Chapter Four

Adonia continued whatever she was doing on her phone while pretending she overlooked Quincy and his date across her. Her phone chimed, indicating an incoming call from her best friend, Athena. She excused herself from the table to receive the call. She could have ended the call and talked to Athena later, but she needed to catch her breath from all the tension. She walked a bit away from the rest, and she could still feel their eyes on her. Her mom truly made magic with the dress. 

When she got back, the first course had been served, and she apologized for staying away for that long. In honesty, that call with Athena gave her renewed energy. She had no idea how much she needed that boost from her loved one; she would have broken down right here. Call her weak or anything you like; Adonia decided she was tired of being vital for everyone, she was a baby at heart, and she would take all the time in the world, and she would heal at her own pace. 

"oh dear, what designer brand is this dress? I'm so in love with it." Christabel Shawn, an upcoming actress whose debut movie "Oh my Jared," trended on N*****x for three months straight after its release. Adonia had attended the premiere with Quincy, and the film itself reminded her of herself. June, the main character, was just like her, gave her all to the man, and he dumped her for a lesser woman. June picked herself up and came back stronger; It was easier for June but Adonia; it was like walking on eggshells.

"Oh, It's from my mom's design that's she is yet to launch. The L.A fashion Flashmob," Adonia replied proudly, and She watched Christabel nod her head in surprise. The L.A Fashion Flashmob was a big event for designers, and her mom had been winning back to back for the past five years. 

"Her mom is Mrs. Celeste Konstantinos. I'm such a big fan. Have you seen those new collections she launched in Italy last month? I was so jealous of those models. Adonia, why didn't you walk the runway for her then? I'm sure the dresses would have looked more lovely on you?" Simone Powers chipped in, and Adonia smiled. She didn't participate because she was avoiding the limelight, her mom had suggested it too, but she dropped it later because she knew Adonia wasn't ready to face the world yet. No one would be, considering what the planet showed her when they were supposed to take her side. 

"I knew it; that collection was so on fire. I was a guest, and seeing those designs live was nothing compared to the pictures on her website. I loved the whole collection, all hits, and no miss at all. Minutes after the collection went live, and the collection sold it out while I was still deciding between them. I was so pained" Another woman gushed, and Adonia smiled proudly. She wished mama was here to hear all these praises. 

The whole conversation shifted from themselves, and they launched into talking about designs and collections. All of their conversations revolved around how much of a badass designer Mrs. Celeste Konstantinos was. Adonia couldn't have been more proud of her mother. Maybe coming to this dinner hadn't been a bad idea at all. 

"You design too, or do you just model for your mom?" Quincy's date asked, and Adonia shifted her attention from the woman to the lady sitting in front of her. She smiled before answering her; She hadn't seen this lady before. Since her relationship with Quincy ended, He hasn't been with anyone. Still, he has a string of playthings who don't mind following him around. 

"I model for my mom, and sometimes, I help chip in ideas when she's stuck. Designing isn't my thing." She replied, sitting up straight as the waiters brought in the dessert. It was chocolate raspberry mousse cake, and Adonia almost squealed in excitement. She loved cakes and cream. She picked up her cutlery before taking a bite. The cake tasted as heavenly as it looked, different discussions passed around the table, and Adonia found herself not getting involved in any of the talks. She was tired of the whole dinner already, and she wanted to go back to her trailer and sleep or get lost in the middle of the pages of her books. 

Adonia stood up to go to the restroom, and she wasn't feeling pressed, but she had a very dark urge to get out of there. She could no longer breathe, and she needed an escape from everyone. The talks about her mom were starting to make her feel tiny. She was starting to feel inferior too. She wasn't jealous of her mom, but there were times she wished she stuck to fashion instead of making herself suffer through the hands of fans who doubled as bullies. 

She stood in front of the mirror for minutes while she whispered encouraging words to herself. In situations like this, that was the only thing that seemed to work. She wanted nothing but to get back to her trailer and continue living as her mother's daughter. she tried to disappear away from here and get away from humans. She had no idea that seeing Quincy tonight would bring her this much pain. She knew she wasn't over him yet, but she never knew it was that obvious. 

"you still fiddle with your lipstick when you are having a meltdown, yeah?" Someone said, and she jumped back in shock. She wasn't expecting him to come into the ladies' bathroom to find her. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was stalking her, but this was Quincy White; no one could predict his next moves. 

