Marley was sure she would either have to avoid Thea until the big dinner party or else walk on eggshells around her grandmother until then. Thea made it obvious that neither was necessary. Her warning had been issued, her concern heard and hopefully considered. That was the end of the matter.

It was now up to Marley how she planned to handle any future interactions with Felix.

Christian related the same sentiment but put it into words instead of the easy manner and a light smile Thea gave Marley the next time they met after their conversation, reassuring her that things between them were just fine.

"Gran was fine with it. She had no problems whatsoever. She's a rather big fan of Winter's, actually. It helps that out of all the Reigns, Winter's the smartest. Things ended between us because of Winter's side, not mine."

As her dinner companion that night, Christian was able to explain, in more detail, the delicate balance and chaos of his former relationship with Winter. Marley had guessed that they used to be together by the way he couldn't stop staring at her whenever in the same vicinity. Now she had the proper context to understand why it was that they weren't still together.

"It's her family. Well, most of them. I like Matthias and Felix is easy to get along with. It's mainly their father."

"I met Matthias. He was nice."

Marley wished she could take the words back as soon as she said them but no manner of quick conversation changes were going to erase the look on Christian's face. It wouldn't be hard for him to figure out exactly in what context Marley would have even had the chance to meet Matthias.

Luckily, the impromptu family dinner (Christian, his family, and the third Clausen sister's family had all arrived just as dinner was being served) ended and moved to the living room, where half were perched on couches, the other half on the floor by the fire.

Thea held the floor with details of the dinner party the following night that she was thrilled to be co-hosting with the Murray's. She seemed almost excited when she mentioned that Marley would be joining her.

Marley understood quite quickly why she was so enthusiastic about bringing one of her relatives to the party. The Clausen's present who were used to this kind of event retorted by complaining about those kinds of dinner parties, Christian going as far as to pretend to be falling asleep simply thinking about it.
A stern clearing of the throat from Thea shut them all up instantly.

Marley's mother didn't join in on the banter back and forth. Her eyes had widened when Thea announced the news of Marley's plan to attend the party and then slowly migrated from her mother to her daughter. Marley took to examining her socks instead of meeting her mother's eye.

Avery was still looking at her when Marley looked up. She found only confusion and concern on her mother's brow and made sure to avoid a direct conversation with her mother about it until after the dinner.

Marley hadn't grown up in high society but she had seen enough movies and classic teenage romantic comedies to know that this dinner party was the closest thing she was ever going to get to an introduction to society. She wanted to see what it would be like. And she wanted Thea to keep looking at her with something softer than calculating scrutiny.

The stylist team arrived once again the next evening and had another array of gorgeous gowns for Marley to pick out. Gabbie insisted on helping Marley choose while Stella lay on the bed, watching the chaos.

The two of them talked enough for the whole room that Marley only had to focus on not crying while her hair was being pulled straight off her head.

Avery was waiting by the door, chatting pleasantly with Thea, when Marley descended the front steps and she knew it was no accident.

"You look beautiful, honey," Avery said, leaning in to place an air kiss over Marley's made-up cheek. Her mother's hand gently squeezed her shoulder and Marley could feel it hovering in place, reluctant to let her daughter go.

"Thanks, Mom. Grandma, you look incredible."

"Thank you, Marley. Shall we?"

Marley followed Thea's lead, trailing behind the maroon velvet pantsuit that made Thea's silver hair shine in her own velvet dress. They had accidentally coordinated.

Marley looked back over her shoulder to wave goodbye to her mom, knowing full well she would be standing in the doorway, watching them leave.

Avery's smile didn't go higher than her cheeks and the look of concern was once again on her brow. Marley looked away before the sight could burn itself onto her brain and climbed into the waiting car after her grandmother.

If Thea's house had been a modern retelling of a colonial folktale, the Murray's mansion was simply a recreation of an estate you would find in Regency-era England. The town car might as well have been a time machine or at least a teleportation device and Marley felt sure she was stepping out onto English soil.

While Thea's home was functional, big enough so that all her family could come and visit for long periods of time, the Murray's place was simply big. Too big. Enormous. Marley would have had to tip her head back to look up at the turrets grazing the sky four stories above.

