CHAPTER 30
Aurora drew in a breath and exhaled. She finished all the contents in her wine glass and put it on the table with a loud thud. She could have broken it. She doesn't care. She walked out from her spot and went to the pool area.
She ignored the much colder breeze beside the pool. She stood there, fuming about what she heard from her cousin. Walking back and forth while fanning herself with her hand. Hoping that the pool's coldness would envelop her brain to calm down from the rage. She wanted to pull Lesa's hair and ruin her party. She shouldn't have come.
She stopped and pulled out her phone from her purse. She contacted Ade. She might get distracted from her.
At last, she answered on the second ring. "Ade, why didn't you tell me that my mother called you about the dinner tomorrow?" Her abrupt question. There was a short pause before she heard an answer.
"Oh. I thought Signora told you before she called me. You should have been the first to know."
She rolled her eyes. She grumbled. "I would have told you then if I had known." She wanted to growl.
"Teka, 'di ba family dinner niyo ngayon? Ba't ganyan mood mo? (Wait, isn't it your family dinner now? Why are you in that mood?)"
"It's Lesa's birthday." She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Even just her cousin's name, she hated saying it. "And you know my parents."
"Ano na naman ba'ng ginawa sayo? (What did she do to you again?)"
She propped a hand to her waist while the other was holding the phone to her ear. She knew that she was standing too closely to the pool. But she needed its coldness because of how hot her head was; she'd thought again of her cousin's words.
She heard some other people in her direction. Everyone could see the pool area, though it was a bit far from the grass area. And there were only a couple of people at the place.
Aurora glanced at the people near her because of how loud their laughing was. She recognized them as Lesa's close friends, the same faces who were at the bar before. They exchanged glances, and she glared at them and scoffed before turning her back and strutting away. She was moving to the other side of the pool.
She had to move away, or she might create a scandal by just seeing their faces. She could never forget that they recorded her and put the video on the internet. What great timing it was that it made her the suspect from the scene.
"Teka lang, Ade. (Wait, Ade.) Give me a moment to get away from these nobodies. They were in the area." She couldn't stop her seething rage, so she said it loud and clear. Letting them hear it.
She was fuming in anger. She could feel that they were on her tail, and she did not see it coming.
She shrieked and couldn't stop herself from falling, being pushed into the pool. She swallowed some water from her sudden dive. It was 6 ft deep. She couldn't swim properly because of her clothes. Coldness quickly enveloped her body.
It was a good thing that she knew how to swim. No time to stay in shock. She opened her eyes and searched for the nearest pool stairs, but she could only see a railing. She swam in its direction. A male voice called for her. She managed to swim somehow, though it was constricted because of her outfit. She wondered if she could step up the railing, though, because of her heels.
She pulled her head out of the water. Her chest hurt from lack of oxygen. Her phone and things were gone, but she couldn't care less about them anymore.
A hand was on her face before she could even hold the handrail. She looked up and met Max's gaze. His forehead knotted, and his eyebrows almost formed a single line. One of his knees was on the ground, and his blazer jacket was beside it.
"Come on. You're freezing!" He almost yelled at her for she wasn't moving.
She accepted his hand, and the other gripped the rail. She was struggling onto the rail bar, and she was slipping off. Max wound his arms around her and pulled her out the water at once. But from the force of his pulling up, they stumbled back and lay flat on the floor. She was on top of him. She heard him gasp from the impact. It could have hurt, and she was adding weight to his body.
"Are you okay?" He asked like he was holding his breath.
Her soaked hair was dripping on his hard chest. Of course, she got him wet all over too. His arms were still around her back and waist. The warmth of his body was emanating to hers. If they were not in the wrong place and at the wrong time, she wouldn't want to get out from his embrace.
She clumsily removed herself on top of him. She fixed her dress and looked at the girls from earlier. One of them even cocked a brow at her.
"You!" She stood up and gave her a deathly glare. "Who do you think you are?!" She almost ran to attack her. The freezing cold she felt when she fell on the pool instantly changed into burning rage. She doesn't care if she looks like a mad woman. "How dare a nobody like you humiliate me?!" She was about to pounce on her when strong arms grabbed her waist and lifted her like a human-sized doll to transfer to another position.
She wanted to push and get free from Max's chain. And he was even blocking his body so she couldn't come near to her target that she wanted to strangle.
"Let go of me!" She demanded while removing the arm that was around her waist.
He let go of her and she glared at him as well because of stopping her. She was stunned when he put his blazer around her shoulders. "You're shivering."
"Sa galit. (In rage.)" She stepped to the side to walk past him but Max caught her elbow and he chained him again in his arms. "I did not do anything when you posted that video. But now, you would pay for this! I swear I'll make you pay!" She roared and strained her neck to look at the girls because Max kept blocking her. She was even panting in anger.
People started to gather. Most of the guest surrounded the pool area already, witnessing them. But she wasn't in her right state of mind because of her rage.
Her eyes shifted to her cousin that went to the girl's side. Lesa was looking at her with disdain. She was eyeing them one by one.
Aurora sneered. "You're at the wrong side, bitches. Don't forget that I'm Aurora Fontalva. I will ruin you and I wouldn't stop until you beg me! I still have a heart." Then she focused her hot gaze to Lesa. "My dear cousin wouldn't be able help you. After all, her father just works for us."
"Aurora!" Adolfo roared at the end of the pool. They were approaching them but she didn't dare glance at her parents. She couldn't look at them for her behavior.
She knew she had crossed the like by saying those words. But damn it! She was just too furious.
Max's hold in her loosened. She felt his hand at the back of her head. "Shh. Calm down." She was trying to comfort her in a low, soothing voice. She inhaled a huge breath to calm herself down. Her panting was gradually turning to normal. Max pushed her head lightly against his chest. Her forehead resting against his thin shirt.
She felt a lot better because of that. She was trying to breath calmly together with him. She closed her eyes, turned her head to the side and pulled him closer. She could hear his loud heartbeat in his chest. She hugged him as well.
He didn't mind that she was dripping wet and still chained her in his arms as if he was afraid that she'd start to go berserk once more. So, he tightened his hold around her again. He was even smoothing the back of her head. She felt protected from what he was doing.
"What happened here?" Sofia asked, a few steps away from her daughter. "Is she okay?" She wanted to hold Aurora.
She was about to approach her but Adolfo stopped her by the shoulder. "Max, please. Get Aurora out of here. We'll handle this." He said and Max nodded.
He haven't let go of Aurora yet and held her by the waist as he assisted her out of the place.