Preparations
1276 Words
By the time Alicia arrived on campus Monday morning, she already knew people would be staring.
The rumors had spread far beyond whispers now.
Students no longer bothered pretending they weren’t talking about her. Conversations paused when she walked by. Heads turned. Phones appeared. Curious eyes followed her across the courtyard.
Alicia ignored all of it.
She had too much on her mind.
Her mother’s recovery.
Upcoming exams.
Hospital visits.
The last thing she cared about was becoming the subject of gossip.
Still, it was difficult to ignore when the entire campus seemed fascinated by her connection to Alexander Hayes.
As she entered her lecture hall, Daniella waved her over.
“Finally,” Daniella said. “I was starting to think you’d become too famous to attend class.”
Alicia rolled her eyes and sat down.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m serious. Do you know how many people have been talking about you?”
“I don’t want to know.”
“Smart choice.”
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
Jessica entered the classroom moments later.
She immediately spotted Alicia.
And smiled.
Never a good sign.
Jessica walked toward her desk slowly.
Several students exchanged nervous looks.
Everyone knew trouble was coming.
Jessica stopped beside Alicia’s table.
“Good morning.”
Alicia didn’t look up.
“Morning.”
Jessica’s smile widened.
“You know, it’s amazing.”
Alicia continued writing.
“What is?”
“How quickly someone’s life can change.”
The room grew quieter.
Jessica leaned against a nearby desk.
“One minute you’re struggling to pay hospital bills.”
Alicia’s pen stopped moving.
The mention of her mother immediately caught her attention.
The smile disappeared from her face.
Jessica continued.
“The next minute you’re being chauffeured around by one of the richest men in the country.”
The room fell completely silent.
Daniella sat upright.
Alicia slowly looked up.
Jessica mistook the silence for weakness.
A mistake.
“You should really tell us your secret.”
Alicia closed her notebook.
Carefully.
Calmly.
Then stood.
The movement alone made Jessica take a step back.
“You seem very interested in my life.”
Jessica folded her arms.
“People are curious.”
“No.”
Alicia’s voice remained steady.
“People are bored.”
Several students tried not to laugh.
Jessica’s smile faltered.
Alicia continued.
“You spend so much time worrying about what I’m doing that you’ve forgotten to worry about yourself.”
A few snickers echoed around the room.
Jessica’s face darkened.
“If the rumors bother you so much,” Alicia added, “you should stop spreading them.”
The laughter this time was impossible to hide.
Jessica looked humiliated.
For a moment, she seemed ready to respond.
Then the lecturer entered.
The confrontation ended immediately.
But as Jessica returned to her seat, she threw one final glance toward Alicia.
A glance that promised the issue wasn’t over.
Not yet.
That afternoon, Alicia visited the hospital.
The moment she entered the room, relief washed over her.
Her mother was awake.
Smiling.
Talking to a nurse.
The improvement was obvious.
Not fully recovered.
Not even close.
But improving.
And after everything they’d been through, improvement felt like a miracle.
Mrs. Eden smiled when she saw her daughter.
“There you are.”
Alicia kissed her forehead.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Better.”
The answer brought immediate comfort.
For several minutes they simply talked.
About school.
About Samuel.
About Daniel.
About ordinary things.
Normal things.
The kind of conversations Alicia once took for granted.
Now they felt precious.
As she watched her mother laugh softly at one of Samuel’s stories, Alicia silently thanked God.
Her mother was still here.
Still fighting.
Still holding on.
And that was enough.
Meanwhile, Daniel sat alone in a small café near campus.
His laptop was open.
Several tabs filled the screen.
Alexander Hayes.
Hayes Corporation.
Hayes Holdings.
Business magazines.
Interviews.
Financial articles.
The deeper Daniel looked, the less comfortable he became.
Everything about Alexander Hayes screamed power.
Influence.
Money.
Control.
Men like that rarely entered ordinary people’s lives without a reason.
Which left one question.
Why Alicia?
Daniel leaned back.
Something wasn’t adding up.
And he intended to find out what.
Across the city, Alexander sat in his office reviewing contracts.
The room was silent.
Until Henry entered.
“You have a visitor.”
Alexander didn’t look up.
“I don’t.”
“You do now.”
The office door opened.
A woman stepped inside.
Tall.
Elegant.
Confident.
The kind of woman who expected attention simply by existing.
Vanessa Whitmore.
She smiled.
“Still working yourself to death?”
Alexander continued reading.
“Still making dramatic entrances?”
Vanessa laughed.
The sound echoed through the office.
Henry remained expressionless.
Though internally he was already regretting her return.
Vanessa sat without being invited.
“You know, most people would say they’re happy to see me.”
“Most people have lower standards.”
She laughed again.
Exactly as she always had.
Nothing about Alexander seemed different.
No excitement.
No surprise.
No affection.
Just the same cold composure he showed everyone.
Which irritated Vanessa more than she would ever admit.
Their families had known each other for years.
The Whitmores and the Hayes family moved within the same circles.
For most of their lives, people had assumed they would eventually marry.
Neither of them had ever encouraged the idea.
Yet the rumors persisted.
Vanessa crossed one leg over the other.
“I hear you’ve become quite popular recently.”
Alexander continued reading.
“I’m always popular.”
Vanessa smiled.
That answer sounded exactly like him.
Then she casually placed a magazine on his desk.
The front page featured a photograph.
Alexander.
Standing beside Alicia.
The headlines were impossible to miss.
Vanessa watched carefully.
Alexander barely glanced at it.
Then pushed the magazine aside.
As if it meant nothing.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“So she’s real.”
Alexander looked up.
His expression remained completely neutral.
Vanessa smiled.
That wasn’t a denial.
She leaned back.
“I have to admit, I didn’t expect this.”
“You should stop expecting things.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Alexander ignored her.
The conversation continued for another twenty minutes.
Business.
Family matters.
Social obligations.
Nothing personal.
Nothing emotional.
Nothing suggesting Vanessa held any influence over him whatsoever.
Eventually she stood.
“Well.”
Alexander returned to his paperwork.
“Goodbye, Vanessa.”
She stopped.
A slow smile appeared on her face.
“Is she coming?”
Alexander didn’t answer.
Vanessa already knew the answer.
The silence told her everything.
The Hayes Gala.
One of the most important events of the year.
And apparently Alicia Eden would be there.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Vanessa picked up her purse.
“I’ll see you soon.”
Then she left.
The office fell silent again.
Henry waited several seconds before speaking.
“Should I begin preparations?”
Alexander signed a document.
“Yes.”
“For Miss Eden?”
“Yes.”
“The gala?”
Alexander finally looked up.
His expression was calm.
Controlled.
Certain.
“The gala.”
Henry nodded.
The Hayes Gala wasn’t an ordinary event.
It was where alliances were formed.
Reputations were made.
And mistakes were remembered.
Alexander returned his attention to the contract in front of him.
“Make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Henry understood immediately.
The instruction wasn’t about the gala.
It was about Alicia.
And for the first time, Henry wondered whether that might prove more difficult than either of them expected.
Because somewhere in the city, Vanessa Whitmore was smiling.
And whenever Vanessa smiled like that, trouble usually followed.
- Writer
