A Pearl In The Oyster ☑️

30. La danse - The Dance

The two older couples immediately fell into an intricate conversation which bound both work and personal pleasure, while the three of us looked awkward and bored. I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about, because I wasn't a part of their family. In reality, I had only opted to listen to them because I was too exhausted of walking.

While André looked bored out of his mind again, Madison kept throwing me side glances and smirks. She must be trying to make me feel out of place, since I was the only outsider here, but she didn't know nothing could hurt me or kick me out of here. I wasn't here because I loved the man I was marrying, I was here only for the money. At least, that's what I told myself.

A waiter had brought drinks and some snacks for us, but I didn't really feel like eating. Picking up the glass of champagne, I took a long sip. Suddenly, André reached out towards me and whispered in my ear. "Your team members are here. Let's go greet them."

I looked at him in wonder, confused about why he had acted this way. Then, my eyes met Madison's, and I saw the icy envy burning in them. I understood immediately, we hadn't been acting all lovey dovey, and it must have looked so dry.

I knew we were supposed to act like we were madly in love, but it was kind of hard seeing how we barely knew anything about each other. Just the things André had done for me tonight, were a huge sign that he was only acting.

Before anyone could say anything, André stood up and excused us from the table. Then, grabbing my hand, he led me towards where all of my members were standing. They looked so confused, as if they didn't belong here, and my heart melted. As I walked upto them, I could see their faces collectively morph into wide grins.

"Congratulations to both of you! Wow Liz, I can't believe it's really you," Sophie greeted us with Maria right behind her.

I laughed at her compliment, feeling slightly embarrassed. I had never really dressed like that in my entire life, so going out like that in front of so many people was a huge thing for me. Sophie noticing that made me feel so conscious, but something unexpected happened.

André spoke up from beside me, "Are you trying to say that she doesn't look beautiful?"

I looked at him in horror and wonder. How did he know what I was feeling? And even if he did, why did he have to put it like that? Sophie coughed awkwardly, desperately trying to weave her way around words.

Deciding to come to her rescue, I held André's arm. "Of course not, dear. She just means that I look different in a good way, because she doesn't normally see me like this."

His arm tensed under my unexpected touch, and I felt compelled to remove my hand immediately, but I resisted. That wouldn't look too good to our audience, who now sported heart eyes for our interaction. One thing was for certain, that we had successfully managed to bewitch everyone into thinking our relationship was real.