CHAPTER 95
That Weird Encounter…
Several Days Later…
Elena
The flight went well and three hours later, we had arrived at our destination.
Since the ride was a little bumpy, we decided to make a quick stop in our rooms and meet up later to hang out and enjoy a meal.
In my room, I agonised over my choice of outfit before I gave in and wore the gown I wanted —a floor-length black chiffon gown with a wide neckline and minimal jewelry.
For the past week, Cornell had amped up his game, flirting with me every second and dropping thoughtful gifts as casually as possible.
It's like the engagement and incident with the whole drink situation made him want me more.
And I can't lie…his persistence does make him attractive.
I went downstairs earlier than the time we had agreed to scope out the restaurant.
Just as I saw online, every part of it was wonderful —from the twinkling lights ahead to the soft music playing in the background —and the unique hand-painted tableware was just… stunning.
I had stopped by the bar, sipping on champagne while I waited for Cornell to show up, admiring the view and soaking it up…only for a voice from someone I didn't want to see to ruin the entire experience.
"Well, well….look who it is." A whiny, high-pitched voice called out from behind me.
Even without turning my head, I already knew who it was which was why I turned around with a strained smile. "Uh, hello…?!"
My tone made it sound like a question rather than a greeting.
Cassandra was wearing a perfect emerald dress that complemented her skin and blond hair, as well as matching accessories.
"Fancy meeting you here!" Cassandra peeled back her teeth in that weird plastic smile that she shared with her mother. "I almost didn't see you there. Honestly, I nearly walked past you!"
I wish you did! I thought internally but kept the strained smile on my face. "Yeah, so I -"
"Anyways, since we ran into each other tonight, I have something to say to you!" Her eyes narrowed, the weird smile suddenly melting away, replaced by a frown. "I know what you're doing!"
I stared at her blankly, waiting for her to say something else but she just kept glaring. "Excuse me?"
"Don't bother pretending because it won't work!" She went on. "When you found out that I was dating Lucas Harrington, you decided to hitch yourself up to his rival, Cornell Gray just to spite me. Seriously, how low can you get?!"
My jaw dropped open, not because she was right, but because of how she thought I could ever do such a thing. "Please don't delude yourself into thinking that I waste a second thinking about you more than I should." I scoffed, taking a sip of my champagne that now tastes like ash.
It was that moment that a tall, handsome guy dressed in a three-piece suit walked up to Cassandra and kissed her on the cheek, one hand loosely circling her waist. "Hey babe, sorry I'm a bit late."
"Don't worry about it." She snuggled into his embrace, pouting slightly. "I was just talking to my sister. You know the one that's dating your rival and she said some pretty mean things before you showed up."
To sell it, her face crumpled up like she was hurt and was going to cry which painted me as the bad guy.
"Look, Miss, we haven't met before, but my Cassie here has got a lot to say about you and none of it positive. I get that you're jealous of her but you need to take it down a notch. You might never be as pretty, beautiful, and have half the things she does, but that doesn't mean that you have to go out of your way and be such a bitch!"
My jaw dropped because I didn't deserve to be talked to like that, especially when I did nothing wrong.
Of course, Cassandra kept smiling, beaming at Lucas.
Luckily for me, Cornell showed up then, looking handsome in a black turtleneck sweater that stretched across his broad shirt and grey slacks that hugged his thighs.
"Hey, darling…" he came around to place a kiss on my cheek, instantly picking up on the tension between us. "Is everything okay here?"
I opened my mouth to say yes but Lucas cut me off.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" The corner of his lip curled up in disdain.
Ever polite, Cornell replied even though his response was a bit stilted. "Cornell Grey, and you are…?"
Suddenly, the once cocky man began to bluster, the wind taken out of his sails. "Th-the Cornell Gr-Grey?"
Both Cassandra and I stared at him, wondering what made him react like that.
He noticed, his smile growing sheepish as he averted his gaze. "Ooh! Honey, I just remembered that we'll be late for the concert!"
He grabbed Cassandra's hand and started to pull her away in another direction.
While they were moving, I overheard her saying… "What concert? I thought they didn't start until 10…"
"That was weird huh?" Cornell noted, slipping his hand into mine.
"Yeah, very…" I muttered, not quite sure what to think of the encounter.
"Forget about them…" Cornell dragged me towards the restaurant. "We have some amazing meals waiting for us. Come on!"
And just like he advised, I pushed Cassandra and the weird encounter out of my mind and enjoyed the rest of the night.