A house worker opened the door for them before they had even ascended the front stone steps and bowed as they entered. Marley fully expected them to be holding a torch, dressed in accurate period costume but she was not. Her clothes were normal and a stark contrast against the rest of the house.

"Welcome, Mrs. Clausen. You're the last to arrive. Everyone else in the dining room, if you and your guest will please follow me."

Two other workers appeared to take coats and Marley's footsteps were soon echoing behind Thea's as they crossed the tiled foyer, the ceiling two stories above reverberating every step.

Led up a long flight of marble steps, Thea and Marley were led to a row of rooms to the left of the staircase. Marley would come to see that they were, in order, a large dining room, a living room-parlor sort of situation, and then a library at the front of the house. But the first thing that caught her eyes was the moonlight shining off the dark wooden floors of an empty ballroom on the right side of the stairwell, across the landing.

The door to the ballroom was open just as crack and Marley had to keep herself from poking her head in. That was not why she was here.

While Thea's Christmas Eve party had hosted nearly a hundred people of various ages, the country club Christmas party two hundred likewise, the Murray party hosted a small thirty and the age limit seemed to be fifty years old.

As in, there was no one else under that age. Marley was the only one. Or so she thought.

The only other head of hair that wasn't sprinkled with gray stood chatting on the opposite side of the parlor. Marley could feel Thea's eyes on her as her gaze was drawn to Felix. She looked away before he could spot her and joined her grandmother as they made the rounds, Thea making sure Marley was introduced to every person in attendance.

Marley was grateful when dinner was announced. Her cheeks were aching with wide smiles and her mind had forgotten what it was they were supposed to be talking about. No one had talked to her directly after the polite questions of what she did and where she went to school and what she was studying. It had been long enough that they had naturally gone back to their previous topics of discussion and what they were, Marley had no idea.

She followed the herd as it moved from the parlor to the dining room next door. A long wood table took up the center of the room, the holly and greenery dotted among the dishes in the center accented by the cream place settings and the crystal chandelier overhead.

Marley's eyes roved over the white name cards with their gold edging. Everyone else seemed to find theirs immediately and Marley was soon one of the last people standing, leaving only two spots open, right next to each other.

When she found her name card, she also found who she was sitting next to. And, as if summoned, he appeared right next to her.

"Well, would you look at that? Looks like we're neighbors for the evening."

Felix's smile was polite, proper, but the wink he sent her spoke volumes of mischief. It took her a second to realize he was holding her seat out for her. She had enough sense to know what to do and sat so that he could help her push in her seat.

"I take it this is not a coincidence," Marley said in a hushed tone as conversations quickly resumed among the dinner guests. She glanced in Thea's direction but if her grandmother noticed, or for that matter, cared who she was sitting next to, Marley couldn't tell. Thea seemed content to enjoy the evening chatting with her friends and let her granddaughter make her own choices.

"Do you believe in coincidences?" Felix asked.

Marley looked at him. His bow tie seemed to perfectly match his eyes and the candlelight was making them shine.

"Place cards are easy to move," Marley answered.

"They are also notorious for having a mind of their own."

"So this was just an accident. A coincidence that we now have to spend the evening talking together. Just like how you were the only other person on the train platform the other day."

Felix smiled, that half lop-sided smile, like something in the right side of his face didn't function properly and this was the best he could do. A flaw.

"This was not an accident, I'll admit that much."

"And the other day at the train station?"

"Let's just call it good luck."

Marley had to look away as she felt her cheeks would catch fire if she didn't stop staring at him. A few long moments of observing the others, trying to eat her dinner, was long enough that she felt herself composed enough to engage in the civil conversation Felix started up between them.

They were the only ones laughing at the table. All the others seemed engaged in rather serious conversations and so Marley and Felix had to muffle their glee.

Dinner then became drinks in the parlor, with dessert served on a long buffet table, boasting every kind imaginable. The guests filled up plates and glasses after leaving the dining table behind and migrating, half to the parlor, the other half to the library.

