My heart palpitated strongly while I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat in our Limo. All the advice I'd received earlier was bouncing about in my head and I was going over them recurrently. My thoughts flickered over to all the paparazzi that would be there at the entrance and I hoped I wouldn't trip over my legs.

My fiance tapped gently on our entwined hands and I glanced at him before looking down to see my perfectly manicured fingers digging hurtfully into his hand.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I whispered, yanking my pain-inducing fingers away from him while he clutched his hand with the other and brought it closer to himself, nursing his tortured limb.

"It's okay, Stella-Mea," he verbalized in a low tone. "At least now I know how strongly you feel about this entire thing. I'd hate to think that I've made the big mistake of asking you to do what you aren't ready for."

I parted my lips to speak, but my voice seemed non-existent. He took one of my dainty hands in his smooth, strong one once more, as though it hadn't just tried to squeeze the life out of his.

Honestly, it was becoming somewhat like a habit and I didn't mind at all. I loved seeing our fingers intertwined like long blades of grass brushing continuously against each other even though I had almost cut off the blood flow to his hand moments ago.

I made a mental note to myself not to hurt my Adonis like that again, no matter the situation.

"It's not too late to turn back now if you need some more time to ponder over the idea of showing up to events yet." Those wonderful eyes flickered steadily over my pale face, inducing me to turn so I could face him fully.

The angles of his sharp, sculpted face grasped my attention momentarily and I struggled to string words together. "Well, you bought me this dress along with five others and you hired a celebrity stylist just for me. There's no way I can let all of that go to waste."

"You can always wear it another time when you feel more comfortable attending these events," he reasoned.

I sighed. "Don't mind my behaviour, Ro. All of it is just like one big coping mechanism for me. Imagine going for your first job interview and you don't really don't know what to expect. That's how I'm feeling right now."

He cocked a brow at me before he chuckled. "Exactly. You're just nervous. Let's just call it that instead of a 'coping mechanism.'"

One of the guards in the front coughed and I wasn't oblivious to how weird it sounded. I pouted when he continued chuckling about what I said. I took my hand from his again, crossing my arms, and scooted as far away from him as the Limo could allow. 

Seeing my mood, he stopped and cleared his throat. While my gaze was locked onto a tumbler that rested on the limo bar before us, I could still feel the heat of his gaze at the side of my face.

I continued sulking and after a while, he called me. "Stella-Mea…"

I didn't even look his way.

"Stella-Mea, we're here," he informed me and that was when I noticed the flashing lights and all the activity outside. My heart began its pounding again and I would've almost fainted at how sudden everything had happened. "I promise to make it up to you later. Can we go now?"

Quickly mustering all my courage and muttering a short prayer, I nodded. The door to the Limo opened as soon as I did and he alighted gracefully before giving me his hand. I was almost blinded by the camera flashes that followed my dismount but managed to look unfazed.

Squaring my shoulders, I tilted my chin and erased every trace of uncertainty on my features. Instantly, I realized that I had done this before only that it had been in another form; modelling. I took on all the mannerisms and dispositions of the model that I was, casting them upon myself anew like a veil, hiding my overly inept personality—my true self underneath it.

My fiance's arm encircled my waist like it belonged there and we began our procession towards the main building of the event. We had to stop at the entrance and turn towards the paparazzi and press for some good shots. When they tried to ask us questions, Ro waved them off before guiding me into the vast hall.

My hungry eyes took in the exquisiteness of the hall as well as the more exquisite people in it. It almost seemed surreal with intricate chandeliers hanging overhead and an enchanting mix of black and golden colours dominating the decor of the large hall.

There was an arrangement of upholstered chairs and tempered glass tables towards the centre of the hall with a live orchestra that serenaded everyone using their lovely tunes. Servers shuffled around, bearing tall glasses on their trays that they would offer to the guests.

As soon as we made it in, I felt an overwhelming amount of piercing stares directed at us. It made me want to flinch but I stood my ground. A beautiful, middle-aged woman strode up to us.

"Hello there, Rowen. It's been quite a while." She commented.

Rowen's smile seemed genuine so I guessed that the woman was someone that he considered as a friend. "Indeed it has." He gestured to me with his other hand. "This is the woman I love, Carina, and Carina, this is Roseline Richmonds."

