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Still in my room. I see media outside trying to get in the carriage way entrance.
Yes, they’re bothersome. Where are you off to today?
Saw Big Ben, changing of guards, Westminster, and Tower of London already. Thinking about Stonehenge.
God no. You can’t even get close to it. It’s a waste of 6 hours of driving back and forth.
I’m not the one driving anyway.
Mikaela was eating breakfast as she replied, picking up a newspaper, and the second among three dailies that morning. She saw a photo of Justin and stopped.
“Beatrice Henderson of Henderson Steel Engaged to Murray Son,” said a society news headline. Underneath the photo was a caption, Seen here with sister Louisa, billionaire playboy brother Justin and mother Lydia.
She almost laughed. Playboy brother? The colored photo was recent, she figured. So that’s why he was here. His sister was about to get married. He didn’t bother telling her about that. Wasn’t that kind of happy news worthy of sharing?
Well, maybe not to me, she added as an afterthought. She didn’t mean much to him anyway. No, I’ll mean something to him. I’ll make it happen.
As it was a sunny day, she opted for a pale yellow dress and black ballet flats. She now carried her raincoat and umbrella safely in her new messenger bag. She opted for a museum walk, and maybe add a bit of shopping if she wasn’t too exhausted. An Egyptian show was on loan from Cairo, which made it all the more exciting. She did want to take a peek at the engagement party and it was sure to be at the Rosewood, seeing how curious the paparazzi were piqued her curiosity, too.
Mikaela made her way down, conscious that she wasn’t really going to crash into a party, she just wanted to see how it was like, an upper-class British occasion with tea and expensive tea sets and the like.
There was no signage to indicate an engagement party was taking place, but Mikaela found herself walking for a small event room she had seen on her first day of exploring about. It seemed a likely place. She opened the door ever so slightly when a voice interrupted her and she almost jumped back.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around to see Justin, wearing a summer suit, with a navy gray top and khaki colored slacks and brown oxfords.
“I-I was just walking around, stretching my legs,” she stammered.
His brow rose. “You’re a bad liar.”
“I didn’t know you had an event here. I just saw the door open and there were flowers everywhere and the tea sets—”
“Didn’t know you liked tea sets.”
“They’re really nice to look at.”
“Don’t you have London to see?”
She nodded when the door opened wide.
“Justin, I was looking for you—why, who is this lovely young lady?” Lydia Henderson began.
Mikaela felt like a deer caught in the headlights. She saw in front of her a middle-aged, yet slim and beautiful, brunette-haired woman wearing a pastel A-line dress with a string of pearls on her neck. She could have passed for Justin’s older sister.
“She’s—”
“Mikaela, Mikaela Johnson,” she smoothly cut Justin off before he could dismiss her presence. “Justin and I know each other from California.”
Lydia smiled, seeing how pleasant this young woman was. At least this one had manners. The others pretended to have manners but their true colors showed in the end. She had seen enough of Justin’s dates to last her for a year at most. She looked like a modern Dorothy Dandridge, she had this invigorating quality about her, a down-to-earth manner and the most gorgeous smile Lydia had seen in recent memory. Were they dating though? It didn’t feel like it, but Lydia suddenly wished they were.
“California?” Lydia smiled.
Justin stepped in. “We met at a Metropolitan Bank event a few weeks ago.”
“And now you’re in London?” Lydia said, extending a hand to shake Mikaela’s. “How do you find it so far?”
Mikaela looked at Justin’s eyes narrowing. The poor asshole wa
