An Unpleasant Encounter – Part 2

When they got back to the holiday house, Sakura noticed there was a lot of hustle and bustle with staff from the hotel everywhere, going about their jobs setting up the place and preparing the meal for this evening. So tonight, the Princetons decided to get the staff to do some of the work, eh? Well, of course they needed professionals since it was going to be an open party and not just a family affair like the night before.

Watching them working side by side with their staff made her smile. The fact that they were so down to earth only made her grow fonder of them. Other young people their age who were born with a silver spoons in their mouths like them, who were privileged with billions of dollars in their bank accounts, would have snobbishly ordered the staff about. But not the Princeton brothers. These men got down on their hands and knees and worked alongside their staff, which was an admirable thing indeed.

She and Michael were about to enter the house when Sebastian waved at them from across the garden. Noting his enthusiastic greeting, Sakura waved back with a grin on her face.

In the living room, Sakura joined Daddy James, Mom Brenda, Haruka, Mary, and Katherine, who were enjoying their afternoon tea. Michael, on the other hand, went off with his dad.

Sakura noted an assortment of savories, such as club sandwiches, fruit slices, and cupcakes on offer on the table. She came to sit between Haruka and Katherine. Mary was, of course, very busy telling Haruka tales of their childhood. Katherine occasionally added details of their misadventures.

“I see you two have been telling my mother lies about me,” Sakura told her friends.

Mary chuckled. “Yep. All of it. The naughtiest things you ever did when you were a kid.”

Katherine nodded in agreement.

While Sakura munched on a club sandwich, she listened to her friends telling her biological mother of their misadventures. An hour later, Akira and Jane emerged from upstairs, already dolled up in pretty cocktail dresses. Akira had on a black one that enhanced her model figure to perfection, while Jane wore a light pink one that showed off her well-endowed chest.

“Sakura,” Akira said. “Aren’t you going to get ready? The guests will be here soon.”

“I’ll do that in a moment,” Sakura replied.

Mary said, “That means I have to go and get ready, too. Although, no matter what I put on, I will still look like a balloon.” She even laughed at her own joke.

A few moments later, they all parted ways to get ready.

In her room, Sakura went through her luggage, looking for something summery and elegant to wear. But of course, her wardrobe wasn’t as tasteful or as expensive as Akira’s, so she would just have to settle on a floral maxi dress. She’d complete the outfit with a pair of sandals, along with wearing her long hair down. Of course, she’d probably end up looking like some hippy girl from the seventies, but she didn’t mind that. It was some half an hour later when she was ready. The shower had cooled her skin and lightened her mood, and her meeting with the strange man had all but fled her mind.

Smiling, she headed downstairs. She couldn’t wait to devour some food, as she was hungry even after she’d had the club sandwich half an hour ago.

She was just heading across the hallway when she heard loud noises. It sounded as though people were arguing, and one of them, if she wasn’t mistaken, was Daddy James. She frowned, wondering who he could be talking to. Or rather, having an argument with.

Thinking it wasn’t any of her business, aside from the fact that she shouldn’t be eavesdropping on her adoptive father, she sped up her pace, intending to be gone as soon as possible. But of course, she couldn’t get away before the door abruptly opened.

Sakura gasped as a female figure appeared in front of her as if out of the blue, nearly running her over. She hastily took a couple of steps back and out of the way to avoid any collision. When she regained her composure, she realized the woman was Alaina.

Sakura stood there and just stared, because she didn’t know what to say to the woman. She was more than a little shocked and surprised, to say the least. Of course, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen Alaina since she’d left St. Joseph Island after Mary and Peter’s wedding, and then that horrible incident at the beach a year ago. There had been a few times when she had seen Alaina in New York City, and especially at Mr. Tachibana’s show at the Princeton Hotel, where she’d been mistaken for the Japanese supermodel Sakura Taito.

Because of the trauma from her childhood, Sakura found that every time she saw either Alaina or Tara, she reacted by becoming tense. She’d hold her breath while she stood in a sort of defensive stance, waiting for any sort of verbal assault to come her way. Despite the fact that she knew she could stand her ground and give back as good as she had gotten, the years of abuse and bullying, which caused pain and trauma, had really damaged her self-confidence. This made her react the way she did when she saw her tormentors. It was instinct used for self-defense in a way.

Alaina glared at her for a moment. Sakura understood the meaning behind that stare well. After all, she had been on the receiving end of it throughout her childhood. Then, without a word, the woman turned on her heel and walked away.

Sakura sighed with relief that there were no sarcastic or hateful comments from her adoptive sister.

A moment later, Daddy James came out, which surprised Sakura.

The man noted her pale face and asked, “Did you see Alaina?”

Sakura mutely nodded.

James came to wrap his arms around her shoulders and said, “Don’t let it bother you. Now, come on. Let’s join the others and have fun.”

Sakura nodded, and the pair headed downstairs together.

The night was once again full of noise, chatter, laughter, alcohol, and food. Not only was there delicious catering from the hotel, but there was also barbequed food as well, with the head chef from the hotel performing tricks while he cooked, which drew a lot of attention.

As she and James came out into the back garden, music, laughter, and chatter greeted them. To be sure, tonight was even louder and more entertaining than last night. This was indeed a real party. Sakura guessed there were probably two hundred people crowding the lawn at the moment, and most of them were strangers. She assumed they were Mr. Tachibana and her biological mother’s staff and some higher-up patrons, business partners, and acquaintances.

Throughout the night, Sakura kept close to her family and friends. Of course, she wasn’t able to spend any time with either Sebastian or Darcy because the two, along with their brothers, were constantly surrounded by hordes of young females. In fact, by ten o’clock that night, the brothers were still trapped by their admirers and couldn’t seem to get away. They were even pressed to join the disco when it started. Although they were reluctant at first, they eventually started to enjoy themselves. Well, it was mostly Tristan and Logan who were enjoying themselves, tremendously. At the moment, they were doing a Hawaiian dance along with the hula girls, shaking their hips and swaying their hands like pros.

It was half past ten when Sakura yawned and told everyone she was retiring for the night. After all, she had an early start tomorrow morning, and she couldn’t afford to be tired and not do her best. Mr. Tachibana, and everyone else, was depending on her to perform well.

“Good night,” Mary and Katherine said to her.

“Good night,” Sakura said, and then escaped to her room where she changed into her comfortable pajamas and slipped into bed.