The Guest Speaker
The days turned into weeks and weeks into months. In a blink of an eye, it was already the month of July. Finally, it was Aryana's graduation day.
She came to school with Emma and her Aunt Elena. Emma was her classmate and roommate in the dormitory. She invited her to move into Sky Residences which the former happily obliged.
After that incident where Erik forced her Aunt to transfer the property to her, Beatrice with Denise made a fuss and constantly harassed her until Aryana reported them to security and barred their entry from Sky Residences.
"Aryana, Emma over here!" Her classmates were excitedly waving at them to go to the assembly area for the graduates.
All graduates were wearing their togas and were grinning from ear to ear. The atmosphere was festive. They started filing into the auditorium in a single line when the Graduation March was played.
Aryana was the top one in her college and she was the first in line. While going to her seat, she felt a hard stare on her and unconsciously glanced at the rows of seats in front designated for the school officials and important guests.
Her gaze locked with the man she hasn't seen for three months. Her heart started to beat faster.
'Erik is here? So he is our guest speaker.' She was quite surprised.
Erik gave her a gentle smile and raised his hand in a playful salute. Aryana can't help but smile back until he was no longer in her line of sight.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the CEO of Gaeya Corporation, the self-made billionaire Erik Lee." The pleasant voice of the emcee filled the auditorium followed by the applause of the audience.
Aryana's focus was on the stage. It was her first time hearing Erik deliver a speech and she was mesmerized by his deep pleasant voice. Sometimes, she could feel his piercing gaze on her but she would chide herself. 'What am I thinking? He is just looking at no one in particular.'
Aryana looked around her. She was not surprised to see some of the ladies dreamily gazing at the stage while others were blatantly ogling him. The males on the other hand were looking at him with adoration and envy. And who wouldn't? Erik, in a very expensive suit, was very handsome. Looked like when God bestowed the gift of beauty to humankind, he has gotten all the best features. He exuded a powerful aura and was oozing with self-confidence and elegance.
His speech was not long. He gave inspiration and some tips on how to become successful.
There were a few more speeches and then the awarding.
When it was Aryana's turn to be called on stage, she has an indescribable feeling as she stood from her chair and walked gracefully to the stage.
At this juncture, the parent or a guardian was expected to go up with the awardee to confer the medal to the student.
'Aunt Elena where are you?' she anxiously looked towards the seat where Aunt Elena was supposed to sit only to find Denise sitting there, sneering at her.
Despite feeling nervous, Aryana kept a calm demeanor and maintained a sweet smile on her face.
"Requesting the parent or the guardian of Aryana Jones to confer to her the Highest Honors medal." the master of ceremonies called out a second time.
twenty seconds…
thirty seconds …
forty seconds…
The crowd started to get restless and murmurs can be heard.
A close-up of Aryana was being shown on the big screen behind her. Her eyes sparkled. A tear was about to escape but she blinked it away. Her smile started to falter.
'How could Denise be so vicious to do a prank on this important event.' she was feeling angry.
fifty seconds….
one minute …
Erik stood up. Gasps were heard from the audience. He walked to the stage in big unhurried strides and accepted the medal from the school office and slid the lace over her head. With his fingers, he smoothened her hair which became messy.
"Congratulations Aryana, Robert is surely proud of you!" He beamed happily at her.
Aryana was in a trance for a few seconds. Her gaze was drawn to two dark brown orbs. Erik gave her a light squeeze on the hand and she snapped back to her senses.
She gave her speech. It was short but moving. She told everyone about his father and his profession which to her was the most noble. She shared that being poor was not a hindrance to achieving one's dream.
She tilted her head upwards and closed her eyes. "Dad, Mom, this is for you." She then raised her medal upwards. "I made it. Thank you for watching over me from heaven."
Some from the audience were wiping their eyes when Erik escorted Aryana down the stage. A young man who was waiting gave Aryana a bouquet and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Erik narrowed his eyes but then he quickly left and went back to his seat.
"You are awesome Aryana. I'm proud of you." Hector was enthusiastic.
As she went back to her seat, she could feel the envious gazes of her female classmates and batch mates.
The ceremony was about to end when she heard a 'ding' from her cell phone.
[Erik] Do you have plans for lunch?
[Aryana] Yes, my classmates and friends have booked the buffet at the Pearl Hotel.
[Erik] Okay. Let's have dinner tonight then. Bring Aunt Elena and your roommate. We will pick you up at six pm.
[Aryana] Okay.
[Aryana] Thank you for earlier.
[Erik] I owe it to you.
[Aryana] Can I ask a favor? Can Marlon look for Aunt Elena?
[Erik] Ace is looking for her. Don't worry about her.
Before Aryana could reply back, cheers and clapping erupted in the auditorium. The ceremony ended. Her classmates and friends thronged to where Erik was to have their photos taken with him. Emma pulled her along but because of the crowd, she was pushed to the back.
Erik escaped from the crowd and sought her. He placed his right arm around her shoulder in a side hug. Aryana felt his warmth creeping to her side and she blushed. Erik took out his cell phone nonchalantly.
"Smile." Erik tapped the camera button a few times before putting the cell phone back in his pocket. He then excused himself and left the venue.
"You seem to know him, Aryana?"
"What is your relationship with him?"
"Why did he go up earlier to confer the medal to you?"
"Are you close?"
Aryana would like to escape from the questions being thrown at her but she knew they will just continue to pester her.
She came clean.
"My father was his chauffeur for a long time."