Chp 6: Harsh Words

IVANA

God!!! I groaned in frustration as I scanned the room, desperately wanting to leave. It had been more than two hours since I arrived at the party. During that time, all I had done was put on a forced smile and say hello to every single person that passed by me. To make matters worse, people were still arriving and the party chatter was only getting louder, making it impossible to talk to my colleagues without being a third-wheel. As I continued to wander around aimlessly, someone grabbed my arm, causing me to stumble forward in surprise. My heart raced as my heels threatened to land me face-first on the ground until an arm suddenly caught me from behind. The unexpected motion made me whip around, only for my gaze to meet Ian's. He held me tightly, his eyes searching mine.

"Thanks for saving me. But why did you pull me so suddenly??? Because of you, I was going to be on the ground by now."

As I stood tall, I slammed my palm into his chest. My dress straightened effortlessly as I looked him in the eyes with a furrowed brow. He blushed every time I touched him, and I wondered if it was genuine or just his nature. As I waited for him to speak, he fell deep into thought, lost in contemplation. The silence between us lingered until he finally snapped out of it and shook his head with a cheerful expression. 

"Ohh!! I was searching for you. I thought you had already left."

"How can I leave when you are here???" I spoke while pressing my folded hands against my chest. I watched his face intently, searching for some indication of what he thought of my words. His eyes widened in surprise before he shut them tightly and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Leave it. I came here to take you to meet some people. They wanted to meet you. Boss has talked a lot about you to them." Taking my hand, he started dragging me to them.

"No Ian. I really don't want to meet more people. Please!!! Ever since I came here, I am just smiling and talking to everyone. Even my cheeks are in pain now." I said trying to remove his hand from my wrist.

"No, Ivana. You should meet them. You are an important person in our company. And the boss always talks about you wherever he goes. You know, you are his favourite. People want to meet and know you. Because of this attitude, many of them just know your name and not you. You should take care of your popularity, dumbo." He scolded me.

Ian and I were engaged in a heated debate, which was an unusual phenomenon since he usually agrees with me on all matters. We were so wrapped up in the discussion that we didn't even notice someone coming up behind us. 

"Hello, Ms. Ivana, so nice to see you." Mr. Lorenzo greeted me and that's when we stopped.

"Hello, sir. Same here." I replied with a weak smile. I am fed up with all this. I so wanted to go home and sleep peacefully. He pointed towards Ian and asked,

"And he is....."

But before I could answer Ian himself replied,

"I am Ian. I am her colleague and her one and only best friend." 

I studied him in confusion as he changed his demeanour instantly when Mr. Lorenzo entered the room. His voice had gone from angry to jovial, and his expression from scowling to smiling in a matter of seconds. It took a moment to sink in that he actually felt proud to call me his friend.

"By the way, you look gorgeous in this dress."

"Thank you. I......" I was cut off by Ian saying,

"See, I told you it's looking stunning on you. My choice is never wrong you know."

As I glanced at Imran, his eyes widened and his face became pale for a fleeting second. Confused, I studied him carefully before he regained his composure, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined it all. Just then, the waiter approached us with a tray of drinks in hand. I was about to reach for a juice but that waiter quickly stopped me and said,

"No mam, this one is for you. Ginny mam told you to give this juice to you. She said you will like it very much."

"Huh!! But I don't want to drink orange juice. I will take mango flavour. Go now. Will try it some other time." 

My confusion was evident on my face as I stared at him, wondering why Ginny would do something like this. He looked downcast and said nothing, only handing out the juice to Sana and me before he left. Before I slipped away, Hayley's voice pierced through the air, making everyone stop and listen.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?? Hello everyone. I'm Hayley. Today we are having this party as my dad's company has finally closed the deal!! And the main reason behind this is my dad's favourite or I guess everyone's favourite 'Ivana Miller'. A big round of applause for her." She said and clapped her hands with everyone. 

I was in shock - there was no other way to describe my feelings. Sana, who had always shown such disdain for me, was now singing my praises and I couldn't believe it. I felt like the centre of attention with everyone's eyes glued to me, and all I could do was give them a weak smile.

"As we all came to celebrate one thing, why not enjoy together??? So, why not play some games??" Everyone chuckled and she continued,

"I know it might sound childish, but we are not so old that we can't play games!! So, what say guys??" Everyone nodded at her.

"So, let's play truth or dare. Let's see who is the daredevil here?? And how many of your secrets come out?? But, but, since we all know Ivana doesn't like to talk much. And she is our prime star tonight, so why not start with her?? What say, guys?? Let's get her to spill her secrets."

"Yes, let's do it." Everyone said in unison.

What the hell?? Why does she always target me?? For a second, I really thought she truly appreciated me. But then, how can I forget she is Hayley?? She holds grudges towards me ever since I joined here. Ian pulled me up to reality when he grabbed my elbow and said,

"Heyy, what's up with you???? Go!! Everyone is waiting for you." I pleaded with him through my eyes that I didn't want to go. But he just widens his eyes giving an 'you have to go' look. I was crying internally. Why would she do this??

"Yes, Miss Ivana you should go. Even I want to know about you." Lorenzo said with a weird smile.

