.

After Christopher leaves, I get ready for the party. I feel an awful sensation in the pit of my stomach when I think about leaving this house. I can't express the sinking feeling that I am experiencing right now. It just really sucks! I have to admit that without even being aware, this house has grown on me so much. It has been hardly two months, yet I feel like I have lived here for an eternity. I don't want to leave. It appears as if I am not in a state to go back. Oh, god! What's happening with me?

All the moments I lived here with Christopher swim in front of me, making me feel more horrible. Even though we haven't spent much time together, still the thought of moving out makes me feel weird. Now that I have realized that I like Christopher, all of this makes me feel more miserable. And the worst part is, I haven't even confessed my feeling to Christopher. The knot in my chest tightens when I look at the tiny teddy bear that Christopher gave me resting on the dressing table. I wish Christopher wouldn't have left. I wish I got a chance to speak with him.

But after whatever happened in the past few days and with Christopher leaving like this makes me think that the universe itself is signaling us, that it's time for us to part our ways. It's better to do it now before things go any further. It seems to be the right decision for both of us. I just hope I get back to my normal life and forget everything. Christopher said that he would help me in packing my stuff. So, I have to brace myself for it. I know I can do this. I just need to make sure that I keep our conversation at a minimum or else I am afraid I might incline towards changing my mind.

This might be my last day here in this house and how sad it is that I am not even getting time to look around and embrace it.

I look at myself in the mirror as I dab a bit of gloss over my lips. I have kept my makeup to a minimum. If there had been a level of make-up applying skills, then mine would be worse than average. I can guarantee that for sure. Now I regret refusing to take Becky's help. She is an expert in this department. Anyway, I can't do anything now, so I just straighten my hair and put on a bit of mascara.

----------------------

I think about the past one and half months and how my life has changed after Christopher came into it as I sit in the back seat of the Audi. It's Peter's Audi. He called me a while ago when I was getting ready and informed me that his driver would be here to pick me up. He apologized to me for not being able to pick me up himself as he reasoned getting caught up with some work. I don't know why he was feeling sorry? I can understand he would be having great responsibility on his shoulders for taking the initiative of conducting this and making sure that it turns out to be a successful event.

Within no time, we reach the venue. It is one of Mr. Smith's oldest hotels, probably the first one he started. We pass the security check at the gate, it's Peter's car so I don't have to worry about it. I peek out of the window and see executive and fancy cars lined up one after another. I see security guards checking up everyone who is entering when we reach near the building, and suddenly I feel a lump of anxiety fabricating in my stomach. I foresaw this extravagance, but what I am looking at right now is even beyond my expectation and it is making me really nervous.

Everything here seems to be alien to me. I have experienced nothing nearly close to this. Never In my life, I have been a fan of lavish parties and nor did I get a chance to attend them. The least that I have attended is my graduation party, and it was nowhere near to this. Fuck! It feels like I am surely going to have a panic attack.

The building is enormous and looks elegant, with lights flashing both inside and outside. For a moment it feels like a dream witnessing this, and my palms become sweaty with anxiousness. I wipe them, taking a napkin out of my purse. Calm down, Nicole! Just fucking calm down!

The car soon halts, and before I know the back door opens and I see a stretched hand. I look out with confusion on my face and a smiling Peter comes into view. He offers me a welcoming hand and I take it. As I step out, I look around and see only a few people who have come to the party taking pictures. There aren't any paparazzi visible as they have been already halted at the entrance gate.

My eyes then fall upon Peter. He looks really handsome wearing a black tux. His eyes gleam blazingly, appearing to be two emeralds as he leans forward and places a kiss on my cheek. "You look stunning, Nicole." He whispers while doing it.

"Come on, let's get in, or else I would be standing here all night looking at you." He says making my ears grow red.

I smile nervously and Peter guides me through the carpet. I feel the knot of apprehension in me getting bigger as we enter the hotel. Take a deep breath, Nicole. It's going to be okay! Sensing my uneasiness shortly, Peter gives a gentle squeeze to my hand.

"Calm down, Nicole. You'll be fine." I offer him a small smile as I hear him say that. It's so nice to see that he is trying to boost up my confidence. I am so happy to have a friend like him.

We get in and he leads us to the hall. As I enter, I am blinded by the shiny lights in here. Everything looks beautiful. It looks beyond my imagination. I am star-struck by the appearance of the hall from inside. The arrangement has been done perfectly. I blink a few times to adjust my eyes to the brightness here. There are so many people present here dressed in exquisite outfits. I suddenly feel out-of-place looking at them. It's scary to think that I don't know any of them. The only person that I know here is Peter, and it adds to my restlessness more. Because he is the host of this party and everyone's eyes would be on him. If I stick around him, then I am surely going to get noticed, which is absolutely the last thing I want. Right now I probably look like a little girl scared of getting lost in a ridiculous fair. I clutch Peter's arm tightly as we proceed.

"Don't worry. I am here with you." He looks down at me, and his words deliver a sense of relief through my body.

