The moon shone high and full in the sky, but its light was barely needed, because street lamps illuminated the long trail lined with poplar tress, leading to the Bernardo Villa. A steady stream of cars, all of expensive brands, passed through the golden gates, and began the journey of 5 minutes down the trail. The large maize field surrounding the villa had been in the family for generations. It had once been the family's main source of income, before the current patriarch of the family decided selling drugs was more beneficial.
A silver Rolls Royce Phantom EWB pulled up at the gate. The driver handed the invitation card to the security guard standing at it. The guard took a few beats to determine the authenticity of the card, then signaled the other guards to open the gate. The car drove through. It stopped in front of a majestic triplex, where few other cars were pack.
The driver, dressed in a smart tuxedo, hurried out of the Rolls Royce and opened the car's passenger door facing the triplex. Raul stepped out, followed by Karla. Once they were both outside, Raul extended his arm for Karla to wrap her own hand around, and she took it. Together, they proceeded towards the house.
At the entrance of the triplex stood a walk through weapon detector. All guest were required to move through it, to make sure no one brought in a weapon to the ball. Karla and Raul passed through without hitches. Upon walking into the ball room, various eyes diverted, and stayed focused on them.
They were a sight to behold. Raul was dressed in a black button shirt, black corporate trousers, black vest, and a black knee length coat -all tailored. The coat and vest were embroidered with several ivy plants designs, all intertwining to form a natural paradise. Karla, on the other hand, chose to lean into the animal theme.
The previous day, Karla had admired the fiery ball gown, but had admitted the colors were a little too bright for her taste. Nana had outright hated the dress. Instead, Karla had settled for an animal print dress. In the real sense, the gown wasn't a print of a particular animal. It had the black stripes of a tiger, but they were slightly faded, as if the stripes were gradually disappearing. Rather than the conventional orange background, the gown's color variated from forest green, timber brown, to royal blue.
Karla's gown was sleeveless, and hugged every curve of her body. The U neckline fell a bit low, so it exposed some cleavage. Since the material the gown was made from was nylon, Karla wore only a g-string and tape over her nipples underneath. A proper underwear would have created an outline on the thin material. Karla paired her outfit with a Marilyn-Monroe-style bob and emerald earrings.
Not only did they have captivating getups, Karla and Raul were both ridiculously gorgeous -the most beautiful in the room. Karla felt interested gazes fixed on her, some impressed, others jealous. She glanced at Raul. He stared straight ahead, at nothing in particular, face as expressionless as ever.
Raul hadn't talked to her for two days straight now, she hardly even saw him. The car ride to the ball was the first time she'd seen him that day, and the time was mostly spent in silence. When she'd tried to lighten the mood by asking where they were going, Raul had replied dismissively.
"You shouldn't bother yourself with such details. Your job tonight is to do whatever I tell you to, and remain silent."
A nerve had ticked in Karla's temple, but she swallowed in her rage at Raul's degrading words and looked out the window. Now, she stood with him in a huge ballroom with a very high ceiling, and a crystal chandelier. Waiters in white tuxedo roamed the room, carrying flutes of wine. An orchestra was set on a slightly elevated platform at the corner of the room. They played a lively tune on their instruments.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and a man stepped unto the podium. He was middle aged, but had a strong and intimidating aura. He wore a silvery sea green suit, and a greying full beard. Raising his flute, the man tapped on it repeatedly with a spoon. This drew the attention of the guest. Once he saw that everybody was listening, he smiled brightly.
"Welcome. Everyone. To yet another Bernardo Spring Ball. As always, it is my pleasure, as your host, Gerald Bernardo, to have you. Eat, drink, socialize, and of course, have fun. Cheers, to a good evening." He said, and the majority of the guests raised their glasses in response.
Karla narrowed her eyes. There was no doubt about it -this Gerald was the same one Raul had insulted during the Lostar auction. Karla couldn't imagine those two were on good terms, enough to invite each other to parties. She decided there was more to the story than she could see.
Music changed, from the upbeat tune to a slow one, motivating couples to drag their partners to the dancefloor. To her utmost surprise, Raul dragged Karla as well. He stopped at the center of the dancefloor, and pulled her to him. Electricity shot down her spine as he placed a hand at the curve of her back, dangerously near her bottom, and intertwined his fingers and hers with the other hand.
Because it felt right, Karla held the back of Raul's neck with her free hand. Since his expression didn't morph to a frown, she assumed that was okay with him. Raul began swaying to the music, and Karla synched with his movements. She looked into his eyes, his mesmerizing blue eyes, and even if it was just this once, she wished to be lost in them.
Could she?
Could she forget everything that was currently going on in her life? The threat to her father's life? The mission to kill her childhood friend? That friend's hatred for her and her own guilt? Maybe she could. It was just for the night anyway.
The two -Raul and Karla- were so close, their bodies seemed to mold into one. Dancing with Raul, the other couples on the dancefloor faded into nothingness. It was just him and her. Raul was intently staring down at her, but it didn't make her nervous. Rather, it made her feel beautiful.
Without warning, Raul bent his head, and kissed her.
TEASER: AT THE BERNARDO RESIDENCE II
A/N:
Hi everyone. So just recently, I realized I've been pronouncing the male leads name wrong. Raul isn't a very common name, and it isn't really straightforward in it's pronunciation either, so you also might have been saying it wrong.
Variations of the pronunciation may be "roar-l" or "ra-owl", but the correct way to pronounce Raul is "roll".
Yah. As in "Rolling Stone" roll. Surprised? Well if you're not, I am!