Chapter1

#Chapter1

Prologue

/"Just take a look inside, Athena,/" He said, pointing at the door that leads into the hall full of dancing and chattering people, /"what do you see?/"

Athena did as he asked, she looked inside the hall and saw them, people dancing, women dressed in beautiful attractive clothes, men dressed in nice tuxedos, talking to them and some dancing with them. She looked back at Frank with a gulp, /"but Frank…/"

/"Now take a look at yourself and me, what difference do you see?/" He interrupted.

Athena looked at herself, at the dress she was wearing that was not in class with the ones worn by the women inside, she looked at him and he was dressed in a nice tuxedo, just like the men inside. She knew what he wants to prove but she just doesn’t want to accept it, /"Frank please…/"

/"Do you see it? What I am talking about? I belong here, Athena, with this people but you don’t. Look at you, take a look at what you wore to a party./"

/"This is my best dress and you know it, Frank, I will never intentionally humiliate you,/" she choked on her tears and closed her eyes, /"you used to like me wearing this remember? That day we went to watch the fireworks, you said I looked beautiful in it, that’s why I wore it, because I want you to see that I am the same Athena, Frank, it’s me, don’t do this to me. A lot of things have happened to me during the past two weeks, you didn’t even bother to look for me, why Frank?/"

Frank wiped his face in a frustrated manner, /"listen, I told you already, things has changed Athena, look at me, I am not the same Frank anymore, I have changed. I now drink and dine with celebrities, big tycoons, businessmen, my life has changed Athena and I adapted to it. But you,/" he pointed his finger at her, /"you never change, you are the same Athena, year in year out nothing new happens to you. We watched that firework two years ago and you still have this dress, you never buy anything new, you keep reusing everything that you have./"

/"How can I buy something new, Frank, I have been paying back our debts, the ones I got because of you, you promised to give me back the money to pay back, you never had and I am using all my salary to pay up. How can you expect me to buy something new? How can I do that?/"

/"Listen, Athena, I know I am owing you and I will pay back, I promise, just let me have that money I have my eyes on, I will find you and I will pay back every single dime but I am sorry, like I said before, we can’t be together anymore, you are not the woman for me, we are not in the same social circle anymore so please, stop coming to find me, I don’t want my new friends to see you or know that I have ever associated with you. Go,/" he heaved a deep sigh, then turned and walked into the hall.

Athena watched him go and she saw him approached a beautiful blonde who looped her hand in his arm and together, they joined another group of people. Tears trailed down her cheeks and she didn’t bother to wipe them anymore, she looked down at her dressing, she had dressed so much so that he won’t feel embarrassed by her but still, he was.

The black dress she had on was bought for her by her mother, it was the only expensive clothe she had and Frank had loved it the first time and other times she had worn it, except for today. The black shoes she was putting on belonged to her mother and although she knew it didn’t go with the dress but she had worn it nonetheless because it was the only thing of hers that doesn’t have a hole in it.

Watching Frank inside, she knew she need to stop deceiving herself, he will never want her again, he will never love her like the same again. She turned and climbed down the stairs; she went to the fountain and sat on it, her tears mixing with the water. She closed her eyes and snippets of a night two weeks ago flashed in her mind. She shook her head sharply, she had wanted to tell him about it tonight, even though she knew he might hate her after finding out but she didn’t like hiding something from him and something of such nature but who would have taught that he would reject her again like he did that night?

She wiped her tears, sobbing really softly and listening to the distinct music, in there was the man of her dreams, probably dancing with another woman and here she was crying even after attending the party just for him, going through all the troubles of sneaking in.

/"You shouldn’t let him get to you like that,/" someone said and she turned sharply, she could make out a shadow near the animal shaped flowers, /"you shouldn’t allow any man such./"

/"Who-who are you?/" She asked, standing up from the fountain she sat.

/"Just someone who feel sorry for you./"

Athena wiped her tears away, /"thank you but I am fine now, so you don’t need to worry anymore./"

/"Is that what you are telling yourself? I’m sorry but I never meant to eavesdrop on your conversation but when I saw you sneak into my home, first I was amused but then I realized that you remind me of someone and I had followed, not usually my thing though, but who would have expected that I would hear what I heard?/"

/"You shouldn’t eavesdrop on people’s conversation,/" she wanted to reprimand him but then she recalled what he said, /"oh God, I am so sorry, I promise I am not a thief, the security wouldn’t let me in and I really wanted to talk to my boyfriend so I did what I had to, I am terribly sorry,/" she let out series of apologies.

The man beside the flower chuckled, a low rich sound that told her she shouldn’t mess with him, /"I think you should say ex boyfriend from what I heard./"

Having the truth being thrown at her by the stranger, Athena couldn’t hide the pain that flashed through her eyes, she looked away from his shadow and closed her eyes, willing the tears to not fall.

