Standing right in front of us was a woman no older than 24 with stunning blue eyes. Her body was clad in a shimmering gold dress along with a pair of legs to die for. Her hair was perfectly curled and her make up was sultry. I felt an immediate threat from her and shrank back a bit.

"Ivan Stone, nice to see you again" the woman says going in to embrace Ivan tightly. I stand their awkwardly scratching my arm as the two embraced.

"It's good to see you too Simone, congrats on your success" he says giving her a kiss on the cheek before pulling away. I ignore the nasty taste of jealousy and grip Ivan's arm when he pulls me closer.

"Who's this cutie" she asks condescendingly while turning her attention towards me. I put on a smile and square my shoulders before replying.

"Amelia Winters, assistant of Mr. Stone" I say leaving out the girlfriend part. She nods while carefully eyeing me in warning.

"She's also my girlfriend" Ivan butts in, pulling me closer into his side. Simone's expression turns sour as she huffs in annoyance.

"Dating your employee seems a little lower class for someone like you Ivan" she bites taking me by surprise. I resist the urge to snap back and wait for Ivan to defend himself.

"I certainly didn't ask you to analyze my decisions so I suggest you bite your tongue next time Simone" he replies coldly before pulling us away from her. He escorts me to a table occupied by a single man and we take a seat. Ivan takes a minute to calm his breathing and I give him a reassuring squeeze on his hand.

"Ivan Stone, I must say it's been awhile since we've last met" a voice booms next to us and I turn my attention towards the interruption. The man looked to be in his late forties with green eyes and dark brown hair. His eyes assess my appearance before a look of shock washes across his face but he quickly masks it.

"Well Alejandro, I never expected to run into you ever again, especially after our last encounter" he responds coldly with a guarded expression. I look between the two as they glare at each other before butting in.

"I'm sorry but I don't think we've met, Amelia Winters" I say as both men snap their attention towards me. Alejandro gasps as a look of surprise becomes evident on his expression. He quickly shakes out of his trance before giving me a curt smile.

"Alejandro Chavez, pleasure to meet you Amelia" he responds and I smile before a sound of a mic grabs our attention.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the Award Gala of 2016. Today we'll be honoring a very familiar face to the public eye for not only her generosity but also her entrepreneur skills. Please give it up to our very own, Simone Pierre" the announcer exclaims as the room erupts into clapping and cheers. Simone comes out with a smile and hugs the announcer before taking the mic.

"Thank you all for coming, it's truly heart warming to see us all so interested in helping our community. As for my modeling, I've had a great year with many promising projects and I can't wait to be able to share them with you all" she says before thanking them once again. The crowd claps some more and she walks off stage to greet a few people as the rest of us resume our conversations. As the room lights up with chatter, various waiters walked around with trays filled with food. As we wait for our food to come, Jake walks over with a grin and seats himself beside me.

"Well I must say, Simone has truly done it this time" he says lightheartedly and I give a slight nod in agreement.

"Tell me about it, the woman is the perfect business woman not to mention the fact that she thinks with her head and not her heart which is smart in this industry" Alejandro says joining the conversation. Ivan sends a glare his way and Jake looks between the two with the same expression I had.

"Ivan, is there something between you two that we don't know about" Jake asks and Ivan snaps his attention towards Jake.

"You of all people should remember Alejandro Chavez" Ivan responds and Jake's expression turns cold at the knowledge of this man.

"Nice to see that cheating and scamming your way to the top worked so great for you" Jake says curtly causing Alejandro to flinch.

"I'm not like that anymore so I'd appreciate it if we let the past stay in the past" he replies directing towards Jake and Ivan.

"He's right, you guys should be happy for Simone instead of throwing insults to a man who's clearly sorry for his past" I add causing them to look at me. They nod in agreement and before we know it, our food arrives. My stomach grumbles loudly causing Jake to chuckle at me.

"Someone's very hungry aren't you Amelia" Jake says with a smile and I send him a playful glare.

"Obviously, I haven't eaten all day so that I'd look good in this dress and not look like some bloated ballon" I reply causing the table to rumble in laughter.

"Trust me baby, that dress is doing you plenty of favors" he flirts with a wink causing me to giggle.

"Jake, I suggest you stop flirting with me before a certain someone over here looses their shit and ends up throwing a fork at you" I nag with a smile causing Jake to chuckle.

The rest of the night is spent with lighthearted conversations until our food is completely gone. Jake excuses himself to the restroom and I finally direct my attention towards my boyfriend. Ivan scoots closer to me before opening his mouth to tell me something.

"Mia cara, I have to go congratulate Simone again and go talk to her parents. Are you ok with staying here or would you like to come with" he whispers and I shiver slightly before shaking my head.

