Chapter 5

Jessica's POV 

At 8 in the evening, I arrived at the gates of Hotel Presidential.

As the taxi drove into the driveway and I slipped his cash through the headrest, I took a deep breath and turned to find the entrance.

There were a swarm of people at the doors. Men and women dressed in elegant pieces matched their accessories and hairstyles. I walked in behind them, not fancily dressed but I was decent enough in my two piece suit and a black blouse underneath.

My gift dangled in hand as I walked.

I noticed the hallway was decorated in gold trimmings and beautiful flowers. The theme was gold. Golden jubilee for a man who was good to us all.

Just by the extreme end, I caught Uncle Tony talking to a group of people, I rushed to him, my smile deep and genuine.

“Jessica!” He cheered with excitement before I reached him.

“Uncle Tony!” I yelled before I hugged him. 

“I'm so happy you could make it, little one.” His arms wrapped even tighter around me. 

I let the moment last for seconds and then I pulled away. I was always the first to pull away with Uncle Tony.

“Here.” I handed him a wrapped box. 

“Oh, you didn't have to!” Uncle Tony touched his chest. 

I smiled, left him to his business and then walked over to greet my mother, sister and his beautiful wife, Janice.

I scanned the room, and when I couldn't find the trail of familiar sandalwood cologne, I turned to my mother.

“Father isn't here yet, I still have time. I'm leaving.”

Seeing him and that wench he always had by his side made me think of the past and I tried so much not to think of them.

“Help me say goodbye to Uncle Tony.” I said as I gently rose from my seat. 

“Oh no, darling.” Uncle Tony's wife, Janice grabbed me by the wrist. She pushed me gently back into my seat, her eyes bright and her smile kind. “You haven't touched anything on your plate and you know how much I hate to see food wasted.”

“But…”

“No buts…” she signaled me with an index finger in front of her lips. “Stay. Besides, we have a very important guest coming and I want you to meet him.”

“Who?”

She searched the room, her eyes glanced back to me. “He’s the son of Tony's long time friends. I heard he works in the same company as you. He looks cute and I want you to get to know him.”

“What's his name?” I frowned. There weren't that many cute men in my company that I wouldn't know of.

“Ah… eh… I think Alex. I heard he got a big position in your company.”

Alex? Mr Alex? The same one I slept with?

“What!” I let out a startled noise, everyone at that turned to me with cocked brows, curious.

I refused to speak. Why Alex? Was I the first person to have sex with my boss?

Why was he everywhere?

Uncle Tony was a rich man, I already knew but he wasn't as rich as Alex and his family, so how did they get so personal?

Before I could think of an answer, I caught Alex walking in through the front door with my father and his wench.

“Oh no!” I muttered to myself. 

I grabbed my purse. I should leave now. I adjusted in my chair but Janice pressed my wrist again.

Just then, I caught a waiter leading them to our table. I tensed and quickly turned to Janice.

“Why can't they sit somewhere else?”

Janice giggled. “This section is reserved for VIPs. They have to sit here.”

I struggled to tuck my uneasiness in as they sat on our table. 

To my mother's right was the woman who ruined my parents’ marriage, the wench, Elena Rolf. Next to her, her daughter, Mina Rolf sat glaring at me.

Her cheekbones, her nose and her lips were like they were sculpted by a well rested God. Her long lashes fluttered when she blinked and her skin glowed like she just had a milk bath before she came down to the party.

My step sister was the perfect one. Everyone loved her body and she got a lot of attention for it.

But I heard rumors she got plastic surgery for it, so I never envied her. To me, she was fake. The same goes for her attitude.

A little further from her table was Alex, who sat straight with a nonchalant aura around him. In-between he and my stepsister, sat my father who didn't acknowledge my presence nor that of his wife and other child.

I wasn't going to be the first to say hi, so while they talked, I concentrated on my food and ate.

“Oh Mina. This is Mr Alex, he's the son of a very close friend of mine. He recently became the CEO of a big company. I'm sure his company and mine will do a lot of business together in the future, how about you two meet and get to know each other.” My father's voice was the loudest in the room.

My father ran a security detail.

“Of course I know who he is, father.” Mina stretched her hand over her table for a shake. She winked at her and then added a flirty smile, “I've heard so much about you Mr Alex. I hope we get along just well.”

“Likewise.” he replied politely, his grip was loose around her hands but she insisted on shaking.

“Between me and you, we don't have to be formal with each other, right?” She asked.

I rolled my eyes at both of them. Even a blind man could see she was into him already. 

Alex ignored her. He pulled his hand back into his sides and started eating. 

“Alex, how about I have your number? You and I might have some businesses we can go through with in the future.”

“Contact my secretary if there's anything you need to discuss with me.”

Ouch! Burner.

I fought back a laugh and continued with my plate. Despite how hard he tried to get rid of her by ignoring her, she pestered him with more questions. 

It was funny to watch, at some point, I almost choked on my food. That was when she noticed me.

“Jessica, don't tell me youre going to keep sitting there and act like you don't see me. This child, you're just so rude!” Elena said to me.

I scoffed. Rude?

I was doing my best to avoid all of them but she still had to pick on me.

“So?” I angled my neck in her direction with an ached brow.

“So?” She scoffed, “Did you just ask me so? Did you hear that honey? I told you she was mannerless.”

I sneered immediately, rolling my eyes again. “Look whose talking…”

Elena gasped. “Honey, did you just hear what she said to me?”

My father straightened his back, his eyes fixed on me. Cold, soulless, just like they were when he left mother, my sister and I.

“Stop disrespecting your step mother that way, apologize to her right now!”

I snickered. Lips locked. Fist cleaned tight enough to swing, one wrong move and it was over for them.

“Apologize my foot.”