My mask was on display for our guests to see. I offered fake smiles and pleasantries. A few of the guests were chatting me up. I flirted with the guys and ended up getting a few business deals out of it. I just had to exchange dinner with a check.

I saw my family looking at me in concern. They wanted to interfere, but knew better than to cause a scene at a party. I was talking to a business executive, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned to be greeted by Mr. Young and his son, Eric. I bowed out of respect, which was reciprocated by the two men. Before Mr. Young could open his mouth, my father appeared and greeted him.

"Hans, it's lovely to see you again. Thank you for inviting us." He gave my father a firm handshake.

"It's my absolute pleasure, Jin." He faked a laugh. "I hope my daughter isn't boring you." He joked, but I could tell he wasn't interested in me having a conversation with them. I wonder why.

"Not at all. We barely even exchanged pleasantries." He smiled. "I was here because I wanted to introduce my son, Eric, to her." He motioned for Eric and I to bow to each other. "I was hoping that we could potentially have an arranged marriage between the two." My father was struggling to maintain the fake smile on his face.

"I'm honored for your consideration, but-"

"I'll do it." I piped up. My father's eyes widened in shock while Mr. Young was ecstatic. Eric looked like he just had his first orgasm from the excitement on his face. "Actually, father... I'd like to learn more about Eric. If that's okay with you?" I gave him a mocking smile.

My father was struggling to control himself, so he just nodded. I hooked my hands around Eric's arm. Before we could walk off, my father gave me a look saying that we would definitely be talking about this later. I just gave him a kiss on the cheek and left with Eric.

Eric began speaking about his hobbies and his family's tech company. He was good at baseball (self-proclaimed if you ask me), liked high end fashion, incredibly snobby, and quite the elitist. I smiled and nodded, acting like I was impressed. He asked me how I wanted to announce our engagement. I thought for a moment before an epiphany struck me.

I led Eric outside and handed my phone to a staffer. I then asked them to take a picture of us. Before Eric had time to react, I pulled his face down to connect our lips. Eric was momentarily stunned, but he started to kiss back. I won't lie... he was a good kisser, but not the person I really wanted to be kissing. I pulled away, leaving him out of breath. I then snatched my phone from the staffer (not bothering to say thanks) and uploaded the picture to insta. The caption said "

Eric looked over my shoulder and chuckled with delight. He then asked if I wanted to have some fun upstairs. I raised a brow at him. I was about to tell him off, but... what better way to get over someone, than to get under someone else. I smirked and dragged him to my room.

Eric attacked my lips the moment the door closed. His lips were attached to my neck, sucking on it for dear life. I moaned and gripped his arms when he placed his thigh between my legs. I moaned even louder when he started to grind it against me.

I somehow freed myself. I then pushed Eric back until he tripped onto my bed. I smirked as I took my dress off, leaving me in my black lingerie. I crawled on top of him and began kissing him. Eric's hands wandered along my skin.

He began unzipping his pants. He was about to take his pants off, but I stopped him. I removed myself from him and reached inside my drawer. I pulled out 3 packs of condoms and cocked a brow. He selected his size with a grin. I smirked before attaching my lips to him. Let's just say... we were up late last night.

X

As I walked to class, I'd periodically get stopped so that my peers could congratulate me. I smiled and thanked them. At least some were happy. My family was fuming mad. They argued with me about it in the morning. Tamsin and my mother screamed even louder when Eric came downstairs. Gemma wanted to know why he had stayed over and Zara was angry that I allowed him to tap McAllister pussy.

I ignored them and led Eric out the house. He would be staying in America for a bit, so I'd be able to see him. I made out with him for a while (I wanted to continue infuriating my family). I pecked him a few more times before leaving for school.

Now, I'd still be walking to class if Yasmine and Astrid didn't drag me into an empty classroom. Yasmine shut and locked the door while Astrid was glaring at me. Uh, oh. Angry Astrid is a scary Astrid.

"What the fu-"

That was the last coherent thing to come out of Astrid's mouth. She began lacing me with curse words in many different languages. I think she began switching from English to Korean to Japanese to Mandarin and some other languages I didn't understand. Her hands were wildly flailing, causing Yasmine to not even bother intervening. When Astrid paused to breathe, Yasmine took over.

"Why are you engaged to a man you just met?! Didn't you have a problem with that last time?!"

"I had a problem because I was in a relationship. I was single and now I'm not. I moved on from her. Maybe everyone else should as well." I spoke with an attitude.

"You're clearly not over her!" I shifted my glare to Astrid. "If you were over her you wouldn't be crying yourself to sleep every night!" I clenched my fists in anger. "Quit lying to yourself! You love her and she loves you! Why are you-"

"STOP!" My friends backed away in fear. I rarely raised my voice, so they were petrified. "I'm done with her! I want nothing to do with her or anything that reminds me of her! If I could, I'd erase her from my life!" My friends were horrified at my statements.

"You don't mean that." Astrid said in a small voice.

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." I took a step closer and spoke with venom.

"Ali-"

"Shut it, Yasmine." Yasmine stiffened at my comment. "You were right, so you should be happy." I forced a smile. "Why aren't you happy?!" I shouted. "Why isn't anyone happy?!" I felt the tears streaming down my face.

"Because you're not." Astrid and Yasmine took a cautious step forward. "Please Ali, talk to us." Yasmine tried to soothe me.

"I don't need this! I don't want to feel any of this!" I cried out. "I just want to be numb again!" I sank to the floor.

"Ali-" Astrid wrapped me up in her arms. "Please, open up to us. We love you."

"Love?" I mumbled. "Love?!" I dryly chuckled. "She claimed to love me, but hurt me numerous times. Over and over! Love only causes pain and suffering ." I menacingly spoke. "If you truly love me then I want nothing to do with you."I broke her hold and pushed her off me.

"Ali!" Yaz called, but I ran out the door.

I need to go somewhere. Anywhere but here. I ran down the corridor, shocking the other students. I turned the corner and ran into a chest. I felt arms steady me.

I looked up into Laurens' confused eyes. Laurens then turned to his friends and told them that he'd catch up with them. He then led me to a deserted section of the school. He looked around before speaking to me in Dutch.

"Sorry, ik wil het aantal mensen beperken dat kan begrijpen wat we zeggen. Wat is er mis?" He questioned me.

"Kunnen we gaan zeilen? Ik moet hier weg." I practically begged.

Laurens nodded and took my hand. He led me to the lake where the crew and sailing team practice. He expertly set up the boat we would be riding in. Laurens assisted me inside before pushing the boat onto the water. He then jumped inside and positioned the sails to propel the boat forwards.

We quietly sailed until we reached the middle of the lake. Laurens allowed me solitude and the privacy of my own thoughts. I watched the crew team practice as well as other students sailing around. Laurens was smiling at the little fishies that would come close to the surface.

These are some of the reasons I love Laurens. He doesn't pry. He's a quiet guy. The sounds of nature eased my frantic heart. I let out a deep breath as the gentle waves rocked the boat. The blue jays were flying high and chirping with the robins.

I lied back and closed my eyes. I allowed the peaceful sounds to lull me to sleep.