Chapter 15: Party

(Catherine POV)

Monique and I are currently in a salon getting our makeover. Later this evening, we are attending Angel's Collection Annual Anniversary. Monique was their brand ambassador, so it was a must for her to attend. It just so happened that she needed a chaperone, so she called me over.

I don't even have any idea how she managed to convince me to attend this event. The fact that I don't really like attending any social gatherings makes me wonder why I am attending this.

Flashback…

It's already late in the evening. I'm currently working on the course materials for my class. We are having a field study next week and this must be submitted to the dean before it gets approved. So, finishing it tonight would be the best thing.

Monique is still at work. She called earlier saying that she would be home late since fashion week is only a couple of months away. Her schedule has been pretty tight lately preparing for the event. Being part of the fashion week is her ultimate goal and, finally, this year, she managed to get accepted.

So, to show my support, I've been preparing her meals whenever she comes home. I always cook something delicious but don't have many carbs to maintain her figure. Research is all that it takes to look for those recipes, so it's not that hard.

Somebody opened the door of the apartment and Monique entered after. I'm currently here in the living area so she immediately saw me. Looking at her face, tiredness is very visible but it does not hide the excitement in her eyes.

She smiled and hurriedly came to the couch where I was sitting. "How was your day? Did you have dinner?"

Monique nodded her head and yawned. "Go and take a rest now. It must be tiring for you. I'm still not yet done with my work, so I'll stay for a while."

"It's okay. I took a nap in the van." She moved closer and looked at the laptop screen. "What are you doing?"

"I'm planning to have a field study for my class next week, so I'm preparing some course materials to be submitted to the dean tomorrow. It takes a few days for it to be approved, so it would be better to submit it tomorrow so it will not cause any delay."

She laid her head on my shoulders while I continued typing some words. "Why don't you go upstairs? You're tired already. I'm almost done anyway, so go take a rest first."

Since she doesn't have any plans to move, I just let her. After a few minutes of silence, saving the file on my laptop, I finally finished my work. "You're done with it?"

I looked at her and nodded. "Yup, so let's go."

"Wait. Wait. Before we go up, can I ask for a favor, Cathy?"

I was tidying my things before going up to my room when I heard her question. "Sure, what is it?"

"Remember that perfume brand that I endorsed a few months ago?" hesitation is clearly heard in her voice. So, I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. "Was that the Angel's Perfume Collection? Yup, I remember it. Why"

She played with her hair while lowering her head. Confused by her actions, I moved closer. "What is it? Did you encounter a problem with that brand?"

"No. It's not that." She continued with what she was doing a while ago while mumbling some words. "What? What did you say? I didn't hear it."

"They are having their anniversary party and I'm invited as their brand ambassador. So, please accompany me to that party."

End of Flashback…

So, that's how I ended up being her chaperone. She had already prepared our gowns for the event since I don't really have a very good sense of fashion. It took us almost 6 hours for this hair and make-up thing to be done.

Relief was plastered on my tired face when, finally, the stylist was done. I swear, I will never attend this kind of event again. It's so tiring even though I'm just sitting on the chair.

"Excuse me, Ms. Su. Ms. Yang told us that your gown is already in the dressing room, so you can go there to change." Monique's personal assistant entered the room and said her piece. Nodding my head, I headed straight to the dressing area.

Monique didn't show me what kind of gown she got for me. So, I'm a little bit curious about what it looks like. 'I hope it doesn't show too much skin or else I will never attend that party.'

The assistant showed me the way to the dressing room. Admiration flashed in my eyes when I saw the gown. It's a peach high neck A-line gown. It has rhinestones attached to the mid-length sleeve and the thin metal-buckle waistband matches the flair of the sparkling full-length A-line skirt that ends with a sweeping train.

It's simple yet elegant. I like the overall design because it definitely suits my taste. Although it looked conservative, it didn't look shabby to wear. I can't even help but be surprised when I saw my whole figure in the mirror wearing the gown.

It fits me perfectly, especially the make-up. They did compliment the gown I'm wearing. I took a peek again at myself. I couldn't help but feel odd. The woman in the mirror doesn't look like me at all. I'm not really used to wearing this kind of dress, so it really feels weird.

