"It suits you perfectly," the lady from the store said as she observed the black gown clung to my body.
Seeing the amount of dresses that were available in the store made me want to play dress up. I saw numerous dresses that were super pretty. However, I knew I couldn't wear those dresses. Since the Gala would be all about business, I chose a dress that was not too extravagant, too tight, nor too revealing.
After purchasing the dress, I drove to my apartment. Fortunately, traffic was not as bad as usual. I arrived at my apartment within fifteen minutes.
I dragged my dress upstairs to my apartment sluggishly. I was in desperate need of a good night's sleep. The Gala was in two days. I wouldn't want to embarrass Mr. Rivera if I didn't function properly at the Gala.
———
A black gown hugged my body in all the right places. Every time the light hit the skirt, the fabric sparkled. A ruby red color was painted on my lips. I chose to style my platinum hair in a low bun so the design of the gown on my chest wasn't concealed by anything.
The sounds of clicking heels were heard with every step that I took. Antony — Mr. Rivera's driver — opened the door for me. He informed me that Mr. Rivera was already on the location because he had a meeting nearby.
I was in awe the moment I stepped into the building. It was magnificent and I loved it. Mr. Rivera quickly spotted me and signaled me to come to him.
"You dressed up nicely, Ms. Jourdain," he smiled at me.
"Thank you, Sir," I grinned, "I should probably thank you earlier for this opportunity."
"No need to thank me," he said dismissively as he led me to the ballroom, "If you are unqualified, I would not invite you."
I blushed at the slight compliment. Mr. Rivera was a serious man, so I assumed he wouldn't lie me to me about this. And if he said I did a good job, I would gladly accept the compliment. It wasn't often to hear a praise from your boss.
My eyes widened as I realized how many people had come to the Gala. In less than fifteen seconds, I had spotted six tycoons I recognized from their scandals. I took a deep breath, unsure how I was going to get through the night.
"Relax," Mr. Rivera murmured as he took two glasses of champagne from the waiter and handed one to me, "If it makes you feel any better, a lot of these people are actually snobs."
I snorted lightly, "It doesn't really matter, Sir. They will still squish me because I'm below them."
"You'll be fine," he said, "You have this charming aura around you. Also, you are clever. I've heard the way you negotiate with Mrs. Garcia the other day. I'm sure this will not be that hard."
Once again, I blushed. However, his words managed to boost my confidence. Mrs. Garcia was not an easy lady to please and I successfully made an offer that pleased her immensely. If Mr. Rivera had faith in me, I should also have faith in myself.
Squaring my shoulders, I nodded with determination, "Okay. Let's do it."
I began walking around with a champagne glass in my hand, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation subtly. Thankfully, mingling with these people was not as difficult as I had anticipated. Several groups of people expressed an interest in collaborating. They were actually quite nice. A few people I assumed were 'the snobs' —as Mr. Rivera put it — weren't actually talking about business. The subject of their conversation was vacation, marriage, affairs, and luxury items.
It was 9 PM when the host — Gregory Davis — got up on stage and said pleasantries. He owned several diamond minings around the globe. Mr. Rivera and I were quietly talking about the progress of me mingling earlier. Pride filled my body as I saw his expression. He was pleased with the progress.
Suddenly, Mr. Rivera straightened his posture and the room went quiet. I looked around, oblivious to the reason for their behavior. Until Mr. Davis nervously smiled in the direction of the door.
A man stood tall, dressed to the nines in a suit that fit him perfectly. From a distance, I could tell he was oozing with dominance. And I realized from other people's reactions Not even Mr. Rivera had the kind of dominance. that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. The mysterious man was unworldly handsome. It was a shame he wasn't smiling. I was certain he'd be ten times more godly than he already was.
"Welcome, Mr. King. It's my pleasure for you to come this year."
Mr. Davis' words nearly gave me a heart attack. Oh my merciful God, I was standing in the same room as Evander King. I hadn't thought of the possibility of meeting him tonight. Mr. King almost never attended this kind of event.
Mr. King gave the host a nod of acknowledgment before his eyes swept the room, possibly looking for Mr. Rivera. In no time, his eyes found the spot where Mr. Rivera stood. He took a line down to us, but not before his eyes locked with mine. The distance was too far for me to identify his eye color. However, I couldn't tear my gaze away from him.
The closer he got, the more I realized that he had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. Ocean blue was holding me captive. His sharp jaw was tense. I wondered the reason for that. He didn't look mad though, just mildly annoyed.
Instead of acknowledging Mr. Rivera's presence, he came to stop in front of me. A soft gasp left me when I felt my body humming just because of his mere closeness. His ocean blue eyes never stray from my blue-green eyes. Something was going on here. There was something between us that I couldn't explain.
The feeling in my heart wasn't something I took mildly. All my life, I felt like I was missing a piece of my soul. My brother looked at me as I was crazy when I told him that. And yet, the man in front of me was the perfect explanation of what I had been looking for in my life.
"Mr. King, let me introduce you to Mr. Jourdain," Mr. Rivera said, breaking our staring contest, "She's our PR representative for tonight. She has done an excellent job for quite some time now."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. King," I blushed as I realized that my words came as a squeak.
To my dismay, Mr. King only nodded at me. I really wanted to hear his voice. It must be very deep. Looking at my broad shoulder, I wondered if he let me hug him. I bet he could warm my body with only one hug.
My eyes widened at my train of thoughts. My feelings made me confused. Was it simply an attraction? No, I was sure it was not just that. Yet, I couldn't find the answer, except for the fact that my heart felt like it was craving for him.
Mr. King slowly took my right hand in his much bigger one. The spark from our touch almost made me pull my hand away. His plump lips kissed the back of my hand. Heat started to rise on my cheek. And let me tell you, this was one of the disadvantages of having pale skin. When you blushed, you looked like a goddamn tomato.