When Love is Gone

Chapter 3

Both Sara and I were silent as we went out of the car. I let her put her hand on my arm without a fuss. I don't want her making a scene especially at a big event such as this.

We were an hour late so everybody was almost there when we arrived. I politely smiled at my co-workers who greeted me. Sara, on the other hand, politely greeted back.

There are a lot of visitors aside from the almost hundred of employees that Atkins Construction Company has. I even saw some of our stockholders and investors attending the party.

"Hey, Ram! Hi, Sara!" Brennan has that wide smile on his face when he came near us.

"Hi, Brennan! You're looking good. Wanna impress some ladies perhaps?" Sara worked on her flattery. Everyone who knows about us thinks that Sara is that sweet little girl friend every man would proudly bring at any party. Little did they know that she has some claws. And I'm afraid she might use it to hurt Grachelle so I'm on the guard.

"Thanks, Sara but I know that I am not as handsome as Ram here tonight even if my tuxedo is new and quite expensive."

Sara laughed heartily at Brennan's joke.

"But of course! Ram is the handsomest man at this party tonight. Sorry not sorry, Brennan." Both of them laughed while I just stayed quiet.

"What's got your tongue, Ram? Ever since this morning, you've been very quiet." Brennan noticed my silence making Sara's eyes sharp as she looked at me.

"He's not feeling well since last night, Brennan. Don't mind him." She easily lied before looking at me again. And with a fake voice said,

"Honey, aren't we going to greet your bosses?" My eyes looked at her with warning.

"Don't worry, honey. I will be very, very polite." She gave me a fake a smile and before I could stop her, she was already walking towards Mr. and Mrs. Atkins who were busy talking with some guests. My eyes searched for Grachelle and I've found her talking to an old friend she introduced to me once. The tall man was again beside her, smiling at the conversation.

I walked faster when I saw Sara walking towards them. I caught her before she could catch Grachelle's attention.

"What the hell are you going to do, Sara? Stop this or I'll drag you out of this hall!" I hissed at her.

She forcefully pulled her arm from my hold.

"Really, Ram? You would create a scene like that? Why are you so scared, honey? I was just going to greet her!" She sneered at me.

Before I could stop her, she was already calling out.

"Hey, Grachelle! Welcome back!"

Grachelle, her friend, and the man all turned towards us just like the others who were disturbed by Sara's loud voice. I was ready to stop Sara but then when my eyes went to look at Grachelle, they stayed there. My breathing hitched when I saw how gorgeous she is tonight. She didn't even have to wear what Sara was wearing to get all the men's attention. The elegant corporate attire she was wearing was enough to make men treat her like the goddess she is.

"You look great, Grachelle! It's been what? Three? Four years before you finally got the courage to come back here!" Sara's voice was so sweet everybody could say that she's faking it.

"I didn't know you were counting the years I was gone, Miss Miller."

It was just a simple statement coming from Grachelle but it almost shut Sara up. But then Sara stood her ground and raised her head in pride.

"But of course I would count the years I am living happily with Ram. Isn't that right, honey?" Sara took my hand and I was forced to get near them.

"Hi, Grachelle."

It was a miracle that my voice didn't falter as I greeted her. She just looked at me acknowledging my greeting.

"Hi, Mr. Moore."

I felt like I was punched in the stomach when she greeted me back.

She called me Mr. Moore. It was so formal, so cold, and so distant.

"So, it was Mr. Moore now, huh, Grachelle?"

Our attention turned to Sara. Grachelle and I know where she's driving at.

"I would be managing the company starting tomorrow, Miss Miller and I won't be calling my employees in a first name basis." Grachelle smiled showing everyone that she wasn't affected by Sara's sarcasm.

I, on the other hand, felt colder because what she said kept on ringing in my ears.

My employees. Damn. Now I'm just an employee to her.

"And you, Miss Miller should stop calling me by my first name which is only reserved for my friends. We both know that we won't be treating each other as friends anyway. Never in this lifetime."

Grachelle's friend snickered behind her making Sara feel more embarrassed.

"You b----!"

"Watch your lover's mouth, Mr. Moore. It might be kissing the floor any moment now. You wouldn't want to end up having a bloody mouth until the end of the party, right Miss Miller?" Grachelle was smiling but her eyes shine with serious threat making Sara stood like a statue.

"And next time, Mr. Moore, don't bring uninvited guests during our company's parties especially when they dress like they can be bought in a cheap bar. Let's go, Marge, Theo."

Grachelle didn't need to raise her hand to slap Sara. Her words already did it and it showed based on how red Sara's cheeks turned.

Grachelle's friend named Marge looked at us as if we're pieces of garbage before coming near me and whispering,

"Choosing a piece of trash instead of a rare diamond would be one of life's greatest regrets, Mr. Moore. You should've chosen wisely."

She even waved her hand mockingly at us that made Sara angrier.

"How dare her?! What did that b***h tell you, Ram? Did she mock me too like what your ex did?!" she angrily asked me.

"You started it! Do you expect them to just accept your insults?! And Grachelle was right, you should've not attended this party!" I hissed angrily at her, too.

"And now you're defending her! You just watched her throw insults at me and you just stayed quiet! What a good boy friend you are, Ram!"

I tried to calm down because our argument was getting more attention now. Some of the guests were already whispering at each other while looking at us.

"What is this all about?"

My heart skipped a bit when I heard Mr. Atkins's voice behind be. I immediately faced him and bow my head in apology.

"I'm very sorry, Sir. Sara and I were just having a little misunderstanding. We're leaving now."

Sara's mouth was shut. She also fears the big boss of the Atkins Construction Company. She knows what the old man could do to her and to me if we piss him off.

