Chapter 6 — A Whale with a Lot of Money

The meeting ended, my grandfather began to reach out to each director to say goodbye, while each one passed by me to congratulate me on my upcoming marriage. While I had finally verified that all this was not a dream, but that I was in a very real situation.

How? Well, after all the announcements made by my grandfather, when I was recovering from the paleness and loss of breath, hiding my hands under the table, I began to pinch my fat rolls several times, just at those points where a pinch hurts the most, and it was painful! Which, to my misfortune, confirmed what I feared, was not a dream but a horrible reality.

The goodbyes spread and I needed to get out of there, to end that ordeal, I had to talk seriously with my grandfather, I had to clarify everything as soon as possible, alone. I wouldn't be able to tell him the truth in front of all the partners, it would be humiliating.

Because now, it wasn't just about confessing the truth to my grandfather about my breakup with Mike, but everything that was said in the meeting about my imaginary marriage, in a short time, gossip would spread like wildfire throughout the company and when the truth exploded, I would be scorched.

Not only would I have to see my grandfather's disappointment when he learned the truth, but I would also end up publicly humiliated.

I closed my eyes tightly, clenched my fists, and a chill ran through my body as soon as I imagined that scenario. Just when, a familiar voice brought me out of my abstraction.

"Oh, Miss Golf. - I opened my eyes and saw a hand stretched out in front of me, I looked up, it was Alex, he was there, serious, erect, unreachable. I timidly stretched out my hand to shake it. — So, is she engaged? He asked, clenching his jaw. Was he angry about my engagement? — Because I'd love to be one of the first to congratulate you.

I felt a certain hint of sarcasm in that last sentence. I looked into his eyes and saw a note of annoyance in them. I understood, it was obvious that this behavior was due to our recent intimate encounter, surely, I believed myself to be a vile unfaithful woman.

I couldn't answer, in fact, I looked down again and let go of his hand quickly, I couldn't face him any longer, shame was starting to burn inside, I must have been red, my skin being so white.

— No, she's not engaged yet. - My grandfather replied, in the absence of my answer. - But in fact, last night my granddaughter and her boyfriend were celebrating their second anniversary, so I am sure that the announcement of the engagement and marriage will be soon. He concluded full of pride.

"Oh my God! To complete!" That was the day for me, for the first time in my life, to see my grandfather learning to be impertinent.

Alex was perplexed by my grandfather's statement: "last night my granddaughter and her boyfriend were celebrating their second anniversary", which also echoed in my head when I remembered what I was actually doing the night before with Alex.

I broke out in a cold sweat, closing my eyes tightly, praying for a miracle, wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole. This moment could not be more embarrassing.

"Grandpa?" I murmured, catching my grandfather's attention. He turned immediately.

"I need to talk to you alone," I added in a whisper.

"This isn't a good time, Ava. Don't be rude," he muttered as Alex and his father waited in front of us.

"I'm sorry," I clarified, addressing the three men. "It's just that I'm not feeling well, I..." My grandfather seemed to understand and ran his hand gently over my shoulder.

"I'll call you to my office as soon as I get out," he said, scrutinizing my expression. "Go get some fresh air."

I apologized again, slipped between Alex and his father, and exited the boardroom quickly, almost like a ninja, heading straight for the nearest restrooms.

I walked into the ladies' room, feeling awful. My body was shaking, my head was about to explode, and my stomach churned. The hangover, mixed with my recent worries, had me in terrible shape.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was incredibly pale. I turned on the faucet, splashed some water on my face, trying to cool myself down. When I looked at the mirror again, I closed my eyes tightly and repeated my mantra.

"I am an independent, strong, and brave woman," I murmured repeatedly between sighs, trying to focus and calm down. "I am an independent, strong, and brave woman. I am an independent, strong, and courageous woman."

"And beautiful."

Again, that familiar, hoarse voice startled me. I opened my eyes and, through the mirror, saw Alex standing next to me. I grabbed the sink countertop tightly to keep from falling.

"What...?"

"What should you add to that sentence, beautiful? You are an independent, strong, brave, and beautiful woman," he explained, his tone serious.

"No! What, what are you doing here...?" I began to stammer.

"I need to talk to you. He clarified, approaching me, staring at me, with a frowning expression.

"But..." But... This is the ladies' bathroom. — I mumbled nervously.

"Huh?" — I turn around detailing, as if I hadn't really noticed where we were. I saw a small blush on his cheeks. "I... I am sorry... But..." We heard a noise, heels sounded louder and louder, indicating that someone was approaching.

I didn't think, I just acted.

I took one of his hands and pulled him with me into one of the bathroom booths, the last one in the hallway, which was usually the least used.

Alex seemed to understand my intention, it was obvious that if they found us in such a peculiar situation, nothing more would bring gossip, so he quickly sat on the toilet lid, as far back as he could, hiding his feet and sat me in front of him between his legs, intertwining his arms around my waist, pressing me against his body.

I felt his hands on my slabs, and I tensed immediately, he seemed to notice it, but far from being self-conscious, he squeezed me tighter in his arms.

We heard the sound of heels as two women entered the bathroom. Each one quietly entered a stall, and we could hear them moving around. When they left, they began chatting pleasantly in front of the mirror.

"Hey! Is the meeting over?"

"Yes, I just saw some shareholders leave."

"And do you know what they said?"

"Nobody's said anything yet. The last thing I heard was that Mr. Golf was really angry because Ava didn't show up."

"Poor girl! Maybe it was the weight that kept her from running," followed by laughter.

A cold shock gripped my chest when I realized they were talking about me.

"Poor? No! She's delicious! Life usually makes up for things."

"What?"

"For example, if you're ugly, at least you have a great body. If you're rough, at least you're pretty. Ava turned out to be a whale, but at least she has a lot of money."

My heart was pounding as I heard those cruel words. Was life really going to embarrass me even more today? Why did Alex have to hear all of this too?

My breath became heavier, and I felt the surge of rage building inside me. I wanted to get out, to see who those horrible women were and confront them so they would know I had heard everything. But I couldn't.

I already had so many problems, and being seen leaving the bathroom with an unknown man would only make things worse. So, I tried to calm myself, taking a deep breath.

Alex seemed to sense my unease. As my body trembled, he leaned his face against my neck, gently caressing it with his nose. What was he doing? This was neither the time nor the place for something like that.