Sunlight disappeared under the mountains as the stars rose and the winter moon was bright.
In the enormous hall of a baroque-style mansion, several servants ran around organizing the tables and checking the food and drinks that would be served for that memorable night where the Dunkelheit Conglomerate celebrates its two hundred and fifty years.
At seven in the evening, the various lords of the Dunkelheit family arrived to receive their guests.
The Seven handsome men dressed in splendid three piece tuxedos with a bow tie talked with some of their friends and former acquaintances.
The hall decorated with white and gold roses. The huge crystal chandelier glowed beautifully. The guests were dressed with care and glamor.
When the guests were beginning to wonder where the main character of the party was, a tall man with black hair and piercing sapphire blue eyes, dressed in a tuxedo and holding a beautiful young lady with black hair and silver eyes, dressed in a beautiful royal blue dress embroidered with diamonds and wearing a beautiful sapphire necklace.
The couple went down the marble staircase and in the middle of the staircase, a servant handed the man a microphone.
"Welcome, today, as everyone knows, let us celebrate the two hundred and fifty years of the Dunkelheit Conglomerate. As it should be well known, my ancestor, Maximilian Dunkelheit created a small company that manufactured arms and ammunition. Business expanded and finally, a great Conglomerate with more than sixty subsidiaries around the world are part of the Dunkelheit Conglomerate. I want to honor my ancestors' achievements and continue to develop my ancestor's small arms company. No matter how big and powerful it seems to outsiders for us, the Dunkelheits, it is still not enough. Not even the sky will be a limit and for that, we will continue onward. To progress, not only for progress, but for excellence. My Lady and I are honored with the presence of all. I wish you a magnificent night."
The guests applauded loudly.
The man handed the microphone to the servant next to him and finished down the stairs supporting his wife.
The couple stopped in the middle of the room and soft music started when they took up the posture for the event's traditional opening dance.
The first waltz of the night was the famous song [Liebestraum].
The couple danced beautifully in the middle of the room and everyone appreciated how well they coordinated.
All movements were as if they had been dance partners for so many years that they knew exactly the next movement of their partner, but for true dance experts, it only showed how much the lady trusted and allowed herself to be guided by the gentleman.
And it was the truth. Diana, the lady in question, trusted her husband, Alexander. She could still remember clearly when he taught her how to use a weapon and showed him the secret passages and emergency exits of the castle as well as the place where he kept the weapons. He trusted her with his life, why wouldn't she trust him?
When the song ended and a new one started, Alexander guided Diana to the main table and took a glass of strawberry juice for her.
A lady beautifully dressed in a champagne dress walked seductively over to Alexander, who took care of his wife and spread a loving image.
"Alexander, didn't you know that you were married?" The woman smiled and anger shone in her beautiful hazel eyes.
"That miss, I didn't know that my wedding was a subject I should report to you about. Who are you?" Alexander looked at the crazy woman who hindered his sweet moment with his wife, who was finally in a good mood after much effort on his part.
That afternoon, Alexander spent hours to appease Diana's anger at the story of not asking her about the children. Diana didn't make a face after getting angry the night before, but she was ignoring him. She would say a word or two but the alienation from her was worse than if she was screaming. The coldness of his face was painful for Alexander. Diana was indifferent and listless in many ways but she was not cold. She was never indifferent or listless to him. She would be like that with everyone, but while he hugged her, she would blush and her eyes would sparkle. So Diana's alienation was a very effective punishment for Alexander. He felt he was someone she would have no feelings for. He felt he had failed and was disappointing her expectations. How could he allow some mongrel to spoil it?
"Alexander Dunkelheit! Do you dare say you don't know me?"
"Do not know." The desire for survival was greater than himself. He saw that Diana had raised an eyebrow while watching the drama.
"Don't you know? Did you forget that your mother was talking to my father to arrange a wedding for us?"
"Oh, arranging a wedding? Mr Dunkelheit is really popular." Diana commented and took a sip of the strawberry juice.
Alexander saw a trace of irritation in Diana's eyes and her voice was cold and indifferent. She was angry.
Was Diana jealous?
Alexander was delighted with this.
He never saw Diana jealous but considering the time they were together, he knew she was a possessive person. Almost as much as he did. She didn't even like to let someone touch some of the things she liked, what about her husband? That means that she is starting to develop true feelings for him right?
He clearly knew that she liked him a lot and that wasn't really love, but he couldn't help himself and he really wanted her to love him truly.
Alexander remembered the conversation he had with his cousin Steve, who was a psychiatrist. ' If she develops deep feelings for him, she would truly love him.' That's what Steve said.
"Lady, I am innocent. In my heart, you are my Queen. I do not know this lady."
"Is that so?" Diana asked raising her eyebrows. The voice still indifferent and alienated.
"Sure! In this life, you're the only one I love."
Diana sighed watching the interaction between the two and saw the hate in the eyes of the scorned woman.
A woman scorned was worse than a demon. That was the saying and through this woman's eyes, Diana could be sure that the saying was not false.
"Well, organize your rotten peach blossoms." Diana's expression was pure disgust when she looked at the woman.
Diana turned her face and took a bunch of grapes and ate one by one, watching the dance floor without paying attention to the two characters beside her.
Alexander looked at Diana's face and was disappointed for a moment.
'Was everything I thought wrong?' Alexander sighed mentally. 'Patience. Rome was not built in a day.'
