"Come on, sweetie!" Papa called out to Amara, handing over her robe, which she quickly collected and wore over her dress.

I watched in happiness as he went ahead to put her hat on her head. Papa looked so proud of Amara and I only hoped to see that kind of pride in his eyes when it was my big day as well. My papa had always shown us love as his children, but it was no news that Amara was his favourite. That was also the reason why he found it difficult letting Amara get married so soon. I heaved a sigh as I promised myself to make him twice as proud. He finished arranging the hat on her head and asked her to run along. Her mates were already seated at the front row, waiting for the event to begin.

"Come on Bibi." Papa took my hand in his and led us to another row with empty seats, with Carlos following behind us. We got settled and after some minutes, one of the invited personalities stepped onto the podium.

"Beautiful!" The middle aged woman said with an equally beautiful smile on her face. "You all look magnificent." She complimented and the convocating students all cheered in return. "Today is a very wonderful day for you all, and for that, we are immensely grateful to God. I welcome all our parents and guests to this ceremony with a glad heart. As you all already know, I am Bernice Fernandez; the Dean over student's affairs of this great institution."

"Wohooo!!" Some students cheered on as the rest clapped. "I would be calling a very renowned...." The rest of her speech went on deaf ears as I went into a world of my own. Mila would have enjoyed this event, had she tagged along with us. Maybe if she was here to witness this event in person, she would be more encouraged to stay back in Italy for college. If I was being honest with myself, I missed my cousin already. She was still here with us, but the thought that she was gonna be leaving any time soon didn't sit well with me or any member of my family. She had just arrived to Italy seven months ago, and I was already tied to her by the waist. I tried to spend as much time as I could with Mila because I didn't have an idea as to when she was gonna leave us. Maybe she was gonna leave after she had her baby. Moreover, she missed her fiance so much, and would run back to him once she was sure that the coast was clear. Feeling the sudden urge to use the restroom, I excused myself and walked out of the hall. I came across a jovial looking usher and asked for directions to the restroom. Just like I had imagined, he was quite jovial.

"You're so pretty!" He grinned, making me chuckle.

"Thank you."

"Yeah." He eyed my hair, a more focused gaze on it. Immediately, I felt very uncomfortable because I had an idea what came next. My high school mates had always called me a freak. My hair color wasn't pleasant to the eyes, and I always wondered why my family ever bothered with trying to make me believe it was beautiful. I had always known myself to be quite pretty and pleasant to the eyes, but a less dramatic hair color would have made me look better. "Nice dye." He grinned, making me look up at him in confusion.

"Sorry?" I muttered.

"Your hair. It's a beautiful choice of color."

"It's.... it's beautiful?" I asked in suprise. This was the first time someone apart from my family and kind church members had ever complimented my hair. Genuinely.

"Yes. It's.... rare?" He looked at me, slightly unsure. "Is that the right word?"

"I don't know." I shrugged lazily with an unbelievable smile on my face. Maybe being complimented by people who didn't feel like it was an obligation to make me feel better about myself hit different.

"It's because I've come across quite a number of people with this hair color. But the shade of yours is just.... it's mesmerizing. Unique. Where did you get it done? Could suggest something like this for my girlfriend." His grin widened, and so did my smile.

"Ohhh." I muttered.

"Yeahhhh." He nodded. "It seems like you aren't so pressed after all."

"I was, until a few seconds ago." I gave a small smile. "It's my natural hair color by the way. Adios." I waved and walked towards the direction of the restroom. After relieving myself, I looked at myself in the mirror and felt a small but happy smile creep upon my face. I might reduce how much I wore scarfs and caps afterall. MIGHT! I giggled at how silly I was being and ran back to the hall. On my way there, I cane across a certain someone, but couldn't seem to avoid him this time.

"Hey freak!"

"I'm not a freak." I muttered as he finally came face to face with me.

"What did you say?" He scowled, making my heart pound in my chest. Swallowing hard, I looked into his eyes and repeated.

"I said I'm not a fucking freak!" I yelled in pent up anger. "Don't you ever call me that again. I am unique, nothing less." His eyes widened in what looked like shock, but I didn't wait for him to say any other word, before pushing past his shoulder and walking away. What was he even doing here by the way? This was my sister's college, not ours. Did he also have a sibling or family member who was convocating here as well? That could honestly be the least my problems because for the first time, I stood up to him. It may not have been so great, but it was something to me. For a moment, I cared more about letting someone know that I wasn't ashamed of my look. Or was beginning to not be ashamed, at the very least. With a low sigh, I walked back into the hall and made my way to where I had been sitting beside my papa.

"What took you so long?" he whispered.

"Soryy." I muttered, making him release a sigh. We remained attentive as we watched through the entire process of introducing the institution's senior staff. Soon, they moved on to the award presentation part of the ceremony. They introduced different important guests to present the awards to the honoured students. So far, Amara had collected one award, and papa looked as proud as could be. After some time, the Dean stepped up to introduce another person who was going to present the next category of awards. It was awards for students who studied Business Administration.

"Up next, I would be calling on a very important personality in the Italy business world, and international communities as a whole. He is the CEO of the Russo empire." Russo Russo Russo. 'Russo Empire' struck a chord. I had heard it so many times while in high school. I didn't know much, but I knew that was one of the strongest standing empires in Italy. There was utmost silence as she spoke. "Please welcome Manuel Russo." She had called his name so casually, which contradicted the level of cheers coming from the congregation. They were soooo loud.

In no time, there was a standing ovation and trumpets blared as well. I felt goosebumps on my skin. Who was this man? I stood up as well, in a bid to see him, but much taller people blocked the way. I decide to sit calmly, until every other person got seated as well. Like I imagined, the cheers died down soon enough, and everyone got seated. I finally got to see him and by God, the man was fine! He was..... young! Not my age range, but younger than I expected. Quite young, yet he led a thriving empire. Young and powerful. That had always been my goal. As I looked at the man with so much awe, I felt my heartbeat accelerate aggressively. I knew it wasn't as a result of just admiration, because my stomach started to feel like jelly. My legs tingled as well. This was happening because of a man I had only seen for the first time. Another man who was way above my league. Manuel Russo.