Chapter twenty-one

Ana, I don't know what you're thinking, you're not getting rid of me that easily!

His words hung in the air like a big cloud of thick smoke. He had meant to sound reassuring, that they were going to be together for the long haul, but Ana interpreted it as a slap in the face. His body language said it all, he was annoyed, he clearly resented the possibility of being stuck with her for the long haul.

"What do you mean I'm not getting rid of you?"

It was then that he realized his mistake. He'd been so intensely frustrated, he'd inadvertently blurted out what he'd been thinking. Everything he'd done in the last 24 hours had been a big flop. First, he'd admitted about not having kissed anyone before, hoping that his confession would show how special she was to him but his words had failed to sweep her off her feet. And then, he truly had put his foot in his mouth when he'd stormed off with his 'this is going to happen sooner or later' comment.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't think it will come to that!" Ana spat. The idea of living with someone else out of a sense of obligation for a whole year was preposterous. "Even if the interview doesn't go well...my father says his lawyers can take care of the situation," she said with false bravado. She didn't really have much faith in lawyers but right now but her pride dictated she save face.

"Ana," Mia put a hand over her shoulder. "I don't think Christian meant..."

"Oh, I know what he meant. He doesn't want to be stuck with me but the thing is, this is all a big mistake. I shouldn't even have to apply for this resident visa, I'm an American citizen."

Christian listened quietly, his eyes focused on the road. Right now he wasn't trusting himself much. Anything that came out of his mouth had the potential to come out wrong. In the silence the follow, the stereo played the end of a song and another one started. He reached out his hand to touch the car's touchscreen controls to change the music. For a split second, his eyes flickered away from the road.

"Hey! You just ran that red light! Mia protested.

Ana gasped and made the sign of the cross. Dios mio santo!

Shit!" Christian banged the steering wheel, mad at himself for running a red for the first time in his entire life. He couldn't help but feel this was a bad omen for things to come.

….

Raymond Steele and his family lived in an exclusive gated community. Ana's widened when they pulled up to the booth and the guard asked for their names, and she realized just how wealthy these people were. There had been a car ahead of them and now two or three cars piled behind them. From the look of things, this party was going to be larger affair than she'd imagined, and she resented her father for inviting her to his home for the first time to this dinner party instead of inviting her to a small family gathering first. Perhaps that had been THEIR intention all along, make her feel like another guest, an outsider, rather than a member of the family.

Christian cut the engine and turned to look at Ana. "Judging by how many cars are here, it looks like a big party. You want to turn around and go home?"

"Wh-what? Mia protested. "Are you for real? I've always wanted to be invited to the lifestyles of the rich and famous."

Ana met Christian's gaze. He looked handsome in his light gray dinner jacket and red tie, but as she glanced at the couple parking their vehicle next to theirs, she realized that this was a black-tie affair. She shrugged one shoulder, uncertain as to what to do.

"You know what, the heck with everything. Who cares? If these people wanted formal wear, they should have told us," Christian said.

"Yeah, besides we're family," Mia added and Ana gave her a questioning look. To Ana, this didn't make sense at all. You don't treat family this way, you don't treat family like outsiders.

"Let's just go in," Ana said after a long while. Part of her didn't want to come to this party at all but the other part of her, the strongest part, didn't want to feel like a coward. She was going to face this situation head-on even though she suspected there was more unpleasantness ahead.

They were greeted at the door by someone they didn't recognize, someone who was there for the sole reason to collect their coats. It was a chilly night so Ana was wearing a dark black cashmere coat that she'd borrowed from Mia and Mia was wearing a similar-looking coat but hers had a soft fur neckline.

…...

Her father was the first one to greet them as they stepped into the foyer. He was accompanied by a tall woman with long dark hair, She was dressed in a long cocktail dress accessorized with flashy earrings which caught the light every time she moved her head.

Ray formally introduced her as his wife Sylvia. The woman regarded everyone coolly as she shook hands.

Ana's heart sank when she was informed that Chloe wasn't there. She was at a friend's house. Apparently, they'd vanished her. She had been counting on her as a buffer to any potential moments of awkwardness.

"This is an adult's only party," Sylvia smiled at her, her smile insincere.

….

