"Stella's point of view,"
"Your sweet cousin invited you to her birthday celebration." Avery remarked as she walked into my office.
"What did you say in response?" Looking at my phone's screen, I questioned.
"You have a hectic schedule and can't make it to her birthday celebration. After all, how did she dare to call you what she understood herself?"
I could tell by looking at her face that she was furious.
"Don't lose your temper over her statements; she has always been this way." She listened to me, but her anger grew, so I tried in vain to calm her down. I deduced her fury from her red face.
"Stella, why are you acting this way? She consistently tries to hurt you in this way, and you always choose to ignore her." She was trying to bury her concern for me beneath her anger, but the pain was clear in her voice.
"So, what should I do? Every time I see her in front of me, I am reminded of her deceit. Along with her, Jordan has caused a wound in my heart that is likely never to fully heal. You will not comprehend my predicament because you have loved no one in that way, and no one has ever betrayed you in the name of love. I've worked hard to become incredibly strong, yet I'm still puzzled by my fear of confronting Julia."
"You need to get rid of your fear. I'm telling Julia that you will undoubtedly attend her birthday celebration." She took the phone off the table, grabbed it up, and texted Julia's number.
"Why did you do this, Avery?
How will I deal with her, especially since he will be present?
I'm unable to confront Jordan.
What you did wasn't correct."
I spoke in a whiny tone as I turned to face her.
"As much as I know you, why are you acting this way, and what has happened to you? You consistently seek opportunities to tackle hard tasks. Then why, even after all these years, are you still afraid to confront him?
How long do you intend to harbor this fear?
After all, get rid of this fear inside of you at some point or another."
I tried to read the feelings rising in her head as I gazed into the depths of her eyes.
I had the impression that she genuinely encouraged me to confront my anxiety after seeing her.
Although I have attempted to overcome this dread in the past, every time I gaze upon Julia, I am brought back to the memory of Jordan's deceit.
Jordan's last words still ring in my ears whenever I consider erasing this terror from within me.
"Stella Parker, I don't love you; I love Julia."
His words continued to echo in my ears as I attempted to conquer my dread.
"No, why did you hurt me in this way?" To stop the buzzing in my ears, I covered them with both of my palms.
"What happened to you, Stella?"
Taking my hand away from my ear, Avery asked in a frightened tone.
I won't be able to face him, therefore I won't go there. This was also one of the lowest points in my life, and every time I dwell on it, I am confronted with the vulnerable Stella Parker, the girl I'd been hiding inside.
Like any other girl, she used to dream of Prince Charming.
That Stella Parker, who understood how to love.
That Stella Parker, for whom emotion systems were more significant than anything else in the world.
That Stella Parker, who believed in love.
"Why are you silent, Stella? Please let me know what you're thinking." Avery's concerned voice interrupted my thoughts.
"I need some time to myself, Avery." I immediately covered the hurt emotion on my face with a cold one before she countered my argument.
"But you're not feeling well," she added quietly.
"Please leave me alone; I'm OK. It's an order." I spoke it to her in a high pitch.
"Alright, but I'm available if you need me." She once gave me a pity-filled look as she walked out of my office.
Why?
After all, why did she usually have pity-filled eyes when she looked at me? Does she believe I'm a victim?
No, I'm not a helpless victim.
All my anxieties are manageable. I have to concede to Avery's point.To confront Jordan, I must attend Julia's birthday celebration. I have to prove to him I am content without him, after all.
He is not anything I should be terrified of. I need to convince him that because he left a girl like Stella Parker; the loss is his, not mine.
"Yes, I will undoubtedly attend Julia's birthday celebration." I wiped the tears from my cheeks and said out loud what I had already decided in my head.
I studied the open document in front of me and was about to sign when I noticed the notification on my gaming PC.
Oh, I should have logged out of my gaming system yesterday before leaving the office.
How can I miss such a great opportunity now that I have discovered a deserving opponent to compete with online? I closed the file that was open in front of me and moved over to the gaming computer.
Oh god, it's a flaming shark again.
Wow, I simply activated the game by clicking the notification that was displayed on the computer. Without a doubt, Flaming Shark is an extremely skilled gamer. His gaming prowess has me so awestruck that I couldn't help but compliment him. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to speak to him, but flaming Shark had disabled his chat feature. We're both driving our cars at the same speed; therefore, the match today appears to be a draw.
I'm not sure why, though. He slowed down the pace of his car as soon as he got close to the finish line. Even though I won the game today, I don't feel like a winner right now. I wanted to play another game with him since I thought my victory was unfair. may be he left the game after I issued him a request to rejoin.
"Miss Parker, may I come in?" Avery asked softly while pacing in front of the office door. She must have been really frightened after seeing my expression this morning; otherwise, she would never have requested formal authorization before entering my office in this manner unless an outsider was there.
I nodded in agreement and switched off my gaming PC.
"Mr. Pinto requests a meeting with you." The stress in her voice was palpable.
"Why do you feel so anxious? What happened?" I raised an eyebrow and turned to face her.
"I do not know. It would be preferable if you spoke with your dear uncle directly." My leading questions seem to annoy her.
"Okay, send Mr. Pinto my way." I don't think it's essential to aggravate her when she is annoyed with me. It's hard for me to put into words how risky it is to interact with a furious best friend.
"Stella,my lovely baby child. How are you doing?" Mr. Pinto inquired as he entered my office, his voice full of phony sweetness.
"I'm good, Daniel, uncle. How are you?" Although I know he is merely being formal by speaking to me in such a lovely manner, I still don't mistreat him because, since both of my parents have passed away, the only living relatives I have left are my uncle and aunt.
Daniel Pinto is my dad's half-brother and the only one left who is aware of my dad's property and all essential paperwork following the passing of my parents. I still regret agreeing to my aunt's request to leave my dad home alone so I could attend college.
My dad may still be alive and in my life today if I had not gone to college that day. Daniel Pinto was the last person to see my father breathe his last. Because of this, I still have to contain my rage and act appropriately around Mr. and Mrs. Pinto, despite knowing their true faces.
"Congratulations Stella, you must be relieved to hear that the court has finally granted you ownership of the land you've been trying to transfer for so long."