บท 54: Confidence and maturity

"Sabrina, you look great?" A photographer shouted as soon as she stepped out of the limousine.

"Sabrina, who is your date tonight?" Another one asked when she walked alone along the red carpet.

Edward was supposed to escort her tonight, but an emergency operation took longer than he thought. There was not much time for him to pick her up. They decided to meet instead at the gala.

"Sabrina, look over here." She paused in the middle to pose in front of the camera where every guest was expected to flaunt their beautiful gowns.

"Sabrina…" Several reporters just in front of her tried to catch her attention. Just like the other times, she just smiled and remained silent.

"Sabrina, did you know that Mayor Bradley De Luca would be attending the fundraising tonight?" She was already expecting that question since she was already briefed by Jessica and her staff that he was coming to the event.

She would not know how to feel about it since it had been a year of no communication between them ever since that incident at the hotel. That day she decided to end her relationship with him, she had blocked all their memories and suppressed her feelings for him.

Seeing him again would be a bit unnerving because she had no idea what to expect. Also, Brad would be accompanied by his wife, Johanna. Until now, she had not heard anything about her reaction to the news. She had kept her quiet and remained at her husband's side throughout the ordeal.

"Sabrina…" Her name kept repeating with the same questions, which she had to learn a long time ago to ignore. After the picture taking, she smiled for the last time to the press and walked straight towards the entrance.

Inside, just like any grand celebration, every detail looked impeccable. Societies elite, political figures, celebrities, meaning all that had something to say in the community were present in this momentous occasion.

She spotted her sister, Marge walking towards her, accompanied by Alex who both look dashing in their tux and evening wear.

"I thought the party would be over before you arrived." Her sister teased her, making her smirk at her.

"It just took a while for Jessica to finish her pep talk." She reasoned before greeting Alex. "Hi, I'm glad you were able to attend."

"I'm looking forward to spending more time with your sister, other than at work," Alex said to her, which earned him a small jab in the ribs from Marge. We all ended up laughing at that little stunt of his.

He noticed that his father was talking to the director of the hospital. She just could not remember his name. The whole family was here to support George and the kids who needed their help.

"Does Dad know that Brad is coming tonight?" She asked Marge.

Marge looked at her sympathetically. "Yes, I told him. Don't worry about him. How about you? Are you ready to see him again?"

Until now, she could not guarantee that things would be great once she saw Brad again. She had to wait and see until she came face to face with him again. That would be the true test of her remaining feelings for him.

"I honestly don't know." She answered her sister with a slight sigh.

"Whatever happens, remember we are here for you," Marge assured her by holding her hand.

A few minutes later, she saw Edward together with his father and George walking towards them. Almost the entire ballroom was filled with the important people who were supporting their cause for the reason of helping or simply because of their agenda.

Whatever it was, she was happy that the kids would benefit from it. Her job was done.

"Hi, Dad." She greeted him, examining him for any signs of distress.

"You all look lovely tonight," Enrico told his daughters. Nothing but pride and happiness could be seen in his expression. "You did a great job George in organizing this event."

"I could not have done this without the help of Sab and Marge." Georgina acknowledged the help that her two siblings contributed to the success of the charity event.

On her side, Edward whispered to her, "You do look stunning, Sabrina." As he grabbed a hold of her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles.

"Thanks, you don't look bad yourself." She good-humoredly said.

She noticed that George was fidgeting with her hands as she started looking around. It was a telltale sign that she was a bit nervous. "Are you ok?" She asked in a low voice as she moved closer to her.

"You know how I hate speaking on a big crowd," George murmured anxiously. She might be an excellent surgeon and full of confidence in front of a heart, but she might have a cardiac arrest with the way her heart was beating in front of a large crowd.

"Just picture yourself in a large operating room with you holding your scalpel, slicing a heart, and drops of blood splattered everywhere." She imitated a heart symbol with her hands and made an explosive sound to symbolize the heart shattering into pieces.

"That's such a gruesome image, but I think that should work." George laughed with her, which lessened the nervousness she felt.

A few people came by to their group to chat with them and congratulate George for the effort she made to the improvement in the health care system. Until the moderator of the event gathered the attention of everyone that the program was about to start.

She also turned her gaze to the stage to watch the unveiling of the projects that the fundraising was planning to do with the money raised tonight.

"Let's welcome our Head of this fundraising event, Dr. Georgina Sanders." The host introduced her sister who immediately took the center stage.

"Hi, to everyone. Well, you have to forgive me, but I would rather be stuck on a twenty-four operation rather than to stand up here in front of you right now." George began her speech, which earned her a series of laughter from the mass of people gathered around the floor of the ballroom.

"Many questioned why the Pediatric Department. Recently, I had a patient. A kid, who had so much potential. He was not diagnosed until his condition was in the critical stage. He ended up needing a heart transplant. However, despite all efforts, he died of complications.

The youth, kids like him, deserved a chance to live longer. They are the future leaders, doctors, lawyers, and even entertainers of the next generation.

If we could find ways to improve our health care programs, should not we do something about it now, while we still can? With your help, it would be worth a try." That earned her another set of applause and approval.

"Anyway, just want to thank everyone for participating in the activities and to our generous donors who willingly or unwillingly contributed to our project." She was certainly working for the crowd. "For those who still want to help, our doors are always open." She finally finished.

Despite her apprehension, George was able to deliver her speech and sent the message across with flying colors. She was just thankful that she did not stutter or made a huge blunder in front of everyone. Compared to Marge and Sabrina, she considered public speaking, one of her weaknesses.

"Congratulation, Sis!" She hugged George as soon as she came back to their group. "Great speech."

"I felt like my chest was about to explode," George admitted. "Thanks for your advice."

The host finally diverted everyone to the next part of the program. The quartet of jazz musicians started playing their piece as some gathered on the dance floor for some lively dancing. The rest mingled around to talk about politics, business, and some gossips on the side.

Whispers that she noticed were directed at her. When she turned around, her eyes caught a glimpse of him. Mayor Bradley De Luca just walked in with his wife in his arms. They had not seen her yet as they were surrounded by people wanting his attention.

She felt a tinge of anxiety, which could be attributed to many possible things. One thing was for sure, his presence had something to do with it. She decided to fight it and remember Jessica's words. To never allow him to control her life again.

Brad was a part of her past that should not bother her anymore. If fate should allow that their path should cross, which was very likely, then she would deal with it with accordingly with confidence and maturity. Besides, she was sure that the last thing the couple would want is another scandal.