He looked at the woman and looked upset about having to do this.
"Who are you?"
"Emily Gaunt!"
"Gaunt? Oh, related to Charles Gaunt?"
"This is my father." Emily Gaunt seemed increasingly irritated by the indifference, coldness and ignorance of her identity as Alexander.
"I understand." Alexander nodded his head dismissively and asked one of the servants who attended to look for Charles Gaunt.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged man with a big belly came over with a big smile.
"President Dunkelheit, a long time without seeing. My honor to receive the invitation for today's celebrations."
Alexander watched the man's greetings coolly.
"Mr. Gaunt, I suggest you take your daughter home. She is drunk."
"What?"
How the hell could Emily Gaunt be drunk? The party started only half an hour ago!
"Completely drunk. She's spouting his hallucinations and talking nonsense. She even pissed my wife off. My lady is always in a good mood, but this woman managed to piss off my lady." Alexander said this with a face so serious that no one would doubt him.
"Well… I'm taking my daughter back."
Charles Gaunt was able to stay in business thanks to his observation skills. It was obvious to him that Alexander was angry with his daughter and the possibility of a good party ending in tragedy for the Gaunt family was rising every second that his daughter remains present here.
Emily Gaunt was furious about the situation. She was always temperamental and had a bad mood all day. How could she be happy being expelled from the big birthday party of the Dunkelheit Conglomerate, where all the country's high society and several important personalities on the world stage were present?
She simply wanted to scream and hit the shameless woman who was calmly eating grapes as if nothing in the world had anything to do with her.
It was annoying to the death!
When Emily Gaunt was about to explode, Charles Gaunt pulled her arm firmly.
The Gaunt family was very good but still could not afford to offend the Dunkelheit family.
"What does that mean? What the hell are you doing !?" Emily Gaunt said it out loud, almost in the form of a shout. She tried to pull the thin arm from her father's hands but there was no effect.
Some close guests watched the drama unfold and were a little ashamed of Emily Gaunt's actions.
It was well known that Emily Gaunt wanted to marry Alexander Dunkelheit and that Eleonor Dunkelheit, Alexander's mother, was trying to get closer to each other. She had even made a blind date, which Alexander did not attend.
If it weren't for Alexander's words that if the mother took a woman to Dunkelheit Shine's castle, he would live alone in one of the many properties he owns and would not look at her, Eleonor Dunkelheit would probably take a different woman a week home to try to find a reaction from the son.
However, Alexander Dunkelheit simply appeared with a wife.
The best informed and who received an invitation to the annual Schéi foundation banquet knew that the wife was someone with the surname Luhan, one of the best families in the world. Not even the Dunkelheits would have a history as prestigious and glorious as the brave warriors and wise lords of the Luhan family who had been in power for centuries.
There was a clear difference between the commoners who became noble through their own wealth and those of their ancestors and true nobles. Genuine nobles, especially nobles from country E, would go to war.
In country E, each noble family would have a private army under its command and every three years a tournament was held where the armies of each family competed. The Luhan family would always have a good result. That was why they were at the height of prestige and power.
It was a cruel system, but everyone knew that the nobles of country E had military power and, with that, political power and, consequently, economic power. Nobody in their right mind would dare to offend, much less challenge a nobleman from country E. They are usually elegant and very calm, but who knows the day when one woke up on the wrong side of the bed? There have been cases of unattractive deaths in a similar situation. So nobody dares.
The guests took a deep breath watching Emily Gaunt offend a Dunkelheit and a Luhan at the same time and lit a candle for her in their hearts but, no one remembered her. Nobody cares about it and they will be more than happy to see the Gaunt family fall.
In high society, there are no eternal friends, there are eternal interests.
And the Gaunt family losing prestige means that the family of one of them can gain more power.
Mrs. Gaunt came over and helped her husband to pull his daughter out of the mansion. She knew that if the situation develops into a bigger conflict, they will be in serious trouble.
Emily Gaunt had such an ugly expression on her face that all the soft beauty she possessed was gone.
She pulled her arms out and started screaming at the top of her lungs "Let me go! What do you think you are doing? Let me go right now!"
Emily Gaunt was so irritated that she could crush someone. In his eyes, Alexander was her fiance since his parents talked about their marriage. How could Alexander marry some shameless woman who came out of nowhere? Who knows where he met the gold digger? Where was she no better than the gold digger? She studied at the best schools and performed stellarly. She had a brilliant lineage and a wealthy family behind her. She was beautiful. Where was it not good? She is not convinced. You really won't accept this silent loss.
Alexander, seeing that his wife was watching everything as watching a TV drama, sighed bitterly.
"Milady, let's dance."
Alexander took Diana's hand and she followed him to the dance floor.
Soft music started playing and Alexander hugged Diana tightly.
Alexander noticed that Diana was a little stiff in his arms, so he lightly stroked her hair and kissed her pink cheek.
When the words of the song appeared, Alexander followed them, singing in his magnetic, sexy voice to Diana's ears.
[Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I Stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you.]
When the song ended, Diana looked significantly into Alexander's eyes and asked in a low voice "Should I take this as a statement?"
"It should."
Diana smiled brightly. Her eyes lit up and Alexander knew she was in a better mood.
Only Alexander did not know that the song was the same as her father used to sing and dance with her mother.
It was a song that always brought conflicting feelings to him. The nostalgia and pain of the past but also a sweet feeling of wanting to love and be loved in the same way that your parents did.