Imprisoned by secrets

Chapter 14

Thirty years ago...

Hector adjusted his tie nervously as he looked around. He looked like he was avoiding someone or was afraid of being noticed in such an important hall.

There was no chance of anyone seeing him—especially not where he was standing. The burgundy curtains in the hall helped cloak his skinny frame. Unlike most men at the party, he wasn't stacked in the muscle department so it was easy for him to hide away.

He was hiding because he was surprisingly shy and reserved.

He watched his mother and his sister interact fluently with other guests. He knew his father was doing the same with potential investors.

His parents had specifically told him it was time for him to enter into society and stop hiding in his father's shadow. Hector Rivera was going to be the sole heir of the Rivera fortune since his younger sister, Natasha had made it clear that she had no time or brains for the family enterprise.

Hector needed allies. After all, he would be taking over a major portion of the family business soon. He just didn't know how to speak to investors yet.

Natasha was doing it so easily. Although she was an airhead, she knew exactly how to wrap people around her little finger. Hector admired her outspoken nature and wit which he did not possess.

No one thought to look for him. They assumed he would be doing the same thing. They had high hopes that they'd hear about his escapades by the end of the night.

Little did they know he was hiding in the shadows like a scared little mouse.

To be fair, he wasn't hiding because he was shy or socially awkward. It was a part of why he was hiding but not the major reason.

He was doing this because he wanted to spend some time admiring a certain girl he'd always liked.

He had seen her when she entered the party. She was as radiant and lovely as a queen arriving at a ball.

He knew he should have walked over, charmed her, and made her his. His parents would have approved of it since she came from the famous Herrera family.

Sadly, he became tongue-tied whenever she was around him. He knew that if he had walked up to her, he'd have ended up opening and closing his mouth unable to utter a single word. The young woman would have smiled politely before turning to speak to a more charming man.

It wasn't like Hector was ugly or deformed. He was a textbook case of a nerd who spent more time acquiring knowledge rather than focusing on how to perform simple tasks like speaking to a woman he liked.

He sighed deeply and glanced at his mother to see if she had noticed his absence. Luckily, Mrs. Rivera was flirting with a Baron so she didn't catch her son hiding in the shadows.

Satisfied that he was still safe in his hiding place, Hector turned to where the apple of his eyes had been standing. She had suddenly vanished. He scanned the room, searching for a young lady wearing an indigo dress but didn't see anyone who looked remotely like her.

She was nowhere to be found!

"Looking for someone?" A voice beside him asked.

All the biscuits Hector had been holding found their way to the ground. He was lucky he hadn't been holding the glass of champagne his mother had shoved into his hands earlier.

Bella Herrera chuckled softly when she saw she had startled him. She liked stepping out of the shadows when she was least expected.

"Stop sneaking up on me. You almost gave me a heart attack." Hector sighed.