Off Her

CHAPTER 3

Alora’s POV

It was 4 in the afternoon when we finally finished with the contract signing. Everything went smoothly. I just arrived at Griffin’s mansion. Though, everyone in the hotel arrived way before I did as I was left behind, making sure first that everything was in accordance before I left. Usually every evening after work, we gather at the Griffin’s place to have our end reports to the chairman and have business follow-up discussions, while having dinner. As I went in into the main hall, everyone was already there. In the corner of the room, Alex Griffin, the eldest son of the chairman, was sitting right across Felipe. Beside him was the infamous Tania Griffin. The youngest, and the only girl in the family. And she was talking to that girl I saw with Felipe this morning. She’s still here? I also saw her at the contract signing event, but I had not yet figured out who she was. As I looked around the room, there seemed to be many unfamiliar faces. It looks like we have some visitors for tonight’s dinner. They did not seem to notice my arrival, as they were all occupied with discussions with each other. The ruckus was put to an end when the chairman’s secretary, Jane Brooks, came out of the dining area.

“The chairman was requesting you all to join him for dinner.” She said smilingly.

“Perfect timing, I am hungry. Let’s go guys, food is waiting.” Alex said as he stands up and heads to the dining area. And so everyone followed him. As I was about to follow them, I noticed that the girl whom Felipe was with during this whole day was standing right in the hallway heading to the dining area. Why isn’t she inside yet with them? She looks like she is waiting for someone. As I decided to just get passed through her, she stopped me midway.

“I haven’t really introduced myself yet.” She said. “I’m Natalie Marine, it is nice meeting you.” She smiled. Natalie Marine? From the Marine group corporation? No wonder she looks very familiar. Not to mention, she looks like someone really important. What is a marine girl doing here at Griffin’s place at this late time. She continued walking through the dining area, but halted and turned to me once again.

“Oh, I forgot to ask for your name. Whom you might be called?” She asked. I paused for a moment as I was still processing my thoughts.

“Oh.. ahmm.. It’s Alora. Alora Esperanza Griffin.” I said. There was a moment of silence.

“What a nice name.” She said, and then left. Her smile while saying those words was different. It did not reach her eyes, as if she was just forcing it. It was not as great and sweet as before.

We are all now sitting at the dining table. Everyone was once again very occupied with conversations. I was sitting on the left side of the chairman, who is sitting at the center of the long table. Across me is Felipe. I could see his face clearly at my end, but he was in no way going to ever look at me as he was way too distracted to someone sitting next to him, who is Natalie. They both seem to have fun talking with each other. Felipe looked happy with her. Seeing how he casually smiles whenever she utters words, and how they laugh together seemed to bring little sadness to me.

“ I smell something.” Alex, who was sitting next to me, whispers while acting as if he is sniffing.

“Was that jealousy?” He said teasingly. I just smirked at him in response.

“If looks could burn, you could have set those two on fire.” He added. I just looked at him shockingly. Was it that obvious that I am looking and thinking about those two? How long did I stare at them to let Alex notice?

“ Was it that obvious?” I asked unbelievably.

“No. Not really. Only enough for all these people to notice.” He said sarcastically. I just glared at him and turned my attention back to my plate.

“Oh. You still wear that ring?” He asked. Loud enough to let the chairman and the two across us hear. I sometimes just wanted to kick this guy’s face.

“Were you married?” Natalie curiously asked. How should I answer this? I could not possibly deny it when the chairman is right beside me. She seems to be patiently waiting for me to answer.

“Ahhm… Yeah.” I answered while looking at Felipe, who is looking down at his plate. I could see his jaw clenched. He’s getting mad.

“Oh. That is why your last name was Griffin. I thought you could be someone being adopted by the family.” Felipe looked at Natalie as if he was asking how she knew such a thing.

“We actually did introduce ourselves to each other a while ago” She added. I looked at Felipe and he looked very pissed. He’s really mad now.

“Were you married to Alex?” Both Alex and I were surprised by Natalie’s question. We weren’t able to process well and were not able to answer her as well.

“Enough of the questions, Nat.” Felipe said gently while looking at her. I was more surprised by how softly he spoke to her, even having to almost lose his temper. I’ve never seen him suppress his anger in front of someone. When he is mad, he always outbursts and loses his temper. But now, because of Natalie, he was able to control and calm himself. I was once again filled with sadness. He was the opposite when it came to me. The moment he would feel my presence, he would instantly get mad, unable to control his self, and lose his temper. Then a sudden thought came to my mind, making me feel a crushing pain in my chest. He likes her.