Chapter 15

Tobias had just concluded greeting a client of his when the sound of commotion coming from somewhere caught his attention. The first thing he did was trying and find Celestine who was no longer by his side. For a few seconds, his eyes swept through the crowd, trying to locate her, but only seconds later, his eyes stopped their search, not because they had found who he was looking for, but because his brain had registered the sight of his ex wife, Amara. And she looked unbelievable in the dress she had adorned. “Amara…” The name left his lips in a whisper and before he could stop himself, he had started to move towards her, but his movements were abruptly stopped when the figure of a tall man came into view and effortlessly wrapped his hand around Amara’s waist. “Is there an issue here?” Lorenzo asked, glancing between Celestine and Fiona with a menacing glare that made the latter shiver. “Not at all.” Amara beat them both to the punch before they could speak. “I was simply educating these two idiots before us.” “Educating us? You called my brother impotent!” Fiona shrieked. “Never did. I simply suggested that you get him checked out in a hospital. Don’t misunderstand my words, Fiona.” Amara said and looked over her shoulder, as in that moment, she felt a piercing glare on her back. She instantly locked eyes with Tobias who looked anything but pleased. How could he after learning that Amara had called him impotent? Or even doubted his capabilities in bed? Ha, it was almost laughable, if it wasn’t maddening. Perhaps the useless play toy beside her has dulled her sense of judgement and he needed to remind her of his capabilities in bed. Taking a step forward, Tobias was about to confront Amara and the man beside her, but was stopped by the sight of the event’s manager approaching. He stopped right in front of Amara and Lorenzo, totally ignoring Celestine and Fiona as he bowed his head, showcasing his respect. “Mr. Lorenzo, it’s an honor to have you here today!” His gesture quickly made whispers and murmurs swim through the multitude of people who were present and watching. Who was Lorenzo? What was his family background like that the manager of Hilton was bowing to him? But their questions remained unanswered as Lorenzo merely smiled at the manager’s gesture. “Raise your head Mr. Greene. There’s no need for you to be so humble. I should be the one showing my gratitude, for having me as the main guest of this grand event.” “Not at all, Mr. Lorenzo. It is my greatest pleasure.” “Likewise.” Lorenzo replied, his tone smooth and professional as his eyes briefly wandered around the room, stopping when his eyes landed upon Tobias who looked like he was about to burst from anger. Smirking, he looked away and faced Amara. “Mara, I’m sure the event has started, shall we head in?” Amara nodded her head, not even bother to take one final look at Tobias to acknowledge him. “Of course.” “Please allow me, Mr. Lorenzo, Ms. Amara.” “Sure.” Lorenzo with his hand around Amara’s waist, allowed the manager to lead the way, leaving Tobias behind to stare after the two, with his hands clenched. ~•~ The grand ballroom was filled with a variety of guests, all of which were dressed elegantly and sat comfortably around the luxurious tables provided. Amara was sat at a table with Lorenzo, enjoying her meal as the first speaker took the stage and began their speech. Apart from the occurrence at the entrance, it was safe to say Amara was enjoying her time here. Even the people she had interacted with treated her right. Everything was going fine, until Lorenzo excused himself, Leaving her alone at their table. At that time, it was during the time when the speech was reaching it’s end, and the next speaker was about to take the stage, that a voice spoke from beside her. “You enjoying the event?” Amara’s fork froze midair, and she turned, her eyes falling upon none other than Helios Edgar, Tobias’s closest acquaintance till date. “Hello, Amara.” He greeted her and offered her a warm smile. Amara returned his smile, although it was more forced than sincere. “It’s nice seeing you here, Helios. And yes, I’m enjoying the event.” “That’s great.” He took a seat beside her and Amara visibly looked disturbed by his presence. “May I sit?” He asked upon noticing her expression. “You’ve already done so. So please, make yourself comfortable.” Saying this, she turned her attention away, looking everywhere but the blonde male sited beside her because in all honesty, she had no intention of having a conversation with Helios. “Thank you.” He said and reached out to fill his cup, then hers, but she was quick to stop him. “I think I’ve had enough for the night. Thank you.” She said politely, although she was screaming inwardly, wanting to get rid of the man. “Alright, if you insist.” He pulled his hand away and settled it back down on the table. “So, Amara, what have you been doing since the divorce?” “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” She said, not bothering to hide the hostility in her tone. Helios, however, didn’t seem affected by her rudeness, nor the tone she was using. Instead, he merely chuckled and took a sip from his drink. “Ever the secretive one. I liked that about you. As a matter of fact,” He paused, staring into her blue eyes with his own brown ones. “I like everything about you,” Another pause. This time around, he seemed to think over something before continuing. “Amara, what would you say if I told you that I have feelings for you. Always have. Huh?” He confessed. Solid ten seconds went by before