Chapter 26: Just like him
Aira’s POV
Joan’s eyes are as wide as saucers. She takes a step back; her mouth opens and closes continuously, like a fish out of water. A nervous smile lists her lips as she says, “Oh, nothing. I was just going to give her a high five.”
Her eyes meet mine, and I can’t help the snort that leaves my lips.
I feel her eyes on me for some time before she says to her friends, “Come on guys, we better leave. There is nothing left for us to do here.”
Joan and Sam make their way out of the ice cream parlor, but Ray stays behind. Her eyes jump between Alexander and me, and a bitter smile lifts her lips.
“I don’t know which one of you is more ruthless. You two really do deserve each other.”
And with that said, she leaves.
I let her words settle on me. I don’t know whether to feel proud or disappointed by her words. But there is one thing I cannot deny, and that is that she is right.
I turn to Alexander, who looks at me with his eyebrow raised. “Why is it that every time I leave you alone, someone attempts to kill you?”
His words make me laugh. I throw my head back, and I know I should not be laughing about this, but it is just so funny. When I calm down, I find him watching me without a hint of emotion on his face.
Clearing my throat, I say jokingly, “Well, you better get used to it. because every time you turn your back, some mad woman will try to kill me.”
The corners of his lips twitch, but I should have known he would not dare smile out here. “And I would be right there to snap their necks before they do.”
His words make my heart flutter, and I look away from him.
“I doubt you guys actually had any ice cream though,” he says, and I purse my lips.
“No, we didn’t… and this was my favorite ice cream parlor.” I tell him, and he looks around unimpressed.
Nevertheless, he says, “Then I suppose we should get some,” and I am unable to help the smile that stretches my lips.
Like a child, I take him to the counter, and we order our ice cream. He pays for it, and we take our seats in the booth. Those snakes and I once sat.
I start taking my ice cream happily while he stares at his cup, unamused. “You don’t like ice cream?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“I have never really been a fan,” he admits, and I pout.
“How can you not like ice cream? Everyone loves ice cream!” I announce, and he looks at me in a way that says I should know by now that he is far from everyone else. “Just try it,” I encourage, and he takes a spoon full into his mouth.
Nothing.
Damn, he is a hard nut to crack.
“Can I have some of yours then?” I ask, and he slides his cup over to me. My eyes light up as I pour his ice cream into my cup and devour it all in seconds. He does nothing but watch me, and I know I am probably embarrassing him with my eating habits, but goddamn it, I can’t help it.
When I am done, a belch erupts from my lips, and my cheeks heat up.
“Sorry,” I say, and when he doesn’t say anything, I look up at him.
He is smiling at me.
He reaches out, and my heart pounds wildly against my chest as he swipes some ice cream from the corner of my lips. He puts his finger into his mouth, still holding eye contact with me as he did.
He hums, “Maybe ice cream isn’t as bad as I thought after all.”
This man is going to be the death of me, isn’t he?
He leans back in his chair and asks, “So why exactly did the girls you called your old friends try to beat you up?” He asks, and I gladly tell him what I did.
When I am done, he has a sly smirk on his lips. “Why the hell would you do that to girls you once called your friends?” he asks me, and my fists ball.
“Because they betrayed me when I needed them the most. Now, when pictures of you and me suddenly surface, do they want to make amends? Bullshit. They were never really my friends; they were just looking for a means to use me. just like they always did,” I say, feeling my anger worsen. “I just showed them that I am not the same girl they can easily manipulate. Not anymore.”
His eyes have widened by a fraction, and I see a glimpse of an unfamiliar emotion in his eyes. But then he says something that I never thought I would hear from him.
“I am proud of you.”
Silence.
My lips are suddenly unable to move, and I look at him with shock. I blink up at him with surprise, having a hard time believing if I actually heard him properly. “You are?” I ask, and he nods.
“You stood up for yourself, and that is something I expect from you.” He says, and I do not know why his words actually make me feel so good. Maybe because it has been so long since I heard someone say something like that to me.
He gets to his feet and offers me his hand. “Come on, it is getting late, and we have a ball to prepare for,” he says, and I smile up at him before taking his hand.
An electrifying sensation goes up my arm once our hands make contact. Alexander leads me out of the parlor, and I cannot help but begin to wonder how things would have been if I actually met him like this.
Maybe my child would have still been alive. Night falls, and I wish I could say the same about my blood pressure. It only keeps rising more and more with every second that passes. Because I know that every second that passes means I am a second closer to meeting the people I have tried so hard to avoid.
