Chapter 15: Invitations

ISABELLE

I looked at the invitation in my hand. Black with my name in gold on the back.

Isabelle Rose Edward.

I sighed and put it on the desk in the study in front of my brothers.

"So we're supposed to go to a party, yes?"

"Yup." Arthur said, popping the 'p'.

"Okay, and the dress code is black tux for men and... floor length dresses for women?" I asked, confused. "This isn't an era party is it?"

Tristan chuckled. "No Belle, it's not. Famous people from all around are invited. We were invited last year as well, remember, ?"

I remembered the black invitations lying in the study drawer and nodded.

"But we didn't go." I whispered and Arthur nodded. "So when is it exactly?" I asked them.

"Saturday night at 8." Lance told me setting his phone on the table after a very long call with Adam Thorne. "You have to design our suits, Bee." He looked at me expectantly and I smiled.

"I know, I'll take your sizes and start working on them today today." I told him and left the room, already running late for my meet up with Taylor at the cafe. Today was Sunday, my day off, and I fully intended to make the most of it.

I entered the cafe and saw Taylor sitting at our usual spot, typing away furiously on her laptop.

"Hey there." I said as I approached and signaled Martha to bring our usual.

"Hi. Just give me a minute.... Aaaaand..... Done!" She closed the lid of her laptop and looked at me expectantly.

"So, what's up?" She said, propping her elbows on the table and giving me an intense glance.

"Nothing's up. But I am supposed to go this really big party on Saturday." I told her excitedly.

"Really? Wait, this Saturday?" I nodded my head then told her how I'd be designing my family's clothes, well for everyone except Olivia and Josephine.

"Wait, why are they invited?" Taylor asked me, confused when Martha came with our coffee and brownies.

"Thank you, Martha. Courtesy I guess, because of dad probably." I replied to her, while she was deep in thought, I enjoyed my first brownie.

"Could be so..." She said, seemingly distracted.

"So how's work?" I asked her to which she looked at me with rapt attention.

"Oh Bee, it's going so well and everyone's so friendly there, really willing to help out and all. I even met a really cute guy, and he was so kind and sweet. He also kind of asked me out." She said it all in one breath and I had to lower my glasses a bit to look at her sparkling eyes.

"Really? I'm so happy for you Tay, you deserve someone sweet and kind." I chuckled at her happy reaction.

"What about Thorne?" She leaned in curious, and I looked up at her from my coffee mug.

"What about him?" I asked, trying to look like I wasn't at all interested in this conversation.

"Does he have a girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

"Ask him yourself." I answered her casually, earning a glare after which she smiled again.

"And who's your date for the party?" She asked again, batting her eyelashes at me innocently/

"No one. No date." I answered simply stating the truth. I would probably be Lance's date because he was as boring as I was. "Lance probably."

She smacked my head and shook her head. "My dear Belle, why don't you go look for a hot guy, I'm sure there's many men pining for you out there. What about Adam Thorne? You could be his date." She waggled her eyebrows at me and I smacked her shoulder.

"I do just fine alone, my dearest Taylor, and as for Adam Thorne, he may be ridiculously hot and people may call him a walking Greek God, I honestly couldn't care less about him because I've met him what? Four or five times and one of them was in the cafe."

Taylor's eyes widened and she looked at me. "Really, okay then I guess you can stop now." She said laughing nervously.

"Although, I don't know why what came over me in his office that day, and and did I mention the pancakes were amazing? Anyway, Why did he have to wipe of that cream when I could have with a napkin, I mean he's heard of a napkin right? But no, he had to lean forward and make a nervous wreck, and then when Olivia came in, he looked as if he was enjoying our fight, and then at the club, he said I was his girlfriend, when he could've just said, I don't know, sister, cousin, friend? UGH! I mean, he likes torturing and annoying people on purpose, because he didn't even apologize when he bumped into me in the office that day, and to put it in short, Adam Thorne is... is..."

"An ass?" Someone said behind me.

"Yes! EXACTLY! AN ASS!" Then I looked at Taylor with a horrified expression on her face, glancing at me and then behind at someone.

