a small sip from the wine glass of his hands.
When it felt like a decade, he decided to look at the face beside him again. Taking a look to Mister and Missus Black, the Chairman and the current lady boss of the Blacks, he nudge him again.
"Don't you think so?"
"What?" This time Albert asked in a deep, quiet and low voice. His gaze lingering on Mantisha, he showed not a trace of slight dissatisfaction on his voice.
Herbert took another sip as he looked ready for a gossip.
"Just see, she has come not too long ago in town. Lives quite ordinarily. With her daily life's graph, or with just a conversation with her, everybody can tell that she belongs from a normal, ordinary family. She is a typical, old school nerd who can oftenly be cheated or bullied because of her kind personality." Glancing towards Albert's nonchalant attitude, he continued,
"However, behind her kind attitude, I did not think this kind of face would be hidden."
This time Albert genuinely frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing much. It's just, she became a sugar baby of some random bigshot, and came here to make connections. Did she thought wearing Miss Eberly's current limited edition design and pairing it with a historically valuable Tiara on her head would make a noble fall for her? Gosh!"
Albert looked visibly annoyed by then. He turned to Herbert and asked him directly,
"Just because of the costume she is wearing, you judged her so bluntly. If she ever knew your words or thoughts for her, what do you think she will do?"
Herbert gulped under his domineering gaze.
"I did not mean to judge her. It's just she is new to the town and looked quite ordinary. so I..."
"So you thought she is a sugar baby of a bigshot who kept her. She went on dates to a library instead of hotels and at night she sang lullabies for him to put him sleep, and study all night to get first class in her assignments and examinations. Because she became a topper, her sugar dady gave her an earth shaking gift and here she is... Appearing here all of a sudden without him."
Albert's words stunned Herbert then and there. He shut his mouth immediately as he thought of the sleepless, haggard face of Mantisha who barely kept her cool on classes, and before exams her dark circles became so big that Judy and Megan almost dragged her to a beauty salon to treat (beat) her.
He sighed at his own stupid thought. No wonder Albert his more favoured by the old patriarch's of Blacks.
Then a sudden realisation engulfed him. 'If not by hooking, then how did she manage!' As if Albert read his thoughts.
"When an invitation card allows two people, and when it is so tough to have one, she appeared here without a partner, without a present. She entered through a door by which nobody else had entered. She didn't greet anybody else, nor did she socialize with other. She is just walking straight towards the Roy couple."
"Then... Is she someone from Mr. Adi Roy's family? But, how can it be! Everybody knows them. Besides, her surname is different."
Albert looked at him with a gaze that made him think like he was an alien.
"Here, everybody else's presence was announced, including the Roy couple. Only her one was not announced. It's evident that the Host and the ones who arranged today's party didn't want her identity to be exposed." He took a glance at her confident facade as his gaze softened. He knew she was shaking inside.
"Or else, it would be her who did not want the world to know about her identity." His lips formed a slight smile, "However someone here ordered and managed everything wanted her to be known by everyone. But he could not do so without her consent. As we know, she is a nervous mess when it comes to interacting or facing people. So he arranged her to get ready in a room and ordered to escort her by another door that nobody used. By this, she got noticed, but she didn't have to face the crowd openly."
"That means, she... she..." Herbert stammered at his sudden realisation.
Albert left a soft chuckle, "She came into this country with her divorced mother almost two years ago. She told that her mother took cooking classes near her library. While Mr. Roy is also known for his cooking skills."
"He was rumoured to be seen with a woman for a few times, a few months ago. While she joked that she marry her mother off with her first love, that was also a month ago."
"They couple stood there in the center of attention, but Madam Roy's gaze is searching someone in the crowd, Mister Roy also patted her hands once lightly, seemingly to assure her. All of these things lead to one direction." Telling all these things, Albert took a long breath.
This time Hebert said in a awe, "She is Madam Roy's biological daughter."
A few meters away, behind the bar counter, Evelyn bit her lips hard. Narrowing her eyes on Mantisha, she marked her as her target. She must get this girl's information as well as her picture. A girl, who did not want to be known as Mr. Adi Roy's stepdaughter, still appeared in the banquet they held. She was known by the Black brothers and seemed to be a topper of the University in which Black brothers were studying. She also seemed to be in good terms with Mr. Roy and loved and spoiled by both of them.
'No, I need to be careful about her. I can not write anything randomly based on her appearance and background. But oh my story! You need to be based on her.' Evelyn murmured to herself.
However all of the discussions, resolutions were going over her head. By every passing second, she found herself covered with the urge to look at the man from yesterday. He seemed to be making a hole behind her head. She grew tensed under his pressure. Moreover, she the discussions around her were terrifying.
'Thirty... Twenty nine... Twenty eight...' She continued counting backwards as she walked. After a while when she saw nobody approached her, she seemed to calm down a little.
'This is not the time to think of these things Tish. Get a hold on yourself. He must be brought here by one of your Uncle's guests, otherwise how come he even has the chance to enter here. He went to a local restaurant like Food 'o' Mania yesterday. Without getting someone else's help, he couldn't be able to enter here. And what if he came here by himself, you don't know him, nor does he. Yes. Just like this... Chapter closed. And leave these unnecessary people and their comments aside, otherwise you would not be able to make it today. Focus Tish! Focus!'
Mantisha chants to herself as she walked through the hall slowly, gently and elegantly.
With a slight smile lingering on her face, she looked so dazzling that nobody could move their eyes off from her once placed.
Deep inside her confident look, her chest was getting heavier. But when she finally met with her mother's gaze, she felt like a huge stone was lifted from her chest.
"Congratulations for your wedding, Uncle" She congratulated Adi, then turned towards Sylvia and said, "Wish you a happy and prosperous future ahed."
'She did not call her Mom or Mrs. Roy, nor did she call her Madam. So she is really trying hard to hide herself well.' A few meters away, Evelyn curled her lips.
'She is smart. I like her.'
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Albert is so smart! I am already smitten by him. Smart brains attract smart people. *wink* *wink ;)
I feel like Evelyn is going to be someone important. What do you think?
How did she even manage to enter? Do you have any idea?
This party will be a breakthrough to the youngsters of this novel.
So it might take a few chapters to get it over.
Today I wrote for so long that my neck is hurting. -_-
Bless this little soul with your votes and comments. Your votes and reviews will be my motivation.
Continue supporting me.
Happy reading <3