All seats on the couches and love seats were immediately taken up, leaving the young ones to stand, letting their elders take the seats for the sake of their knees. So Marley stood, in the corner near the entrance of the parlor, holding a plate full of desserts she didn't want to eat and a glass of something she hoped was non-alcoholic but wasn't entirely sure.

It still was as if she didn't exist. She didn't mind that no one was trying to come up to her and talk. Then she would actually have to converse with these people and she knew they would have nothing in common. She was a hostess at a French restaurant. Once they got past the fact that they may or may not have heard of where she worked and planned on eating there again, she would have nothing else to say. She did not run a multi-million dollar corporation. She was simply related to someone who did.

"You wanna get out of here?"

Felix nodded to the open door once Marley got over the small shock of hiding him standing right behind her.

"Sure."

He took her plate and drink from her, depositing them on the nearest available surface, and then grabbed her hand as they slipped out of the room.

The three rooms lit up the hallway, a warm glow emanating from each, contrasting the darkness from the hallway across the stairwell. It was there that Felix led her.

He made his way to the second of the three empty rooms but Marley pulled him towards the first, to the empty ballroom that had caught her attention when she had arrived.

Her shoes echoed across the empty room, the golden wood underfoot vibrating with every step. It took her two steps in to pause and kick off her heels.

Her stocking-ed feet slipped across the slick floor as she hurried to meet Felix where he was standing in front of the wall of windows on the other side of the room.

In front of them lay the ocean, the moon overhead illuminating the waves as they rolled in and then out again, their depths a dark inky black under the white brilliance.

"Wow," Marley breathed out, her one-word exclamation forming a cloud on the windows.

"Dance with me."

"What?"

Marley looked around to make sure a band hadn't suddenly appeared in the corner to play for them and she hadn't noticed. No, the room was still dark and deserted. But Felix was holding out his hand, already moving towards the center of the room.

"Dance with me."

Marley would have pointed out the lack of music or a band or lighting for that matter, but Felix seemed like a smart guy. He would have noticed the lack as well. And yet, he was still asking her to dance.

"Alright."

He took her right hand and held it shoulder height while his other hand was placed lightly on the middle of her back.

There was no fancy footwork involved. They merely swayed back in forth in the dark.

"So what brings you to our notoriously boring dinner party this evening, Miss Harkin?"

Marley tried not to roll her eyes at the formal address.

"My grandmother invited me. She wanted me to see a little bit of what she does, what her world is like."

"She sure threw you in the deep end. If there is one event of the year to avoid, it's the Murray's holiday charity dinner. A guaranteed snooze fest."

"Then why, Mr. Reigns, are you here? If it's so boring."

Felix smiled at the formal address sent back his way but the light in his eyes dimmed, ever so slightly. It lit again when he met Marley's gaze.

"Duty."

"Duty."

"You could even say it was in my job description."

"Since when do office interns have to attend boring holiday dinners?" Marley asked.

"Since part of my gap-year agreement with my father was to also work for my grandmother. She didn't want to come but felt she had to send a Reigns representative in her place."

"And that would be you."

"And so my luck continues."

Again Marley could feel herself blushing.

"I think it's safe to say we can blame tonight on my luck. I would have been bored senseless if your grandmother had attended the event herself."

"I'll have to thank her when I get home."

Marley's laughed skipped through the room, bouncing off the corners and coming back to them.

A hearty laugh joined it and came over from the other side of the house, reminding the two of them that they were, in fact, not alone. That the night was still not over. The clock on the mantlepiece over the fireplace struck ten and Felix dropped his hand from off of Marley's back.

"We should get back. I'm sure your grandmother is wondering where you've wandered off to."

Felix's hand had left her back but his other never let go of her hand. She even held on to him for balance as she squeezed her feet back into her heels.

She was the one to let go of his hand as they stepped back into the light of the parlor. Thea was sitting among a group of friends, seemingly happy chatting the night away, and didn't even look up when Marley entered.

Soon enough, the party started to die down and Thea started saying goodbye to all the guests, Marley trailing behind her as she did so. Marley left the parlor just after Thea but not before glancing over her shoulder and waving a small goodbye to Felix where he stood among a group of elderly men clearly arguing. He raised his glass in farewell as Marley slipped out the door.