Chapter 39: Chapter 39

THE PARTY

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NARRATORS POV

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Sophie wanted to host the party away from their family mansion; she knew what transpired at the last party the family hosted to announce the contest for the new heir apparent to the Fernandez empire.

She wanted Caleb to feel comfortable and the only way to achieve that would be to ensure that the party was not held in their family banquet hall at their mansion where almost all the family ceremonies had been celebrated.

However, the family matriarch objected to the idea. She insisted that any event of the family must be held at the banquet hall. Sophie, who also inherited her grandmother’s strong will and deviant attitude, had insisted on her plans not until her grandfather interjected in support of his wife, and Sophie was forced to rescind her decision and agree to hold it at the mansion.

The guests arrived promptly and before 7:00 pm the whole hall was filled up; the waiters moved around the guests with glasses of champagne and small bites.

Sophie as the host stood with her parents at the door to welcome her guest. She looked regal in a sparkling green gown that stopped at her ankles and had a slit that ran to her upper thighs. She wore her favorite silver jewelry that matched perfectly with her clothes and also paired her attire with black thin heeled pumps. Her makeup was mild because she suddenly couldn’t tolerate the smell when her makeup artist was applying it on her.

The special guest she had been expecting was late. She wondered what was up with him lately, as he was hardly at home these days. She was getting agitated and angry but had to put her emotions in check. It angered her that he was getting to her and she was starting to care about him more than she wanted to.

Sophie had to leave the door and mingle with the guest, she wasn’t a pro at it like her grandmother who had been hosting for ages but she was not bad at it either, when the time came for her to speak she walked to the podium and began to speak, she thanked her guest for honoring her invite, and proceeded to talk about her family and how the Fernandez empire was birthed and nurtured till it became a household name, her grandparents smiled in the background remembering their earlier struggles before they finally succeeded.

When Sophie got to the point of the grandparents retiring, and why she had called them here, she saw him walk in, he looked perfect in a black tuxedo and his arms was a young lady in red velvet short gown; she was wearing red lipstick and had her hair tied in a bun at the back of her head. Sophie was momentarily dumbstruck and stuttered her words before gaining composure.

“The son of bitch came with a woman,” she murmured to herself, but she chided herself to mind her business after all they were not a couple. But her mind ran back to the night they made love, though she only had flashes about what happened she still remembered her own words to him, did she drive him into the hands of another woman or was she used by him.

She had been silent for about a minute and her uncle David and his wife laughed at her from where they were standing, her parents wondered what could be wrong with her and had to step in.

“Are you okay?” her father asked when he got to the stage, he had covered the mouth of the microphone before speaking.

“Yes, father. I will be okay,” she replied, her eyes watered a bit

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I was just taken by surprise.`` Sophie assured her father. She did not want them to worry about her nor was she ready to admit that seeing Caleb with another woman rattled her up.

“Your guests are waiting, or do you want me to announce on your behalf.”

“I will do it myself.’’ She gave her father a big hug, then took charge again. Pushing her raging feeling away from her mind.

“Sorry for going cold on you all.” She apologized to her guests. Though she was facing the crowd she refused to look towards where Caleb was standing.

“To the staffs and friends of Fernandez conglomerate, I want to announce that we have been awarded the sole supplier of textiles to the Delacroix clothing brand and the contract runs to billions of dollars,’’ Sophie announced with mixed feelings of both joy and sadness as to what she might have gained and lost.

The round of applause that followed was overwhelming, the staff was ecstatic and her grandparents overjoyed. Everyone understood what the deal meant to the company. David stormed out of the hall with his wife in tow. It was unimaginable that he might be losing the reign of the business to his niece.

As all this went on Sophie’s mother stood by the side watching her daughter, she wasn’t sure if what she saw was what had rattled her up earlier, but it was no mere coincidence that her mood changed with their entrance. Was her daughter developing feelings for her contact husband?.

The guest walked over to Sophie and congratulated her, it was indeed a big deal for her and her family. When she saw Caleb coming towards her with the lady he came with, she wanted to run away but held herself, it would be weird and people would start talking.

“Congratulations.” the lady in red said to Sophie.

“Thank you.”

“Congratulations once again,” Caleb said and continued without waiting for her response. “This is Angela, a good friend of mine.” his eyes danced with fondness as he spoke.

“Angela met my wife Sophie.”

Sophie was taken aback, surprised that he called her his wife. From the way he looked at the lady it was certain he loved her, he must have told her the true state of their relationship because there was no other explanation she could come up with.

“Pleased to meet you, and congrats once again.”

“Thank you and enjoy the party. I have to mingle with the other guest .’’ Sophie replied calmer than she felt, her stomach had churned badly from jealousy. She walked away towards her cousins Sam and Kim as she couldn’t continue standing with Caleb and Angela and pretend she didn’t care.

“Are you okay?” Sophie’s mother May asked her.

“Yes, why do you ask.”

“You have been off and acting strange since Caleb walked in.”

“Nothing of that sort mother.” Sophie laughed nervously, she had to get her acts together, she concluded. There was no need to give out impressions of what she might be feeling when it might just be a passing phase.

Sophie concluded that she would put all her energy into her work and with time her feelings towards Caleb would become history, unknown to her, her life was about to become more complicated.