AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prompting, I held it out to her. “Put this on.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at the bundle of cloth. “No, I can’t accept that.”
“You bet you can!” I said firmly and pushed her and her dress into my bathroom. While she changed, I dug out a pair of soft ballerinas that should fit her.
Shortly after, Aza exited the bathroom and walked to the mirror. Her face lit up as she laid eyes upon herself.
Gently, I brushed her blond hair, braided it into a wreath, and then put it up. After that, I gave her the shoes, which actually fit precisely.
"Too bad we can't cut off the long sleeves on your dress and cut the same slit in the skirt as mine has," I said with a grin, and she had to grin too.
"Thank you, Myrina. I don't take what you do for me for granted. Not in these times," she said in a quivering voice, and I hugged her.
I briefly let her take a breath and collect herself, then detached myself from her again. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. That must have been Dad coming to pick me up for the reception.
"Then let's go into the lion's den," I said and held my hand for her to take. Together, we walked to the room door, where my father was already waiting.
His gaze wandered only briefly over our clothes. "You both are adorable," he said and didn't waste another word on my inappropriate outfit in the eyes of the Brotherhood.
I looked at Aza in amazement, who merely shrugged her shoulders. Then, we followed my father down the stairs to the first floor. We were already greeted by the murmur of voices coming from one of the adjoining rooms.
Dad walked purposefully along the corridor until he stopped in front of a double-wing door. The butler greeted us in a friendly manner and then opened one of the wing sides.
A magnificent ballroom revealed itself before us, and I had to gasp. Chris, Rick, and Jordy came right up to us. They were already holding champagne glasses and handed us one each.
Someone knocked against a glass at the exact moment, and everyone present fell silent. My gaze swept over the crowdtoward the tinkling sound. Caramel-colored eyes, which melted directly into gold as soon as they settled on me, met me.
A satisfied smile played around his lips, and for a brief moment, there was only him and me, surrounded by darkness, naked and caught in our desire.
CHAPTER 38
Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you all to my reception!" his dark voice boomed throughout the hall, vibrating deep within me. "I have invited you here to the Hamptons to get to know you and your families better, make business and personal contacts, and look forward to a new future together with you."
Most bystanders nervously stepped from one foot to the other, and even my father's jaw was grounding with discomfort. What did Mr. Baldur mean by these words? This question was reflected in everyone's eyes.
"But now I would like to ask you to the table first. Follow me," he invited the company. A woman appeared next to him. She wore a dress just as provocative as mine, had flowing red hair, and almost black eyes that gazed at me kindly.
Zuri!How could this be? The last week, I had been told repeatedly that I had only imagined the roof terrace and the events there, and now two people were standing right here who were supposed to have been part of this imagination. Had I seen them unconsciously during the gala? It had to be, and probably, her name was not Zuri.
Mr. Baldur took the beautiful woman in his arms and, whispering, walked ahead with her into another hall. The company followed them hesitantly. A silence fell over those present, which changed only when they discovered the long table inviting them to dinner.
Large platters of exotic food lined up in the middle of the table. My father held us back so there was a distance between us and the other guests, who greedily pounced on the various dishes as soon as they had taken their seats.
“All the important New Yorkers are here,” I heard my father whisper to Chris, Rick, and Jordy. “The mayor, the cardinal, even the board of the universities.”
"What is he trying to achieve?" Jordy wanted to know, and my father just raised his shoulders uncertainly.
“Myrina and Aza, you two sit between us. And has anyone seen Stephan?” asked Chris.
At that moment, we discovered our butler. He stood at the large table, defending seven seats and beckoning us to join him. My father immediately headed in his direction, but I hesitated. These seats were directly across from Mr. Baldur and Zuri. Critically, I examined the seating arrangement and could have screamed in frustration. Why could nothing ever go without problems? If Aza and I were to sit in the middle of my family, we would be assigned the exact seats vis-à-vis the host.
Sighing, I went after my father. Aza, who was already devouring the food at the table with her eyes, did not leave my side.
Stephan was waiting for us and demonstratively pushed back the chair opposite Mr. Baldur, staring at me promptly. Refusing this seat would cause more of a stir and unwanted attention than simply taking the seat and sitting out the reception with lowered eyelids.
So, I reluctantly accepted the seat offered to me.
"You're looking incredibly lovely again today, Miss," Stephan whispered, pushing me to the table with my chair. "Or should I sayprovocative," he added coolly, earning a nasty look from Aza, who reassuringly took my hand and squeezed it.