Amara laughed. “Sorry, but I’m not interested.” She bluntly declined his advances, her gaze not once breaking away from his. “And why is that?” He asked, the smile never leaving his lips. Shrugging, she said. “Just cos.” With that, she ended the conversation for good, turning her attention back to the event happening on stage and ignoring how Helios’s stare had lingered longer than necessary. However, as Amara watched the speaker take stage, Fiona who had seen the entire interaction between Helios and her, glared daggers at her. From where she sat, the jealousy was evident and as she continued to watch Helios stare at Amara in a way she didn’t like, Fiona swore deep down that she was not going to allow Amara go today without humiliating her. She had humiliated her at the entrance and now dared to try and steal her man, so it was only fair that she returned the favor. ~•~ Two hours long of seating down, drinking and begrudgingly entertaining Helios, had an end result of Amara taking a stroll near the swimming pool are which was less crowded. As she walked, phone held near her ear as she concluded a conversation with Duncan, her soon to be assigned assistant, she heard the sound of footsteps. At first, she assumed they were those of a passerby and didn’t think much of it. However, the closer the steps got, the more alert she became and when the footsteps had gotten far too close for comfort, she spun around and swerved to the side, missing Fiona’s outstretched arms by just a hair’s inch. The action however, resulted in Fiona, who clearly had the intention of pushing her in, stumbling forward and falling straight into the water. The moment she surfaced, the water that had entered her nose, throat and mouth had her choking and Amara indifferently watched her from where she stood. “Amara,” Fiona cried her name and glared up at her, her mascara running down her cheeks, making her look like a raccoon. Amara chuckled at the sight. “You really shouldn’t wear mascara when swimming, it could get in your eyes and blind you. Not only that, the color black and chlorine water, isn’t exactly a great combination.” Fiona’s glare intensified. “You bitch!” She shrieked. “Fiona!” Celestine’s voice suddenly rang out and in seconds, the girl rushed towards the pool, looking down at her friend. “Oh gosh, are you alright?” “No, I’m not!” Fiona yelled, glaring daggers at Amara. “That bitch pushed me in! Do something!” Celestine turned and faced Amara who crossed her hand across her chest, pinning her with a look that said ‘say something, I dare you’. Celestine couldn’t help but flinch because of that. This caused her to feel inferior and that inferiority soon turned into anger. How dare Amara act so mighty? Like she was better than her?! “Why did you push her in?” She asked, and Amara’s eyebrow rose, seemingly surprised that Celestine would even question such a thing. “Of course you’re that stupid, thinking that I pushed that trash in.” She clicked her tongue. “Birds of the same feather truly do flock together. In this case, it’s an uneducated idiot following a cheap mistress.” “You bitch!” Celestine, hearing her say such insulting words, couldn’t help but snap. Now she really wanted to teach Amara a lesson. For a split second, the thought of slapping Amara or throwing her into the pool, played in her head, but all those disappeared the moment she saw Tobias walking out through the sliding glass. She got a better idea. Taking a step back, Celestine released a shriek and fell into the pool. “Toby, help me!” At the sound of his name, Tobias’s gaze snapped towards the sound and he was quick to see Celestine flailing in the water. “Celeste, Fiona.” His brows furrowed and he rushed towards her, offering Celestine his hand first. “How did this happen?” He asked. “Amara, that wicked woman, she pushed us in!” Fiona pointed an accusatory finger in Amara’s direction the moment she had made it out of the pool. Following the direction of Fiona’s finger, Tobias’s eyes landed on Amara’s figure. Seeing how indifferent she stood, he couldn’t help but pin her with a cold glare. “You did this?” He questioned and sighed. “How are you still this unreasonable, Amara. One month and you haven’t changed one bit. Must you always gain pleasure from seeing others miserable?” He spat harshly, but Amara remained indifferent to his words. “I never should have expected anything from you. Now, apologize to them.” Amara chuckled. “I should apologize, to them?” “I didn’t stutter, now did I?” Tobias sneered. Amara stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded and stepped forward. But much to his surprise, instead of apologizing, she shamelessly kicked both Fiona and Celestine back into the water. “Wah!” The two cried as they fell, their expensive dresses soaking up the water, again. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Tobias’s voice was laced with anger as he grabbed her hand and spun her to face him. “I can’t apologize for something I didn’t do, now can I?” Came Amara’s response as she wrenched her wrist free. “Are you mad?!” “In the past, I might have been. After all, being mad is the only reason I can come up with, to have ever loved a senile bastard like you.” Saying this, Amara turned to face Fiona and Celestine who were still in the water. She reached into her purse and pulled out a bundle of paper bills. “Here,” She carelessly threw it at them. “Get yourselves a new dress, something other than trash bags. That’s the best I can do. And as for an apology,” She smiled. “Don’t expect one, because you’re never going to get it.”