MY BOSS [the Series]

23: Can't You See? I'm Climbing Up A Tree.

' Can't You See? I'm Climbing Up A Tree '

"Hello, I'm quite honoured to meet you er..." I stammered. Mom raised a brow questioningly at me. I looked up at Peter whose face was devoid of any expression.

Strange.

'Terrified ' was not enough to describe how I felt. The man I successfully avoided for a couple of weeks was standing before me, smiling like a loon. I had an urge to slap the amusement from his face, but then that would be perfect, don't you think?

"Florence, meet Mr. Ross, he's... " My mom began, to ease the tension building up. She always liked to be a mistress of every situation, awkward, tense, moody, name it. Just one of the reasons why I adore my mother.

"I don't think there's any need for any introduction, Mrs Steel, your daughter and I know each other quite well."

The way he laid emphasis on the last two words made me wish I could strangle him to death.

Philip glanced first at Peter who gave him a tight smile, and then, he shifted his gaze to me. I shuddered as his eyes rested on me. It felt like they emitted laser beams that pierced through my body and soul.

My mom shrugged and proceeded to say something else when Mara, Maya, is it? appeared beside him and snuck her hands into his arm.

She stared pointedly at me and I held on tightly to Peter who now wore a bored expression.

"Florence is it? How are you doing?" Maya asked. 

"I'm fine thanks, it's good to see you again," I smiled back at her and she  returned a fake smile.

Ha! I feel so loved.

My mom looked from me to Maya and back to me again, apparently, she was lost, I understood her plight.

"I'll leave you guys then," Mom walked away from us and we all stood in silence.

"Baby, I've not tasted a single drop of wine since we arrived, can we go to the bar now?" Maya spoke up and I was grateful to her for destroying the awkwardness hanging around us.

Philip nodded and allowed her pull him in the direction of the bar after glancing briefly at me.

Peter squeezed my palm lightly. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah." I replied and he kissed the top of my hair. After drinking the remaining wine in the goblet, I handed the empty goblet to a waiter standing beside me.

"Come on" Peter tugged my arm and I followed him to a door which he opened.

I stepped out of the door into a large hallway. I admired the elegance of my mother's new fashion store through some pictures displayed on the wall, which changed occasionally to a different one.

My mom was discussing with a few men who apparently aren't paying attention to anything she was saying, their eyes travelled all over her body in admiration and I rolled my eyes.

Peter and I wandered down the hallway, gazing at the pictures on the wall.

After a few minutes, we went back to the ballroom where a dance session was in progress. Peter comically bowed and asked me to dance with him and I did.

Finally, the party came to an end at exactly 1:00a.m. Exhausted, I followed Peter to his car, he offered to drop me off but I politely declined, telling him that I needed to search for my sister.

"Florence!" My sister called out and I spun around to see her making wobbly steps towards me.

Michael held her up so she wouldn't fall.