"Are you done changing, Cathy?" Monique's voice is heard outside while she's knocking. "Yup, just a sec. I'm already heading out."

Taking a final glance at the mirror, I took my bag and walked out of the room.

Monique was standing near the door, so when I walked out, she instantly saw my appearance. A broad smile spread on her lips and she held my hands excitedly. "I knew it would suit you! See? You look so beautiful Cathy!"

"Thank you. Your choice of fashion is really great! By the way, you look amazing as always." Monique was wearing a straight gold party dress that made her look dazzling. The gown was a little loose in fit, which made her perfect figure stand out. It is sleeveless with an open neck area. Adding to the fact that her hair is tied up in a messy bun, it really matches her whole appearance. It makes her look charismatic and magnificent with one single glance.

"Yeah, I know that already. Hahaha!" She chuckled softly and wrapped her hands around my arms. "Let's go! There's already a car waiting for us outside."

********

When we entered the venue, I was surprised by how elegantly decorated the place was. Everything in the place speaks of wealth and money. No wonder that company is famous all over the world. By the looks of the people invited tonight, you can really say that they didn't have an ordinary background.

A waiter guided us to our designated seats. Since Monique is the brand ambassador, our table is near to where the VIPs are sitting. Monique excused herself for a moment to greet the host of this event. Silently observing the place, a waiter came and handed me a glass of champagne.

I don't really have a high alcohol tolerance, but since it's a party, I might as well enjoy it. Everyone was so busy chatting with one another. I quite understand this logic. People attend these social gatherings to build connections with one another. So, it's really a must for them to mingle around.

Monique returned just in time when I was about to finish my champagne. "Don't drink too much Cathy, the party is just about to start. I'm sure you don't want to go home drunk."

"Don't worry. It's just champagne and this is my first glass anyway." The party started and, as usual, the Chairman of the company gave his speech and the party finally started.

**********

In the middle of the event, I felt tired and a little bit tipsy, so I wanted to go out for a while to breathe fresh air. "Monique, I'll just go to the balcony for a moment."

"Sure, let me come with you. I want to breathe some fresh air as well." The wind outside rubbed my skin, making me feel its coldness. Inhaling the fresh air, I finally managed to take a few deep breaths. The loud music inside still reached this area, but it isn't as loud as it was when I was inside.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to accompany me here?" I asked while looking at the view outside. Monique did the same, her hands were placed on the railings while staring into the darkness.

"Yup. I already made my presence earlier so it's okay for me to stay here for a couple of minutes. The chairman is quite busy anyway. I heard they will have a new shareholder."

"So you're here, little tigress. What a small world we have, won't you agree?" It made both of us jump in fright when a voice was suddenly heard behind us.

It was a man wearing a gray suit, with his blonde hair fixed in a clean way that made his blue eyes stand out

.

"You again?!" I was startled by Monique's irritated tone. She must have known this guy in front based on her reaction. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're following me?!"

The man chuckled and amusement was clearly dancing in his blue eyes. "I don't have much time to do that, my dear. I'm quite a busy man, you see, now that I'm a shareholder myself. We can just say that it's destiny perhaps?"

Monique scoffed and looked angrily at him. "Destiny?! That's a load of crap…Wait, you mentioned you're a shareholder. What do you mean by that?"

"I'm Michael Song, the new shareholder of Angel's Collection. We will be seeing each other more often now, Ms. Monique Yang." He said these words and turned around without waiting for Monique's reply.

However, before he could walk further, he stopped and looked at me. His blue eyes showed a tinge of amusement. "You are really pretty. No wonder he fell so hard." Then he walked inside.

Confusion enveloped my mind. 'What does he mean by that? Did he know me? Impossible! It's my first time seeing him and he doesn't look like someone from City A.'

"Don't mind what he was saying. He is just bluffing, so don't take his words seriously." Monique assured me when she finally managed to calm herself from anger. I nodded but I still couldn't erase the doubt sprouting. 'The way he looked at me, that doesn't look like someone who's bluffing.'