Chapter 2 I THOUGHT YOU LOVED HIM

Cindy and Christian at Golden College; Cindy and Christian, known as the poorest twins in Golden College, walked through the campus. The college was famous for its wealthy students, and everyone bragged about their family's fortune. Chris, Christian's nickname, caught up with Zayne, the richest student in the college. Zayne was like a king, respected by everyone, including the lecturers. His friendship with Chris raised eyebrows, as Zayne's status was far beyond Chris's.

Cindy glared at Christian, unhappy about his friendship with Zayne. She didn't associate with rich students, and Zayne's crowd was no exception.

"Am I supposed to follow you around?" Cindy asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, go," Christian replied, as Zayne and his friends approached.

Zayne hugged Christian, who pushed him away. "Greet me like a guy, not a gay mist," Christian joked.

Cindy walked away, leaving the group behind. Zayne's friend, Mark, whispered something to him, and Zayne's expression turned serious.

"Seriously, stop that," Zayne warned Mark. "Have you forgotten how Chris saved us from getting arrested? He saved your family's name!"

Mark nodded, and Zayne walked away, followed by Alex. Mark clenched his fist, unhappy about Zayne's behavior.

Getting to Class, Cindy looked around, relieved that the lecturer wasn't there yet. Her eyes met a beautiful face, but she ignored it instantly. Moana, Christian's crush, was someone Cindy disliked intensely.

*****

Moana and her friends blocked Cindy's path. "You disrespected me, and I won't let it slide," Moana sneered.

Cindy stood her ground. "I didn't disrespect you. You're just looking for trouble."

Moana slapped Cindy, who tried to fight back. Christian and Zayne intervened, stopping the fight.

"What's going on here?" a lecturer asked, approaching the group.

Moana glared at Cindy. "She disrespected me."

Zayne stepped forward. "That's not true. Moana started it."

The lecturer looked at Moana, who stormed off with her friends.

Christian watched Cindy, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Cindy nodded, still fuming. "I'm fine."

Zayne approached Cindy. "Hey, you can have my jacket."

Cindy looked at him warily. "What do you want from me?"

Zayne smirked. "Just wanna help."

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Really, or do you want sex?"

Zayne's expression turned serious. "You really think I'd support you for that?"

Cindy shrugged. "Yes, I do."

Zayne wrapped his jacket around Cindy's shoulders. "I don't have to do this if I really wanted that. Yes, I'm a bad boy, but not everytime ".

She sneered.

Back at the Restaurant*

Giulia's eyes widened in shock as Richard dropped to one knee, a small box open in his hand. The restaurant around them melted away, leaving only the two of them.

"Giulia, from the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for me. Will you marry me?" Richard asked, his voice filled with emotion.

Giulia's mind racing, a voice inside her screaming "no". She felt like she was living in a dream, a dream that was quickly turning into a nightmare.

She looked around the restaurant, everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her response. She felt trapped, like she had no choice but to say yes.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it, not yet. She needed a moment to think, to process what was happening.

"Richard, can I...can I have a minute?" Giulia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Richard's face fell, but he nodded. "Of course, Lia. Take all the time you need."

Giulia took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She looked at Richard, at the ring in the box, and knew she had to make a decision.

But as she looked into Richard's eyes, she saw the hope and excitement there, and she knew she couldn't crush him. Not here, not now.

"Yes..."She said and he immediately slipped the ring into her ring finger.

Richard smiled and she faked it back.

"Richard, I...I need to tell you something," Giulia said finally, her voice cracking with emotion.

"What is it?" Richard asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Giulia hesitated, unsure of how to break the news. "I am not ready for this"Sm she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

Richard's face fell, but he tried to reassure her.

Giulia felt a surge of frustration. Didn't Richard understand? She didn't want to be taken care of - she wanted to be independent, to have her own career.

"Richard, please listen to me," she said, trying to keep her cool. "I need some time to think. Can we talk about this?"

He held hands with her and together they left the restaurant.

Mr Jones swallowed his anger,he had never thought Giulia would be dating a famous business man like Richard.

His loss.

His workers laughing secretly and murmuring.

"Get back to work please "He gritted and they all rushed to their position.

"Really,Lia left like that"One of them whispered.

"I almost thought she's in love with Jude,so she has a boyfriend "A guy whispered.

"Jude isn't here today else poor guy would be heartbroken ".

They all faced their work taking orders and serving customers.

"Millan Mansion"

Liliana sat in her room, her eyes fixed on the TV screen as the news anchor spoke. "Breaking news: Richard Millan, billionaire and CEO of Millan Industries, proposes to his girlfriend, Giulia, in a romantic gesture at a local restaurant."

Liliana's eyes widened in shock as the video footage of the proposal played on the screen. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her son, proposing to a waitress? It was unacceptable.

Just then, the door to her room burst open, and Sylvia walked in, a smug look on her face. "Liliana, are you satisfied now?" Sylvia asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "He proposed to that...that...waitress in a restaurant, of all places."

Liliana's face fell, and she felt a wave of shame wash over her. How could Richard do this to her? To their family?

"Richard is the pride of this family," Sylvia continued, her voice rising. "Did he realize what this would lead to? The shame, the embarrassment, the loss of reputation?"

Liliana shook her head, trying to process what was happening. She had always known that Richard was stubborn, but this was too much.

"I just hope your brother doesn't lose his company and everything he built because of your foolishness," Sylvia spat, her eyes flashing with anger.

