“You look beautiful, Miss Lora.” Paula said looking at Lora in admiration.
“Thanks Paula.” Lora replied, looking at her reflection in the mirror, she wished Michael is the one she is having this dinner with.
She closed her eyes briefly, and looked at her reflection again, She is looking really beautiful, and her dad picked out a very beautiful cloth for her, she thought. Paula brought the clothe earlier with her, saying her Papa bought it for her.
“the guests have arrived.” Paula announced to her, and told her its time for her to join them in the living room.
Lora drew in a quick breath and walked out of her room followed by the maid Paula.
“There she is, my beautiful daughter.” Lucio said smiling when he saw Lora walk into the living room.
Lora almost fell to the floor when she saw the face of one of the men standing in the living room.
“Easy Miss.” Paula said as she rushed to Lora’s side, preventing her from falling.
“Are you okay?” Lucio asked when he came to take Lora’s hand.
She looked at her dad, and followed him without saying a word.
“Meet my lovely daughter Lora Affonso.” Lucio said as they approached the two men standing in the living room.
“This is Don Pedro Verano.” Lucio told his daughter Lora, who bowed a little to greet the man.
“She's more beautiful in person, Lucio.” Don Pedro said, as he and Lucio laughed together.
“This is Alfredo Verano, Don Pedro's son.” Lucio said pointing towards Alfredo, who smiled at her in return. He was shocked too when he saw that it was her but pulled himself together almost immediately as he already had a plan.
Lora faked a smile as well, she could not believe her eyes, what is Alfredo doing here in her house? Is he the suitor her Papa told her about? She thought, still looking at him, and he seemed not to be bothered at all.
“Lora Princess, why don't you show Alfredo around before dinner is served.” Lucio told Lora.
She stood up and Alfredo followed almost immediately.
“What are you doing here?” Lora asked him angrily when they were out of sight.
“Woo, slow down, I didn't know you had such fire in you when we were dating.” Alfredo said mockingly to Lora, who now furrowed her brows at him.
“Don't tell me you don't know about this, because this is your dream coming true.” Alfredo said, his face a little serious.
“The nerve of you to come here after what you did to me.” Lora snapped, feeling mad that he would speak to her in that manner.
“I did not do anything to you, I was only being a man you know.” Alfredo snapped back at her.
“You know, if you didn't show interest in me, maybe we wouldn't have happened in the first place, but it's all good, I didn't even know your Papa has so much money, you didn't look like it back then in school.” He continued rather calmly, with a smack on his face.
Lora looked at him with rage, she knew what he just said is true, if she hadn't shown interest in him, they would never have happened like he said, she had known he is from a wealthy family because of the way he carried himself but she never imagined his dad and her dad to be business partners let alone being friends.
“Anyways you look nice and different, like a princess, we can be compatible you know.” Alfredo said, winking an eye at her even when he knew that he was faking it.
“You are really shameless aren’t you? What about Catalina, your lover?” Lora asked him, feeling very disgusted by him.
“Forget about Catalina, you and I are meant to be from the start, don't you think?” he said again, winking an eye at her again. Catalina was still the woman he loves but after his dad told him about Lora and what he planned to achieve with her, he decided to go with it but it was only business and would still find a way to make Catalina his woman, only he did not know that the person he was actually going to meet was the Lora he knew.
“You've really changed, you are no longer that shy and naive Lora I used to know, but you know what? I like this knew Lora you've become.” He continued, his eyes scrutinizing her, with a mocking smile on his lips.
It was as if he is mocking her, she looked at him, having the urge to smack his face, when suddenly her dad appeared.
“There you are, dinner is served.” Lucio said, interrupting them.
They turned and walked back to the living room and to the dinning with Lucio walking behind them.
Lora watched as her dad and Don Pedro chatted away, not minding that their children are sitting on the same dining table with them.
She looked from her dad to Don Pedro and then to Alfredo who ate as if all is well between them, she tried not to pay attention to their conversation but to no avail, and they talked as if the marriage is happening tomorrow.
Lora was a little surprised that Grandma Rosa is not dinning with them, then, she looked at the man sitting next to her dad in disgust, she couldn't believe she had once loved this same man who was almost every girl's dream back then in school.
The fact that she had to sit at this table dinning together with him makes her feel like her inside is about to explode.
She could still hear his words ringing in her ears. “I do not love you Lora...” she stood up from the chair she was sitting on in a manner that startled the others.
“Princess, are you okay?” Lucio asked her almost immediately, but she did not reply, instead, she ran into her room, slammed the door and wept bitterly.
If only society and her parents, especially her dad would not criticize, she would prefer Michael Williams over Alfredo Verano. She thought.
Then her mind drifted to her mum again, why have she chosen to abandon her in her dad's care, she still have not called her since that day, maybe only she would have understood her heart, just maybe, she thought.
She sat down there on the floor crying her eyes out, if only she knew this would happen, she would not have come back home, she was having the best time of her life with Michael.
“Why did I come back home?” she cried, then suddenly she heard a knock on the door.
“Lora, Lora...” Lucio called, trying to open the door but it was locked from inside. “Lora open the door.” He called again, still knocking on her door.
“Go away Papa.” Lora shouted amid crying.
“Lora open the door, it is so rude of you to leave our guests the way you did, open the door.” Lucio called again, angrily this time.
His daughter is the key to achieving his goals of becoming the overall leader and expanding his business, which means more wealth and power and he can't afford for Lora to ruin his plan.
“I will go now but we have to talk later, you will marry Alfredo and you don't have a choice but to agree.” Lucio said and walked away, back to his guests, he needs to make sure his guests are well attended to.