/"You know, it’s okay to cry after a breakup but if you ask me, a man who leaves a woman because of how poor she dresses is nothing but a coward. Women are elegant in nature, you just have to invest on them to get what you want and you my dear, should believe in your natural quality./"

Athena shook her head softly at what he said, /"no, I am not that woman, those that fit into your description are the ones dancing inside,/" she looked away from him and wiped away her tears, /"I can never be them./"

The man in the shadows answered, /"you only believe in that because he said it,/" he stepped out from the darkness and approached her with gentle graceful movements, /"every woman is unique, elegant and graceful, you just have to bring it out./"

Hearing his words and how close it sounded, she looked at him only to gasp and cover her mouth with her hands; she took a step back but forgot that she was standing close to the fountain so she fell backward into the water. She surfaced immediately, her eyes still locked on the man who didn’t even shift in his position or even bothered to help her out. She sat in the fountain, her hair dripping water on her already wet body. When she got over her shock, she cried, /"you./"

The man before her smiled and walked closer, then offering his hand, he said, /"hello Athena./"

A man walked through the street to his home, he kept cursing at everything he passes, he hates where he is living and the area, they were children running around, playing in the dirt. He cursed at them and continued walking, if God should help him and his project becomes a success, moving out of here would be the first thing he would do. But at the moment, he just needs to make sure that everything is set perfectly and he had the inkling that he would win, he has to, all his life he had been preparing for this, if it doesn’t work out then he is doomed for the rest of his life.

/"Hell no, it’s going to work, I have to be chosen, I have looked at the draft of the others, none of them could amount to mine, even Mr. Bridgeton said so,/" he murmured to himself, trying not to step inside a puddle as he avoided stepping on a banana peel that was on the ground. /"Fuck this place,/" he cursed, if only he has any other choice, nothing in the world would have made him live here, in the slums.

/"I just need some cash, if I am able to land myself with three thousand dollar bills, I am good to go but where can I get so much, I don’t even have up to five hundred dollars in my savings and this constant going around and taking cabs just to look good is draining me, when will it end? Mr. Bridgeton better choose my work, if not, what else can I be doing?/" He kept murmuring to himself. He could already picture himself working in Fashionista, the best clothing brand in Chicago, all he just needs to do is bring his design to life before the big day but how can he do that? He needs real cash to buy the materials and one of the requirements in the contract is that every designer should come with their work in their hands. Mr. Bridgeton already expressed his love for his design, if he could just gather the materials and have it sowed, then his life is blessed and he could work as a designer in such big company.

Something hit his leg, bringing him out of this thought but before he could notice what was happening, children were running towards him and they all stepped into a puddle beside him, splashing the dirty water on him as they fought to get their ball.

Frank cursed and felt like hitting every one of them, he looked at his damaged suit which he had been hoping to wear again tomorrow but now he would need to wash it and pray that it dries before he needs to leave. He ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair and glared daggers at the kids who were oblivious to his anger as they continued running and playing with their ball. He sighed, now covered in dirty water; he hid his design inside his jacket to avoid future accident like the one that just happened.

When he finally got to his house, actually, his girlfriend’s house who he had been staying with for the past two years after her parents death because he couldn’t afford to pay his bills again, he sighed but the happiness he expected didn’t come, he was only staying there for the sake of having somewhere to sleep, he was tired of sleeping in the slums, he was tired of calling that small house that often leaks when it rains his home, he goes to the city always and sometimes he would just wander around till it’s late to go home and he leaves as early as possible in the morning. He hates his life, especially having to pretend to like everyone he sees because sometimes he needs to depend on them for feeding. When will his luck shine?

He pushed open the creaking door and entered the house, /"Athena? Athena?/" He called but got no answer, he entered where they called bedroom and started taking off his clothes, he needs to wash it but he was so tired, hopefully Athena could do that for him. He picked up his towel and in shorts, he left the house to the bathroom that they shared with three other families in the compound. He cursed silently when he heard someone taking a bath and had to walk back to the house to wait for whoever it was to be done, /"I hate this place,/" he murmured.

/"You are back,/" he had a sweet voice called to him from afar and he looked up to see his girlfriend approaching him, as usual, she looked stressed out and filthy due to her kind of work. She takes out garbage for the richer ones in the vicinity and she works as a cleaner in a diner. She approached him with smiles on her face, her deep brown hair up in a loose ponytail and her brown eyes twinkling as always whenever she sees him. They have been dating since she was sixteen and he was seventeen. Her parents had been in support of their union and he had loved her dearly then, only that now, he can’t shake off the feeling that she wasn’t his kind of woman anymore.

She fits in perfectly in the slum and while he goes around complaining about everything, she faces everything with happiness and she knows almost if not all the people here which he must admit gets on his nerves. He smiled to her when she was closer, /"yes./"

/"How was the day?/" Athena asked, she reached up and wiped away a strand of his hair from his face, she does that every time she sees him that it became a habit.