Chapter 5 I Feel Like A Princess

• YENEFER
• I looked at myself in the mirror. I wore a long white evening dress, a pair of Prada high heels, and a pair of pearl earrings. I tied my hair up in a tight and clean bun.
• But I still felt like something was missing. Then I put on my black choker with the small turquoise stone and smiled. My father gave it to my mother, and my mother passed it on to me.
• "Are you done yet? Come on, Yenefer, let me see. Can't you lift your phone so I can see you? Tiana and I were on a video call while I was getting dressed. As I was getting ready for the party, she was loudly protesting on the other end of the line."
• "I only have two hands, Tiana. Calm down. I'm almost done."
• Finally, I put on my favorite pink lipstick and pouted to check the color.
• "Turn around. Let me have a look."
• I looked at myself in the mirror and still felt uneasy. I took my phone and brought the front camera towards me. Tiana covered her mouth and stopped moving. The image had frozen. Was it due to a bad signal?
• "Tiana, are you still there?"
• "Oh my God, girl! You look absolutely stunning! Oh, Franco is going to be amazed by how beautiful you look tonight! In fact, all the men at the party will be amazed!"
• "Mrs. River, if we don't leave now, we'll have to take the helicopter," Burton, the driver, shouted at me from the driveway.
• "Thanks for the usual exaggerated compliment, Tiana. I have to go. I'm already running late." Then, I hung up. I lifted my dress and carefully went down the stairs.
• "You look beautiful, Mrs. River. You'll be the sensation at the party tonight." Burton opened the door for me.
• "Thank you, Burton. Let's go." I didn't really like attending formal events, but I was looking forward to this party.
• "Will we make it?"
• "We will, Mrs. River. Trust me." After saying that, Burton stepped on the accelerator and drove towards the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
• Before I knew it, I was in the hotel's drop-off area. I got out of the car and felt the cold afternoon wind on my arms and face. Fortunately, it must be warm inside.
• I entered the banquet hall, and many heads turned towards me. All the attention made me feel a bit tense, and I wondered if I had somehow gone overboard with my outfit.
• "Yen! You're finally here." I let out a sigh of relief when Christine approached me.
• "Hello, Grandma. Sorry for being late."
• "Our little princess is finally here."
• I smiled as Alice and her husband Lawrence also walked towards me.
• "Dad, Mom. Oh, I'm so glad to see both of you. I deeply apologize for being late."
• "Don't worry about it, dear. The best is always the last to arrive anyway," Alice assured me with a smile.
• At this moment, many people in the banquet hall had noticed me. One of them was a young man who greeted me and smiled. It was Spencer.
• I scanned the buzzing crowd and finally met a pair of cold, dark eyes. It was Franco, and he was staring at me intently. Besides his usual indifferent gaze, there was something else in his eyes tonight that I couldn't understand.
• "Who is she?" he asked.
• "I think that's the girl Lawrence and Christine adopted. Don't you think she's magnificent?"
• "Yes, she's stunning. She's even more attractive than Sophia."
• Whispers started circulating among the crowd.
• "Look, our little Yenefer has grown into a charming young lady!" Spencer approached with a smile on his face.
• David was right behind him.
• "Long time no see," I said, extending my hand towards them, and they kissed it.
• As Spencer hugged me, I caught a glimpse of Franco. He was standing by the stage, watching me. He still looked at me with those icy and unreadable eyes. This time, I saw a flash of anger on his face.
• "Ladies and gentlemen, before we celebrate River Group's 60th anniversary tonight, let's first welcome our dear CEO, Mr. Franco River, for his opening remarks."
• Franco took the stage, smiled at the emcee, and shook his hand. The cold look on his face disappeared, and he began his speech in a warm tone I hadn't heard him use before. He glanced at me from time to time, and I returned his gaze.
• Some reporters were invited to tonight's party. After Franco's speech, they were allowed to ask him some questions.
• "Mr. River, there's a rumor going around that you and Miss Sophia Lively are engaged. Is that true?"
• "Were you with her when she was photographed trying on wedding dresses?"
• I wasn't surprised by the questions directly thrown at Franco. River Group had always been in the spotlight, and Sophia was an actress whose career fueled rumors. Financial reporters could sometimes be gossipy.
• I turned to look at Alice, Christine, and Lawrence. They didn't like what was happening.
• "I believe my personal life is the least of everyone's concerns tonight. And with that, let me welcome you to tonight's festivities. On behalf of River Group, thank you for joining us, and have a wonderful evening."
• Franco handled that quite well, as expected. He had been in the game long enough to learn how to deal with nosy people.
• After Franco finished his speech, the band resumed playing music, drowning out the reporters' follow-up questions.
• Soon, the guests started filling the dance floor.
