Cole Adams gave Joan Belle a taste of his profound brown-eyed gaze. He rested his arm on the chair while running his fingers through his hair.
His focus remained at her grey eyes for seconds, seemingly putting her in place and casting a spell on her.
For a moment, Joan lost her senses. She shook her head and reminded herself of how many women have fallen into Cole's hands; probably more than her fingers could count. More importantly, she only wanted Christopher.
Christopher was the man of her dreams.
Minutes passed and Christopher finally joined the dining area together with his father, Gabriel Hale, greeting eighteen of their relatives who came for their special lunch.
Like always, Christopher reflected a welcoming smile. He was admirable as always, looking dashing in his black suit and blue tie. He had had a well-proportioned body, perfectly symmetrical. He had intense blue eyes, pinkish lips, and dark blond hair, everything of which could easily catch anyone's attention.
Even from a distance, Joan felt anxious. Her heart skipped a beat at Christopher's handsome looks. She repeatedly pressed her lips together and fixed her golden hair, putting them properly behind her ear.
"Jesus, you are hopeless," remarked Cole, seeing how tense Joan was at the sight of his best friend. Joan merely shot a glare at him before returning her attention to Christopher, who was walking their way.
"Bro, nice to see you made it. I thought you'd still be drunk from the party last night at the Smiths," said Christopher to Cole. "I hope you did not sleep with both Smith twins now, their father might cancel your sponsorship."
Cole scoffed and said, "No man! What are you talking about? You know how I choose my girls."
"Right. Don't go for good girls and ones that pay for your career," reminded Christopher, pointing his finger at Cole.
Christopher took a seat at the end of the table, right next to his best friend. He merely glanced at Joan, thanking her for his presence.
"Ha - Happy birthday, Chris. Happy 28th birthday," said Joan.
"Thank you again, Joan. Where are uncle Alex and your mom?" Christopher asked, seeing she was alone.
"My parents are away on a business trip, but they will join your evening party tonight," said Joan. After explaining the absence of her parents, she gave Christopher a sweet smile.
"I see. That's good to know," responded Christopher.
Before their lunch officially started, Joan held the box of cake in front of her and said, "Chris, this is your favorite fruit cream cake. I had it made for your birthday. The cake shop no longer makes them these days."
She stood up just to hand over the cake to him. In the past, she had given him many valuable gifts, from a Rolex watch to an expensive tie, but he never wore them.
It was four years ago that she decided to bring him his favorite cake, and to her surprise, he ate it during their lunch meeting. Thus, since then, on his succeeding birthdays, she brought him the cake instead.
Christopher was well off and could afford anything. She determined; what valued most to him as a gift was something more special than material things, like her effort to request for his favorite cake.
"Thank you, Joan. I appreciate it." He smiled and said, "We can eat this later after our lunch."
Joan was happy that he accepted the cake, and true to his word, they ate the dessert after their lunch meeting. For such a simple gesture, Joan was over the moon with delight. She hoped that this year would finally be the time that Christopher would see her as a woman.
The lunch gathering ended quickly. Everyone still needed to prepare for Christopher's official birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The gathering was a double celebration as Christopher would officially take over the Hale Industries as the CEO after five years of working under his father. At the age of 28, he would be the youngest CEO in the city.
That evening, Joan came with her parents, Alexander and Jessica Belle. They were assigned to a table together with other prominent families living within their neighborhood.
Christopher's mother, Meredith Hale, walked towards their table in her exquisite long red dress. She greeted the Belles and spoke to Joan, "Joan, dear. We should be ready to start. Do you want to go to Chris' room and fetch him for me? He is not answering his phone."
Meredith winked at Joan, suggesting she was trying to help her. Seeing Joan think twice, Meredith said, "It's okay, dear. You will simply walk with him to the party. Besides, you will be checking on him upon my request. It should be fine."
Joan's parents looked at each other, but considering the friendship they had had with the Hales, they concluded it was also acceptable.
"Okay, Aunt Edith. Let me check on Chris," responded Joan. She walked out of the hotel's grand ballroom in her peach attire, with her off-shoulder, yet three-fourth-sleeve dress.
The dress she wore that night nearly hugged her body tight that it showed for the first time her beautiful curves. Like earlier, the skirt on her dress had a dress that went up three inches above her knee.
To anyone who saw her gracefully make the walk outside, they thought she was absolutely lovely, in a conservative way.
Just as she stepped outside the venue, she bumped into Cole, walking in with two beautiful blondes, held his arms.
He was flirting and chatting with the ladies left and right when he saw Joan taking another route. He called for her, "Joan! Joan, where are you going?"
She faked a smile and said, "Aunt Edith asked me to get Chris. The party is about to start and he isn't here yet." She quickly turned away and said, "Bye."
Cole sneered. He could not let Joan go to his best friend, not now. He excused himself from the two beautiful blondes in his arms and went after Joan.
"Joan, wait! Wait!" He was a second too late. Joan rode on a lift to the twentieth floor, where Christopher's room was at.
It took another two minutes for Cole to get on another elevator. After reaching the twentieth floor, he practically ran toward the direction of Christopher's room while calling Joan's name. "Joan! Joan? Wait!"
Joan was shocked seeing Cole run after her. She said, "What in the world are you doing?"
"Don't go to Chris' room - "
"Why not? I - I wasn't going to do anything! I would just tell him the party is about to start!" Said Joan.
Of course, deep down she hoped they would go to the venue together as if she would appear as his date.
Cole was already in a panic. Joan was two doors away from Christopher's room. He reached for Joan's arm and said, "Look. Chris doesn't like it like that. Besides, there are things that Chris does not tell Aunt Edith anymore, he is… a grown man!"
Pulling her arm towards him, he said, "Let's go back to the party. How about making me your date tonight? Huh?"
"No!" She pulled her hand away and turned to Christopher's hotel door.
Right at that very moment, room number 2205 opened and while Joan expected Christopher to come out, it was a brunette, with a perfectly curved frame wearing a sexy long coral dress. It was Shantal Lin, a rising singer, known for her soulful songs and alluring looks.
She came out giggling and Christopher followed, planting a kiss on the young 25-year-old singer.
This woman was apparently Christopher's date for the night.
Joan heard Christopher say to Shantal, "Let's go. My party is about to start."