Our Journey Together

Chapter 5

Ava POV

Endless chattering filled my ears as I walked into the ballroom. People were spread out across the entire hall, champagne glasses held loftily in their hands. Waiters were deftly navigating through the crowds, serving drinks and appetizers. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the hall in a soft glow. 

Clutching my purse tightly, I quickly walked towards an empty table, away from all the noise. Seating myself on of the chairs, I made myself comfortable, as this was gonna be a long and boring night. 

A lot of eyes glanced over me. Observing me like I was a piece of meat. All they saw was the money I had and my body. A disgusted shudder ran through my body, as I tried my best to avoid the lecherous stares towards me. A waiter came up and placed a glass of champagne in front of me, which I grabbed in my hand and started to swirl the liquid. 

I took tentative sips of the champagne, trying to forget about all the people in the room. The cold taste of champagne calmed my nerves, as I glanced around the room. I was expecting a lot of old and rich families to be here tonight, and I was not disappointed. I could already see the lanky outline of Oliver Jones, the owner of many large properties in New York, and other major cities across the world. The loud, haughty voices of the Parker twins filled the entire room. They had major investments in a lot of fashion companies and their own line of beauty products. I was suffocating with the sheer amount of money present within this room. 

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" announced a smooth baritone voice. The hall went quiet as I turned towards where the voice came from. I could clearly see the long wavy blond hair of the CEO of Life Corp shimmer beneath the stage light.

William Ross, a self-made millionaire who climbed his way to the top. A true rags to riches story. Now, he stood their in all of his glory, leading one of the most lucrative and successful companies in the past decade. 

"Looks like I have your attention! Welcome ladies and gentlemen! I'm so pleased to see that so many of you have stepped up to help and give back to our beloved community" 

'As if, they just want your money Mr Ross. That's all they care about'

"Thank you for donating to this great cause and I hope all of you have great time here!"

A round of applause, and then the hall returned to its usual atmosphere. I glanced around again, and those unwelcome stares did not go away, instead they only increased in intensity. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw John Trafford, walking up to me with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

'Oh shit, not this son of a bitch' 

John Trafford was the definition of a playboy, pervert and a degenerate. He's been accused of multiple sexual assaults, money laundering and drug-dealing, but he's never gone to trial or even touched by law enforcement. Not really surprising, he's got a lot of money in his pocket.

He was still walking toward me, and he's getting closer and closer. 

'Please go away! Please go away! Please go away! Find some other girl, please!'

He was still walking to me! Oh god! I can't deal with this! People leave me alone because of my father's reputation. They only watch from a distance, they didn't care about talking to me. I always relied on that to avoid talking! 

"Is this seat taken?"

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Max POV

'Coming here was one of the worst decisions I have ever made!'

I regretted coming here. I shouldn't have come here. What the hell was I thinking?!