Beyond The Gaze: A Love Unseen

Chapter 12

Elysia's POV:

As we stepped into the brightly lit private banquet hall, the bustling crowd seemed overwhelming. A sea of unfamiliar faces turned their curious gazes toward us, making me uneasy.

"Stick to my side," Ares whispered beside me, catching me off guard.

"Huh, why?" I glanced at him, confused at his sudden demand. I honestly needed some space after what happened today in hotel and on our way here; to think for a while, away from him.

He looked surprised for a moment before clearing his throat. "It's... Um, it's because there are many me- I mean people here, unknown people, I mean, so just stay with me and don't wander around," he explained, scratching his head. It made sense, given that Knights had a prominent business presence in Spain. I nodded in agreement, adjusting to the idea of sticking by his side. It would be best to stay with him.

We mingled with various business associates of Knight Group and just as Ares said, he kept me close without leaving my side for a moment. He also somehow noticed my awkwardness around crowd and made sure to stay in the quieter corners of the room.

"Oh, look who we have here, Ares Simon Knight!" A middle aged man approached us and greeted Ares with an over friendly smile.

Ares turned to him and nodded formally. "Mr. Ashford, long time."

The man enthusiastically extended his hand and shake Ares' hand, then turned towards me, giving me a weird glance.

After exchanging pleasantries with Ares, and the man, Mr. Ashford, turned his focus to me. "And who is this young lady?" he inquired, his eyes lingering on me.

"My executive assistant, Elysia Lawson. This is Mr. John Ashford, one of our business associates," Ares introduced formally.

I was about to respond when Ares' phone rang, interrupting us. He was standing just beside me and I could see as the screen of his phone lit up with his grandpa's name. His expressions turned annoyed within a second as he excused himself, picking up the call and making his way towards the balcony. I stared at his retreating figure; even his back was stiff while walking. Did something happen with his grandpa again?

He had been receiving calls from his mother and grandpa for almost a whole week now and I heard that they even dropped by the office when he gave me a day off. Everyone was talking in the office that his grandfather gave him an earful and that there was a huge argument about something. I wonder what's the issue that made him so worked up?

"Ah, Elysia Lawson, isn't it?" A voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned towards Mr. Ashford as he suddenly stepped closer, an over friendly grin on his face. I instinctively took a step back, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Yes," I nodded barely managing a polite smile.

"Ares Simon has an eye for beautiful assistants. You sure are as pretty as the last one," he leaned in closer again, his presence invading my personal space.

"I... I need to go, Mr. Ashford. Please excuse me," I stated in a low voice, averting my gaze from his nasty stare and tried to walk past him when he blocked my way.

"Oh, come on, let's have a chat until Simon returns. After all Ashford and Knights have a strong association so you should make sure to keep good connections," he spoke as a smug smile played on his lips. His gaze lingered on me in a way that made my skin crawl.

What did this man just say?

This was the first time I faced this kind of situation since I started working with Ares. The business partners of Knights were mostly nice and educated people with prestigious background. I didn't encounter this kind of s***bag the whole time working as his executive assistant in the past month.