Flashes of light scattered around him as Dominic stepped out of his car with a smile, or was it a baffled look on his face? He couldn't tell.
"He is here!" a lady in a pencil skirt screamed as she came running towards him with a microphone in her hands. Others followed suit too, and Dominic couldn't help the startled look that took hold of his face.
"Geez, this is too much." He mumbled under his lips before he was whisked away by a feminine hand.
"Wait, do I smell the air of love?" One of the news reporters stated as he signaled his cameraman to the angle he wanted. "Angelina, a renowned philanthropist and multi billionaire business icon, just held Dominic the courageous superhero's hands as they both walked to the Charity Event hosted to help the poor and orphanages in the country. The..."
The voice of the news reporters around died down as Dominic and Angelina went into the Charity hall.
Angelina took her hands off Dominic before leaving.
"Wait!" Dominic spoke, making Angelina stop in her stride.
Letting out a huge sigh, Angelina spoke first, stopping Dominic's next words.
"I came out of my car and saw how you froze. I recognized you from TV, so I decided to help. Being famous all of a sudden can be draining." She said but stopped again.
"You don't need to thank me. You'll get the hang of things." she added before walking off.
Lost in his thoughts, Dominic's eyes widened at the lady in front. What! his inner mind screamed at him. That's Angelina, a well-known business guru and philanthropist? She's here, and she spoke to me?... what?
Unable to look her in the eyes, Dominic kept his eyes away from her as she spoke until she left.
Letting out a huge sigh he didn't know he was holding, Dominic held his chest. Everything is overwhelming for him. He almost wished he hadn't...
Shaking his head profusely, he knows this is a domino effect on him.
The voice of the host drew him in as he mingled found a corner to hide himself in as he listened to the host.
Hours, it seemed for Dominic as he listened and watched from his corner how people chatted away. And for some reason, he felt awkward being in the same room with them.
Sighing deeply, he moved an inch but collided with...
"What the heck! Watch your step." a lady screamed while cleaning off the little spill of champagne on her dress. "Are you..." Swallowing the words in her lungs, she let out a smile, "Oh, it is you. You are the one that saved those people, right?" she said seductively and almost touched Dominic's suit, but another presence graced them.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm." a familiar voice cracked her voice. "He is with me, please get your hands off him." Angelina's voice rang beside Dominic.
Shying away, the lady walked off with an embarrassed huff.
"Being in the spotlight must be suffocating, especially now that financially, you have added value." Angelina said before sipping on her champagne.
Swallowing hard on his spit, Dominic decided to speak, but his voice was lost, but his thought wasn't. She's here again. Is she spying on me? How come she's always there to help...
"You seem like you have a lot on your mind, but you never speak. Are you okay?" Angelina asked in concern.
Breathing hastily in his head, Dominic held his chest. Angelina cares about me? I can't believe this! I feel like I am going to faint. He said hastily under his breath.
"Are you going to faint?" Angelina asked with a chuckle.
"How did you hear me speak?" Dominic said, and this time his voice was heard though it was straining.
"If I were to scare you, I'd say I read your mind, but... Hehe, your whole body composure says it all." Angelina said with a smile.
"You must be an introvert. The way you move away from people says a lot and how you get shocked easily. Seems to me like something traumatic." Angelina said with a serious face.
Holding on his chest, Dominic sighed before letting out a puff.
"Let's get out of here." Angelina said before carefully leading Dominic to an open door, which led to a garden.
"I have been here a lot. This is where the Charity Event is always hosted, and I don't like missing out. I have a safe place around the garden where we can sit. Follow me." she said as she led him on.
Getting to part of the garden, Angelina sat on the ground, and so did Dominic.
"I became a philanthropist to help people who have a traumatic childhood or adulthood. It is my way of giving back to the world. You know, I can feel people's pain like it was mine and... and it is always so traumatic for me. When I saw you on TV and knowing that you willingly put your life on the line to help the girl and many others who were later found in the abducted house, I was deeply moved and knew I had to meet you. Your act of bravery, especially in this world of ours where people are more focused on their devices than on actual people, it was very inspiring." Turning to her side to face him, Angelina continued.
"Families who had almost lost their sanity because their children were abducted were filled with so much love in their eyes. And no matter how much they all gave to you, it will never amount to your act of bravery. Thank you for what you did." Angelina said with a smile.
Closing his eyes, Dominic let the tears that strung his eyes go. "I... I never thought I'd ever be in this kind of moment. Sitting side by side with you and being able to not just feel but express my feelings and speak is a turn of event for me."
Staring at the sky, Dominic let out his feelings. "My dad was a drunk addict and would always beat my mom. I can still remember those moments vividly. How my mom would lock me up in a room and tell me not to scream and just close my ears. It was always hard no matter how I tried. It never worked. When it got too much, my mom decided to run away with me, but... my dad caught us and... and that night ended it all for my mom. I didn't hear from her again, and I was sure she was dead." Letting out a huge sigh, Dominic continued.
"My father transferred the aggression to me. I had nowhere to go and no one to talk to, and that's how I lived until he was hit by a drunk driver on his way home after getting drunk. His death brought a little peace to me. I was eighteen already, so I sorted out jobs to do that won't include me talking, and I started training myself to stand up for myself. With this, I go out at night sometimes to dark alleys, especially to help people who may get hurt by people stronger than them, and I have always done things quietly. However, things got out of hand that night." Dominic added with a shy look on his face.
"I wasn't supposed to go out that night, but for some reason, I was drawn out, and then I saw her. A lady running with a tattered cloth in the dark alley. She didn't need to speak much because from her appearance, I knew she needed help. I gave her my phone to dial 911 while I fought with the people chasing her. The police came over, she spoke, and the rest were found." Dominic added.
"I heard you fought 4 big guys and even got stabbed multiple times." Angelina asked.
*"Yeah, but it is nothing."* Dominic answered.
"No, it is something, and I have news for you. I wanted you to tell me your story to fully confirm it. Your mother... she is alive." Angelina said calmly.
"What??? Wait... what? When? I..." Dominic stuttered.
"I have a team who also go around to slum areas especially to help people and on our way back one day, we saw a body close to a dump. I came down, checked, and noticed the person had a faint breathing though, her body was bloody, so we saved her. She lost her memories. All those years, she wasn't herself. She was always scared and all. However, when she saw you on the TV last week, she pointed to you and hugged the TV and that's when we knew. I brought her to this event with me." Standing up, Angelina excused herself as a woman in her late fifties stepped forward.
"Ma?" Dominic called out with a cry.
