Today is our engagement day. Eric is hosting a huge party; he has arranged everything in a grand fashion.
His previous engagement with Cathy was a very small family party, so not many people are aware of it.
In this party, he invited every famous and important person in our country—businessmen, politicians, top officials of the army and police, celebrities, artists... nobody was excluded.
Eric looks very handsome. He is wearing a white suit with sparkling buttons and cufflinks, paired with a red tie.
I am wearing a pastel pink floral gown. I know that beside him, I become invisible or a part of the background. If he doesn't have any problem with it, then I don't either.
I feel extremely bored. Rachel brought me some pastries earlier, and I absentmindedly ate them. Suddenly, a very familiar voice calls me, "How've you been?"
I freeze. Why is he here? I look at him. A pair of green, ruby-like eyes stares at me.
"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I'm an invited guest," he replies.
"How?" I question him again.
"As the founder of the best IT company in our country," his tone is prideful.
Oh, he told me before that he founded a company with his friends in B City. But I didn't know his company had become the best in the IT sector.
He is different from me and Eric. We just continue our family business, but Xavier started from scratch. He is very talented; yeah, my decision was right.
Just for me, he shouldn't waste his life. I really don't know why he takes care of me, I mean, Samantha, from her birth. He has no obligation, actually. Maybe he has been with me my whole life, so later he developed an obsession for me.
Look at him now, all prim and proper. A handsome face, tall, muscular body that, despite that, looks lean, sleek black hair... he is just perfect.
If I paired with him, all the girls in our country would die from heartache.
His mellow voice pulls me back from my trance. "That time you deceived me by saying some ambiguous words. Now you're playing a drama?"
"How dare you mention that day? I'm going to be engaged tonight. If Eric somehow knows, that'll be bad," I sound like a cheating wife! What a sin!!!
"Oh, you're so affectionate now. I remember you couldn't tolerate him before," his tone is sarcastic.
"Then he was Cathy's fiancé. Now it's different," I retort.
"I know he blackmails you with that joint project. You seek help from everyone but me, Samantha. You really forsake me." He smirks.
"I told you before. I don't like you." I have learned to lie easily.
"But you like Eric?" He's really angry now.
"Somehow, I am starting to like him. He genuinely loves me," I say convincingly.
He wears a bewildered expression at my reply. Then that converts into a predatory smile. "I love you the most in this whole universe, my beloved. None can rival my boundless love for you. You don't understand now, but when you know everything, you will be able to relate to it then."
"What are you talking about?" I really don't understand.
"Now isn't the right time. When the right moment arrives, you'll sense it instinctively." His smile looks somewhat scary.
Are his eyes glowing red?! What the hell?!!!
And what is he saying? Does he really know about my angel identity? No, that's impossible.
Then what? I'm so confused. I don't know how to arrange my thoughts or how to react.
"I told you before, you can only be mine. Engagement is out of the question. I won't tolerate anyone laying a single finger on you." After saying his piece, he grabs my hand and leads me toward the door, his grip firm yet possessive.
Panic surges through me. I want to shout, to break free from this suffocating situation, but I can't. There are so many important people present here today, all eyes on us.
Xavier's reputation hangs in the balance, and I know that any outburst could tarnish it. But what other options do I have? My heart races as I weigh my choices.
Eric notices us first, his expression shifting from confusion to anger. Then my father steps in. They hurriedly block our way, their faces a mix of disbelief and fury.
Eric's voice booms, "How dare you? You're trying to forcefully take my fiancee away against her will in front of so many people!"
"Against her will, you say? Is that correct, Sam?" Xavier's gaze pierces through me, demanding an answer.
Ahh, he never calls me Sam! The name feels foreign, yet it stirs something deep within me. But why am I thinking about this now? What's wrong with me? My mind races, caught in a whirlwind of emotions.
Due to my trance, I can't reply. Xavier seizes the moment, a smirk playing on his lips. "See, she agrees."
"I never agree. Don't cross the limit, Xavier," I protest, my voice trembling with a mix of defiance and fear.
"You are my limit. My world revolves around you," he insists, his tone softening, but the intensity in his eyes remains.
"Look, Xavier, you grew up with me. So you may have developed an obsession. A plain girl like me isn't worthy of your current dazzling self, believe me." I try to convince him, but my heart aches at the thought of pushing him away.
"You're the most dazzling existence for me. Your eyes, your smile, your every expression—everything about you mesmerizes me. I know I'm not worthy of you, but I just can't tolerate anybody else beside you." His words wrap around me like a warm blanket, yet they also feel like chains.
Eric interjects, his voice dripping with disdain. "You were just a servant to her. Now, after achieving something, you're trying to get her as your own! How big is your appetite?"
My father joins in, his voice booming with authority. "You ungrateful brat, you're now laying your hands on my eldest daughter. You were just a caretaker of her. How absurd!"
Their words ring true, but I feel suffocated by their judgments. They are all wrong. It's me who isn't worthy. I know I will leave him shortly after this, and that's why I can't accept him.
Unknowingly, tears spill from my eyes, and the room falls silent. They all stare at me, startled. Everyone asks in unison, "What happened?"