Coming forward, Roseline embraced me and my fiance's hold on my waist slackened before he completely retracted his arm.

"You look absolutely stunning, my dear," she gushed afterwards. "The two of you look wonderful together."

"You're radiating as well and thank you," I replied.

Roseline and Rowen conversed for a bit of time before we moved on.

"She wasn't bad," I uttered appraisingly, holding onto his arm as we weaved through the crowd of elites.

"Roseline and her husband have been there for me professionally when I needed it the most," Ro admitted.

"Is her husband Daniel Richmonds by any chance?" I quizzed, casting a glance at his perfect features.

My Adonis gawked at me, obviously taken aback. "How did you know, Stella-Mea? Were you researching about N-pire?"

"Not really. Let's just say that I happened upon that piece of information." I informed him with a sweet smile curling my lips.

We came to a stop right before a small gathering of four men. Allowing my gaze to skim over their faces, I only found one of their exteriors to be familiar. They gave my fiance and me pleasant, appraising looks that made me feel more like an elite. A renowned feeling of accomplishment settled in my chest.

"Evening, Gentlemen," Ro greeted with a benevolent grin which they all returned. Then, he started another round of introduction once more as he gestured to them one by one. "These are Mauricio Perez, Frederick Sucre, Daniel Richmonds, and Enlai Wong. They are managers of several departments except Daniel who is my vice. Please meet the love of my life, Carina."

I had forgotten exactly what Daniel Richmonds looked like since it had been years since I saw him in the news. Nonetheless, I was glad to meet him in person. They all came forward to shake my hand.

"I've seen you on TV," I blurted out to Daniel who had significantly advanced in age since the last time I saw him. He still looked good though.

"Oh really?" His deep-set eyes brightened.

"Yes. It's an honor to meet you—all of you."

"I like her already. You've outdone yourself, Rowen and she simply must meet Rosy." Daniel phrased as he plucked a champagne glass from the tray of the server passing by.

My fiance and I exchanged knowing looks.

"We already have. She was the first person to approach us when we came." Ro replied.

I found myself enjoying the event which was contrary to what I expected. Everyone was warm and delighted to meet me and I found it especially mind-blowing when Rowen introduced me with such intimate and endearing words. Ro never mentioned anything to anyone about us being engaged.

He must've noticed that I had forgotten my ring and had to come up with something to tell people about me before they concluded that I was some concubine or his most recent fling. Guests were constantly coming up to us and there were those that he didn't bother to explain anything about me to.

I concluded that my fiance didn't really hold people like that in high regard and as such, he probably cared very little about their opinions. Rowen seemed warmer than normal to others and I knew that he was merely putting on a show. He probably wouldn't have come if I had disagreed to go with him.

I could tell that my presence there with him gave him a big boost and he was happy with me around. When he looked at me, there was an obvious admiration and affection in his gaze and I hoped that all the females standing around there and ogling my man could see it because I was sure they weren't blind.

Struggling to cope with them, I decided within myself that when I got fed up, I would leave.

"What's the matter, Stella-Mea?" He stared concernedly at me just as the elite he had just finished talking to shuffled away.

How did he notice my mood change so quickly? In fact, how does he do it?
Normally, I would've lied to him saying that it was nothing but I decided to tell him what was bothering me.

"There are so many stares—feminine stares especially and I'm not oblivious to how many of them are focused on you." Now, I wished that I hadn't forgotten my engagement ring.

When my fiance chuckled, I was simply dumbfounded. Still, I didn't want to make any assumptions and waited for his response.

"Are you jealous?" He queried.

There was a rush of colour to my cheeks as I looked away from him. By my reaction, he already knew the answer.

"Why do you think, Genius? When you always take my breath away." I muttered, verbalizing my response.

I didn't have to make eye contact with him to know that those silver-grey eyes of his were sparkling. "That was hot, Stella-Mea. At least most of the male guests here respect me enough not to leer at you but some still dare. Can you imagine the nerve of them? If I had to put up with as many stares as you're doing, I'd be tempted to throw you over my shoulder and leave."

"Oh?" His words surprised me and the way he talked so placidly about throwing me over his shoulder had me glancing incredulously at him.

A chill of excitement ran down my spine immediately upon experiencing this wild side of his that I never knew existed. My fiance seemed to be glaring at someone and before I could follow his line of vision to know who it was, he suddenly snaked his arm around my waist. This attracted more pairs of eyes to us and I went red in the face again not only because of the extra attention but also due to how possessive he was being.