Sylvia complimented Mia on her dress. Mia was wearing an elegant dress similar to Ana's, except hers was silver-colored. Sylvia merely nodded at Ana and then immediately offered a tour of the house. Ana and Christian nodded and were about to follow them when Ray intercepted them.

"Come this way," Ray directed Ana and Christian to a private room. Both Ana and Christian stared at Ray with a questioning look as he closed the door behind him.

"Seems like you forgot to inform us this event was a black-tie only," Christian murmured shooting daggers at Raymond, unable to hide his disdain for the man.

"I didn't know until the last minute when Sylvia told me. I did send you a text a little while ago," he said to Ana.

Ana rolled her eyes, feeling insulted. "I haven't looked at my phone in hours." How hard was it to actually dial her number?

"I suggest you call her next time," Christian said, secretly amused.

"Well, it's no problem really," Ray turned to Christian and studied him for a moment. "My tailor can have you fitted with a tuxedo in no time."

Christian considered it for a moment. "You know what, I think I'll pass."

Ana was mildly intrigued by Christian's refusal and Ray raised his brows in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." His motto didn't include caring about people think of him.

Ray turned to Ana. "I have something for you," he said pulling out of his pocket a rectangular velvety case.

"For me?" She mumbled stunned.

"They're Cartier," he told her as she opened the case. Inside were a pair of the most gorgeous diamond drop earrings she'd ever seen.

"I...I don't know what to say," she said barely above a whisper. She considered not accepting the earrings to get back at her father for the way he'd treated her, but then she reconsidered. Right now she was wearing a pair of stud gold earrings that Mia had let her borrow. They were cute but not nearly as fancy as these. For once, Ana wanted to shine tonight. She wanted to inspire admiration, not pity. "Thank you," she said simply gazing into her father's eyes coolly and Ray nodded, giving himself a pat in the back.

"Ana, I must say, you look lovely tonight," Ray smiled approvingly.

Ana moved to one desk in the room, set down her clutch and proceeded to change her earrings while Ray and Christian watched.

"I'm happy you're here tonight," Ray said.

Having finished fastening her new earrings, Ana turned to look at her father with a determined expression. "Are you? It seems to me, maybe it would have been better for me to have stayed back in Cuba."

Ray stared back at her in shock and Christian's eyes widened in admiration. He did love that about Ana, her outspoken tendencies.

"Ana," Ray shook his head, annoyed, "how can you say something like that?"

"It's the truth. Ever since I arrived, I've been a nuisance to you and your wife."

"That's not true. I love you, Annie," he kept shaking his head, " I've always wanted the best for you. Being here in this country, your country...is the best for you. This is your home, this is where you belong."

"Is it?" Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings. "I don't think I belong here, but I'm here already so I'm going to make the best of it. Still, I don't understand why you just didn't let me stay home with mami."

For once, Ray was at a loss of words. Truth was, by the time Sylvia had informed him she didn't want Anastasia living with them, he couldn't just ask Christian to abort the mission. Christian was already in Cuba. Ray shook his head. Besides, he truly believed living in the United States was the best for Ana, he'd wanted to give her a shot at the American dream. It puzzled him that she didn't seem to appreciate all he'd done for her.

He opened his mouth to speak again but right then, Sylvia and Mia entered the room.

"We were wondering when you all were going to join us for the rest of the tour," Sylvia said. She then looked at her husband. "Actually, dear, I need to tend to the rest of our guests. Why don't you finish the tour?" She said with a fake smile and Ray nodded dutifully.

"Yes, dear."

…

After a short tour, Ray guided them to the main living room where a large group was standing around in groups of three or four people. Waiters passed by with appetizers and trays of champagne. Almost everyone turned to look at them as they entered. Ray grabbed a glass of champagne and moved to the center of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention," Ray announced, clicking his glass with a spoon, "We are gathered here in honor of my daughter Anastasia and her husband Christian," he said stretching his hand out to Ana.

Ana instinctively turned to Christian, her hand outstretched for him to take, and he took it, clasping it firmly and warmly in his. She found his touch immensely reassuring. And for a fraction of a second, she held his gaze and was instinctively reminded of how they'd held hands at the airport when they were escorted back for their preliminary INS interview.

"I'm your talisman." He'd told her then, right before they were separated into different rooms. And she had truly believed it, had hung to his words like a lifesaver.

Don't forget.

Together they walked up to stand next to Ray.