"oh, my dear Adonia. How much I have missed your whole self. Maybe I was wrong for doing that to you, but we would 

She decided to ignore him and pretend she didn't see him. She applied her lipstick, and she winked at the mirror. He leaned on the wall, still watching her, and she ignored his entire existence. She was proud of how unaffected she looked and how she didn't look like her inside, a tumbling mess. 

“Are we going to pretend I don't exist?” He grabbed my hands, and I shook them off as they burned me. Yes, they not only burned me, but they also caused me significant pains. I hate to think that Quincy White would still get a reaction from me. The best thing I will do is to avoid him and make sure he's far away from me. I am doing a great job moving on, and letting him come near me would only affect that growth. 

"I want you to mark my words, I will have you where I want you very soon, and you won't have any choice but to come back to my bed. I promise you. I missed you, though, and I can't wait to have you back here where you belong. under me." She hated the way he sounded too confident for her liking. Adonia reapplied her lip gloss before returning it to its position, and she walked out of the bathroom, leaving him there. Their shoulders bumped against each other, and he chuckled. She hated how her whole inside went up in a butterfly party at the contact, and she sighed. She hoped she looked unaffected by his touch. 

She walked back to the dinner, and she noticed some people were already leaving the venue. She said her goodbyes before stepping outside to the waiting limo already in place for her. She knew she couldn't stand seeing Quincy around her anymore, especially with how he was so sure about her getting back with him. Something about his threat made her feel two ways; she wasn't going to lie about how hot he sounded with the twinkles in his eyes. She knew she was a goner already, but she had to remember all he put her through, how little he reduced her to. She doubted if she was ready to put that behind her now. Quincy killed every tine form of emotions left in her, and he reduced her to this, a blubbering mess. 

"How was the dinner?" Mom asked, looking up from her sketch, and she sighed. Relieving Quincy’s threat to her was hell for her, and Adonia could see how her mother clenched her fingers in anger. Everyone knew how severe the damage was, and the son of a bitch still had the nerve to boast to her face and tell her he was sure she would be where he wanted very soon. The audacity is something else. 

Many months ago, when they were still an item. She used to love that audacity of his. Adonia would smile because he looked like someone who knew what he wanted and why he should get it. She found it extremely sexy plus the way he usually declared it. 

He once secured a sold-out spot in a private restaurant in Miami even after he knew they couldn’t eat there without reservations. It was time for them to walk in, and Quincy demanded to see the manager. A few tantrums and they were given one of the best spots in the restaurant. Quincy always threw tantrums whenever he couldn’t get what he wanted, it was part of the red flags she chose to ignore. 

That terrible night in LA was deeply etched into her memory and she would be a creep not to remember the details carefully. She got a new Modelling gig and she decided to show up at his apartment to tell him personally. They had a row early in the morning and he hung up in anger. She wanted to apologize in person and maybe makeup with a movie and cuddles. So foolish of her to think that would be the case. She should have know that his refusal to call meant something was wrong somewhere. 

Adonia should have known something was up with the weird stares the securities gave her at the entrance to his building. Unlike most times that they were always eager to greet her, this time Adonia could feel their hesitation. As if they were trying not to tell her what dangers awaited her inside her supposed lover’s room. She didn’t care about their attitude, she was just excited about gracing another magazine front page. No matter how many times Adonia appeared in front of a magazine, she was always very happy to do so. Something about being in front of the camera made her very happy. 

I should have noticed with the way the door was unlocked but she kept going and there she found what sent her down the spiral of depression so fast. Quincy was in bed with the same lady he always had a problem with. He had always ranted about how she was a sneaky bitch yet he was fucking her behind Adonia’s back. Another amazing thing was how Quincy didn’t even care, he acted so unbothered. She turned and she went back home to her mother. That was the only person she trusted to make her feel better. 

The crazy part was when Quincy announced their breakup on the internet and he made sure to paint Adonia as the defaulting party. They didn’t even have a conversation after she caught him, he just decided to end things on his own terms. He posted a picture they both took at a summer vacation with a long line of depressing lies about her. Each time she read the caption, she always felt angry for not seeing how manipulative Quincy White was. His fans took over from where he stopped after he spent the whole week posting depressing quotes on the internet. These people tore Adonia to shreds without mercy. They didn’t pity her own emotions and they thought she cheated on him, not the other way round. They called her names and it became worse that she had to deactivate my I*******m page. Even with all of that, they didn’t stop until Quincy resumed his womanizing. They still trolled her for being the reason he no longer trusts women enough to do long term with them. The bad old days.