Liliana felt a surge of anger at Sylvia's words, but she knew she couldn't defend herself. Not now, not when Richard had made such a foolish mistake.

"You should have stopped him, Liliana," Sylvia continued, her voice relentless. "You should have taught him better. Now, look what's happened."

Liliana felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as Sylvia's words cut deep. She knew she had failed as a mother, and now, her son was paying the price.

"I'm sorry, Sylvia," Liliana whispered, her voice barely audible.

Sylvia's expression softened slightly, but her eyes still flashed with anger. "You should be sorry, Liliana. You should be very sorry."

With that, Sylvia turned and stormed out of the room, leaving Liliana alone to contemplate her son's foolish mistake.

Liliana sat in stunned silence, the TV still playing in the background. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her son, proposing to a waitress? It was unacceptable.

She thought back to all the times she had warned Richard about Giulia. She had told him that Giulia was not good enough for him, that she was beneath him. But Richard had never listened.

Liliana's mind was racing with thoughts of what this meant for their family. The shame, the embarrassment, the loss of reputation. She knew that their family's reputation was at stake, and she couldn't let that happen.

Just then, Liliana's phone rang. It was her brother, calling to discuss the situation. Liliana answered, trying to compose herself.

"Liliana, have you seen the news?" her brother asked, his voice stern.

"Yes, I have," Liliana replied, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"This is a disaster," her brother said. "We need to do something to fix this."

"I know," Liliana said, feeling a sense of desperation. "But what can we do?"

"We need to talk to Richard," her brother said. "We need to make him see sense."

Liliana nodded, even though her brother couldn't see her. "I'll talk to him," she said.

But as she hung up the phone, Liliana couldn't shake the feeling that it was already too late. But she's not giving up either.

Liliana sat in silence for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She knew she had to talk to Richard, to try and make him see sense. But she also knew that Richard could be stubborn, and that he might not listen to her.

Just then, Liliana heard a knock at the door. It was Sylvia, who had returned with a smug look on her face.

"Liliana, I just wanted to remind you that this is all your fault," Sylvia said, her voice dripping with malice. "If you had been a better mother, Richard would never have fallen for someone like Giulia."

Liliana felt a surge of anger at Sylvia's words, but she tried to keep her cool. She knew that Sylvia was just trying to provoke her, and she didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"Sylvia, that's enough," Liliana said, her voice firm. "I don't need your insults right now."

Sylvia shrugged, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Suit yourself, Liliana. But mark my words, this is all going to end in disaster."

With that, Sylvia turned and walked out of the room, leaving Liliana feeling frustrated and anxious. She knew she had to talk to Richard, and fast, before things got any worse.

Sylvia walked out of Liliana's room, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. She had always known that Liliana was a weak mother, and now it was clear that Richard was paying the price for her lack of guidance.

As she walked down the hallway, Sylvia pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Jones, it's me," she said, her voice low and conspiratorial. "I just wanted to let you know that the plan is working perfectly. Liliana is frantic, and Richard is completely smitten with Giulia."

She smiled again like she won a trophy,it's victory to her.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Jones spoke up. "Excellent work, Sylvia. You're playing your part perfectly."

Sylvia smiled, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. She had always known that she was the smartest person in the room, and now she was proving it.

"I'll keep you updated on any developments," Sylvia said, her voice dripping with malice. "But for now, let's just say that Liliana is in for a world of hurt."

With that, Sylvia hung up the phone and continued down the hallway, a sly smile spreading across her face.

She knew that she was playing a dangerous game, but she was confident that she would come out on top.

"Richard's Villa"

Giulia's eyes blazed with anger as she confronted Richard. "How could you do that?" she demanded, her voice shaking with emotion. "Propose to me in a restaurant, in front of all those people, without even talking to me about it first?"

Richard held up his hands, trying to placate her. "Lia, I know it was a surprise, but I just couldn't help myself. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Giulia's anger boiled over, and she slapped him across the face. "You love me?" she repeated, her voice incredulous. "You love me, but you don't even know me. You don't know what I want, what I need. You just do whatever you want, without even thinking about how it will affect me."

Richard's face stung from the slap, but he knew he deserved it. He had been thoughtless, and he knew it.

"Lia, I'm sorry," he said, taking a step forward. "I was wrong to propose to you like that. I should have talked to you about it first, gotten your permission."

Giulia's eyes flashed with anger. "Permission?" she repeated. "You think this is about permission? This is about respect, Richard. Respect for me, for my feelings, for my boundaries."

Richard felt a pang of regret. He had been so caught up in his own feelings, his own desires, that he had forgotten about Giulia's.

"I'm sorry," he said again, taking another step forward. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it right."

Richard nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. He knew he had messed up, but he was willing to do whatever.

Giulia's eyes flashed with anger as she glared at Richard. "You think a simple apology will fix everything?" she spat. "You think you can just propose to me in front of all those people, without even asking me if I'm ready, and then just apologize and expect everything to be okay?"

Richard took a step back, feeling a sense of unease. He knew he had messed up, and he didn't know how to fix it.

"I...I didn't think," he stammered.

Giulia's expression turned cold. "No, you didn't think. You never think about anyone but yourself."

She reached out and grasped the ring on her finger, pulling it off. "I only said yes to save you from embarrassment," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I never had any intention of marrying you."

Richard's face fell, and he felt a pang of regret. He had been so blinded by his own feelings that he had never stopped to consider Giulia's feelings.

"Why?i thought you loved him?".