"Don't they make a beautiful couple?" Ray smiled. In one seamless movement, he motioned for the waiter to bring champagne to both Ana and Christian. "Let's toast Anastasia and Christian, may the sun always shine on this beautiful couple, and may their hopes and dreams be fulfilled."

Ana watched everyone raised their glass and sipped their champagne before she tried a sip of hers in slow motion. The scene before her seemed to have been taken straight out of a storybook. She shook her head, thinking maybe it was all a dream, and none of this was really happening.

…..

After the toast, Ray introduced Ana and Christian to several people with Sylvia by his side. Mia had found a special someone, one of Raymond's lawyers. She and Elliot had hit it off right away and were openly flirting with each other, and acting as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

"So Anastasia, how are you enjoying Seattle?" A woman in the group asked her after learning that Ana was from Cuba.

"It's a nice city," Ana answered vaguely, adding something about the Seattle underground tour.

"Life in Cuba must be so different from over here," she prompted, clearly fishing for more details, "isn't it?"

Ana refused to take the bait; she wasn't about to speak ill of the country she left behind. "Indeed. I do miss Cuba terribly. I love the food and the people there are so caring and personable, there's no place like it," she said with a wistful expression.

Some of the people in the group nodded their heads, others simply stared with blank expressions. Christian was half-listening to Ana's answers as he was involved in a conversation of his own with someone else. He did immediately notice Ana getting a little tense beside him when Sylvia suddenly said something about Harvard.

"Of course Chloe knows is Harvard is the only option for her."

"How about you, Anastasia," the woman continued to ask Ana. "what are your plans for your education? Are you also attending Harvard?"

Suddenly, Ana felt heads turning to look at her, everyone including Sylvia, Christian, and her father.

"I... haven't decided yet."

"Oh, dear," someone else commented. "Well, don't take too long to decide, you're only young once."

"Oh, she will be going to Harvard alright," Ray said suddenly with a certain charm, "she just doesn't know it yet."

A few people chuckled.

"Actually, Anastasia is a bright student, excellent grades, she will soon come to her senses."

Ana felt a surge of anger. She found his comments patronizing. Further, how dare he brag about her like this when he'd abandoned her when she needed him most?

"Father, I need you to respect my wishes," Ana said in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm a married woman now. I get to make my own choices."

Sylvia and Raymond were speechless, they didn't expect Ana to make waves especially in public.

"Would you excuse us?" Sylvia intervened, her attention shifting from the woman to Ana, "Ana, darling, come, may I have a word?" she asked with a forced smile.

….

Ana blinked. She had no idea why Sylvia had pulled her aside instead of her father. Perhaps what she hated the most was Ray's submissiveness to his wife's will. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her father's worried gaze as they separated from the group. Yet, he made no motion to intervene. She tried to catch Christian's gaze but he was busy retrieving a second glass of champagne from the waiter.

"Are you always this-this blunt?" The older woman asked in an indignant tone. Ana smiled inwardly, this was the second time someone had asked her this same question in the last few days. The first time it had been Mia and now Sylvia.

"People say my bluntness is one of my best qualities," Ana said with confidence.

Sylvia stared at Ana with undisputed disdain. "The way you talked to your father back there was appalling, to say the least. Also, you need to stop acting like this is your first time in his house."

Ana's jab dropped. "But...it is...this is really my first time here."

"Yes," Sylvia murmured between clenched teeth with a fake smile, for the benefit of her other guests. "But that doesn't mean that you must air our dirty laundry in public. You just smile and pretend. Didn't that mother of yours teach you some manners?"

Ana met the other woman's gaze fair and square. Her first instinct was to slap the other woman across the face. She considered it for almost a full minute. She imagined what a scene it would make, imagined being escorted out of the house by her father's security and being labeled persona-non-grata. All of which would accomplish nothing. Worst of all, it would also mean that Sylvia would win, she would get what she wanted, banish her forever.

Instead, she got closer to the other woman without breaking eye contact and said in an emphatic voice, "don't you dare talk about my mother like that again, because next time I won't back down, and I won't care who hears me."

Noticing that something was amiss, Christian moved toward them, his presence breaking off the staring contest between the two women. He came to stand beside Ana and curved his arm around her waist. She responded by shifting closer to him.

"Mrs. Steele," he said to Sylvia.