• "Yen, may I have this dance?" Spencer approached me and offered his hand. I smiled as he gracefully bowed to me like a true gentleman.
• I found it a bit amusing, considering Spencer had been a bit of a womanizer in high school. No amount of chivalrous behavior could cover up the trail of broken hearts he left behind.
• "Well, why not?" I took his hand and let him lead me to the dance floor.
• He put one hand around my waist and held my hand up in the air with the other. I placed my other hand on his shoulder.
• "Hold me tighter, coward. Are you afraid Franco will hit you or something?" I whispered to Spencer.
• Spencer smiled and shook his head slightly. Then, he pulled me closer. We started dancing. After a few moments, I suddenly felt uncomfortable. It felt like someone was watching me. I immediately dismissed the feeling. Maybe I was just overthinking or maybe I had fastened the choker too tightly.
• "Take your hand off. " A familiar voice suddenly interrupted my train of thoughts. Someone had pulled Spencer's hand off my waist.
• I had no choice but to stop. I turned around, annoyed, and found Franco standing right behind me with that confused expression on his face. I couldn't tell if he was angry or hurt.
• "What's wrong, Franco? I'm just dancing with our friend "I said brusquely.
• He seemed astonished. Obviously, he didn't expect such a reaction from me. But he didn't say anything. He simply turned around and walked away like a little child whose parents wouldn't let him play outside.
• At that moment, a waiter passed by, I took a glass of champagne from his tray and drank it in one gulp. I was no longer in the mood to dance.
• "Why does he always show up and ruin everyone's fun? "I complained to Spencer.
• "Force of habit. Don't worry, Yen. Your better days are on their way.
• Better days? Was he referring to the days after the divorce? I wasn't sure about that.
• Soon enough, the party in the banquet hall proved to be too much for me and I had to step outside for some fresh air. I took off the choker necklace as I made my way to the balcony. The cold night air felt so good against my face.
• Spencer and David didn't follow me, and I appreciated that. I needed some time alone to calm down and realign myself.
• Los Angeles was a different kind of beauty compared to Paris, where I spent the last three years studying. But even though Paris would always have a special place in my heart, Los Angeles would always be my home. But since I arrived home, I had felt a little lonely. I missed Tiana. I couldn't wait for her to come back from her business trip. Now, suddenly, it occurred to me that I had spent the last three years of my life alone with my European friends. Now I missed Tiana even more.
• A breeze blew and my arms tingled with goosebumps. I took a deep breath and appreciated the discomfort. Somehow, it helped to calm my nerves. The next thing I knew, someone was covering me with a suit jacket. I instantly recognized the smell of the fabric. I turned around. In the dim light, I could make out the contours of a beautiful face. I met the gaze of the man standing behind me, and the river of emotions inside me that had just calmed down turned into rapid fury once again.
• "It's really cold out here. You're going to catch a cold.
• Sometimes I was surprised by how my husband went from being indifferent to caring. It was as if he had a switch somewhere that he could turn on whenever he wanted.
• But why? Why did he do that? Why did he turn his back on me and then turn around and get inside my head? I already said yes to the divorce. He was no longer obligated to worry about me.
• "Aren't you cold? "I looked at Franco.
• "No, I'm fine.
• At that moment, my phone rang. It was a message from Tiana. She said she had already found a place for me to live.
• "I'm going to move in a few days.
• "Why?
• "Because divorced couples don't usually keep living under the same roof.
• "I haven't signed the papers yet.
• "The place is close to the office where I will be working. It will be much more convenient for me.
• "Where are you going to work? Did you find a job? I could have arranged it for you.
• Upon hearing that, I bitterly smiled in my heart. Suddenly, I realized that Franco had been arranging many things for me, the most notable of which was arranging for me to become a woman worthy of his name. I had been living a life that he directed, and I had been flowing with his current like a dead fish.
• "No, thanks. I'm fine. I already spoke with their human resources department.
• "Listen, Yenefer...
• "Why should I keep listening to everything that comes from you? "I snapped once again.
• I started to take off my suit jacket, but Franco stopped me.
• "Are you trying to catch a cold so that I can take care of you? Or would you like me to come in right now and fetch grandma so she can scold you? he said with a half-smile.
• I rolled my eyes and put the suit jacket back on.
• "Take this "Franco placed a bank card in my hand and then turned to leave.
• "When will we go through the divorce procedures? "I asked.
• "Why are you in such a hurry to divorce me? Is it because of that French artist? What's his name again? Piero? Pierre? he asked abruptly.
• I didn't know what to say. I fixed my eyes on him for a moment. Then, I turned on my heels and left.
• If he thought I had answered affirmatively to his question, then I suppose he had simply misunderstood me.