<h4>Chapter 80 - ATTENDING THE BALL WITHOUT HER</h4>


    Cayenne slept in the afternoon to rest her heart and mind. She didn''t want to think about the year-end party because she''d only feel disappointment and pain in her heart.


    Stefan checked his phone from time to time. She was waiting for her to send him another message but there was none. The start of the party quickly arrived and he picked Mona so that they can go together to the ball. Mona wasn''t the least bit thrilled being partnered with her boss since she''s got a boyfriend.


    "Sir, I haven''t gone to parties like this with a date?? What should I be doing beside you?"


    "You don''t need to do anything special. Just be yourself and you don''t have to stay by my side as well."


    "Okay." Mona smiled and clung to his arm to be properly escorted. When they got inside, Mona received the envious gazes of the otherdies. Some cheered for her but most of them were jealous. There were so manydies who wanted to be picked by him but she was became the chosen one.


    Stefan smiled faintly to the employees and to the other guests. He remained polite but his eyes were looking for a certain someone. He thought that she was going to attend the party separately ande home on her own as well. However, an hour had passed and he still couldn''t fine her.


    "Manager Kim, can you check the list and find if everyone''s here?"


    "Uhm, there''s no need for me to check sir. Only Ms. Ardolf is missing this year. Well, she was missingst year, too."


    "I see. Thanks for letting me know."


    Stefan was disappointed but he already had this hunch that she won''t being to the party after what happened between them. Whenever he thought that everything''s going well between them, something happens and ruin their rtionship. And most of the time, it''s because of his careless remarks.


    People chat with their friends, Stefan talked to the shareholders and other guests, Mona also talked to her colleagues and shared her experience during the preparation. Some teased her about being the next target of the boss but she only made face at them stating that she loves her boyfriend and she wouldn''t exchange him even if it''s the boss.


    When it was time to dance, Stefan danced with Mona and received a round of apuse from everyone. Jessie looked towards Manager Kim and the two of them shrugged their shoulders. ''The lovers fought.'' The two of them thought since Cayenne was not around and Stefan came with a different woman.


    After the dance, Stefan checked his phone again and it was already eight in the evening. There was no message from her at all. He sent her a message for them to have dinner together but Cayenne didn''t respond to his message. Although he attended the party, he was nning not to eat with them and instead, skip it and have dinner with her but Cayenne ignored him.


    In the apartment, Kyle woke her up to eat dinner. She went out of her room without checking her phone and joined her family to eat. They talked about their ns for Christmas and for New Year.


    "Stefan is probablying for Christmas. Probably." Cayenne told her family. If nothing happened between them, she was sure that Stefan will spend Christmas with them. After what happened, she was full of hesitations and doubts if they would still continue with their ns.


    "That would be great." Luiz responded. "Is heing on the New Year as well?"


    "I don''t think so." Cayenne mumbled softly. "Anyway, you can just tell me whatever n you have in mind."


    Her mother looked at her for few seconds but in the end, she didn''t say anything. Cayenne pretended that everything''s fine between him and Stefan. In any case, once she stops working for him, she can just tell them that they broke up. Easy.


    After eating her dinner, she went back to her room and took a shower. She changed her clothes and prepared to go back to the house and sleep with Stefan.


    "Yen?" Her mother knocked on her door and called for her name. "Can, I talk to you?"


    "Sure. Wait a sec." Cayenne stood up and opened the door for her. "Is there problem, ma?"


    "I don''t have any problem but I think you have."


    "Me? What problem can I have?"


    "Stefan."


    Cayenne stiffened and remained standing in front of her mother. She forgot to let her in. "I have no problem with him. We''re doing fine."


    "You are not. When you talked about him earlier, you don''t look happy."


    Cayenne smiled faintly at her mother. "You are thinking too much, ma. Stefan and I are doing fine. I am just tired with worktely. We''ve got so many customers and some of them were so difficult to deal with."


    "I see. I was just worried for you." Her mother took her hand and squeezed it gently. "If you have any problem, just let me know."


    "Thanks, ma." Cayenne responded. "Anyway, I''ve got to leave for my part-time job."


    "Okay. Take care of yourself."


    "Hn."


    Cayenne checked the clock on her bedside table and found that it was few minutes past nine in the evening. She didn''t want to call the taxi driver thiste in the night so, she walked to the waiting station and hailed anther taxi to send her back to the subdivision. And because the driver wasn''t registered in the system, Cayenne had to walk from the main gate of the subdivision to their house.


    Stefan stood in the middle of the living room with a dark face. He expected her to be home in this hour but she was nowhere to be found. "Did she go back to their apartment?" He mumbled to herself. "If she did, she would always tell me about it but this time, she did not. Did something happen to her?"


    He was just about to call her when he heard the clicking sound of the door being unlocked. And the face of the woman that he had been thinking appeared.