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Tristan:
What the f**k was Griselda doing here? Was it not enough that she was a raggedy b***h who loved to cling onto people for the sole benefit of gaining something from them?
I chuckled and leaned back against the railing as Stella stared out into the water. "She's definitely with him for his money."
Stella glanced up at me and I was immediately hit by the sheer intensity of her eyes. "I guess that's what he wants. A woman who depends on him so he feels more of a man."
I raised a curious brow in askance. "Uhm, do you mind elaborating on that?"
She sighed and leaned away from the railing, placing her slender arm on the thick jute rope. "I am more of an independent woman. It was one issue I had with Corey when we started dating, and I should have taken it more seriously than I did at that time."
I nodded for her to continue.
"Corey wanted me to stop working as soon as I became his girlfriend. At first, I found it cute that he wanted to be the one taking care of his woman's needs," she chuckled, her hair whipping in her face. "I mean, a lot of women in this generation want that, right? But after seeing how much my mother was reduced when she stopped working to become a full housewife, I told myself I didn't want that. That I was going to work."
"From time to time, he would remind me about it. He even started sending so much money into my account as an allowance for being his woman. He bought lots of gifts, wouldn't let me pay for anything. He would do it as a surprise because he knew I never agreed to him wanting to help. He even paid my yearly rent without my notice, and I got really mad at him. Well, he stopped, and I thought, okay, it was over."
She shook her head. "Of course, he's happy that Griselda depends on him. That way, he can be able to control her as much as he did. I'm glad I caught him and very glad this ended."
"You're so quick to move on," I shook my head. "That's such a nice trait."
"And who told you I already moved on?" She looked at me with raised brows. "Because I say all these doesn't mean I have. I still love the man. I mean, apart from his vices, he was such a nice company, and I never regretted a day with him. Well...apart from yesterday. But good riddance to bad rubbish anyway. Right?"
I smiled and nodded before glancing back into the cruise. We were in the lawn area, watching people in bikinis swim and have the fun of their lives. I caught a few of my fans waving at me, and I waved back.
"C'mon, let's go back inside. I don't really want the attention right now," I chuckled. "Sometimes, I wished I could strip this part of myself and become a normal person nobody knows."
"Well, you asked for it, and this is what you get," She chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't actually ask for it."
She stopped at the door. "What do you mean?"
I shrugged. "It was all my parents hammered into my head. I mean, I was born athletic, but I wanted other things."
"What other things did you want, and why didn't you make that choice?"
He laughed. "I wanted to be a swimmer, but my mother was diagnosed with very harsh cancer. I didn't have an offer to be a swimmer, but I had several offers piling up for me in the hockey world with the biggest payments, more than enough to take care of my mother and help my father who lost everything from trying to save his wife's life."
Her expression softened, and I could see the raw emotion in her eyes. "Oh, my. Do I extend my apologies or tell you 'that's how life works? It throws amazing curveballs your way because I'm sure you picked the latter for the sake of your parents."
He laughed and nodded. "I would do that for them any day. It's not a debt I owe. It's the fact that these people made life so easy for me."
"This is so beautiful," she smiled and squeezed my hand. By now, we were seated at an outdoor café that served several types of coffee I'd never heard of in my life.
"How about you?" I asked. "Tell me a little about you."
"We're doing this for the plot as it thickens, right?"
We both shared hearty laughter, and I nodded. "Yes. We need to know something about each other. Not everything, but enough to keep our relationship believable."
"I work at a very popular event planning agency which you have probably heard of."
"What's the name?"
"Fête Chic Event Planning Agency." She replied, naturally switching to a french accent. It was such an impressive thing to do, and I found myself leaning towards her in awe.
"That is the best French accent I've ever heard," I emphasized. "Goodness."
She blushed. "Have you heard of it?"
I shrugged. "I have no idea if I have. Maybe. Maybe not. But it sounds really familiar."
She nodded. "I'd understand if you haven't. It's only popular around the world of wealthy people. Not a lot of athletes hire us, and when they do, they're not really concerned about the name we go by, but our services."
"Okay, that makes a lot of sense." I replied and nodded at the waitress who had just arrived with a menu card.
"Tristan Dane? Is that you?" The waitress asked, leaning close enough to look at me. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! This is Tristan Dane. The one and only!"
I faked a smile. A groan of exasperation was hidden behind it. I had taken an unpopular cruise to have time alone, but everyone down to the waitress knew who I was.
"Right. That's right." I nodded and glanced at Stella, who looked slightly uncomfortable.
The waitress pulled out her phone and pushed it into Stella's hand before she could even do anything. "Take a picture of us, please?" Then she turned to me, her hands clamped together. "Can we take a picture, please?"
Sighing, I nodded in defeat. As an athlete and a really popular one at that. A star athlete, if you're wondering, I had to maintain a welcoming image for people.
Over the years, I slowly hated it more and more. But there was no getting out of this for me, so I nodded and rose to my feet, standing beside her as she posed.
Stella took a picture, handed the phone back to her, and took her seat.
Just as I was about to take mine, the waitress turned to me. "How about a selfie? This would really mean a lot to me. My little brother is a fan of yours, and he has cancer. I'm sure this will make his day."
And that was it. I immediately agreed and took more selfies with her. I even wrote her an autograph before she went back to being a waitress.
"Will I deal with a lot of this here?" Stella asked once the waitress left.
I ran my fingers through my hair. "I guess that's one of the things you would have to put up with. I mean, I'm a star hockey player, the Blizzard of Frosthaven Wolves."
She chucked her lip gloss at me, laughing. "You're so conceited, aren't you?”
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