Chapter 8
your wish.”
“You could have said no; you could have just ignored the document I handed over to you.”
He chuckled sarcastically. “Like you wanted that.”
“Say what now?” I asked, growing more frustrated with his dismissiveness.
“Enough with the pretense!” He snapped. “You never loved me; you were just doing that because of the money, and since your family finally got what they wanted, you decided to divorce me.”
“Okay, that is so not true,” I countered, my voice rising. “I only wanted what was best for you. I did everything I could, just to make sure you changed. But in the end…” I sighed and added, ” It was all in vain.”
“Should I tell you a secret?” Luke’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. I just looked at him, anger materializing in my eyes. He moved his face closer and whispered in my ear, “You don’t deserve to be loved, Ariel. You’re nothing but a worthless piece of trash. No one is going to ever take you seriously.”
After saying those hurtful things, he stepped back a little and pushed me away, and I started falling down.
I opened my eyes immediately, and I simply looked everywhere. Luke wasn’t close to me; I couldn’t even see him anywhere. So it was clear that I was only imagining things. Oh gosh, what in the world was wrong with me?
My eyes went upstairs, and Luke wasn’t there any longer. I wondered where he headed off to. Wait, I shouldn’t be thinking about him.
Andre finally walked up to me; he had a huge smile on his face. I could tell his conversation on the phone was quite lovely.
We were all directed to the main hall, where there was a live band, and when they noticed that people were showing up in the hall, they began to play soft, slow music. I couldn’t actually get the lyrics, but I felt each rhythm right in my heart. Andre was standing close to me with a blank expression, and let’s just say he was not the type of person who derives pleasure from
S DEEP THOUGHTS
listening to these songs. He was a huge fan of hip–hop.
The slow song continued, and everyone gathered with each other. And finally, Sir Reynold showed up, smiling like there was no tomorrow. I checked to see if I could see Luke, but I couldn’t spot him anywhere. This was supposed to be a celebration for his grandfather, right? So where the hell was he?
Still smiling gleefully, Sir Reynold made his way to the stage, where a microphone was waiting for him. The members of the band left the stage for him to take over.
C
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to have you all here tonight,” Sir Reynold began. His voice was deep and soothing, capturing the hearts of everyone in the room. Well, his voice captured mine; I couldn’t tell for the others.
Sir Reynold continued, “I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this special evening. Your presence here makes it all the more special.”
Everyone clapped, a smile filling the faces of each individual present in the room. Well, Andre was busy with his phone. And his smile was definitely not from Sir Reynold’s words. But I think it would be best if I just thought about my own business.
“The Sun House has been my home for many years, and I have hosted numerous parties here. But tonight, I want to do something different. I want to create a night of pure magic, a night that we will all remember for years to come.” He paused for a moment, taking a sip of water before continuing, “As the music plays, I want you all to let go of your worries and just enjoy the moment. Dance like no one is watching, laugh like there’s no tomorrow, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Let this be a night of love, laughter, and joy. It’s my birthday after all, and I can’t let anyone here leave with a frowny face.”
“Happy birthday, woo!” Someone screamed really loud, but his face couldn’t be seen.
“Yes, happy birthday!” Another person screamed, and before we knew it, the whole place was filled with noise, with people whistling and screaming loudly, wishing Sir Reynold a happy birthday.
“Thank you, thank you, but you all can put an end to the noise now.” Sir Reynold raised his hands, and the room eventually became calm.
“Today, we all shall celebrate. So, live this night to the fullest, dance your hearts out, and let
every moment be filled with joy.” He smiled and stepped down from the stage, making his way to the dance floor. I looked around and saw various people grabbing their partners so they could dance to the nice song.
I narrowed my eyes toward Andre, and he was still busy with his phone. He wasn’t even paying attention to what was going on at the moment. Why was he here in the first place?
I spotted Michael; he had already found a partner. It was a lady with dark brown hair; she was rocking an azure dress. The way he was dancing with the lady made it look as if he had known her before. And you want to know something? She wasn’t even that beautiful.
The slow music continued to play, filling the room with its gentle melody. I saw Sir Reynold dancing with this lady, and their moves were kind of funny. The old man was extremely happy, and I was happy for him.
I glance at Andre, hoping that he will give me his attention. But no, he was just focused on his phone. And that made me let out a deep sigh.
Suddenly, someone stretched his hand over to me. “Want a dance?”
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