CHAPTER 31

“This is my first time attending such a summit like this and I’m honored to be here. My names are Ruby Moon and I am a senior student at Hillcrest University. I am also the current student council president, so I will thank the hosts on behalf of my institution.”
The crowd applauded for her and she began her speech. She had used some principles by Napoleon Hill, Jack Canfield and some from the Art of War. She had managed to mix them so well that they were coherent when she said them aloud.
She was proud of herself even without anyone telling her. She had made her speech short and precise. A long speech tends to get people bored and make them lose focus of the important factor.
Her whole speech was more focused on youths to persevere in what they want. They shouldn’t lose focus or give up especially when they find that ultimate goal they want to achieve.
Failure wasn’t an option but one should see it as a lesson and a stepping stone that will lead one to success because once you give up because of one failure then you will never be able to stand up again.
“I hope that we will get to meet again and share our experiences next time. Thank you once again,” she said and gave a bow to the crowd.
She had finished her speech and she had done it so well since she was seeing the crowd on their feet and applauding for her. Her family will be proud of her; she didn’t embarrass them after all. She walked with confidence back t her table where Clara hugged her tightly and smiled at her.
“You did great up there Ruby, I’m very proud of you,” she said as she parted from her.
“I was quite nervous, thank you for saying that,” she said as she sat down in her chair.
“I’m very sure that you just made a name for yourself now and goodness will surely follow you,” Clara told her as she joined her.
“I really hope so,” she said and looked back to the front.
“That was a great speech from Ms. Moon from Hillcrest University from the nation of Mereen, let’s give her another round of applause,” the M.C said and another round was given to her.
It was after all going to be a great day for her.
Later that night she returned to her suite where she spent a few hours video chatting with Harvey, she had not spoken to him the whole day and she really missed him so much.
She knew with this whole arranged marriage thing that had come up that things were surely going to be different but she was holding on to that glimmer of hope and praying that all will be well with her despite other people’s opinions.
The next day she had breakfast with Clara and the rest of the guests that were staying at the hotel she was staying. She had an afternoon flight which left her morning schedule empty. She decided to go around and purchase a few things before returning back home.
She found Clara talking to some fellow professors in the lounge and she approached her.
“Ma’am, I will be leaving for a while but I will be back before we leave for the airport,” she informed her.
“It’s okay, just make sure that you are not late,” she told her.
Ruby bided farewell to Clara and her colleagues and left the lounge. When she reached outside she found a taxi and instructed the taxi driver to take her to the shopping mall. The mall was full of many fascinating shops and boutiques she couldn’t help herself.
She entered one jewelry shop where she bought a couple of diamond bracelets for her mother and Helen. Even though she wasn’t on good terms with Helen, she just wanted to buy her something.
To be honest she didn’t know what to choose for Harvey, he had given her a necklace she wore all the time and she wanted him to have something that tied him to her, something that can be seen as her mark on him.
She went through some bracelets in this other shop and she found the perfect couple bracelets. They weren’t that fancy but they were simple and they took her breath away. She chose two of the bracelets and looked at the man who was selling them.
“Can I have an engraving on these two?” she asked him.
“Yes, I can help you with that,” the man replied.
“How long does it take because I don’t have a lot of time?” she asked.
“I will be done in thirty minutes. Just write down what you want me to engrave and then after thirty minutes you may come to collect,” he told her.
“That will be nice,” she said as she took the pen and paper that had been passed on to her.
She pondered for a while and then it came to her. There is this nickname she used to call Harvey back then when they were kids. It was more of a code for them and no one knew about it. As much as she loved him, she didn’t want to get caught yet.
She smiled and began to write down the name on the paper and she gave it to the man.