After a few more moments of catching up, Stephen and I decided to take our seats. I rarely get to spend time with Mom, so I was glad he granted my request.
“Are you surprised?” he whispered to me as we sat down.
I turned to him with a smile. “I really am. Thank you.”
We started chatting with Mads while sipping wine from our glasses. Occasionally, Liam would join in. But most of the time, Dad and Stephen were engrossed in business talk.
We were laughing when my attention was drawn to the other table. Ashter had a scowl on his face, seemingly annoyed by his brother Rhyz’s teasing. Ryza and Riley were both engrossed in their phones, probably playing a mobile game. Meanwhile, Amelia was busy patting Ace’s back; he already seemed quite intoxicated. Amelia seemed to be advising him to stop, but he continued drinking anyway.
My forehead furrowed as I noticed that Oliver and Shantel were no longer around. I quickly scanned the area and saw them talking to each other not too far away. It seemed like they were on a date tonight.
But what about Ace? Even though they bicker like cats and dogs, I’m sure that there’s something between those two. They just have to figure it out.
Maybe that’s why Ace is drowning his sorrows in alcohol right now.
“What are you looking at?”
I almost jumped in surprise when Stephen suddenly spoke beside me. I slowly turned to him and pointed towards where his friends were.
“Do you think Ace will be fine? The night hasn’t even deepened yet, but he seems pretty drunk already,” I asked with concern.
Wait, when did I start worrying about his friends?
He blinked at me before glancing at his friends.
“Don’t worry. He can handle himself. Besides, Amelia is there for him.”
It should be Shantel. A part of my mind whispered
I have nothing against Amelia. It’s just that I feel like Shantel and Ace are meant for each other despite their differences.
I stayed silent. When I looked back at Mads, I was surprised to see that she had also left her seat. Damon was nowhere to be seen either.
“Hey, where did the two of them go?” I asked Albert, who was still busy eating.
“They’re just around, probably having an argument,” he said, and both he and Harold high-fived each other.
Because of that, memories of our game of truth or dare resurfaced. “Is there something going on between the two of them?”
They both looked at each other. Meanwhile, I noticed that Liam was trying to hold back laughter.
I raised an eyebrow. Why does it seem like I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything here?
“It’s probably better if you ask them about it,” Harold replied seriously.
Right. I wouldn’t gain anything from these two, then.
I stood up. I was about to look for them when someone suddenly held onto my arm.
I looked at Stephen in surprise. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me seriously.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll just look for Mads and Damon.”
“I’ll go with you.” He stood up, and I gasped as he came even closer to me. “You can’t wander around here alone. You know that the people here aren’t just anyone.”
I nodded and let him accompany me. We said goodbye to Mom before leaving.
But as we walked, we were frequently stopped by people who greeted Stephen. He, on the other hand, enthusiastically introduced me to them as his wife.
I wished the ground would open up and swallow me due to embarrassment.
Until we reached the lobby. That’s where I finally breathed a sigh of relief because there was nobody around.
But that’s what I thought. Because as we continued walking, I was left gaping as I saw Mads and Damon kissing behind a pillar!
What the hell?
I immediately pulled Stephen aside to hide. “It’s not that I’m against whatever relationship they have. But don’t you think people will find it weird? Even though they’re not biologically related, in the eyes of others, they’re like siblings.”
To be honest, that’s one thing that has been bothering me ever since we played truth or dare. Maybe because we’ve become so close as friends, they forgot that they grew up as siblings.
“It’s alright. Fuck the opinion of others. Yes, they were adopted by Dad. But he didn’t change their last names. Dad was just their guardian back then, and he doesn’t have any problem with whatever relationship they have with each other. We can’t control their emotions,” Stephen replied without hesitation.
That made me sigh in relief. If there’s no issue within their family, then it’s better.
“Okay. Let’s go. Maybe I’ll just talk to them some other time,” I invited him.
We were walking back when we bumped into Ace coming from the bathroom. He seems drunk already. Stephen quickly approached him and supported him just as he was about to fall.
“Fuck! What happened to you? You look like shit!” Stephen exclaimed.
“That woman is really getting on my nerves! I already told her that I’m going to be her date tonight. And yet, she still chose to come with Oliver!” Despite his half-closed eyes, he managed to speak coherently.
I shook my head in disbelief. Did he get himself drunk because he’s heartbroken about Shantel?
I walked over to them to offer some help in supporting Ace when Shantel suddenly arrived.
“What happened?” she asked in surprise, looking concerned as she gazed at Ace.
“He’s drunk. He needs to be taken home before he does something bad,” Stephen said.
Shantel nodded. She was about to grab Ace’s left arm when someone beat her to it.
I was taken aback when I saw Amelia. Following her were the Lewis brothers, who took over supporting Ace from Stephen.
“I’ll take care of him. I’ll drive him home. His parents didn’t make it here either,” Amelia informed us.
Shantel opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but she opted to close it again and just followed her friends with her gaze as they walked away. Sadness was evident in her eyes.
However, when she glanced back at us, she was already smiling. “Let’s go?”
She went ahead, and Stephen and I followed.
As we were nearing our spot, a soft melody suddenly filled the air. Before I knew it, the center of the hall was gradually filling up with people.
I was utterly shocked when Stephen extended his right hand in front of me.
“May I have this dance?”
I gulped. This can’t be real. No freaking way.
I never thought Stephen would ask me to dance!
Since I still hadn’t answered, he took my hand himself and guided me to the center.
The events were happening so quickly that I found myself just going along with everything he did. He placed my left hand on his shoulder while his right hand rested on my waist. Our other hands were clasped together as we moved slowly, syncing with the descending music.
Suddenly, my heartbeat accelerated. I couldn’t even look directly at him because I was starting to feel uneasy.
What the hell are you doing, Stephen?
“Nathalia, look at me,” he whispered.
I swallowed and slowly lifted my gaze to meet his.
“Have I already told you how beautiful you are tonight?” He kept his gaze fixed on my eyes.
I couldn’t help but tilt my head, almost as if I were suddenly rendered speechless.
“I’m sorry about that. But the truth is, no words can explain how stunning you are tonight. And I have been holding back ever since we arrived not to punch the face of those fucking scumbags who can’t stop ogling at you. I think your dress should not be like that next time.”
I chuckled in response, feeling more at ease. He wouldn’t be Stephen without his choice of words.
“Nathalia,” he called out again.
“Hmm?”
He slowly moved his face closer to mine. My breath caught as he gently pressed his forehead against mine.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed my dad starting to approach us, seemingly about to come to where Stephen and I were. But Mom and Liam quickly intervened, stopping him.
“S-Stephen, What are you doing?”
I gripped his shoulders tightly. My knees were weakening due to the intense proximity of our faces and bodies. It felt like I could collapse any moment now.
“Nathalia, did you trust me?”
I was taken aback by his question. “W-What?”
He took a deep breath. “I know that you still don’t trust me. But I just want you to know that among all the lies that surround you, there’s this one thing that is true for sure.”
“What is it?” I nervously asked him.
I continued to stare at him, waiting for what he would say next.
“Those words that I said that night are true.”
For a moment, it felt like my heart had skipped a beat.