Chapter 33
Alaia
They were finishing styling my hair for dinner, and I found relief in knowing that this wouldn’t happen often, as I prefer to be at home with my family rather than attending these obligatory social gatherings.
I removed the fine silk robe from my body and slipped into the beautiful long black dress with an open back and white crystal straps. The fabric drapes perfectly and clings to my curves just right. Ash and I went shopping for it yesterday. My hair was styled in waves, and I wore high heels in the same color as the dress.
I checked my appearance in the mirror once I was ready. “Gorgeous,” said Ash, holding Noah, both ready to head downstairs for dinner. “Pretty mommy.” Noah smiled, melting my heart.
“And you’re a very handsome boy,” I said, showering him with kisses. We left the room to go downstairs, and I said goodbye to everyone.
“Where’s my father?” I asked, not seeing him at the table.
“He had dinner as well,” Elise explained, and it was clear that my mother was displeased, but it was she who had refused to give him a chance to get closer; she was very proud.
“I see, I hope dinner doesn’t take too long. I’ll see you all later,” I said, kissing my children, who took a bit longer than usual to let me go. Meanwhile, I heard Cedric’s footsteps.
“Wow,” Cedric said, adjusting his cufflink, “you’re stunning,” I responded with a smile.
“You look very handsome, blondie,” he said, taking me by the waist after saying goodbye to everyone.
“You’ll be the envy of the place.” Ash winked at me. We left the house and headed to the SUV where the bodyguards were waiting.
We arrived at the restaurant and I realized I’d never been there before; it was a very exclusive place. We followed the host, and in the distance, I spotted Minister Lander with a blonde woman, and next to them were Barbara and, of course, Nick, who stared in my direction without blinking.
“You didn’t tell me Nick would be here,” Cedric replied in my ear, pressing me against him. “I suspected, but I wasn’t sure,” I replied in the same manner. Cedric smirked, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “Welcome,” said the minister as we reached the table. A waiter took my coat, and I could feel Nick’s gaze on me every second. We greeted Bill, as he prefers to be called, and he introduced us to his wife, Jackie.
“I imagine you know Barbara and Cedric,” Bill said, pointing them out.
“I didn’t know Cedric, but I do know Alaia.” Barbara smiled hypocritically.
“Yes, we all had the fortune of meeting in college,” Nick said ironically, staring at Cedric.
“Perfect, we’d love to hear that story sometime.” Bill looked at his wife, who nodded.
“Oh, it’s a very interesting story, Bill, about how some idiots let the best thing in their lives slip away,” Cedric said, glaring at Nick. He’s annoyed.
“I hope they manage to get it back,” Bill mentioned.
“Impossible, that ship has sunk,” Cedric looked at me and kissed my nose.
“Can we order?” Nick growled.
“Of course, go ahead,” said Bill, and the menus were immediately brought to us.
I read the menu, trying to decide on a dish, when Cedric leaned over to show me something on the menu.
“You’re enjoying this,” I whispered. “More than you can imagine, princess,” he laughed and stepped back. I noticed Nick watching us, his jaw clenched.
“It’s admirable to see such young couples deciding to get married and start a family,” Jackie said, delighted. Barbara looked at Nick, who didn’t seem inclined to say anything.
“It’s about love, Jackie, and the fact that, nowadays, few are willing to commit and give
themselves body and soul to the person who has stolen their heart,” Cedric mentioned, and Jackie was amazed by his response.
“You’re lucky, Alaia.” She smiled at me.
“Lucky.” Nick scoffed, drinking from his wine glass.
“I am, Jackie,” I said after hearing Nick.
“We are very happy, aren’t we, dear? We indeed got married very young, but our relationship remains strong after these two years.” Barbara took Nick’s arm.
“Of course,” Nick responded sarcastically and disinterestedly, calling the waiter for a drink.
“I’m delighted to meet you all. You come from important families in the country, except for you, Cedric, whose family is from Europe. But your status is no different, and I can see you’re also an accomplished entrepreneur.” She looked at me and then at them, but Barbara felt the compliment the most.
“Bill and I also got married very young. We helped each other to get where we are. It wasn’t easy; there were days when we felt we couldn’t go on, but everything became lighter knowing we had each other,” she said, looking at her husband with love.
