MUSIC: Welcome and Goodbye by Dream, Ivory

It had been years since I've stepped inside the SterlingCorp building. Each step felt like I was stepping on hot coal. Scenarios filled my head once again, mentally rehearsing the lines I needed to use when unavoidable questions come my way.

"Are you alright?" Rain looked down. "You look tense."

I swallowed. "Sort of. You should have brought Deidra instead. I'm not used to crowded places like this."

He slightly leaned down and his other hand reached over to pat my hand. "It's okay. It'll be over before you know it."

Rain's smile broadened when an older gentleman approached us. He was around Rain's height. I immediately recognized him as one of my father's friends who he played golf with back in the day. Marlon Cohen. His face almost looked like plastic. Probably from multiple face lifts he had. Rain introduced me as his friend, which was nice of him. I thought he was going to introduce me as his girlfriend. I was glad that we're not going that route since I'm not ready to play his fake girlfriend just yet. He only mentioned my first name, so that was a huge relief. The old man cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes as he took a step forward to look at me.

"You look familiar, young lady." The man said as he swirled the wine inside his glass.

My heart started racing as if it was about to leap out from my chest. This is what I was afraid of. How many hours do I need to endure this madness? This was a labyrinth of hell, and I needed to get out of here. I should've listened to my gut and stayed put in California. I remained calm and made sure my eyes didn't give away how nervous I looked.

"She's not from here," he immediately gave an answer before I could even speak. I looked up and met his gaze. Thank you, I wanted to tell him. "It was nice to see you, Mr. Cohen. Have a wonderful evening."

"Yes, yes, it was nice to see you, too," he nodded, and turned back to me. "I could've sworn you looked like one of my late friend's daughters."

"You must be mistaken, Sir," I smiled, trying to keep my composure. "This is my first time here in New York."

"The event is about to start, Mr. Cohen," Rain reminded him. "Hope you have a wonderful evening."

"It was nice meeting you, Sir." I nodded and we started to head over to our table. I could feel the weight of the old man's questionable gaze when I looked over my shoulder. He's still looking at me. Unbelievable.

Rain took two of the champagne glasses from the server that came by. "Do you know Marlon Cohen?"

"No, I don't," I took a sip of my champagne. We exchanged glances. He's waiting for me to say more. "Seriously, I don't. What made you think I know him?"

"Are you hiding something?" He asked, lifting the glass to his lips. His eyes twinkled with mischief.

I scowled in response, but then I got a hold of myself. He's baiting you. Don't fall for it. I swallowed the rest of my champagne and placed it on the table next to us. I nervously laughed. "What are you talking about? What am I hiding exactly?"

He grinned. "Relax, I'm just riling you up. You look so tense. Loosen up."

"I'm sorry, I'm just—" I stammered. "I'm just not used to crowded places. I mean, you already know that." I started rubbing my cold hands together.

"Uncle Marlon!" I heard a familiar high-pitched voice nearby. My eyes widened as I looked past Rain's shoulders and saw a bubbly curvy blonde hugging Marlon Cohen. "How are you? Have you met my fiancée, Gibson Bernardi?"

Pandora Henry.

I knew this was going to happen. Pandora was my ex-boyfriend Aiden's cousin. Knowing Pandora, nothing could escape her eyes. And where Pandora is, Aiden will be there, too. Time to plan for my escape.

"Excuse me, Sir," my voice switched up to employee mode. "Is it okay if I use the restroom really quick?"

"Sure, go ahead." Rain turned around to where Pandora and her fiancée was standing. Pandora's voice was so loud that everyone in the room was staring at her. Pandora loved the attention and she never really cared for what people would say about her whether it was negative or positive. She said as long as people talked about you behind your back, then you would always remain relevant. She clearly knew what she was doing, and she was right. She has always been one of the top socialites of New York. Present at every event, and pictures of her appear daily in every newspaper and tabloid in the country.

I quickly hid behind a wall instead of rushing inside the restroom. Pandora was already talking to Rain. Based from his facial expression, he seemed a little uncomfortable talking to her. While she was talking, he occasionally sipped his champagne and would turn his head around. He would look at his wrist watch and force a smile every now and then. Was he looking for me? I suddenly felt bad for leaving him by himself. Pandora's laugh was painful to the ears. Rain's ears were probably bleeding now. I kept glancing at the wall clock. How am I going to get to the other side without getting noticed?

"You should see how Gibson plays football," I heard Pandora say. "He was the Quarterback for Ridgeback University."

"Ah, so you were from Ridgeback. I graduated there, too." Rain looked unimpressed. His face looked so bland. He was completely unfazed by their words. They couldn't even get a clue that the person they're talking to doesn't want anything to do with them.

As if the universe was helping me once again, one of the guests accidentally dropped a wine glass. Perfect timing. While everyone's eyes were fixated on the shattered glass and the pool of red wine around the floor, I quickly made my escape. It took like a minute to get to the other side. If it weren't for the nosy bodies trying to see what the fuss was about, I could've gotten to the exit door in less than a minute. Thankfully, I knew how to walk fast in high heels.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I managed to let out a huge sigh of relief. Not a lot of people were outside since they were all inside getting ready for the event. I rubbed my chest to calm myself down. I refused to go back inside that snake pit. Maybe I should text Rain right now and tell him I'm not feeling well so I don't have to stay. I bent down and closed my eyes. I heard footsteps coming towards my way. I opened my eyes and saw a pair of black shiny leather shoes.

"Raina?"