Loving The Heartless Man

Chapter 19

Elara Pov

I've been feeling a bit bored at the party for a while. I'm just sitting on a chair, alone and quietly drinking a cocktail. I'm thankful that up to this time, my phobia hasn't been triggered. I've realized that it only gets triggered when all the attention is focused on me. But in situations like this, where almost no one pays attention to me, I feel normal.

Well, earlier, some men wanted to dance with me, but I politely declined all of them. I'm not in the mood to dance with anyone. Some approached and talked to me, but when they sensed that I wasn't interested in engaging with them, they quickly excused themselves.

I want to ask Sam to take me home, but I am too shy to tell him. I can see that he is enjoying talking to his acquaintances and friends. He often comes up to me to ask if I'm okay, to which I only respond with a nod.

Sam told me that Alexander would attend the birthday party, but until now, I haven't seen even a shadow of that man. Or maybe he's here, but I just don't recognize him because everyone at the party is wearing masks.

When I felt the call of nature, I excused myself to Sam, saying I was just going to the bathroom. After he pointed out to me where the bathroom was, I walked towards the door, out of the function hall. I was near the door when suddenly a woman bumped into me. The wine she was holding slightly spilled on my shoulder.

"Sorry, Miss. My friend didn't mean to spill wine on you," apologized the woman accompanying the one who spilled wine on me. I felt annoyed because instead of the woman who spilled wine on me apologizing herself, it was her friend who apologized on her behalf. What made it even more irritating was seeing the woman smiling as if she wanted to convey that she did it on purpose.

I didn’t want to create a scene that would draw attention, so I controlled myself. I secretly took a deep sigh before giving a fake smile to the woman who apologized to me.

"It's okay. My dress didn’t get wet. Next time, she should just be more careful because she might bump into someone who isn’t as understanding as I am and end up in trouble," I told the woman before leaving them completely and exiting the venue.

I quickly looked for the bathroom which I easily found. After I peed, I retouched my lipstick and wiped my wet shoulder with tissue paper. Then I immediately left the bathroom.

I was having second thoughts about whether to just leave and not go back inside or to go back and wait for Sam. I preferred to do the former but Sam might get upset with me because I left without saying goodbye. I reluctantly decided to return to the party. As soon as I entered the function hall, my eyes immediately searched for Sam to say goodbye and tell him I would go home first. But I couldn't find him.

"May I dance with you, pretty lady?"

I turned to the man who approached and spoke. My heart suddenly skipped a beat when I saw that the man who made eye contact with me earlier was the one inviting me to dance. Wait, why does he sound like Alexander?

I weakly shook my head. It’s impossible that this man who wants to dance with me is Alexander. If he were my husband, he definitely wouldn’t approach me and might even avoid me like someone with a contagious disease. He hates me so much.

The man was wearing a black mask, and only his mouth was uncovered. If only half of his face were exposed, I would surely recognize whether he was Alexander or not.

"I-I don’t k-know how to dance." s**t! Why did I suddenly stammer in front of this stranger? Why do I feel nervous?

"It's okay. I will guide you," he quickly replied. He really sounds like Alexander. Maybe I've been hit by the cocktail drink I had, that's why my hearing suddenly changes?

The man's eyes seemed inviting and I couldn't refuse him. I just found myself reaching out one of my hands to him.

I was surprised when he suddenly pulled my hand and placed it behind his neck before taking my other hand and wrapping it around his neck as well. I swallowed because of the sudden rush of a strange feeling from deep within me. Oh my! Am I thrilled? Who is this man to make me feel this way? Except for Alexander, who was my crush before, no other man has made me feel this way, not until now.

"I'm sorry," I apologized shyly when I accidentally stepped on one of his feet.

"It's okay," he responded briefly.

I couldn't help but feel awkward because he was just staring at me but not speaking. It was as if he was reading what was inside my mind while I was dancing with him.

What is this? Why doesn't he want to talk? Why won't he speak to me instead of just staring? He's so weird, I said to myself. But miraculously, I'm not bored dancing with him even though we're not talking. I wonder if he's not bored with me?

We had been dancing in silence for a few minutes when we suddenly heard a soft cough from behind me. When I turned around, I saw Sam smiling at me.

"Before the party ends, can I dance with you, gorgeous?" he asked me before turning to my male dance partner. "Can I dance with my friend?"

When I glanced at my dance partner, I noticed his gaze seemed to sharpen and his jaw slightly clenched. He didn't answer Sam's question; instead, he just extended his hand as if to say, "It's okay," then turned away without a word and walked off.

"Where did you go? I looked for you but couldn't find you," I said to Sam as we swayed to the gentle music.

"That man is weird," Sam said instead of answering my question.

"Yeah. You're right. He is weird indeed. He danced with me but didn't talk to me except when he asked if he could dance with me," I replied, shaking my head.

I tried to feel it if I still felt what I felt earlier while dancing with that weird stranger. Nothing. Not even a slight thrill. Sam is handsome and a boyfriend material. In fact, since I met him and became friends with him, I've seen several women chasing after him. But maybe I really just see him as a friend, which is why I don't feel any spark between us.

"Maybe he just wants to look at you closely because you're beautiful," Sam commented with a laugh.

"Maybe," I agreed with him and laughed, but it was just a joke.

After the music ended, I asked Sam to take me home. He immediately agreed and quickly said goodbye to the birthday celebrant.

I waited for Sam in front of the hotel entrance, and he went to his car parked in the hotel's basement parking lot. I had only been waiting for Sam for about a minute when I heard the voices of two women laughing as they walked out of the hotel.

"Too bad I didn't throw the wine on Elara's face. She would have been humiliated if I did that," I heard the woman's voice say.

The woman who spilled wine on my shoulder immediately came to mind. So it turns out that what she did was intentional.

"Next time, make sure to embarrass her a lot. Not just slightly splash her with wine," said a female voice, likely the woman who apologized to me. It turns out her apology was just an act so I wouldn't realize that her friend intentionally did what she did to me.

"You're right. Next time, I'll make sure to embarrass her. She always manages to escape from me. When I sent some media to question and embarrass her, I didn't know Alexander was there. The two reporters were prevented from releasing news about her because they were afraid of Alexander," said the woman whom I now know who she is. She is none other than Hannah. The woman who went to Alexander's house annoyed me. Suddenly, I came to realize that I was wrong to think that Alexander sent those two reporters to intentionally embarrass me.