I stared at the stage and took a deep breath before marching forward. As I entered, the crowd erupted into cheers of encouragement. It's not that I was scared to speak in front of everyone, or that I had dark secrets that I wanted to keep hidden. In reality, I don't have any secrets at all. My personality made people think I must have many secrets. I talk little because I know my way of thinking won't be appreciated; they wanted to remain in their imaginary world, free from harsh realities. That thought ran through my mind as I frowned and looked at Hayley.

"If we are playing truth and dare. I can take dares as well. Right??"

"No, babes. As everyone knows you would do anything and basically many of them are afraid of you that if they gave you a dare you won't leave them afterward. That's why we will go with the truth only for you at least at first. And besides, no one knows much about you. And as it's your first party that you are attending, let people know you. What secrets you don't want to speak about??" She said the last part with a smirk. I sighed heavily and nodded to continue.

"So who wants to ask her a question???" She asked.

"I want to" "Me" Ian and Mr. Lorenzo said at once.

"Interesting!! Why not you both ask??" She said as if she is enjoying everything.

"What do you think of love???" First Ian asked. Everyone stared at him. I was even confused why he would ask such a question?? When he felt everyone's gaze at him. He coughed and again asked,

"I-I m-mean, what is your opinion on love and marriage??" And now everyone again looked at me, waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and answered,

"Look!! You guys asked for my opinion. I think there is no such thing as LOVE and marriage is just another label for 'Responsibility'." Everyone gasped at my answer. See that's why I don't speak my thoughts out. They started to mumble.

"And why do you think like that??" Mr. Lorenzo asked, looking confused.

"Cause that's what I have seen. Every couple I came across has proven it!! Seriously, I know you guys have a lot of imagination and fantasy about it. And that's fine by me. But, I don't like it. When you get married, even if you're not in love with the other person, you have to be with them always. And LOVE. The idea means nothing to me. Sorry if I offended anyone. It is also a responsibility. You must always think about them first. You must change for them. No one ever loves anyone without any reason. We all already have responsibility for our parents, siblings. Trying to fulfil them properly why do you want to increase it by seeking out more?? The....." I stopped, thinking I had said too much. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath. And continued,

"Is it done?? I already answered two questions!!" My voice rose in exasperation. I registered the shocked expressions of my cohorts and the anger that burned behind my eyes, but I had come too far to turn back now. With a sudden, harsh cough, I managed to snap her out of her daze. She backed away from me, wary and unsure of what to expect.

"Ohhh!! You really changed our way of thinking about love and marriage. So, let's continue the game."

The room buzzed with energy as people began playing the game again. I sat idly, watching but not participating, until Ian's turn came around. Everyone egged him on to take the truth option, and with a defeated sigh, he eventually conceded. One of the female employees leaned in eagerly, her eyes bright with anticipation. 

"Do you like someone from the office??? If yes, is she present here with us??"

Everyone again started shouting. But when I looked at him, he was blushing. He was biting his lower lip to control his blush. He took a breath and replied,

"Yes, I like someone. And she is present here."

"Woah!!! I knew it. You like someone. Why don't you propose to her right now?? In front of us." One of the male employees said.

"No, no. I can't do it. Will do it some other day!! And secondly, I am not sure if she likes me back or not?? I don't want to get rejected in front of everyone." He replied back laughing dryly.

I shook my head in bewilderment as I accepted a glass of juice from the waiter. I was there for some more rounds, but suddenly I started to feel dizzy. Everything around me felt like it was spinning, and my throat began to itch painfully. My stomach churned and my head became heavy, sending waves of nausea through my body. I stumbled to my feet, vision blurring as I grabbed onto furniture to steady myself. I squinted, trying to make out who this person I had accidentally bumped into could be—Ian!

"Heyy, heyy, are you OK?? Where are you going??" He asked in a worried tone.

"I- I am-m o-k Ok. Just going to the washroom. I- I feel sto-stomach ach- ache. No-nothing much." I replied with a bit of difficulty.

"Should I come with you till there?? I can wait outside." He said, but I shook my head saying no. He went from there and I headed back to the washroom as well.

I stumbled and emptied the contents of my stomach into the basin. I heaved three more times before I felt myself begin to black out. Splashing some cold water on my face, I pulled myself together just in time to spot Hayley approaching towards me. Her expression was unreadable, but her body language screamed derision; her arms were folded across her chest and her lips curled in a smirk. I grasped onto the nearest wall for support. 

"Wh-what are you do-doing h-here?? You should be at the ta-table, play-playing ga-games wi-with others." I shuttered as the pain in my stomach and throat kept increasing.

"What happened to Miss Ivana?? The star of the party." She said while laughing at my state.

"Ge-get o-out of m-my way. I don't ha-have time f-for your bull-bullshit. I ha-have to go ho-home." The pain didn't let me speak properly.

"Yeah sure!! Please go." She said and moved my way. 

My legs burned with each step as I dragged myself forward, my vision blurring and my breathing laboured. When I finally stumbled into the lobby of the hotel, I felt a hand grip my waist, sending waves of dizziness through me before everything went black.