I notice that there are round tables arranged at distances in the hall. Some of them are occupied and others are empty. The chairs are covered with classy Beige satin and wrapped with deep red ribbons. As we just walk in, a man approaches us hurriedly.

"Sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but Mr. James needs your help." He states looking at Peter.

"Okay, I'll get there in a moment," Peter says without paying attention to the man as he turns towards me to say something.

But he is soon interrupted before he could say anything. "Excuse me, sir, but he wants to see you right now." He says hesitantly. Peter frowns and looks at me.

"Hey! it's fine. I'll be okay." I say, sensing the nervousness of the man. From the look on his face, I can say that he is calling Peter for some important work. My presence is just making him uncomfortable to tell it to him. "You should go. It seems to be urgent." I offer him a convincing smile. "I'll be fine on my own, Peter," I say. I know he is the host of this event and I can't keep him around me all the time. He has to take care of everything, making sure nothing goes wrong. He has to look after other arrangements too and attend to his guests.

"Are you sure?" He asks, looking doubtful.

"Yes," I tell him, sounding to be confident.

"Okay." He agrees, looking unsure as he guides me to one of the tables.

"You sit here. I'll be back within a moment." He says and walks towards the other side with the man.

I take the seat, looking around. I feel myself easing up now and adjusting to everything. It seems like only a few minutes have passed when I hear someone say.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. This is for you." A server says, handing me a folded paper with one hand and balancing a tray of drinks in his other hand.

I look at him in confusion. "Who gave this?" I ask him.

He shows turning back. "That gentleman in the black suit." When he looks around, I peek over his shoulder and see no one there. He then turns back to me, looking a bit embarrassed. "I don't... know where he went now." I look around to see hundreds of people in a black suit. I raise an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"I am in a hurry, madam... I am sorry." He looks a little perplexed as he says that and dashes towards the other side.

That was weird! I look at the folded piece of paper. What is this? Who would want to give this to me? It seems like a note to me. What's in it? Without wasting any time, I open it and start reading.

Hey Nicole!

Glad to see you here. You must be wondering who I am? Don't worry, you would get to meet me soon." My eyebrow knit together in bewilderment. "You would not recognize who I am, but I'll let you know that I know everything about you. I know what you do, where you live, and where your family lives. You thought you would get away so easily with everything your family did? No, Nicole, you can not get away with it like this. Do you really think your little gangster boyfriend would protect you? The truth is, he can't. No one can protect you from me. I am here for you, Nicole.

I am coming to get my revenge, Nicole. You have to pay for what your father did.

And you are going to pay for it by sacrificing your dear life.

The moment I read those words, my eyes pop out in shock and my throat gets dry. What the hell? I feel like I am not being able to breathe properly. I fold it back immediately and put it into my purse. Beads of sweat form over my forehead as I look around. My throat begins to constrict with fear. A wave of panic bolts through my spine. All of a sudden, I feel like I am being watched. I swirl my head all-around to find anything or anyone looking suspicious, but nothing unusual appears to me. Everybody around looks normal like they all are enjoying the party. What the fuck? Who would send this to me? Is it Christopher? No, it couldn't be him. I don't feel like he would want to hurt me. He said he would protect me then why would he send a death threat to me. Apart from that, there was this mention of my gangster boyfriend, I don't know, maybe the man who wrote it was referring to Christopher. If Christopher was behind this then why would he mention himself? No it can't be Christopher. I brush off that thought immediately. I try to process the words that were written again. It talked about getting revenge from me for what my father did. Who wants to get revenge from me? What did my dad do? I take out the napkin from my purse again and wipe the sweat over my forehead. Fuck! I just realized that my life is in danger. What am I supposed to do now?

As I am panicking my head off, someone appears in front of me suddenly and I gasp in horror.

"It's me, Nicole," Peter says with a concerned look on his face. "What happened? Why are you so worried?"

"I..." I look back at my purse and back to him. Should I tell him about the letter? Could Peter help me with this? Shit! What the hell should I do? No...I should not tell him. He doesn't have to do anything with this. I don't want him to be stressed by getting involved in this. I don't want to drag him into my mess and put his life in danger. He is my friend and I can't risk his life. Besides that, he is already having greater responsibilities, and I don't want to add up to his burden. It's my problem and I have to take care of it myself. But I don't know what the hell to do? For now, it seems better to keep mum. I wouldn't want to spoil Peter's party by creating a scene at this moment. I need to calm down and think properly. But how the hell I can help myself from not freaking out after getting a death threat? There are thousands of people here, so I don't have to fear. Whoever is behind this wouldn't try to harm me in this crowd. I should make sure that I am always around people. Yeah, that's a great idea. I should probably stick by Peter's side.

"Nicole?" Peter repeats, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Nothing, I was just waiting for you. I have never been to parties like this, so I was feeling a bit uncomfortable being alone." I tell, trying to cover up.

"I am so sorry, Nicole. I promise I wouldn't leave you alone now." He assures me with a smile. I instantly sigh in relief at hearing his reply. For now, I have to forget about the letter and concentrate on being present here. The clouds of dread are still hanging over me, but I know I can't do anything at this moment.

