The business party was lively with many guests chatting with each other, music echoing, and the aromas of delicious food. It was held in one of the big hotels in the city, and the host, who was none other than Matthew, looked different but charming in his suit. Like he always dreamed, he made his way into the circle of elite people, and to attract a few more businessmen, he spent a lot of money from what he had earned.
My arm was linked with Mr. Wolfe's while we stepped towards Matthew, who hurriedly approached us with a smile on his face.
"Mr. Wolfe!" He smiled at him. Then his gaze fell on me, and he fell quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Ms. Yung! Thank you for coming."
"This party is because you earned me as your investor. How could we not come?"
I rolled my eyes at their fake smiles. We three of us were pretending, and the worst thing was we knew that we were doing it but had no choice and to continue pretending.
"Yeah! I am glad that you chose to trust me with my business." Matthew smiled at Mr. Wolfe.
Mr. Wolfe simply nodded his head, and we both sat on the sofa while Matthew welcomed other guests.
"I bet he'll cry after this party for spending his hard-earned money to arrange all these things." Mr. Wolfe started to belittle him and his actions.
"True, Mr. Wolfe!" I looked at him. "People like us truly love and value every penny. Too bad we weren't born with a silver spoon or inherited wealth just like…" We glared at each other for a moment. Even though I wanted to say the word "you," I chose not to press his buttons. Instead I said, "Other wealthy inheritors who don't care about spending money just like drinking water."
Mr. Wolfe looked offended, which somehow satisfied my ego. Then the party started with Matthew talking about AcadM and thanking Mr. Wolfe. Then everyone got involved with their business talk while a few danced and indulged in alcohol.
Mr. Wolfe took his wine glass, clearly bored of everything, while Matthew stole a few glances at me, which surprised me.
The anger and hatred in Matthew's eyes were no longer visible. He looked at me like how he used to look at me before every worse thing happened.
Suddenly, one of Mr. Wolfe's guards entered and whispered something into his ear, which surprised me. After he left, I said, "I didn't know your guards accompanied us."
"Did you seriously think a person like me roams around the city without bodyguards?" He raised his eyebrows. "They always follow me but never get noticed by anyone. I keep my businessman life and mafia life separate."
"So, you are saying that you're always surrounded by them, but no one knows it?" I scoffed. "Every day you surprise me with new things, and sometimes I even wonder if I am in a real world or in some fiction story that you made up."
He then leaned closer and let out his flirty smile as he said, "From what I know, if it was truly a fiction, people like you would fall for me."
A moment of silence reigned between us. In his husky tone, he teased, "Did you fall for me?"
My eyes widened at his question. How could I even fall for someone like him? I might have felt something, but falling for him was out of the syllabus.
"Mr. Wolfe, I am surprised that you even have time to know about those things. Who told you that? Alex? Or your invisible guards?"
A smirk appeared on his face at my question. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't need someone to tell me. I just know that I can attract anyone, whether it's fiction or reality."
I let out a sigh, frustrated. Diverting the topic, I asked, "Why did your guard suddenly become visible? What did he say?"
"He said everything is ready to blast Matthew's head if something goes wrong."
I was startled by his words. My body trembled while I looked at him, frightened.
"I am just joking." He laughed after nearly giving me a heart attack. "They found someone suspicious and wanted to make sure if he's the attendee of this party. That's it."
"Oh!" I brought my hand to my chest, trying to relax, but I couldn't stop feeling scared even though it was just a joke.
Taking my hand away from my chest, he asked, "Did I scare you that much? Do you want me to relax you?"
I stared at him, blankly, while he took me to the dance floor, surprising me.
"Dance with me."
I stood stiff, processing what was happening. My mind that was filled with fear started to be replaced with slow music while he grabbed my waist, dancing. It reminded me of the first time we danced together in the strip section.
Resting my palms on his shoulders, I said, looking into his eyes, "The first time we danced together… you saved me."
Looking back, he always saved me. One way or another.
Suddenly, my mind took me back to the night I met him. Even the night we met, he saved me from getting raped. Like the flashes, our every moment, good, bad, happy, sad, and everything, hit my head, blurring all of my surroundings except the person I was dancing with.
We didn't break our eye contact while his fingers trailed over my arm, making my cheeks turn red. We both moved to the rhythm, and after a round of twirls, he pulled me towards him, making my back hit his front.
Resting his chin on my shoulder, he hugged me from behind, raising the sensations within me. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach, and my chest heaved up and down while we swayed our bodies in the rhythm.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you are looking tonight?" He whispered into my ear and again twirled me to make me look into his eyes. Stroking my blushed cheek, he said, "You are twinkling just like the stars I love to watch."
I forgot to breathe for a moment after receiving a compliment from the great Wolfe. I looked at my satin green frock paired with branded heels and necklace, wondering which of the materials I wore made him say that.
However, his eyes were not on any of them. He looked only at my face, especially into my eyes. He did not glance at my body even once when he complimented me. I could not believe that he compared me to the stars that always relaxed him.
He again grabbed my waist and pulled me so much closer to him, leaving no space between us. Our eyes locked, breaths were in sync, and I almost forgot where we were until I felt Matthew's sharp stare from behind him, making me snap back to reality.
"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe!" I politely said before maintaining my distance from him. We then danced for a few more minutes while Matthew looked at us with his hurt and anger-filled eyes.
Only when Mr. Wolfe got a call from someone named Leonel did he walk away, hesitantly, as he didn't want to leave. I only knew Leonel was his friend from a mafia background, and whenever he called, it was about discussing some weapons shipment, gangs, and other related things, and it was always important.
Just when I got off the dance floor and walked back to the sofa, I got the text.
Matthew: Meet me at the terrace. It won't take long. I'm waiting for you.