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CHAPTER 3: The Reunion
Ten years had gone by since Lillian's untimely demise and Alexander Joseph Luthor- " billionaire playboy " , " rich spoiled brat ", " sports cars lover " and " womaniser " , as the Metropolis papers and tabloids dubbed him- had become a cynical reckless young man, given to parties, bad companies, late nights and frequent arrests. Alexander's relationship with his father was limited to using his money and contacts, both in the police and the judiciary, to extricate himself from his dangerous escapades. He was a complete stranger to Lionel, and he sought oblivion in the arms of beautiful shallow women and in the liberating experience of driving his Porsches, Mercedes and Ferraris at full speed.
Meanwhile, Amanda had graduated from secondary school with honours and won an art scholarship to pursue her university studies at MU. Moving to Metropolis and living on campus, away from her family, had proved a challenging new experience for a girl raised up on a farm. Still, she loved the opportunity to have access to museums and the rich cultural life offered by the city. Moreover, Metropolis had a plus, Luthorcorp was there. She had been toying with the idea of looking for Lex now that she was no longer under he parents' over-protective wing. She had questions to ask; questions that only he could answer. There was, however, the tactical problem of how to contact him without Lionel being informed for she knew better than to stir his rage. Nevertheless, the opportunity would present itself sooner than she expected thanks to someone she'd met at MU.
Before coming to the city Amanda had never had the experience of going out with boys so it came as a surprise to her when Jude Royce, the most popular young man at university, singled her out. At first, she had reservations about accepting his advances. She was aware he belonged to Lex's world, a world she only knew second-hand and for which she felt ill-equipped. Moreover, she had doubts about the real reason behind his pursuit of her Was he really interested in her or was she the object of a bet on campus ? Finally, after a couple of months, she caved in. Jude would pick her up in the afternoons and act as a personal tour guide, showing her the sights and taking her to museums and street markets. She didn't know it then, or maybe she did on a subconscious level, but her acquaintance with him would bring her closer to Lex.
One rainy winter afternoon Jude turned up at the dorm carrying a gift for her- an exquisite black cocktail dress and a pair of high-heeled sandals. He said he had an invitation for two to attend the opening of an Impressionist exhibition in a gallery in the evening and he wanted her to be his couple. Amanda accepted the invitation on the spot and at exactly seven o'clock, dressed and made-up with her roommate's help, she left campus with Jude.
When they arrived at the gallery there was already a crowd engaged in small talk and enjoying the champagne and canapés. Nobody seemed to be paying too much attention to the paintings on the walls and Amanda wondered why they had bothered to come at all; she certainly felt like a fish out of water. Meanwhile, Jude was surrounded by quite a number of people on their way in and their advance was stalled by endless handshakes and false smiles. She found the artificiality so unbearable that, using the excuse of needing a drink to quench her thirst, she slipped away and started to wander around the exhibition rooms on her own.
Despite the phoney ambience, she felt thrilled at the unique opportunity to see the work of some of the world's greatest masters first hand. In fact, she thanked the organisers for bringing this touring exhibition to Metropolis since she'd never had the money to travel to Europe to see the paintings in their natural environment. She was observing a Renoir that had particularly called her attention when she heard a rich overly-perfumed woman say: " Good evening, Alexander. It's nice to see you again. How's Lionel doing by the way ? "
Amanda knew there had been a remote chance of coming across Lex, " remote " since he seemed to be given more to partying than to quieter do's. She turned her head round to see him smile and make a show of his perfectly polished good manners. How much he had changed ! Gone was the insecure boy who would hide behind his mum or seek refuge in the wardrobe afraid of what others might think of him. He was now a worldly, confident and cynical young man and Amanda didn't know how to approach him. He moved round the rooms as if he owned them, although she noticed it wasn't something he did consciously; there was an aura of power and mystery around him that made people stop talking and turn their heads whenever he entered a place.
Lex was finding the evening infinitely trying and the people's talk amazingly boring. The waiters had vanished into thin air and he needed a drink desperately before making a scene and ending up on the first page of The Inquisitor for choking a society lady with her two-thousand-dollar string of pearls. Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes looking at him intently and let his stray until he located Amanda partly hidden behind a column, her face averted as if she'd been caught doing something naughty. There was something familiar about the girl, something he couldn't put a finger on. He looked back at his interlocutor and, making excuses, left the lady to search for the girl. He found her looking enthralled at a Monet.
Amanda's heart was beating madly and she felt like running away but it would have been too rude to drag Jude away when they had just arrived. Moreover, she daren't venture to the streets of Metropolis unescorted to get a taxi back home. She prayed she was mistaken, perhaps Lex hadn't noticed her after all. She could tell she was wrong as soon as she felt a strong presence behind her and a self-assured voice that said: " Monet has always been one of my favourites. I find the dreamy quality of some of his paintings particularly alluring." Amanda had been taught good manners since early childhood and she knew that keeping her back to him would be downright rude, so she turned around. He looked at her straight in the eye as if he were daring her to hold his gaze and added: " I'm Alexander Luthor. You look familiar. Have we met before, Miss... ? " Swallowing a lump in her throat, she managed to find her voice and answered: " I know who you are, Mr Luthor. I'm new to the city and this is my first evening out so ... " Lex looked at her intently, making her nervous, before he asked: " What is a girl like you doing in a place full of sharks and hags ? I can picture you in the quietness of your living-room sitting cozily by the fireplace with a book and a cup of cocoa for company. " ¨ I couldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass me by. The exhibition is everything and more than I could have dreamed of, " answered Amanda , surveying the walls in an attempt to escape the scorching look in his eyes.
