Stolen. Fallen.

S. F. - 24

"Okay. If that's what you want. I'm just a call away if you need me."

***

I could feel my hands shaking as I fixed the collar of my suit. It was the night of the party and I couldn't be more nervous.

I glanced at my mom who already got off the car and stood beside me.

"Be in your best behavior, New," she said coldly as she went ahead of me.

The lump in my throat made it difficult to swallow, but I just disregarded the feeling and followed her. I deserved her cold treatment anyway.

The event was held at one of the Vihokratana's hotels. It was different from the previous one, but the elegance it exuded was no different.

"Oh, Mrs Techaapaikhun, New, how are you? I heard about what happened. I'm so sorry for your loss," Mr Sompob, the owner of MS Holdings approached us. 

"We're just fine, Mr Sompob," my mom gave him a faint smile. We then excused ourselves. My mom went to her group of friends whilst I decided to grab some drinks to evade some businessmen who either asked about my father's death or the state of the company he left. 

I roamed my eyes around the hall, trying to spot the reason I was hesitant to attend the party in the first place, but I didn't see him.

"Ladies and friends, thank you so much for gracing this event. It is our pleasure that you have come to witness this very important event. And with that let's all give a round of applause to Mr Kasemchai Vihokratana!"

Tay's father then came on stage. It was then that I spotted Tay standing in front of the stage. He still looked the same, the same man whom I never thought I'd fall in love with. His hair just grew a little bit longer. But, he still looked the same...and I still feel the same.

I was pulled out of my own thoughts when the guests started clapping their hands and Tay went on stage to give his speech.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here tonight. As the new CEO of the Vihokratanas Group of Companies, I am thrilled about the many great things that we will be working on in the future. For the past years, the company has provided many services and opportunities to people. And as we embark on new journeys in the coming years, I hope to offer much more of these to the general public. To my family, thank you for entrusting me with this great responsibility. And to all of you who are here tonight, thank you for taking your time to share with us this memorable event. I look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the evening."

I swallowed the lump in my throat as he looked at the crowd and smiled. He stilled for a moment when his gaze landed on mine and I could see his smile slowly vanishing as he stood there staring at me.

I was literally holding my breath as we both stood there staring at each other. It seemed like the world stood still and we were the only ones left in the hall. 

And I hated the fact that my heart was beating fast like how it always did many months ago. 

I then turned on my heels to leave the hall for I knew that I wouldn't last another minute under his gaze. 

I took several breaths to calm myself the moment I entered the restroom. Thankfully, no one else was inside. I was about to call Earth to tell him what happened  and to ask him for help when the door suddenly swung opened.