Alexander had hired a makeup artist and hairstylist for me, and I cannot even begin to explain how grateful I am for what he did. Because heaven knows that I would not have been able to prepare myself with all these thoughts swirling through my mind.
When they finish, I inspect myself in the mirror.
The woman standing in the mirror is tall and proud. Her dark hair flows gracefully down her shoulders. Her black dress hugs her curves nicely, starting off her shoulders and flowing all the way down to her feet. Beautiful diamond stones are encrusted around the neck and thigh-high slits on my legs. And on her feet are two-inch Louboutin heels.
A diamond-encrusted necklace dangles around her neck, with two diamond studs on her ears. Her makeup had been done to perfection. Her smokey eyes and blood-red lips could leave any man weak.
It’s almost as though I am staring at another person.
There is a knock on the door, and I say, “Come in,” before the door opens.
My eyes meet Alexander’s through the mirror. I watch him freeze through the mirror as his eyes take in my appearance.
A bashful smile lifts my lips as I keep my gaze on my feet. I do not know why it is so hard to look into his eyes; they are so intense.
“So, what do you think?” I ask him. His footsteps draw closer, and he lifts my chin with his fingers.
His face is barely an inch away from mine, and the intensity in his eyes makes my knees grow weak.
“Beautiful,” he whispers, and a shiver goes down my spine. He takes a step back and offers me his hand. “Shall we?”From NôvelDrama.Org.
I accept his hand, and that sensation I felt earlier goes up my arm. “Yes, we shall.”
He leads me out of his mansion and towards the waiting car outside. Alexander opens the door for me, and he helps me in. He gets in beside me, and the driver starts up the engine and makes his way down to the auditorium.
The closer and closer we got, the more uneasy I became.
My heart practically flies out of my chest when I feel something on my hand. My head snaps to find Alexander staring at me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, and I swear it feels like his eyes are boring right into my soul.
“Yes, I am fine,” I lie, but he doesn’t appear even a bit convinced. I look away and focus my attention on the world outside the window. A part of me wants to tell him what is really going on, but I can’t.
We arrive at the auditorium, and I prepare myself for the chaos that is about to come. Alexander steps out of the car and offers his hand once again. I accept it, and he helps me out of the car.
We make our way up the grand steps, and the guards standing before the great golden doors open them for us. As soon as we step in, the music stops, and all eyes are on us. Whispers erupt across the sea of people, and I cannot help but keep my gaze down.
“Don’t do that,” I hear Alexander mutter. “Don’t be intimidated; trust me, they are less than you. Always keep your head up high and know that you are far greater than these fuckers.”
His words fill me with an emotion I cannot quite describe. But it boosts my confidence a hell lot. I keep my head high as we mix into the sea of great alphas and lunas.
Their whispers fill my ears, and I cannot help the smirk that lifts my lips; their words only fill me with pride.
“It’s Alpha Alexander… But who is that woman with him?”
“She is so beautiful.”
“I heard that is his mate.”
“I hear she is just as ruthless as he is. Did you hear what she did to her old friends? I never would have expected it from her.”
Alexander squeezes my hand lightly, and that simple action fills me with so much comfort that I can’t even begin to explain it. A man who appears to be around the same age as Alexander walks up to us. He is wearing a dashing red suit and shoots us both a smile when he reaches us.
The woman by his side appears to be the same age as us as well. She is wearing the same shade of red as the man by her side.
“Alexander! It has been quite long. How have you been? How is your father fairing?” He asks, and Alexander’s face remains void of emotion. His thumb draws small circles on the back of my palm, and I do not know if he was doing that to calm me down or distract himself.
“Good,” Alexander responds monotonously.
The man’s eyes shift to me, and he grins at me in a way that makes my skin crawl. “And who is this beauty by your side?” he asks, taking a step closer to me. “I am Marcus, and you are?”
Before I am given the chance to respond, Alexander stands between Marcus and me.
“Leave.”
Judging by the way the color drains from Marcus’s face, I can tell the look Alexander is giving him isn’t quite pleasant. Marcus takes his date and leaves without saying another word.
Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing. “Do you always have to act so scary all the time?” I ask him, and there is a ghost of a smile on his lips.
“It’s not an act,” he replies, and I roll my eyes.
Music starts playing, and I notice Alexander grow a bit tense. We watch everyone in the room start to pair up and dance with their partner. Alexander mutters something beneath his breath, but I do not catch it.
He meets my eyes, and if I did not know any better, I would almost think that he is shy.
“I don’t normally say this, but…” he pauses, and my heart nearly explodes with suspense. but what? What does he want to say?
“May I have this dance?”