I realized she hadn't given me that amazing word to describe Thorne, and I looked back, only to have a copy of the horrified expression of Taylor's face, on mine.

"An ass... I think that suits me perfectly, don't you think, Ms Edward?" Adam Throne looked at me intensely with an amused expression on his face and I stood up from my seat.

"Mr. Thorne, what an... unexpected and unpleasant.. I mean pleasant, surprise." I looked at him halfheartedly.

"Adam, please call me Adam, Ms. Edward. No need for formalities. May I sit with you?" He asked with a charming smile on his face, but before I could answer, Taylor already did.

"Of course, Mr. Thorne, you can sit right here, I was about to leave anyway." She quickly got up and I glared at her, but she mouthed a 'call me' and ran out of the cafe with her laptop and a brownie in her hand, smiling widely to Adam on the way, who made himself comfortable and sat across me on Taylor's seat, and motioned with his hand for me to sit too.

I sat down reluctantly under his gaze, until he reached for me and took of my glasses, looking into my eyes and smiled.

"You have beautiful eyes, Ms. Edwards. No need to hide them." He said and I looked at him, still grinning.

"Right, of course, please call me Belle. No need to be formal either." He nodded his head and then ordered a coffee for himself.

"I think you got a little carried away there, from 'ridiculously hot, walking Greek God' to 'an ass'." He looked at me closely and I dared myself not to look up at him.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I whispered slightly but he must have heard it the way he smiled.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, sipping our coffees, until he broke the silence.

"Let me take you out. For dinner. Tonight." He looked at me expectantly while I stared at him in shock.

"What? Dinner? Why?" I asked him confused.

"Don't worry, a dinner as colleagues, friends, and to working together with a good conscience." And I could hear the sarcasm in his words when he mentioned 'good conscience', and I sighed.

"Sure, why not." I smiled slightly and he nodded, picking up a brownie and getting up.

"Well, it was nice to see you again, Belle, I look forward to tonight. I'll pick you up at 8. See you then." He said and walked away, leaving me confused with my thoughts.

"Is this a date? Did he make an excuse for a friendly dinner?" I thought to myself, sipping my coffee and calling Taylor to give her the news, to which she screamed so loud the people in the cafe must have heard her too.

I was thankful my brothers would come home late today so I could go to this 'supposed' dinner- date with Adam Thorne. I worked on designs for our outfits for the party the rest of the day until the clock struck 7:30, and I got up to get ready. Taking a quick shower I walked into my walk-in-closet and stood there for five good minutes before finally deciding to wear the dress I designed myself last year, nut never got a chance to wear it. Straightening my hair and slipping on my pair of black heels, I looked myself in the mirror before deciding to put on a little gloss and eye liner, but nothing else because I didn't like caking my face with makeup, like Olivia dearest.

Looking at the full length mirror, I smiled to myself.

"I should do this more often" I thought to myself and glanced at the glasses on my table, and hesitated before smiling confidently and straightening my back, I walked out of my room without another glance at them.

"Going somewhere?" Josephine sneered at me, stopping me in my in my tracks and looking me up and down. "You look rather dolled up." but I smiled calmly.

"Yes, I'm going to see a friend who insisted I have dinner with him." I stressed on him and saw her expression change. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to meet anyone outside, especially boys, because it was one of her rules, which only applied to me but not her own daughter.

"You are not to leave this house." She spoke rather rudely to me, and made me angry.

"Who are you to stop me?" And I looked into her eyes, with such intensity that I felt her grow pale and she backed away and huffed, then left. Boy was I thankful I didn't wear my glasses. I noticed a chime on my phone and took it out to see an unknown number.

"Come out. I'm waiting." Was all it said but I figured it must be Adam, and made my way out, stopping to see Mr. Baker chatting and smiling to a man. I went and took a closer look and saw he was talking to Adam. I walked slowly, and Adam looked up at me and smiled, and I smiled back at him, causing Mr. Baker to turn around and look at me.

.......................................................................................................

An innocent dinner between friends? Do you really believe Adam or not? Will sparks fly or will disaster strike? Keep reading to find out!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite meal of the day?

Vote, comment & share!