Chapter 15: The Welcome Party
Dominic's POV
I stood on the second floor of the hotel building, my cold eyes fixed on the decorated hall below. Guests kept pouring in, their laughter and wide smiles filling the air. But I knew those smiles. Fake. Empty.
Behind every handshake was calculation, behind every greeting was greed.
Richard called this a welcome party, but it was nothing more than a battlefield dressed in expensive suits...a business hunt for investors.
I clenched my jaw and hissed under my breath. I should never have returned. I thought coming back would mean something, but the one reason that mattered most… she was someone I could never have. So why stay? Why torture myself? But I couldn’t run now...not after I had already announced my return to the company.
“Dom, why are you so angry over such a small party?” Richard’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I turned and shot him a sharp look. He still had the nerve to disturb me. I said nothing and turned back to the hall. None of the guests below even noticed me standing above them.
“Alright, I’m really sorry for organizing this without consulting you,” he said again, and this time, I caught sincerity in his eyes. It wasn’t like the half-hearted apology from before.
I let out a heavy sigh and gave him a small nod. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overreacting. But my emotions had been like fire lately...unstable, ready to burn at anything.
“You don’t have to stay till the end,” Richard said softly, standing beside me. “Just greet them and leave.”
“It’s okay,” I finally spoke, my voice low.
But deep inside, I had already decided—I would stay until the end. The hall was nearly filled, and I raised my wrist to check the time.
“Philip and Marceline just arrived,” Richard said.
My hand froze. My heart skipped.
Did he just say Marceline?
Impossible. It couldn’t be the same woman. My chest tightened, and I forced myself to stay calm. She wasn’t the only one with that name. And why would she be here? This was a business event, and she didn’t look like the type. I assured myself it had to be someone else.
But slowly, I lifted my head, following Richard’s eyes.
And there she was.
The same Marceline. The woman I had been trying to forget. The woman I had discovered was married.
She looked breathtaking tonight...stunning in a way only my eyes seemed to notice. My heart pounded uncontrollably.
And then I saw him. The man beside her. Her arm hooked into his. Her radiant smile aimed at him.
Probably Her husband.
“Do you know them?” I asked Richard in a flat voice, though deep inside I craved the answer. For them to be here, they weren’t ordinary people.
“Yes,” Richard replied calmly. “She’s my wife’s best friend, Marceline Valemont. And that’s her husband, Philip Stanmore, CEO of Stanmore Global.”
His words pierced through me. My chest hurt when he called the man her husband.
“My wife won’t be by my side tonight,” Richard sighed.
I understood. Since Marceline was his wife’s best friend, the two women would stick together. But that wasn’t my concern.
My eyes stayed locked on her. She kept smiling politely, her hand still resting on her husband’s arm. Together, they looked perfect.
But why had she stood out to me that night? Why had she asked such a thing from me?
I swallowed hard, memories of that night hitting me again. The night I had told myself to forget. A night that should never have happened. But I couldn’t erase it.
Don’t crave what will ruin you, Dom, I warned myself, forcing my eyes away.
“Dom, it’s time,” Richard said.
.......
Marceline POV
Philip and I walked slowly into the hall. It was already packed, and I wondered how early all these people had arrived. Were they that eager for this event?
Just how powerful was the man behind this party, to draw such an elite crowd? Even my father’s personal assistant was here, representing Valemont Corporation.
Celesta had told me once that she didn’t know him well, even though he was her brother-in-law. Yet here I was, about to meet the number one businessman in the country.
Anastasia had said the same thing outside the entrance, her voice dripping with pride. I almost laughed at the memory.
My arm was still linked with Philip’s as we greeted people. He introduced me to several businessmen I hadn’t met before, flashing his practiced smile. It was fake, of course ...but that’s how things had always been in the past, before I stopped attending these kinds of events after giving birth to Ramon.
After some greetings, we finally reached our table. It was marked “Stanmore Global” along with another company’s name I didn’t recognize. Two seats per company...that was the rule. Every invited company had no more than two representatives.
My lips curved into a scornful smile. If I hadn’t come tonight, Philip would have sat here with Anastasia.
I glanced across the room and spotted her. She sat alone, sulking, glaring at the attendant who directed her to her seat. Her mood was clearly ruined by my appearance and I couldn’t be happier about it. As long as I was alive and well, the two of them would never find peace.
The event began soon. The MC’s voice echoed through the room with the usual introductions and formalities.
I sighed inwardly. The event had barely begun, but I already felt drained. I hated these occasions...the endless speeches, the fake applause.
My eyes wandered, searching for Celesta. I hadn’t seen her yet.
“Stop turning your head. Focus,” Philip hissed at me under his breath, irritation in his tone.
A frown formed on my face, and I was about to snap back when the MC’s voice suddenly boomed across the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the man for whom this occasion is held. The President of Halvourne Enterprise...Mr. Dominic Halvourne!”
The hall erupted in claps. I lifted my hands to join them.
But suddenly, my palms froze mid-air.
My mouth parted in shock. My eyes widened in disbelief.
The man walking onto the stage was the very man I had prayed never to see again.