"Come, let me introduce you to my family," Peter says, and I snap my eyes back at him in bafflement.

"What?? No, Peter. I am fine here." I retort immediately. Why the hell he would want me to meet his parents? Shit! I am not his girlfriend or something. What would I say to them? It would turn out to be something really awkward, and I'll end up embarrassing myself in front of them. The thought of meeting Peter's family is terrifying. They are rich society people, and I am just a girl brought up in a middle-class family. Hell no! I am not going anywhere. What if they think I am not up to their standards? I wouldn't know how to behave in front of them. I don't know how they would react to me being here.

"What are you planning to do then? Sit all night here?" He says surprising me with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Nicole...Please." He sighs, replacing the scowl on his face with a pleasant smile. "I guarantee you they don't bite." He chuckles softly, making me smile.

"But..." Before I can protest, he pulls my hand and guides me through the crowd to the other end. Shit! Why is he so hellbent on making me meet his parents? As we reach there, my eyes fall on Mr. and Mrs. Smith standing at a corner and talking to some people. I take in their appearances. Mr. Smith looks exactly like an older version of Peter with grey hair and spectacles. I have seen his pictures in business magazines many times, but this is the first time when I would be meeting him in person. Mrs. Smith is a cute little lady. She looks gorgeous wearing a bright red gown. I then notice a lady and a man standing with them. Fuck! I am nervous again. I try to walk as slow as I can, but Peter eventually succeeds in dragging me to them.

Peter squeezes my hand and pulls me towards him as we stand in front of them.

"Mom and dad, this is my friend Nicole." He says smiling at me and then looking back at them. "She is a vet. Remember the time when Bruno was not well? I took him to her clinic and since then, we have become good friends."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Smith." I greet them, plastering an awkward smile as I shake Mr. Smith's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nicole." He acknowledges with a warm smile.

When I turn towards Mrs. Smith, she pulls me into an unexpected hug.

"Oh, sweetie. Call me grace." She says when we pull back. My nervousness instantly subsides as I see her cute, cheerful face. She looks younger than her age. Besides a few wrinkles on her face, no one can tell that she would be in her sixties.

"I am just unhappy that you are just his friend." She says teasingly and I blush.

"Now I got to know why he would miss all those meetings to go meet his friend. I knew something was fishy. I mean, people don't seem so enthusiastic about meeting their male friends." Mr. Smith says amusedly looking at Peter.

"Dad..." He mutters, looking embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck.

I chuckle, watching Peter getting flustered. The woman standing next to them, steps in. She seems to be of my age. She is wearing a shimmery golden bodycon dress. Her blonde wavy hair looks amazing. And I can figure out her slight resemblance to Mrs. Smith. She is beautiful.

" Hey! I am Peter's younger sister, Aria." She says. "I love your dress!" She denotes excitedly.

"Thank you! And I love yours." I reply.

"Oh, and this is my boyfriend, George." She says introducing the guy next to her.

We talk for some time. Aria tells me more about their business and Peter. Peter's family was pretty much easy to get along with. And his sister is really sweet. I get to know later that she is a couple of years younger than me. We have so many things in common, so it gets easy for me to talk with her. She tells me about being an animal lover too which is interesting. She is going to complete her graduation this year and her dream is to become a fashion designer.

Soon the time arrives for Mr. Smith's speech as Peter walks towards the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me have your attention, please." He announces as he gets on the stage, and everybody present in the hall turns to look at him. The chattering and laughs eventually subside. I stand beside the Smiths as Peter starts speaking.

"I am honored to be the host of this event." He turns towards his father and continues. "It's a memorable day for the Smiths. As you all know that this is a farewell to my father. I don't have enough words to express how grateful I am to him." He smiles at Mr. Smith. "He has always been a loving husband, a caring father, and not to forget the most important one, an amazing and successful entrepreneur. I remember coming to his office every day being a kid. And trust me, I have seen him building this empire from a near scrap." The immense amount of respect that he holds for his father reflects in his eyes as he says that.

"This moment is really special for us. We have seen him working day and night to bring this company to a position where it is now, and we are proud of him. He has given his entire life for this, so now it's time for him to rest and let me bear the burden on my shoulders. From now on I am going to step into his shoes and take the responsibility of taking this company to new heights of success. We know that there isn't anything called retirement in our business. There is nothing called as an end for something that you do as long as you are passionate about it. That's an example my father has set for me." He says then he looks back to the crowd smiling. "Sorry I wouldn't take much time now as I call upon My father James Smith on stage. After all, it's his farewell, not mine."

Everybody laughs and then welcomes Mr. Smith on the stage with a huge round of applause. He hugs his son and then takes the mike from him. He clears his throat and says. "I am overwhelmed by my son's words. I don't know what to say..." He chuckles saying that and we smile. "It feels surreal to be standing here and delivering this speech. It feels like yesterday when a boy came to this city with a dream of setting up a little industry. And here is the same boy standing in front of you guys as an owner of a billion-dollar company delivering his retirement speech." He closes his eyes for a moment as if recollecting his old memories.