“We’re here,” Father announces, and I quickly finish my champagne. “It’s important we put on a united front tonight,” he adds, eyeballing me on purpose. “I want this event to go off without a hitch, and that means being charming and hospitable to all our guests.” He’s drilling a hole in my skull, and I know his little speech is all for me.
“Don’t worry, Father. I won’t embarrass you. I know how important tonight is to Mom.”
Saskia mutters something under her breath as the limo pulls up in front of the hotel entrance, but I ignore her. That’s the best way to handle my sister. It infuriates her when she doesn’t get attention. Pretending she doesn’t exist has always been my greatest weapon.
Alesso is waiting outside when my door is opened, and I gratefully accept his hand, struggling to get out of the car without stumbling.
I made the mistake of going dress shopping with Mom, and she coerced me into wearing this Christian Dior gown. It’s beautiful and a real showstopper with the golden mesh outer layer over a silver bodice and very full skirt. Clusters of beads and glittering diamonds in the shape of butterflies are strategically arranged over the length of the gown in a mix of silver and gold. The sweetheart neckline and corset-style top make the most of my cleavage. The makeup artist Mom sent to my house dusted my décolletage with a light coating of shimmer, and I’m wearing a trowelful of makeup, but she did a great job of making it appear natural. My hair is pulled into an elegant chignon, and I know I look good.
I just don’t buy into all the falseness, and I know I’ll need to keep a fake smile plastered on my face all night as spiteful women lie with their compliments while the men at their sides barely contain their leering looks. The bullshit is tiresome, yet it’s for a good cause. I’ll just have to keep reminding myself of that.
Alesso is dressed in an Armani tux, and he looks devilishly handsome as he offers me his arm. He is my official “date” for the night. Father wouldn’t let me attend on my own. I knew if I didn’t find someone, he would foist some horrible pervert on me. He wasn’t pleased I was bringing my bodyguard as my date, but I guess Mom sweet-talked him into agreeing.
Alesso almost passed out when I mentioned it to him until I told him the alternative was letting my father appoint my date for the event. That or asking Dion to do me a favor. It seems Ben quickly agreed to the arrangement after that.
“You look beautiful,” he says as we follow my family along the red carpet.
“You clean up very nice yourself,” I say, smiling and nodding as we pass members of the hotel staff. “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed is your boss?” I ask, fighting a smug smile. Considering how crazy Ben went that time in my hallway, I’m surprised he didn’t make Frank escort me tonight.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Alesso murmurs as we walk across the marble lobby toward the main ballroom.
My strappy gold Dior heels make a clicking noise as we advance. “What do you mean?” I ask, smiling at the two men standing guard outside the ballroom as we pass by.
“Ben will be here.” He throws it out so casually, and I almost trip over my dress with the shock.
“What?” I cry. “Why would he be here?”
“It’s business,” he replies, taking my elbow and steering me toward the large circular table at the top of the room in front of the podium.
Ben must be one of the powerful out-of-state men Serena referred to. But why would my father invite him? As far as I know, Ben doesn’t have any pharmaceutical business interests or any connections to my father. From what I remember, Father wasn’t fond of Saskia’s boyfriend.
Thoughts of my sister has all the blood draining from my face.
Is she responsible for this? Did she maneuver things so her lover could be here?
Flaunting her lover in front of her unsuspecting husband’s eyes would be right up Saskia’s alley. Perhaps this is Ben’s way of paying me back for ignoring him.
“Business or pleasure?” I hiss, the bite in my tone clear, as Alesso holds out a chair for me.
He shrugs, like he knows nothing, and I inwardly seethe as he claims the seat on my left.
A waiter magically appears at our table, looming over my parents, holding a bottle of champagne in one hand. I lift my hand, waving to capture his attention. Father scowls at me, but he can’t say anything as he’s conversing with a short man with a rotund belly and a bad comb-over. I’ve met him before, but I can’t recall his name. He’s on the board of Lawson Pharma and a big suck-up.
The waiter fills my glass to the halfway point, and I encourage him to keep going. Alesso declines, filling his glass with water. Without asking, he fills a second glass, purposely sliding it to me. “You should pace yourself.”
“You should mind your own business,” I retort, taking a healthy glug of my champagne.
“Did something happen on the way through the lobby?” Serena asks, frowning as she slides into the seat on my right.
“No. Why would anything be wrong?”
“You have a murderous look on your face, and you’re clutching that glass like it’s somebody’s neck.”
I bark out a soft laugh because she is so close to the mark. “I’m just trying to talk myself off a ledge. You know what I’m like. I’m practically allergic to these types of events.”
Things only go from bad to worse as the room quickly fills. My parents, Saskia, Felix, and Alfred are busy greeting guests while Serena and I talk in hushed voices at the table. Champagne sloshes through my veins, helping to relax me, but I don’t want to get drunk and end up disgracing myself. I’m a mom, and that role is the most important thing to me. I never want to do anything to let Rowan down. So, I drink water, deciding to take Alesso’s advice and pace myself.
Father claps his hands, looking proud as punch, as he fixes a wide smile on his face, moving away from our table to greet someone. The look on Saskia’s face tells me all I need to know, and I swivel in my chair, watching a large group approach this side of the room.
A distinguished-looking man leads the charge, escorting a knockout Sophia Loren look-alike on his arm. The woman has long dark hair, styled into glossy curls, and killer curves that make her gorgeous fitted red dress look molded to her body like a second skin. Piercing blue eyes and full lips painted in a similar shade of red complete her look. She wears a diamond choker and matching bracelet, and she screams sophistication in an effortless way.
I’m so entranced by the unfamiliar woman that I don’t see Ben until he is a few feet away, holding a chair out at the table right alongside ours. A painful pressure sits on my chest as a gorgeous brunette slides onto the chair, beaming up at him like he hung the moon. My claws come out, and I want to gouge her eyes from her eye sockets so she can’t look at him like that and slice her lips from her face so she can’t smile adoringly at him.
I know her face. I recognize it from some of the photos of Ben on the internet. “Who is she?” I ask under my breath.
Alesso shoots me a strained look. “I probably shouldn’t say.”
My eyes bore into his. “I didn’t ask you to tell me who she is to him. I merely asked for her name. Are you that afraid of your boss you won’t tell me?”