Everyone was whispering, "What's going on? Is the big boss being dumped by Alice?"
Antonio, as if being struck by something, finally shook himself back into reality. And for the first time, he took a critical look at the lady standing before him, Stacey…is she really the same sweet girl from his childhood memories?
If it is, then all what Alice just said about her were mere coincidences right? He pushed away the chairs standing in his way and approached Stacey: "Whose birthday is it today?" He asked.
Stacey's expression suddenly changed: "It was mum and dad's idea to always have our birthdays together so as to foster the unity and togetherness between Anne and me"
Antonio didn't say a word.
"And did you not know that Anne doesn't eat spicy food?"
She blinked severally before responding: "Oh Antonio! We eat, sleep and do everything together as sisters, how can she not eat spicy food and I wouldn't know?"
Though she looked and sounded innocent, Antonio had already detected that she was lying, from the way she couldn't stop herself from blinking. He also remembers that, that night at the dinner, she specifically said that spicy chicken was Anne's favourite food.
Antonio had no reason to keep being there, he took to his feet and walked out of the place.
Anne's parents quickly run to him, "are you leaving already, but the party just begun."
He felt so much anger and resentment towards these two people who had completely neglected their own daughter and didn't care about what happened to her. He wanted to scream out at them. But he thought to himself, what right did he have, he had acted just the same way as they did, so despicable.
He forced himself to smile and calmly said, "Sorry I can't stay any longer. Something very urgent came up, so I have to go."
He thought of Anne, all alone and suffering in pain. The pain he felt in his chest was like none he had ever felt. If he hadn't been so stupid and blinded by hate, he would have been able to clearly see that he had unconsciously fallen in love with this woman.