"This is an order, Olivia," he said with a warning tone. Now he is going to land me in trouble. What am I going to do now? I can't take this off when I'm in the presence of his family. I can't do that. My family will see me, and I don't want them to recognize me. I don't need them anymore. What am I going to do now?
There was a knock on the door. I was so glad.
"Who is there?" he yelled at whoever was there.
"Sir, your guests have arrived," I guess that was the maid.
Adrian heaved a sigh. He stared at me but didn't say anything. I stared back at him too.
"Why does it feel like you aren't ready for this?" I don't know why I asked that, but then it came out already.
He was also surprised by my question, and I thought he wouldn't respond, but he did. "Dad wants me to get married to a rich girl, and that is who he has for me."
"The Rodriguez family? Why them?" I went on to ask.
He seemed really surprised by my questions. "As I've said, this is an agreement between Dad and the Rodriguezes."
"You are rich yourself. You can decide what you want. You don't have to follow all that your father says to you," I insisted.
This reminds me of my father. He only listens to his wife and not me, who is his blood. Dad is so gullible that he can't see that those people he trusts so much only want him for his money and nothing more.
"Why do you care? Why are you asking? Is there something you know that I don't?" he asked thoughtfully, and I realized that I was getting out of line.
I apologized immediately. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to say that to you. I just thought, since you are rich yourself, you can have any woman you want. You don't have to do what your father asks you to do."
He gave me a calculating look, and since he was close to me, he pushed a strand of hair behind my ears.
"There is something about you that fascinates me. I don't know what it is. I love it when you're around."
Wait, what?! Did he just admit that he wants me close to him? Did I hear wrong? I know that's what he said. I'm sure I wasn't crazy; this is what he said, right? I mentally asked myself.
Before I came out of my reverie, Adrian was already by the door.
"Let's go," he said, like I was a maid he could command around. I have no choice but to do as he said.
I followed him out of his office. The guests were many. They were people of different calibers – high-class people. I searched for Dad in the crowd, but I'm yet to see him and his family.
Adrian stopped to greet some guests. He seems to be nice with people he is close to. The way he smiles when he greets them says it all. He is such a fine man. I mentally blushed. Did I just compliment my boss? I need to stop this already before I get myself in trouble.
I followed him like a hawk. We finally got to the middle of the room. I can feel eyes on me. Yes, the mask I wore makes the attention even more obvious. What do I do now? I can't just take the mask off. I can't do that when I know my family will be here somewhere.
"Adrian!" A familiar voice called, and we both turned to see who it was.
It's Emma. She wore a huge smile on her face. She still looks the same as before. She waved at him and walked faster to catch up to him. She looks different. I think she had done a little bit of surgery on her nose. Her nose wasn't as straight as it was now. I've always known her for being jealous of my nose. If there was something Emma wants that she doesn't have, it was my facial feature.
Back then, I might be far, but my beauty was worth talking about too. This is something I was glad I took from Mom. She was like an angel. She was a beauty to behold. I guess that's why Dad fell in love with her, but now he fell into a trap of a devil that wants nothing but his money.
But he is too blind to see it for himself, and I won't be the one to tell him that. He needs to learn it the hard way.
She hugged Adrian while I watched from behind. I felt a bit of jealousy inside of me. I don't know where this came from, but I was jealous she got to touch him like that.
I mentally rolled my eyes at them. If I should leave, he won't notice, right? I turned my back and was about to leave, but he surprised me by calling my surname - well, the name I changed to. "Miss Daniel, where do you think you're going?" he asked.
The attention then fell on me. Emma stared at me with a look of disgust. "Who is she?"
Why so much hatred . She doesn't even know who I was . This mean attitude of hers is just so annoying .
"My secretary," he answered.
"Why does she have to stay? Let her go. I'm sure she has somewhere to go to," Emma insisted, and I wished Adrian would listen to her, but he is a stubborn man. He doesn't listen.
"No, she goes nowhere. The only time she can leave is when the party is over," he said, leaving no room for argument.
Emma's eyes bore hatred for me. I don't know how she hates so easily. She doesn't even know who I am, and she's already hating? Why is she so cruel? What does she gain by being so mean?