"It's fine, you go do whatever CEOs do and I'll wait here until you're done" I answer and he excuses himself but not before giving me a kiss. I watch his retreating figure blend in with the rest of the people and turn my attention to Alejandro, who was already staring at me.

"Is there a problem" I ask confused but also wanting him to stop staring at me.

"No problem, you just look really familiar. Are you sure we haven't met" he asks and I shake my head.

"Not before today" I respond and we fall into an awkward silence as I play with my dress to pass time. Getting fed up I attempt to strike up a conversation, much to my dismay.

"So what do you do for a living" I ask awkwardly and he looks up at me.

"Do you really want to know or are you asking just to make small talk" he asks curtly and I blush in embarrassment.

"Not really" I admit and he chuckles in amusement.

"You know, someone dear to me always said No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.   It means-" he says but not before I cut him off.

"Don't speak unless you can improve on silence" I translate and he looks at me surprised.

"Not many people know that saying" he says confused and I snap out of my daze before responding.

"My mother always said that to me whenever I would say something out of line" I admit and he nods with a smile.

"It was good to see you again Amelia" he replies and I look at him weirdly before he gets up and walks away leaving me slightly confused. I sit there for a couple of minutes trying to gather my thoughts before getting up to go find Ivan. I walk around the gala giving anyone who glanced my direction a smile while skimming the crowd for Ivan. I walk down a narrow hallway that leads to a garden and hide behind a corner when I hear talking.

"You really left me for some middle classed nobody who's probably sleeping her way towards a better job" I hear a feminine voice whisper shout angrily.

"She's not using me if that's what you're implying and isn't that what you did to get where you are now" Ivan snaps back with equal anger.

"I had to in order to get the praise I deserve and plus why not" the voice which I assume is Simone's replies.

"I don't see why me being with Amelia is such a big problem to you even though we're not together" he replies frustrated.

"Just because we're not together doesn't mean I don't want you" she says suggestively and I take the time to step out from my hiding spot. The scene before me makes my heart stop as Simone is chest to chest with Ivan while gripping his arm. I clear my voice as both snap their attention towards me and I walk towards Ivan.

"Are we ready to go or was I interrupting something important" I ask innocently and Ivan looks back at Simone before shaking his head.

"We can go now if you'd like mia cara" he tells me nervously and I nod before walking away not waiting for Ivan. I push through the crowd of people as I make my way towards the front with Ivan hot on my heel. As I got to the front entrance, a hand grips my hand and pushes me up against the wall.

"Mia cara, what's your problem" he asks me frustrated and my blood boils in anger.

"You told me you were going to go talk to Simone's parents, not to go discuss your past relationship with Simone while I sat with some creep wondering where you were" I shout in his face before escaping his grasp and walking out the door. I hide my face as the reporters bombard me with questions and quickly slide into the limo, creating as much distance as possible between us. The door slams shut and Ivan scoots closer making me push myself as close to the door as possible.

"I don't see the problem here, nothing happened between us" he defends himself heatedly and I roll my eyes.

"The problem is you lying to my face to go talk it up with your past lover who obviously still has feelings for you. What would've happened if I hadn't walked in when I did" I snap at him annoyed and he sits their shocked at my outburst.

"Nothing would've happened Amelia, I wouldn't have allowed it" he replies softly and I shake my head.

"Nothing can stop a woman determined to claim a man and Simone is no different" I mutter insecurely. There was no doubt that Simone could take Ivan from me whenever she wanted and that frightened me to the extreme.

He goes to touch my arm and I move away not wanting to be near him right now. We sit in a tense silence for around ten minutes until we pull up to my apartment. Opening the door, I slam it shut without saying goodbye and run to my apartment. Slamming the front door shut, I slide down it and curl my knees into my chest while letting out a sob. For the first time in a long time, I felt utterly alone. I sit their and cry for who knows how long until I muster enough energy to get up and walk to my room. Throwing my things on the bed, I strip off from my dress and walk into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Stepping in, I let the hot water pelt my back as my mind is clouded with thoughts of the gala, Simone and Ivan. I remember the conversation I had with Alejandro and the weirdness of the situation. There was no doubt that he knew who I was and that thought alone sent an unpleasant shiver down my spine.

I got out of the shower once my skin was wrinkled and wrap a towel around my wet body. Walking into my closet, I grab a pair of undergarments and a nightgown, quickly putting it on. I towel dry my wet hair before throwing it up in a bun. Laying down on my bed, I put my phone in the charger before looking at the one notification.

I'm sorry.
I.S

I cracked a sad smile before setting my phone down and welcoming a peaceful slumber.

------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 23 complete! Thank you guys for sticking around so long even though I update so slow. I've had to get up at 6am every morning for work since winter break started and I'm so exhausted. Nevertheless, it's still no excuse to not update and I apologize. Make sure you vote,comment and share if you liked the chapter!!
Love y'all <3
A.O