Dahlia stepped into the venue, the sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor. She held her head high, her shoulders back, her confidence apparent in her every step. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her, but she kept her focus on the reason she was here - William Anderson.
She spotted him across the room, standing out in his perfectly tailored suit. He was everything one could imagine - tall, handsome, and confident. He looked up and their eyes met, and she felt a jolt of electricity course through her body.
Dahlia couldn't help but notice that the more she looked at William, the more handsome he seemed to become. It was as if her perception of him was changing, shifting from someone she saw as simply attractive to someone who was almost irresistable. It was a strange sensation, one she couldn't deny. As she stood there, taking in the sight of him, she couldn't help but feel a little self - conscious about her own appearance. But then, she noticed something - her dress was a deep shade of blue, while his suit was a similar colour. It was as if they were perfectly matched.
Dahlia liked the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Even as she averted her gaze from him and mingled with other guests, she felt his eyes on her. She didn't dare look at him directly, but she knew that he was watching her. It was a thrilling, intoxicating feeling, knowing that she had caught his attention and she was confident that he would eventually come to her.
When she could no longer feel his gaze on her, she turned and saw William surrounded by a group of women. They were all cooing and laughing, clearly trying to impress him. He maintained his cool, collected demeanor, flashing his charming smile and making polite conversation. She pulled a glass of wine from the waiter as she focused on appreciating his good looks, enjoying the sight of him as he interacted with the crowd.
Dahlia sipped her wine as she watched him become increasingly surrounded by women, a look of frustration crossing his face. She couldn't help but smirk as she watched him.
Suddenly, a voice called out behind her.
"Hey, beauty." It said, Dahlia turned to see Harlow standing there, a smirk on his face. "You look ravishing tonight." He said, his eyes raking over her body.
Dahlia felt a surge of annoyance, Harlow was the last person she wanted to see right now.
"Never knew you'd honour my invitation." He added.
"I only attended to be polite." She replied, irritation clearly heard in her voice.
Harlow shook his head. "That's unlike you." He said. "Doing things for politeness."
Dahlia shrugged. "That's how i am." Her eyes tracing back to William.
Harlow noticed her staring at William, he felt a surge of jealousy. "Is he your next target?"
She gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, her tone calm.
His smirk widened. "You know what i mean." He said. "Are you planning on seducing him next?"
Dahlia dropped his glass of wine on the tray of the waiter serving. "What are you implying?" She asked, her tone carefully neutral. She wasn't about to let him get under her skin, no matter how hard he tried.
Harlow's face twisted into an expression of barely concealed irritation. "I'm just saying, that you seem to have a.... certain reputation." He said, his voice carefully controlled.
"What kind of reputation?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because as far as i know, my reputation is stellar."
Harlow scoffed, his anger building up. "Come with me." His voice low and commanding.
"What for?" She asked, still not moving.
"If you don't want everyone to hear what i have to say." He replied, his tone taking on a dangerous edge. "It's better we do this in private."
Dahlia considered this for a moment. Whatever the idiot wanted to say, she didn't want it to be overheard, but she also didn't want to give him the satisfaction of having her follow him like a dog.
"Fine." She said, after a long pause.
As Harlow led Dahlia away, William noticed them leaving and watched them go. He couldn't help but feel curious about what they were up to. They went through a door and into a room, shutting it behind them. William's curiousity was growing, but he knew it wasn't his place to pry. He turned back to the crowd, trying to forget about what he had just seen. But his thoughts kept returning to Dahlia and Harlow, and what they could be doing behind that closed door.
"What's so important that we had to come all the way here?" Dahlia asked, her eyes narrowing.
"I think you know exactly what i want to talk about." Harlow said, his voice low and threatening. He took a step closer to her, and she instinctively took a step back.
"Step back." She said, her voice firm.
Harlow's eyes flashed with anger, but he held his ground. "It's so easy for you, isn't it?" He began. "To toy with people's feeling and then dump them."
Dahlia rolled her eyes and sighed. "Get to the point."
"I know your dirty tactics of how you seduce men in power to get what you want." He said, his tone turning bitter. "You used me, just like you use everyone else."
"What feelings?" She sneered. "What we had was a one night stand with no feelings attached. You're the one who caught feelings and wanted something more. That's on you, not me." Harlow's face turned red, and Dahlia could see that she had hit a nerve. But she wasn't about to back down. "You're the one who's being manipulative, trying to guilt me into something i never promised you."
"Then why did you set up a meeting with me to discuss marriage?" He bristled, his face flushing with anger.
"I'm sure Miranda already told you the reason, isn't that why you stood me up?" Dahlia answered. Now that she thought about it, it was good that her flings stood her up. "It's good you stood me up, that way i got to meet someone way better than you."
Harlow laughed, his laughter cold and hollow. "And you think that 'someone way better than me' would marry you?" He scoffed. "You slut!" He cursed, his voice full of venom as he speak. "You think you can get your citizenship certificate just by marrying some random guy? You think you can trick your way into becoming a citizen?"
Dahlia's jaw clenched, her fists balling up at her sides. "Don't get on my nerve."
"And if i do, what will you do?" He countered. "You seem to forgetting that you're a nobody. Just because you miraculously got the Sinclair Group does not make you better than me. You'll go back to being a nobody and by that time, you'll come back and beg me to take you."
Dahlia rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but Harlow grabbed her arm. "I'm not done talking, you bitch!"
"Let go of me." She glared, her voice hard and her temper flaring. She tried to yank her arm out of his grasp but he held on tight.
"Not until you hear me out." Harlow said, his face twisted with rage.
In one swift movement, she brought her arm up and kicked Harlow in the face. He stumbled backwards, landing hard on the ground, lying unconscious.
Dahlia sighed and cursed. "I told you not to get on my nerve, you son of a bitch."
As she turned to leave, she saw William standing in the doorway, looking shocked.