Although Lex was aware the girl wasn't as sophisticated as the young women he was used to, and he knew he'd hate himself later for trying his charm on her, he lowered his voice an octave and added seductively: " I assume a young attractive girl like you hasn't come unescorted. Am I right ? " Amanda could feel the goosebumps on her skin and, desperate, started to scan the room to locate Jude. Lex followed her eyes, which came to a halt on a young man he remembered very well from his boarding-school years, Jude Royce. What the hell was she doing with that jerk ? And what did a promiscuous rich heir like Royce want with a sweet innocent girl ?
" Is that your boyfriend ? " asked Lex, half hoping she answered negatively.
" No ! He's just a friend ! We're taking some courses together at MU and he's been kind enough to invite me to the exhibition tonight, " added in a rush.
" Are you sure he's just a friend ? By the way he's regarding you and the look he's giving me, I believe he doesn't agree with you, " said Lex with a smirk. " I guess I'd rather leave now. I wouldn't like you to suffer his sharp tongue on my account. "
" He's not like that, " answered Amanda with a smile.
"I wouldn't bet on it. You know, you've got the advantage of knowing who I am but you haven't told me your name. But it´s all right, I like mysterious women. Besides I'm counting on seeing you sometime again. It's been a pleasure. Good night."
" Good night, " answered Amanda in a low voice.
Lex left Amanda's side and walked towards the arch that led to the other room. Jude was standing there looking at him with sheer hatred in his eyes. " Stay away from my girl, Luthor. She's way out of your league," threatened Jude. " First of all, she isn't your girl. At least, she doesn't think she is. And in any case, isn't she out of your league as well ," responded Lex tersely.
Despite the fact that the evening had ended abruptly and that she had experienced so many different feelings on seeing Lex, she didn't regret coming to the exhibition. She was in awe of him, of the man he had become, she was afraid and confused of what he made her feel but, at the same time, she was happy she'd seen him again after so many years. Jude, on the other hand, wasn't at all pleased with their meeting. He warned her against him, told her he was bad news and- seeming to forget he himself belonged to Lex's world- he added she should know better than to let a rich guy regale her with sweet talk. " The bastard. He thinks his charming smile and daddy's millions can cover up his inadequacies. "
Amanda's relationship with Jude cooled for a while until he tried to make amends by inviting her to a night at the Opera. Despite her qualms, she was too fond of Verdi to turn him down and he was the only person she knew in the city- well, one of the two- who had a box for the season. Her roommate Tammy was nice enough to lend her an evening gown she had for special occasions and again gave her a hand with her make-up. Amanda was looking forward to this evening because she hoped she'd see Lex again.
Lex was in a melancholy mood that evening and had decided to go to the Opera on the spur of the moment. He'd come alone because he didn't feel like sharing Verdi with a vapid creature at his side. Going to the Opera was close to a religious experience for him- maybe one of the few things in life he had to thank Lionel for- and it made him feel closer to Lillian when he was in one of his meditative moods. His sudden decision proved to be worthwhile when he heard Jude Royce's voice. " Amanda, have a programme. Would you care to have a glass of champagne before it starts ? " Lex's heart skipped a beat. Amanda ? Could it be his Amanda ? He turned round in time to see her look his way and his question was answered.
His intention of enjoying a quiet evening at the Opera went out of the window. He couldn't concentrate on the singing and his eyes seem to stray on their own accord to Royce's box with excesive frequency. He could see Amanda was making a desperate effort to keep her eyes glued on the stage and leant back, from time to time, to listen to Jude's comments on the show. Suddenly, in the middle of the second act, she got up and left the box. Lex thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get her all alone. They had a lot of talking to do.
Amanda went straight to the toilet to freshen up and get a grip on herself. Ten minutes elapsed and she realised she couldn't hide in the toilet for ever. No sooner did she open the door than she spotted Lex waiting for her in the foyer, an accusing look on his face.
" Why didn't you tell me who you were ? You made a fool of me, Mandy, " he said coldly.
" I couldn't. I didn't know how to talk to you anymore, " she answered lowering her eyes.
" We were friends, Amanda. Or, at least, I thought we were, " he said bitterly.
" I was going to tell you ! You must believe me ! But when I came face to face with you, I felt as if I didn't know you any longer. You looked so sophisticated, so savvy and sure of yourself. And I felt so awkward and inadequate, " she added with a catch in her voice.
" Inadequate ? You were the only one there who fitted in that gallery, " added Lex more warmly.
" Why did you stop writing, Mandy ?
" Why don't you ask your father, Lex ? " responded quietly Amanda.
" My father ? I should have known better, " snapped Lex bitterly and, after looking at her for what seemed an eternity, he added: " Let me tell you something, Amanda. He might have succeeded in keeping us apart this long but I promise you, now that we've found each other again, I won't let anyone- least all of all my father- interfere with our friendship. Know that you can count on me. Never be afraid to come to me for help, Amanda. I'm not my father, I won't ask you for anything in return. "
And Amanda knew he was a man of his word for, deep inside, he still was the boy she had idolised in her childhood.
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