"You just arrived I've heard and now you're leaving? Stay for a while until after I give an important announcement to all the employees of my company, Moore." His voice was full of authority that all I could do was nod my head in obedience.

"And you, Sara Miller."

His voice was colder than ice when he spoke Sara's name. It made Sara's trembling hand hold my arm for support.

"Don't you dare go near my daughter again or I will be doing what I should've done to you years ago for ruining my daughter's reputation. You should be kissing the ground she walks on. If it wasn't for her, you'll be a rotten piece of corpse today."

My brows creased as I looked at Sara. What was Mr. Atkins saying about Sara ruining Grachelle's name?

My eyes went to Sara who was looking everywhere except me.

"Shut her mouth and stay where you are until the announcement is done. After that, you can both go to hell for all I care."

He turned his back at us with his bodyguards following him after giving us his final warning.

"What was that all about, Sara? What did you do that ruined Grachelle's name?"

"N--nothing! I don't even know what he was talking about!"

"Sara!" I hissed at her.

"Please, let's just leave, Ram. I don't want to stay here anymore," she begged this time. Her eyes are about to shed tears.

I wanted to laugh at her but I, too, could feel the fear embracing us both.

"Shut up! If you didn't force me to come here, this shouldn't be happening right now. Now enjoy this humiliation, Sara. We both deserve this." She fumed even more but thankfully stayed quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Edrian Atkins, the president of Atkins Construction Company."

The host's jovial voice caught everyone's attention including mine. I took a deep breath and prepared my self to listen as I watched the old man go at the center of the stage.

"Thank you to all our dear friends who came here tonight," the old man started earning him cheers from the audience. I can't deny that as fearsome as he is, hw could also be a very charming talker if he wants to.

"There are two great things that my wife and I are quite thankful for that's why we immediately threw this party. First, my prodigal daughter has returned," he said and the audience laughed and clapped when the spotlight went to where Grachelle is.

"And she brought a very precious gift with her."

I was certain that the gift Mr. Atkins was talking about was the guy beside Grachelle who was beaming at her.

"We've been hoping every year since she left that she will come back to us and after four long years, she already did. Welcome home, my sweet doll. And thank you for bringing back the joy in our lives again."

Everyone cheered. They, too, like me could see how happy Grachelle's parents really are now that she's back. And knowing how they both suffered for all those years without their precious daughter beside them because of me, gave me a cold sensation that started crumpling my stomach again.

"Second of all, friends, I am happy to announce my retirement. But please, do not be sad that I'm leaving the company," he added right away.

"Be glad that someone more deserving than I am will already manage the company we worked hard for starting tomorrow and that's no other than my daughter, Grachelle with the help of our long-time business partner's son, Theodore Shay Lee. Let's give the good gentleman a round of applause to welcome him, please."

Loud claps rounded the hall as Theodore, the man beside Grachelle waved a hand to greet everyone.

"Thirty-five years ago, I was what you call a man with no future. I was poor, I was uneducated, and I was hopeless. But then I met my wife and everything changed. My perspectives, my plans, my goals, and my dreams changed. She's a rich man's daughter but she fell in love with just the handsome me." Laughter roared in the hall at the old man's joke.

"I was so insecure but then her father, a respected governor didn't look down on me and gave me the chance to prove my self. He gave me the chance that no one else aside from her daughter, who was so in love with me, did. It was so hard at first to prove myself especially when people started talking about us. About how a beautiful, smart, and rich young woman would marry a poor man with an uncertain future."

The old man's words were like sharp broken glasses that started cutting me. It feels like invisible wounds were starting to bleed all over me because of what I was feeling right now. These wounds represent the guilt that were bleeding inside me because what he said about him and his wife were the exact situation Grachelle and I had been. The only difference was that he loved his wife and I didn't.

"But my wife did not listen to all those talks and rumours. She has proven to everyone that she will love me at my worst and I made her more in love with me at my best."

Everyone was silent. Everyone was absorbing Mr. Atkins's every word.

"Through her support, we've built the Atkins's Construction Company. It is the product of our sweat, blood, and sacrifices. It has its downs but mostly ups. Through this company, I've proven that someone as poor and as unsure as me before would rise up later on to prove his worth. We've built houses not only for those who can afford it but also for those who can't. We've built schools, universities, malls, churches, and buildings where people shape their futures. Those achievements was all because a young, beautiful, smart, and rich young woman loved and trusted a poor and bad boy with no certain future me. Not only that, she also gave me one of God's greatest gift - a beautiful and kind-hearted daughter." Mr. Atkins's looked lovingly at Grachelle who was looking at him with admiration.

"Four years ago, I thought history would repeat it self."

I immediately looked at the old man. I knew right away that he was going to talk about me and Grachelle.

"But God probably said, 'There would only be one Edrian Atkins in this world' and so history didn't dare to make it happen again and I think it's for the best because if it did, then my daughter wouldn't be the next president and CEO of my company, right?" The audience laughed but those who knew what happened to me and Grachelle gave me a disgusted look and I feel smaller at every passing minute.

"Ram, let's go." Sara whispered at me. I looked at her and saw that she feels exactly what I am feeling right now.

We felt so small. We felt like rabbits in front of lions who are just waiting for the right moment to eat us alive.

"The announcement is not finished yet, Sara." I gathered all my strength to say those words to her.

"But Ram, you don't need to endure this kind of humiliation."

"I deserve this, Sara. You know it. It's actually four years too late." I forced my self to smile at her.

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the new CEO of Atkins's Construction Company, Miss Grachelle Nathalie Romano Atkins!"

Everyone stood up and happily clapped as Grachelle and Theodore Lee went up the stage.

"I cannot bear this anymore! Let's go!"

The next thing I know, I was like a lifeless doll being pulled by Sara out of that place.