He asked in a deep voice, arching a perfectly groomed thick brow at him. Without a single warning, he raised his clenched fist, ready to swing down on Blake's face.
I watched as Blake squeezed his eyes shut, like the coward he was, but Xavier's fist stopped a mere few inches away from his jaw, never touching him. A smirk started to form on Xavier's lips as he looked at Blake's pathetic face, a low chuckle left his lips as if to taunt him.
"That's what I thought," Xavier murmured in a deep voice.
Stella rushed forward to pull Blake away from Xavier. No matter how much she tried to hide it, I could still see a hint of fear swimming in her eyes. "Come on, Blake, let's get out of here," she urged as she continued to pull him. She then turned to look at Xavier and I with clear disdain on her face. "We don't want to shop at this store anyway!"
Xavier placed his hand over his chest, where his heart would be at. "Aw, really? What a shame that I have to lose such a valuable customer," he commented, feigning hurt as his voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmph!" Stella stomped her foot and pulled a speechless Blake out of the store together with her.
Xavier turned to look at me with a smile sitting on his face as he extended his hand towards me.
"Come on, let's go shop elsewhere."
***
The day of the company banquet came sooner than I had expected. Not going to lie, I felt nervous, butterflies fluttering in my stomach just at the thought of appearing at the banquet holding Xavier's arm. Everything felt so surreal.
But here I am, my arms clinging onto Xavier's as we walked towards the entrance of the grand ballroom filled with unfamiliar faces. Some turned to look at us, I could feel their gaze on us and I was starting to feel a little self-conscious. I gave them a meek smile as I tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear.
I was dressed in a long black dress with a classic straight cut neckline that runs across my chest, showing off my collar bones. The dress itself had thousands of dazzling crystals hand-sewn onto it. It hugged my waist perfectly and flowed down to the ground, the train of the dress dragged along behind me as I walked carefully in my red bottoms heels.
Beside me, Xavier was clad in a classic all-black suit and tie. His thick dark hair was styled to perfection and his shoes were probably brighter than the polished marble floor inside the place.
I watched as an unfamiliar older man walked up to him with a slight smile on his face. "Hey, Xavier, it's been awhile since we last met," The man greeted enthusiastically, giving Xavier a pat on his back. "Thank you so much for trusting me on this, I can't believe my baby is now yours! Take good care of my company."
It seemed like he finally noticed me standing beside Xavier as he looked at me and greeted me with a smile too. "Oh, and this is…?"
"Let me introduce you two. Aurelia, this is Harrison. Harrison, this is Aurelia."
I took the man's hand, giving him a firm shake as I let a smile fall on my lips. "Nice to meet you, Harrison."
"Likewise."
Xavier leaned in to murmur next to my ear. "I'm going to chat with him for a bit, you can head in first."
"Oh yeah, sure, of course," I said and took my leave.
I didn't wander off too far when I bumped into a familiar face. Fate sure does have a funny way of bringing us together at this unlikely event. Stella? What is she doing here?
"Ugh," Stella mumbled with pure disgust on her face. "What on earth are you doing here?" She snarled with a disdainful scorn, dropping her good girl innocent act when it was just the two of us alone.
I ignored her and continued walking away, heading straight for the entrance.
She grabbed my arm and turned me around to face her. "Hey, I'm talking to you, are you deaf or something?" She questioned as she let go of my arm this time. "Don't walk away when I'm talking," she demanded.
A cold chuckle escaped my lips as my eyes met hers. "Oh, no, I heard you the first time, I just chose not to reply, hoping that the trash would take itself out," I said to her crudely as my gaze swept over her face. "But alas, it didn't," I finished as a smirk appeared on my lips.
I watched as Stella's face grew red with anger as rage pulsed through every single vein inside of her body. "You!" She let out a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "A person like you doesn't belong in a place like this," she sneered, her voice carrying a sharp edge to it.
"And a person like you belongs here?" I questioned with a raised brow. "That's funny."
She narrowed her eyes into thin slits as she glared at me with hatred.
"Look, Aurelia. I don't know what games you are playing here but if you are here to stalk Blake, you are not getting him back. You should get over him. He's mine now," she snarled, leaning in closer, her face was now only mere inches away from mine. "Don't even think about seducing him or trying to win him back, he's over you. You should leave before I get security to drag you out," she warned.
I smiled, unfazed by her antics.
"Don't worry. He's all yours. I'm glad I got rid of trash like him. I guess what people say is true, someone's trash is someone's treasure. I hope you enjoy him."
She put her hands on me, grabbing me by my shoulders in a fit of anger. "How dare you!"
I pushed her hands off of my shoulders. "No, how dare you assume I wanted my lousy ex-husband back?!" I snapped.
She gritted her teeth as she raised her arm, wanting to hit me but I was on high alert. My fingers easily wrapped around her wrist, grabbing her hand mid-air before she could even lay a finger on me. My eyes widened as I glared at her, a fiery blaze swirling in the depths of my dark eyes.
"Nice try," I taunted as I released my grip on her and I saw the way she immediately stumbled back a couple of steps.
A yelp emerged from her throat and I watched as she fell into the large fountain right behind her with a loud splash in a dramatic manner. Then, a shrill high-pitched scream pierced through the air.