Everyone snapped their heads around, their eyes swept across the ballroom to land on a woman dressed in a bold red gown and her long blonde hair was put up into a sleek bun. Shock flashed past my eyes for a brief moment as realisation dawned upon me.
It was Evelyn. So she was the toxic ex-girlfriend that Xavier mentioned back in the hospital? What are the odds?
It turned out that she was also present at the company's banquet as a plus one of one of the guests.
Her cheeks were tinged red and her features were contorted into an expression of pure anger and jealousy that was twinkling in her green eyes. Her jaws were clenched tightly and her fists were balled up beside her, her knuckles were even starting to turn white as she glared at me with contempt.
"You are my boyfriend! Since when did you get married to someone like her?" She spat with a disdainful scorn, as each word that left her lips were stained with a thick layer of venom. "Why her?!" She snarled with anger.
"What are you talking about, Evelyn?" Xavier's loud voice boomed, slicing through the thick tension that hung in the air. He let go of my hand this time, slowly making his way down the stage and stopping right before her. "We have already broken up, I don't owe you any explanation," he reminded her curtly, his tone cold and harsh as he met her gaze.
"Isn't that the daughter of the Lloyd family?" One whispered to another.
"I think that's Evelyn Lloyd. I can't believe our new CEO is a cheater," another laughed while his friend nodded in agreement next to him. "What a way to start the company banquet."
Evelyn scoffed loudly this time. "I didn't agree to the break up," she stated. "So, you are still my boyfriend. I'm the one who is meant to be with someone like you, not her! Am I not good enough for you?"
"She is delusional…" One remarked.
"So, she's the one who is still clinging onto her ex…" The whispers and murmurs started to fill the air again. "How pathetic..." the woman commented.
Evelyn turned to face the crowd, her eyes held a fiery blaze. "I'm not delusional or pathetic!" She screamed, her shrill voice ringing in everyone's ears. "Xavier is my boyfriend! Mine! Not hers!" She proclaimed.
"I'm not your boyfriend. So stop pestering me," he replied firmly with a distant look plastered across his face as he barely spared her another glance. "Don't make me call security on you," he threatened.
A cold chuckle escaped from Evelyn's lips this time. "Do it," she challenged. "Are you going to call security on me for a whore like her?" She sneered as she glared at me.
I watched as Xavier's face darkened visibly in an instant as he stared at her.
"Watch your mouth, Evelyn Lloyd," he warned as his features hardened, anger swirling in the depth of his eyes.
"Scared that I hurt her feelings?" She mocked. "What I said is the truth! She was the one who seduced you!"
"Are you done yet?" I asked as I appeared next to Xavier this time, wrapping my arm around his. "I didn't seduce anyone. The two of you have broken up, he's my husband now," I spat the words out of my mouth, my tone stressing on the last two words, making sure that it was loud and clear for everyone to hear.
Evelyn's features twisted with anger as she glared at me. "You-!"
"If I were you, I would leave and quit embarrassing myself in front of hundreds of people here," I commented with a slight smirk etched onto my lips as she was rendered speechless.
I watched as she stomped on her foot and turned around to leave through the front doors without saying another word.
***
The atmosphere was tense throughout the rest of the banquet but it went by in a blink of an eye.
As I was leaving with Xavier by my side, I felt someone grab me by my arm. "What the-"
I whipped my head around to find myself coming face to face with Stella. "Aurelia, I know there's some bad blood between us but I didn't mean to offend you, please don't fire Blake because of me," she begged with a pitiful look etched onto her face as she met my eyes.
Before I could even say another word, Blake had walked up and pulled Stella away from me. "Don't need to beg someone like her," he spat the words out like they were poison in his mouth.
She turned to look at him. "I just wanted to help you Blake. I don't want to be the reason that you lose your job."
I let a smile fall on my lips as I looked between the both of them, amusement dancing in my dark brown eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't fire Blake. How else is he going to pay me back the money he stole from me from our joint account?" I taunted as a smirk morphed itself onto my lips. "Definitely not from the bonus that his boss isn't giving him anymore. You can expect a lawyer's letter from me if you don't pay up by the end of this month," I announced, my voice heavy with a threat.
"Aurelia Holt!" Blake yelled my name and he raised his hand with anger evident on his face.
Xavier didn't waste any time as he stood in front of me, pushing me to stand behind him instead.
"It's Aurelia Wilder," he corrected with a smirk. "Leave my wife alone. I will see you in the office next Monday."
Blake exhaled deeply, rage still burning inside of him as he glared at the both of us. His gaze flickered to the side to see a small crowd that had already formed around us, some had their phones out as they snapped pictures and took videos.
"Whatever!" He yelled before grabbing Stella by her arm and pulling her away with him.
It was late at night when the sound of my phone buzzing loudly beside my ear jolted me awake.
Everything was still a blur and the bright light from the screen of my phone invaded my eyes. I answered the call groggily, still half-awake when a sharp voice pierced through the phone from the other end of the line.
"You ungrateful bitch!"