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Abigor stared at the beauty with a glass of champagne in his hand; her fingers moved gracefully along the piano as soft music grazed the quite ballroom.
It reminded him of the first time they had met.
Her grace was unmatched, her beauty was ethereal and her confidence was elegant. He found himself clutching the glass of champagne even more tightly with his jaw clenched, a small crack formed on the surface.
He didn't know anything about her then, he didn't know anything about her now.
Time had passed but nothing had changed.
Her midnight blue coloured dress flowed delicately as she lost herself in the music. The audience was silent, listening to the music intently. It wasn't just a simple tune, but a powerful spell which bounded people together.
The faces of the people were covered in shiny masks but he could tell the expression of enchantment below it.
Her golden hair shined brighter than ever in the dim lighting of the hall as she completed her opening act and stood up fixing her mask while the audience cheered her with loud applause and praises.
It was a charity event and the donor would remain anonymous. A masquerade ball was just a dramatic addition for the cause.
She walked down the stage with Kahlil beside her as people swarmed around her. Abigor hated the way the men with coquettish grins tried to talk to her, as the journalists took millions of photos.
Abigor had enough.
He slammed his half-empty glass on the counter as the bartender flinched in fear. He walked towards the small crowd as the people separated on their own when they found him coming.
Aria's blue eyes gleamed from under the mask as he closed in on her. The journalists went crazy when they saw the mafia boss approching the piano prodigy as they took photos from all the angles.
The masks did nothing to hide their identity. Everyone knew who they were.
The men around her instantly distanced themselves from her as Abigor slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her palms rested on his thick chest as she peered up at him.
That's what she feared. Everyone will now know about her relationship with Abigor Hayes; the ruthless killer, the lord of the Hayes family.
With these many journalists, she was sure that they'd make headlines. Everyone in the nation would know.
Word could even get out of the country.
That's exactly what Abigor wanted.
A single glare from him, made the journalists and other men disperse. They had already acquired their news, they didn't want anything else.
"Do you have to be such a brute?" Aria commented in a low voice with gritted teeth which didn't phase him one bit.
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a secluded corner of the hall, near the bar.
"I was just making sure they know their fucking place. ." Abigor started as he flicked his fingers and ordered the bartender for a drink ". .I didn't like the look they were giving you"
"They were just appreciating me, I'm sorry if it is a foreign concept to you" she snapped back as she looked around the huge hall. People stole glances at the both of them while whispering among themselves.
"I appreciate you enough" he barked and picked up the glass of vodka and downed it immediately.
Aria's face twisted in slight concern as she placed her hand on top of his "Are you sure you should be drinking right now? You were drunk just a few hours ago"
She said remembering how he collapsed on her bed and slept for 2 hours straight. However when he did wake up, no one could have guessed that he was drunk before.
His eyes shined in a foreign glint as a smirk formed on his face, his other hand reached to cup her face as he caressed her soft skin with the pad of his thumb.
"Are you worried about me?"
Her cheeks instantly heated up and flushed in light pink as he stared at her in amazement. He knew she was attracted to him, he could see it, even when she tried hard to hide it with snarky comments.
She shook her head "I don't want you to do something stupid, because now people know that I am associated with you. I remember how wasted you were before"
"I'm sorry"
Abigor remembered her distant voice just before he slipped into oblivion back in her apartment, at the mention of his drunken state.
He remembered her quite voice as she weeped in agony. He knew it was her because he could recognize her voice anywhere; it didn't matter if he was half-dead or half-unconcious.
Why were you sorry? he thought; What did you do? Or, what are you about to do?
He had millions of questions and answers to none. Abigor was known for his patience, but now, that trait of his was slipping away from his grasp. He found it hard to bear the suspense.
He found it hard to mask his real emotions in front of her. Something which he never struggled with before.
"What's wrong?" Aria asked as she noticed Abigor staring at her for the longest minute, thinking something seriously.
Will you tell me if I ask?
"It's nothing" he replied curtly, his mood had taken a turn for the worse.
Ofcourse not.
Aria stared at him dumbfounded as his touch on her cheeks suddenly felt cold and distant. The warmness his hands usually provided, had disappeared.
Something snapped inside of him.
"Abi-"
"Abigor!" an old man's voice from behind, interrupted her, as she saw the silver haired man make his way to where she and Abigor were standing.
Abigor sighed in annoyance before pulling up a small fake smile. Mr Reynolds was one of the most important investors in his company and his predecessors had supported the Hayes foundation when it was nothing.
All in all, he was an important family friend and business partner.
"Mr Reynolds" Abigor greeted as the older man pulled him in a hug while patting his back affectionately.
"Now son, don't be so formal. Call me Damond as your father does"
Abigor smiled his pseudo smile and nodded along with him. It didn't take long for Damond to acknowledge the small figure standing beside Abigor.
"Ms Leighton, isn't it? Heard great things about you" he said with a grin and extended his hands for a friendly handshake.
"Please call me Aria, Mr Reynolds" and as Aria was about to shake his hands, Abigor came in between and patted Damond's shoulder.
"So, what brings you here Damond?"
Aria rolled her eyes behind his back, his over possessive side was overbearing sometimes.
She couldn't focus on the conversation of the two men anymore as her eyes fixed on a certain someone. Her heart kick started in nervousness as she broke down in cold sweat.
Her gaze was locked with the cold green ones. The person was wearing an elegant mask with feathers adoring it, but Aria knew exactly who it was. The girl she had seen outside of the shop.
But her pale pink hair was replaced with a dark brown one.
Her black dress ironically glowing and shining in the hall room as she quietly kept her gaze fixed at Aria, occasionally taking a sip from the champagne flute in her hand.
". . .am I clear?"
Abigor's sudden voice made her head snap back up at him; he was staring down at her seriously and his face immediately hardened seeing her alarmed state.
"Huh?" she found herself muttering while stumbling on her words.
He quickly turned to look at the direction she was looking at, but he found nothing suspicious. Just people talking among themselves and enjoying the smooth classical music playing in the background.
"What was that?" he inquired stoically turning back to look at her; Aria had quickly covered up her alarmed state with a lazy smile.
She's good at masking her emotions.
"What was what?" she asked innocently while staring straight at him.
He gritted his teeth "Listen—"
"Abigor we need go meet the investors!" Damond interrupted while pointing towards a small group men and women.
Abigor let out a harsh frustrated sigh while rubbing his temple "We are not done here" he whispered lowly to Aria which made her gulp a little "I'll be back in a bit, so stay here"
She gave out a careless nod and gulped down a bit of champagne while leaning against the counter. Abigor gave her one last unsure look before looking around one more time and then disappearing in the sea of people with Damond.
Aria kept looking ahead while mindlessly sipping on her drink. A sharp sound of heels and a sudden fragrance of roses invaded her senses, indicating that someone just occupied the space beside her.
"Your acting skills have improved" a low voice from beside her said as Aria sighed out loud.
"Sylvia" she commented while turning to look at the haunting green eyes while her dark brown hair framed her small tanned face "What are you doing here?"
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If you don't remember the name "Sylvia", it was mentioned before in chapter 13.
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