CHAPTER 54: THE BUSINESS PARTY (1).

"How do I look?" I asked Victoria as she hooked my gold necklace.

"You look stunning, ma’am," she responded with a little smile.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Indeed, I looked gorgeous. The golden dress matched my skin and hair color. The shape of the dress also enhanced my little curve. My makeup was light, but made me look more beautiful than I already was.

However, I noticed that the whole time, Victoria never smiled too much. Each time I said something, she would only look at me through the mirror and make a thin-lipped smile. Something was definitely wrong. She seemed to be holding back from saying something.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "No, ma’am... I just don’t have a good feeling about you going to that party."

"Why? It is just a business party, an exclusive one at that."

"I know that, ma’am." She nodded her head. "But I just have this weird feeling I couldn’t take off my chest..."

Maybe her weird feeling is about something else entirely. This wasn’t just any business party, it was a prominent one that was heavily guarded. Who would want to hurt me in a place like that?

"Don’t worry about me. I will be just fine," I reassured her, standing up. "The time is almost up, I will take my leave now."

"Alright. Just be careful."

I nodded with a smile and strode out of the room, after looking at myself in the mirror for the last time.

On my way downstairs, I didn’t think much about what Victoria said. She was a stranger who barely knew me. So, what she felt about the party shouldn’t matter.

Reaching the stairs, I placed my hand on the railing, as I carefully stepped down. The fishtail part of my dress was a bit too tight. It was holding my lower thighs together, restricting my movement.

While taking the last two steps, I caught sight of Alexander making a phone call. He was already dressed in black suit as always, but his hair was styled differently. It was neatly combed back. He looked even more expensive.

He ended the call and looked away, but sharply turned his head to look back again, as if he had sighted someone’s shadow before.

He gazed at me from my head down to my toes, then up to my face again for about four solid seconds.

"Let’s go," he said, expressionlessly. Then he turned his back on me and started to walk out of the mansion.

I almost rolled my eyes, irritated, as I followed right after him to his car. Well, what was I even expecting?

****

When we arrived at the party, I was struck by how different it was from anything I had ever seen. The hall was a blend of vintage elegance and modern sophistication. High ceiling with crystal chandeliers that emit golden light. Stairs and balcony with vintage railings. Little round tables covered with white table clothes were arranged around the hall.

And at the corner of the hall was a long table covered with different food and dishes. Everything looked perfect and intimidatingly expensive.

I was a step behind Alexander as we walked further inside the hall. He walked with so much grace and confidence that made people turn their heads to take a look at him. He was the center of attention.

Suddenly, he stopped walking, and before I could stop myself from bumping into him, he reached back and grabbed my arm, pulling me to his side.

"What are you doing?" I whispered sharply, confused.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he held out his elbow for me to take.

I stared at him, even more confused. What was he doing?

I faintly shook my head. I wanted to tell him I won’t, but as my eyes darted around and saw the couples that were scattered across the room, looking all chatty and bubbling with laughter, I decided to listen to him. I didn’t want to be the weird one in the bunch.

Reluctantly, I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm. Alexander just threw a blank look at me, before guiding me forward.

We came to a stop in front of a couple. They looked older, maybe in their mid-40s to 50s, but they carried themselves with an effortless grace. The man was tall, with silver streaks in his neatly combed hair, and the woman beside him had the kind of elegance that didn’t need loud displays. Their presence commanded attention. The man’s face lit up the moment he noticed Alexander.

"Look who we have here," he said, his voice deep and rich. "Mr. Vaughn." Alexander smiled faintly, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vanvik," he said smoothly.

Mr. Vanvik’s smile widened. "I have heard a lot about you lately. Quite impressive, what you’ve been doing. Buying out Mr. Steele’s firm and seamlessly incorporating it into your empire? That is no small feat. Only a few could pull off something of that scale."

His words felt like a punch to my gut.

Bought? My father’s company wasn’t bought. It was swindled. Alexander had manipulated his way into taking it, and now he was lying to the world about it?

My chest tightened with anger. I wanted to speak, to expose him right there and then. But I clenched my jaw, holding myself back. This wasn’t the time, be patient, Anna, I told myself.

They continued talking about other things and businesses in general. I just stood there like I was invisible, watching them. It sounded all boring to me, because it was difficult to understand what they were saying in a business setting.

I just wanted to leave.

All of a sudden, Mr. Vanvik’s attention shifted to me. His brows furrowed slightly, as though noticing me for the first time. "And if I may ask, who is this beautiful woman, Mr. Vaughn?" he said, curiosity lacing his tone.

I didn’t know why my body stiffened at that question, but somehow, I was anticipating what Alexander would say. What would he say I was to him?