Chapter 5: The Party

Cynthia had been counting down the days to this party, feeling her excitement build with every passing moment. She had always been a massive admirer of the Fernandez family's business prowess and couldn't wait to meet them in person. 

As she made her way towards the venue, her heart was pounding so hard that she could feel it in her throat. 

She was nervous, more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life. She tried to shake off her anxiety, telling herself that everything would be fine.

But as soon as she entered the party, her fears evaporated like dewdrops in the morning sun. The atmosphere was electric, with the air buzzing with laughter and conversation. 

Cynthia spotted a group of people gathered in a corner, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized that they were some of the top business moguls in the country. 

She couldn't believe that she was actually in the same room as them. She could feel her palms becoming clammy, her heart beating faster than ever before.

Summoning up all her courage, Cynthia approached the group and introduced herself, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of these important people. 

To her immense relief, one of the family members, a woman named Maria, greeted her with a warm smile and struck up a conversation. 

Cynthia was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with someone so successful and respected in the business world. 

She couldn't believe that she was actually conversing with one of the most powerful people in the industry.

As the party continued, Cynthia's phone rang, jolting her out of her dreamlike state. She looked at the screen and saw that it was President Adams calling. 

She answered the call with a huge smile on her face, eager to share her excitement with him. “Hi president Adams,” she spoke cheerfully with no idea of what was coming.

But her smile soon turned into a frown as she listened to what he had to say.

 "This is the last time of our cooperation together, Cynthia. It's our last contract together," he said in a flat tone.

Cynthia's heart plummeted, her stomach turning to ice. She knew what this meant for her business - a devastating blow that would be almost impossible to recover from. 

She begged the President to reconsider, her voice shaking with emotion, “What went wrong president Adams? We could talk about it and sort ourselves out,” she pleaded,  but he terminated the call without a second thought. 

Cynthia was left standing there, feeling utterly alone and desolate. She felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her feet.

Feeling too upset to stay idol at the party any longer, Cynthia stood up and started to walk to Jonah, her mind racing with thoughts of what she was going to do next. 

She knew that this setback was a test of her strength and resilience, and she was determined to rise to the challenge, no matter how difficult it may be.

Jonah noticed the distress on Cynthia's face and gently squeezed her hand as soon as she came towards him. .

 "Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll figure something out," he said reassuringly.

“I just can’t help it. What are we going to figure out?” Cynthia asked him with sadness written all over her face. 

“The Fernandez family deal is still there, we just have to hope it works out which I am sure it would,” Jonah replied. 

Cynthia appreciated Jonah's attempt to comfort her, but her mind was racing with worry. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

Meanwhile, Gibson had made up his mind to leave the party. He felt suffocated by the crowd and the blaring music and it seemed he didn’t want to stay any longer. 

“Hi Lina, I think I should be going, thanks for everything.” 

Gibson hugged her as soon as he finished talking and then turned to go. 

Lina’s grip on him tightened as she didn’t want him to go. 

“I am sorry Lina but I have to go. I appreciate everything you did for me today,” he replied her. 

 Lina pleaded with him to stay, but he was firm in his decision. "I'm sorry, Lina. I just can't stay here any longer," he said, his voice heavy with disappointment.

Lina watched helplessly as Gibson walked away, wondering what had gone wrong. 

She couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger towards Cynthia, whose company was among the companies selling for partnership.

 "Is it because of all the insults and abuse she and her man rained on Gibson earlier today?" she thought, her mind racing with suspicion.

“It must be that, it must surely be the reason he left the party,” 

Lina rushed to her office and scanned through her list of business partners. 

When she saw Cynthia's company name, she felt a surge of anger. She could not stand working with someone like her. 

Without a second thought, she took out a pen and crossed Cynthia's name off the list before passing it back to her secretary.

Meanwhile, at the party, Jonah was now ranting about Gibson. "That guy has no class, I tell you. Who does he think he is?" he said, his tone laced with disdain.

He felt that Gibson and Lina were still outside the gate and were probably not allowed to enter. 

Cynthia was growing increasingly agitated. "Please, Jonah. Can we just drop this?" she said, her voice tinged with frustration.

Just then, the list of business partners was then announced. Cynthia's heart sank as she listened intently, hoping against hope that her company would be on the list. 

But when the announcer read out the final name, Cynthia felt like the ground had been ripped out from under her feet. Her company was not on the list.

She could feel her face turn pale with shock and disappointment. "I can't believe this is happening," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. 

"What am I going to do now?" she asked Jonah, desperation creeping into her voice.