"Please call me Sylvia," Sylvia smiled a warm smile. It surprised Anastasia. Apparently, the woman's' hostility didn't extend to Christian.

"Shall we step over to the dining room?" Ray said, moving to stand beside his wife. "Dinner is about to be served."

...

The large dining room had four large tables, each one seated twelve people comfortably. Christian, Mia, and Anastasia were led to the main table were Ray and Sylvia were to be seated.

Dinner consisted of a five-course meal with wine pairings chosen by a renowned wine educator from New York. Ana found herself enjoying the wine more than she'd imagined. Her experience with alcohol was limited. Tonight was the first time she'd tried champagne. She'd had wine before, but nothing as fancy as the wine being served.

Beside her, Christian had already drained a glass of wine and his eyes appeared a little glassy. She imagined that the wine in combination with the champagne was starting to take its toll. They loosened his tongue and cracked opened the door to his libido. His hand strayed underneath the table to her thigh, his fingertips reaching for the hem of her dress. She enjoyed his light-fingertip caresses so much she'd found herself wishing his hand would move to her core. But he never did, he mostly teased her, making her think he was going there but never quite reaching there.

Ana stifled a gasp here and there. She had to admit, the hot flush that rushed through her was mortifying and thrilling at the same time. She purposely avoided making eye contact with anyone else in the room just in case anyone was able to figure out what was going on underneath the table.

Throughout the meal, Ana felt flattered to be the sole object of Christian's attention, as he mostly interacted with her instead of with the person to the other side of him. He was in fact so focused on her, that he didn't notice the man sitting two seats behind him and in Ana's direct line of vision. The man, twenty-something and attractive kept winking at Ana, hoping to catch her attention. Ana kept avoiding him but the man was persistent nonetheless.

…..

After dinner, the party hosts announced that dancing would follow in the ballroom. Ana excused herself to the bathroom. She tried to get Mia to come with her, but Mia and Elliot were already acting like two lovers who had decided that the rest of the world had disappeared and it was just the two of them.

While Christian waited for Ana to return, he noticed someone staring at him from across the room. It took him a moment to register who it was as she was wearing considerably more makeup than she normally did back when they were together. Even though she turned away when he caught her staring, there was no mistaking that thin silvery smile of hers.

In no time, he bridged the distance between them and followed her out to a private balcony.

"What are you doing here?" He asked pointedly as she turned around to look at him.

….

When Ana came out of the restroom, she couldn't find Christian or Mia. Her father and Sylvia were mingling with their guests and she had nothing to do but smooth her dress. Luckily, she wasn't overdressed or under-dressed for this event. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if Mia hadn't lent her the dress. She would have had to suffer the humiliation of Sylvia offering to lend her something else from her closet. She could picture her so clearly, hovering over her, her trademark superiority complex making Cinderella's stepmother look like Glinda, the Good Witch from the West.

"Hello."

Ana turned at the sound of the mans' voice. It was the same man who had been making eyes at her from across their table.

"My name is James," he said lending her his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Anastasia, but most people call me Ana." She hesitated before shaking his hand.

Right then, a pianist started playing a slow waltz piece. At once, couples flocked to the dance floor.

"May I have this dance?" James asked gallantly.

Once again, Ana hesitated. "I'm married," she quietly informed him even though she knew as her father had made the announcement earlier in the evening.

"I know. I was watching you and your husband at the table," he smiled, his eyes crinkled charmingly. "Your husband, he looks like the kind of man secure enough to tolerate his wife dancing with another man."

Ana liked the sound of that. Maybe he was right, maybe there was no harm done? She could dance with this James until Christian came back from wherever he was. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sylvia watching her. She couldn't wait to show her she knew how to waltz. Her grandmother had insisted she take waltz lessons when she was thirteen; according to her, knowing how to dance classic waltz was the mark of a well-bred young girl.

If she went by Cuban cultural standards, a wife only dances with her husband and other males are to stay at a respectful distance. The only exception being blood relatives like an uncle or cousins.

But then, she decided on a hunch that this was okay. She'd been upfront about being married so she had won some points for social respectability, even though in reality her marriage to Christian was a sham, a masquerade. A real marriage happens ONLY when two people are joined together in mutual LOVE. And only love could truly bind two people together; it was the invisible thread that couldn't be explained by our human mind, it was the most powerful force on earth.