Ro's eyes fluttered briefly to his wristwatch before he met my gaze and gave me a reassuring smile. "Well, it's such a wonderful thing that we're already engaged, isn't it?" Taking my hand, he placed a kiss on the back of my palm. "There's someone really important to me that I want you to meet."

With that, we navigated through the crowd again, going farther away from the little play taking place at the hall's centre where the orchestra had been. Before long, I noticed a certain dark-skinned lad with nice, brown, shoulder-length dreadlocks and pierced ears who donned a sangria-red suit and had his gaze solely on Ro and me.

He started approaching us and from the passionate embrace that ensued between my fiance and him right after, I was convinced that the man was someone with whom I could let my guard down. That didn't mean that I would do so…yet.

"How was your trip from Belgium?" Rowen smiled warmly.

"Just the usual," the man responded with a heavily accented voice. "Still not over the jet lag."

The man's attention was already on me and I didn't miss the awestruck look on his handsome face. He looked at me like he knew a couple of things about me already and since he seemed to be really close to my fiance, I could only imagine what he had told him.

Ro nodded, gesturing to his friend. "Allow me to introduce you to my closest and tightest pal, Trevor."

Tucking some wisps of my auburn hair behind my ear, I smiled good-naturedly at him and stretched out my hand for a handshake. To my astonishment, Trevor took my hand but instead of shaking it, he stooped a bit to brush his lips on my knuckles.

"The crème de la crème," I heard him murmur in his foreign accent with a chivalrous and appraising grin. "I've heard so much about you, ma chérie, but meeting you in person is a full experience of its own."

"Thanks? I guess," I voiced with uncertainty.

I already liked Trevor and he was easily the most interesting person I'd met in that event yet. He looked out of place there with his style, his manner of speaking, and his behavior—he was simply exotic. I noticed that Trevor had an outgoing personality, unlike his friend which led me to wonder how exactly Rowen put up with him.

"Hey, cut it out. You don't get to butter her up like that," my fiance protested.

"Calm down, Wendy. I've not even started." Trevor jocularly retorted before his gaze met mine again. "I haven't even said anything about how magnifique Carina looks tonight. Your betrothed is everything I expected her to be and more."

I tried to stifle my laughter but I simply just couldn't. Rowen gave Trevor a critical look and the next thing I knew, they were bickering.

"Wait! Why do you call him Wendy?" I questioned Trevor.

Smiling charmingly, he spoke: "That's the nickname I gave him a long time ago, back in college. I formed it from the last three letters of his middle name and he hates it so much. That's why I keep calling him that but I won't do so around others."

Ro sighed, shaking his head. "This is pointless."

"You two have known each other since college?"

"Of course," he affirmed before leaning in. "And I know tons of embarrassing stuff about him that you will find very interesting."

"Trevor…" My Adonis called his best friend in a warning tone.

"Fine," Trevor conceded. "Maybe another time. I hear that it's your first time coming to an event like this so allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to the world of elites. I can assure you that very soon you'll get bored of these events if you haven't already."

I gave a grateful nod. "I appreciate it."

"That has to be the most meaningful thing you've said tonight, Trevor." Rowen chipped in.

Just then, Roseline Richmonds came up to us again. She threw a sweet smile my way before looping her arm around mine.

"May I borrow your woman for a moment?" She inquired precisely from Rowen. "I'd like for Carina to have some feminine company tonight too."

Trevor and Rowen exchanged looks.

"By all means, you may," Ro replied. "However, it's also up to my beloved to say if she wants to go with you."

Just like that, all eyes turned to me and I didn't hesitate to flash a confident smile. "I'd be delighted to meet your friends, Roseline."

I followed her to a large table where five women were seated. We took the last two available seats, making up a total of seven women. They exchanged pleasantries with me but I remained cautious of all of them, veering my gaze to the performance at the center of the room and completely abandoning the piece of cake that was placed before me.

"What an exquisite trinket you have adorning your neck. Did your boyfriend get it for you?"

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

We've inevitably come to the end of this double update. I hope you enjoyed it and I deeply apologize for the late update too. What are your thoughts—I'd love to know. Have a  great day and productive week,

Neon.