Chapter 613 - The Hunt (3)

"I'm not wearing them," I stared at the uncomfortable clothes.

I needed to wear clothes that didn't restrict any movements. The shoes would slow me down if I attempted to run while the accessories had some weight to them. Although Micah couldn't tell them about the trial, I wondered why both of them didn't seem to have a clue. It was like someone was messing with their minds, Luke forgetting about Micah telling him to plan a funeral. However, we managed to convince Luke to rest, making me think I wouldn't attend any more events.

"We have an hour before the first event. We don't have much time to get ready," Alex increasingly began to lose his patience.

"Go alone," I wondered how I would attend without Luke.

"You still need to attend, the Roselia family needs to be represented. Luke did the same when you disappeared. I'm going to act as your temporary partner for the next few days," he urged me to change.

"If Sienna hands me running shoes and a tracksuit, can I wear them instead?" I wondered.

"Are you serious?" Alex checked his watch.

"Stay still, I'll do everything for you. I don't have the time to convince you," he almost turned into Luke.

I puffed my cheeks inside the hover car, going to the first event. He fȯrċɨbŀƴ changed me into the planned outfit for today, not giving me a chance to fight back. Threatening me with his glares that he wouldn't let me go if I attempted to take them off. My throat hurt from him shoving some food into my mouth whenever I tried to talk. My ears were filled with a runover of the rules, making me want to cover them.

"If you can't obediently stand next to me, I'm going to have to hold your hand. Remember to keep smiling, the way we taught you. If the guests turn their focus to you, repeat the answers we made you memorize. Most of their questions are predictable. I'm going to go over some of them now," Alex made use of the travelling time.

"We are interested in the Impalia fraction and their events. Can you tell us what you have planned for the next year?" He started to test me.

"Everything is still kept confidential, but we are looking forward to your reaction to the upcoming announcement?" I didn't remember this from the study sessions.

"Repeat this. Although you may already know, we currently have our annual event scheduled around the same date as the previous years. We are in the process of giving invitations and please let us know if your fraction is interested," he sighed.

"This way, you're not revealing anything and promoting your event. You can use this answer for similar questions about your other fractions," Alex didn't have time to continue staying on this question.

"Can you tell us more about the recent gains in land and property?" He moved on.

"We are fortunate to have the opportunity to establish more places targeted towards the general public. Both the land and property are planned to be used to create a stronger platform for our business lines," I repeated the scripted answer.

Before he could ask the next one, the hover car started to drift towards the venue. Alex stepped out of the hover car before me to turn to escort me out. Slightly lifting my dress, I accepted his hand to step onto Oili's mansion grounds. Everything was kept relatively simple and empty, the opposite of the places we visited yesterday. I struggled to maintain my smile as an audience loudly began to gossip from Luke's absent.

I planned to quickly escape from Alex as soon as he got surrounded by a crowd. Pretending I couldn't notice everyone staring at us, I stood still as Alex greeted Oili and his partner near the entrance of the mansion for the both of us. One of the rules was staying silent until someone directly asked me something, no matter how familiar I was with that person. If he held my hand, I wouldn't be able to run away when I had the chance.

I almost ġrȯȧnėd when he continued to keep an eye on me while more people were walking towards him. Within a few seconds, a small crowd quickly formed around us, trying to make more connections. However, both Alex and I briefly froze when they turned to face me instead of him. I wondered why they couldn't peacefully leave me alone, they sadly made me stand out when I wanted to stay invisible. My mind was being tortured as the questions never stopped, not giving me a chance to answer them.

"We have always wanted to meet you. We have heard many things about you even in our school," a guest seemed interested.

"You appear more stunning in person," another person agreed.

"Can you tell us about everything your fractions have planned for the next year? We would like to know more than what is announced about the scheduled events, and we have delivered our interest to our fraction leaders last week," a guest sadly made the scripted answer useless.

I had no idea what was going inside any of my fractions. I brightly smiled, hoping someone would ask me another question so I wouldn't have to answer it.. But silence filled the air, waiting for my response.