“You’re lucky too. That’s what it’s about, building together and letting love win,” I explained with conviction, and that was when Nick slammed his glass on the table.
“You’re right, Alaia. That’s how we became the family we are. We had three children, and now we’re grandparents to three beautiful kids. You won’t feel a purer love,” Jackie said, excited.
“Do you have children?” she asked Barbara.
“Oh, God, no,” she said with a look of disgust, and Jackie seemed taken aback. Nick takes another drink and looks at me over his glass.
“I mean,” Barbara said after seeing Jackie’s reaction, “we haven’t thought about having children yet.” She smiled awkwardly. “We’re still very young and want to enjoy our marriage longer.” She drank from her glass.
“I understand,” said Jackie, “and you, I understand you have two young children. I hope the little girl is doing better,” she added, looking at us while Barbara choked on her drink and looked at Nick, who seemed interested in Jackie’s last comment.
“I’m sorry,” Barbara said, grabbing a napkin.
“Yes, a girl and a boy,” I said with a broad smile, “and she’s perfectly fine, thanks for asking p>
“Little Alana weighed 2.6 kilos, and the little prince weighed 2.7,” Cedric said proudly. I turned to look at him, raising my eyebrows, and he winked at me. “Having them in our lives has been an incredible experience,” he explained.
“I can imagine,” Jackie smiled.
“They came to solidify our relationship, didn’t they, princess?” he said finally, taking my waist.
“Excuse me.” Nick’s deep voice made us look at him. He stood up quickly. We watched him walk towards the exit and not return for several minutes.
“We were thinking of inviting you to our house in Napa Valley. You could bring the kids; it would be a family gathering,” Jackie mentioned, and I tightened up.
“I love the idea,” Barbara said.
“Perfect, dear.” Jackie patted her hand.
“We just need to organize our schedules,” I said to avoid immediately refusing; I wouldn’t go for obvious reasons.
“Very well, I’ll start organizing everything,” said Bill’s wife with a big smile. “Excuse me.” I stood up to go to the bathroom.
I walked down the hallways looking for the restrooms when Nick appeared in front of me, and we almost collided. He looked at me seriously, and I could smell the alcohol and his cologne.
“Let me pass,” I said, stepping aside. Without realizing it, we walked a few steps, and my back hit the wall. He looked at me in silence, and my hands pressed against his chest to push him away p>
So perfect,” he said, touching my cheek, and I dodged his touch too late.
“Cedric is not the man for you.” He looked into my eyes, and I laughed ironically.
“And who is it? You?” I scoffed and pointed at him.
“You’re no one to tell me who’s good or not for me. Step aside,” I said, slipping out of his arms. and heading quickly to the restroom, noticing a man greeting Nick as I walked away.
I return to where everyone is and see Nick heading to the table, but he stops when a boy bumps into him, dropping the tray and some glasses at Nick’s feet. He turned to look at the boy, furious.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said an older man when he arrived.
“What is this boy doing here? I expressly asked him not to see him again,” Nick said, annoyed.
It started to bother me how he was speaking to them.
“It won’t happen again, sir, I assure you,” the man said, embarrassed.
“Get out of my sight,” Nick told the boy.
“Yes, sir p>
“What’s wrong with you?” I said, approaching Nick. “How can you treat them like that?” I asked, modulating my tone because of where we were. He looked at me and was about to say something but stayed silent. “You should apologize to them,” I said, annoyed.
“It’s okay, miss, it was our mistake,” the man said, “let’s not make this bigger, please,” he pleaded. “I’ll take care of everything, Mr. Garnett,” he then told Nick, who just left. I sighed and bent down to help the boy pick up the things. “No, miss, we’ll handle it. We could get fired if we let you help. Please return to your table. I’ll send a dessert on my behalf,” the man said, and I shook my head.
“I won’t accept it. Do you have any idea how much the desserts here cost?” I asked with a slight smile that made them laugh.
“Thank you for your help. I assure you you didn’t need to intervene.” He helped me stand up, and I returned to the table to see Cedric and Nick challenging each other with their eyes while Barbara talked about her prestigious family, with Bill and his wife listening attentively.