Chapter 16: The Party

Gwen still couldn’t believe that it was already the night of the party. As she put some make up on, her hand shook with nervousness. She thought about taking Stephanie with her for moral support, but her friend said it would be weird to be there, since it was a company party.
“How am I going to deal with all this alone?” she asked when Stephanie rejected her suggestion. “I’ll probably be alone there most of the time, having to bear everyone looking at me like I’m some gold digger.”
And that was exactly what happened.
She agreed to let Cody go with Finn, since it would be weird if she appeared with a kid by her side since no one else was going to bring children to the party.
Finn didn’t have a plan for his announcement, so he simply said he was going to bring Cody with him and introduce him as his son to everyone while walking around the hall.
Of course people asked who the mother was, since Finn wasn’t married. Gwen heard a few comments about the kid not being Vivienne’s son, which made her want to puke.
What if Finn really married that woman? She was going to be Cody’s stepmother. Just the thought of that made Gwen’s stomach clench.
When people asked Finn that question, he turned to point at her. She was standing behind him, like some escort or something. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her entire life.
Of course people would treat her nicely in front of him; after all, he was the CEO. But she wasn’t deaf or blind. She could hear and see the murmurs, the buzz, the glances at her.
She knew everyone was going to look at her that way, and she even thought she would be able to handle it, but she was wrong. She wasn't.
Gwen was doing this for her son and her son alone. That’s what it took to be a mother. Sacrificing herself for the happiness of her son.
And then she saw Vivienne. She was among a group of friends, all of them incredibly beautiful, rich and laughing forcefully like they had to impress someone.
The woman was incredibly beautiful with a golden dress, which only made Gwen feel more like an outsider. She did not belong here, in this world. Maybe, at the time she was with Finn, she thought that she could get used to it, but she couldn’t.
The glances thrown at her psychically hurt. Then she saw Vivienne whisper something to her friends, and all of them turned to look at Gwen like she was an animal behind bars in a zoo.
She gulped and looked away, but could still feel her skin burning with the stares. How long would she have to bear that?
Finn was unaware of what was happening to her, or at least, that’s what it seemed to her, because he was delighted by showing everyone how beautiful and well-mannered his son was. He did included Gwen in every conversation, but she was the problem. She didn’t want to be there, she didn’t want him trying so bad to make her a part of that environment.
Why did she have to come anyway? Cody was with his father, and apparently, enjoying every moment of it. He was a very social kid - although a bit shy sometimes - but having everyone complimenting him kind of distracted the little boy, so he wouldn’t even notice if Gwen wasn’t there.
She decided to grab something to drink, because if she was going to be there for a long time, at least she had to have some alcohol to help.
Stepping away for a few minutes, Gwen left Cody with Finn and went to find some champagne. And by doing that, she didn’t notice Finn scolding some of the employees that were talking about her.
He was aware of her discomfort. He wasn’t a cold, indifferent man. He knew how uncomfortable she was. But they had to go through that. If the press and the others found out about Cody without an announcement, the harassment would be much worse. He had a lot of experience with that, so it was better to simply rip off the band-aid at once.
“Come on, who would believe that a woman would show up with a kid for anything but money? He’s a billionaire,” he heard a woman saying next to him. She and her friends weren't aware that he was there, so her little group kept talking.
“Absolutely. I mean, I’m a man and I know that women are not that innocent. Did they even order a DNA test? I know the kid kind of looks like him, but she could try anything to put her hands on his money,” the man concluded, and by the time he stopped talking, Finn was already by their side.
“If I hear something even close to this again, you’re all fired,” he said in a low voice, which sounded even more intimidating. His eyes were on fire, like he could burn all of them just with his glare. “And you better tell that to everyone else, if they don’t want to end up without a job and recommendations.”
Finn turned his back on them, making some mental notes of the names of those who had insulted Gwen. He wouldn’t allow that, even though he knew it was very hard to control people’s mouths.
But he was the CEO and he would use his power to protect her reputation. After all, it was all lies. He was sure of that. Gwen wasn’t that type of woman, and no one could tell him otherwise.
“If you hear anyone saying bad things about Gwen or Cody, let me know. They’ll get sacked immediately, with no mercy,” he told Melanie, who was by his side.
He looked around trying to find Gwen who had disappeared all of a sudden. Was everything okay with her? He didn’t want her to have another anxiety crisis. And if she did, he wanted to be there for her.
But she was now coming back, with a glass full of champagne in one hand, and another on the other hand, being emptied as she came towards him.
“You might want to take it easy with that. This is quite strong,” he advised her as she got closer, but she simply shook her head.
One thing that didn’t cross Gwen’s mind before was that some of the guests were also from Finn’s family. Of course he would invite them. He was going to introduce Cody. How did she not think about that?
And when she was putting the pieces together, a horrifying realization dawned on her, but it was already too late.
An older woman, though still incredibly beautiful, hugged Finn with an enormous smile. Just as fake as her, Gwen thought. The woman was wearing an expensive dress and a lot of jewels. She looked like a very powerful crime boss. And maybe she was.
“Gwen, this is my mother, Mrs. Lane,” Finn introduced her, and only then Gwen realized that they were all looking at her, waiting for an answer.
The woman was looking at her with the most terrifying smile on her face, something that gave Gwen goosebumps.
“Good evening, Mrs. Lane,” Gwen replied, still staring at the woman’s eyes. They were the same as Finn’s. Unfortunately. “Long time,” she murmured, with her voice failing a bit.
Finn glanced at them, puzzled.
“Ah, so you’re Cody’s mother? You’re very beautiful like they said. But I think Cody does take after his father after all,” Mrs. Lance said, ignoring the fact that Gwen hinted that they knew each other.
Gwen could sense the poison in her words and she couldn’t hold her tongue.
“Good thing he took after his father,” she said, insinuating that at least Cody didn’t take after his grandmother. “You all will have to excuse me,” Gwen said to those around with clenched teeth. “Suddenly the air is a bit heavy.”
Gwen turned her back on them, leaving Cody behind with Finn. She wasn’t ready to be in front of that woman. All her fears and old memories were punching her brain like some kind of torture.
She rushed outside and searched for an empty place without anyone around. She went to the back of the garden, and found some peace at last. Her hands were shaking, her heart beating like crazy and she was barely able to stand still.
A few minutes later though, Gwen felt a hand grab her arm roughly and turned her, putting them face to face.
It was Finn. And he didn’t seem happy.
“What the hell was that? Why were you rude to my mother?”