Engagement party

The air inside the Vip conservatory grand hall tasted like wine and lilies, and expensive suffocating deceit.

Clara thorne stood outside at the balcony on the seventh floor of the hotel her hands clenched in a fist from rage. It was her engagement party and was supposed to be a happy day for her but she had to stumble on her fiance and her best friend in one of the hotel's suites having sex.

she had excused herself after not seeing her fiance and best friend Kate in the crowd but she didn't think much of it, she felt pressed and walked into one of the suites in the hotel but she heard a muffled sound coming from inside, feeling embarrassed on walking into the wrong room she wanted to run out but a voice from inside made her stop dead in her track. Even if she was asleep she would recognize that voice anytime.Her heart stopped for a second and she walked slowly towards the bedroom door while hoping she was also hearing things. but then she heard the voice again and she shooked violently almost exposing herself. In there was her fiancee and the woman she would do anything for, her best friend Kate. He had excused himself earlier and said he wanted to make a business call and now she found out the call was having an affair right under her nose. She closed her eyes feeling foolish to have trusted him and almost laughed out at herself but she held it in.

She was about to leave when she heard Kate's voice . Kate had asked provocatively who was better in bed. "Who's better in bed" Kate said while trying to suppress a moan as she was right on top James. "You Kate, it's always been you." James replied. she felt her already broken heart shatter into a thousand pieces hearing him say that and tears fell from her eyes like pears.

Standing at the balcony she remembered what Kate had asked and James reply and she suddenly found herself foolish thinking she found herself a loving man. " What do you think Clara will do when she discovered we were together on her engagement party". Kate had asked, her voice sounding increasingly provocative as she sucked in small breaths due to her trying to stop a moan escaping her lips . " Do you think she deserves me,? It is her good fortune getting engaged to me and she should be happy I even agreed to the engagement " James had said and grunted accompanied by heavy thrusts and Kate's moans. that shattered every last piece of lingering feelings in her heart for him.

She and James go way back. They grew up together and James had promised to get married to her even when she didn't know what it meant to get married. He had pestered his parents into getting them a marriage contract agreeing they get engaged at a marriageable age and that was what ended both families years of disputes. Both families were rivals in business but their children turned out to be friends. she had always been very quiet and only talks with James and this led to the quick agreement from her parents. and she was told she was going to get married to him one day.

They both attended same high school to college and James made sure to let everyone know she was his. He pursued her persistently saying he wanted her to feel how it feels being taken on dates but she turned him down every time. This went on until her high school graduation party and she was called while receiving the best student award, that her parents were involved in a car crash with no survivors. That was the darkest day of her life and James was the one who pulled her out of the abyss of sorrow promising not to leave her no matter what and in her most vulnerable moment he stayed so when he asked her out in college she agreed to date him but she hadn't done anything out of line with him. The day they kissed she had her flow so they couldn't go further and after that she was always busy trying to keep her fathers company from going bankrupt. She had known Kate when she had gone to bury her parents and Kate was in the funeral home to pay respect to her uncle and she had comforted her not to loose hope even if she lost her parents and they became friends from then on with Kate being her strength to keep on living and James her shield. After graduating from university and completing her master's She had pesterd James to take her in his company as he took over after graduation so she can be close to him. She started working at the Sterlings group to widen her grasp of how the business works and in just two years there she had help them close deals worth billions earning herself three promotions as the executive director.She hadn't even had the chance for herself and had wanted to suggest the merging of both companies on the wedding day but now she knows she wasn't worth "him".

After her parents death all she ever heard people talk was how lucky she was getting engaged to James despite being an orphan but she had paid deaf ears to it. now looking back to it James never defended her and the changes were there for long, the exchange, the concern from James when Kate isn't feeling well and their complimenting each other's outfits even asking what each other liked from her, but she just didn't notice them early on.

She drew in a sharp breath stopping her tears from dropping. The last time she cried was the day she buried her parents and the day she met Kate and she had promised not to cry for anything irrelevant. She cleaned her tear stubbornly as she walked out from the balcony to a merged clud inside the hotel but on a separate wing.