GALA II

I was led out of my hotel room by Zeke and the men who escorted me out of my home earlier by exactly 8:00 p.m. after I was dolled up by the stylists that were employed to do so. They were very timely, I noticed and it took five minutes for them to walk me out of the hotel to the black Chevrolet already parked outside, waiting for me.

The chauffeur opened the door for me when I got to the car, and Zeke watched me enter without tagging along.

As he stood close to the door after the chauffeur closed it, I couldn't help but stare at his face. There was some sort of emotion that was written on it that I couldn't quite place my fingers on, and that bothered me.

"Miss Abigail."

Startled, I turned to the familiar female voice who pulled my attention from Zeke.

Why is everyone sneaking up on me lately?

"I'm sorry if I startled you."

Well, startle was an understatement. It felt like my heart jumped out of my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly and tried to calm my racing heartbeat.

"You look stunning," Khloe complimented with a smile and I blinked my false lashes in perplexity. This was the first time I had seen her this way - smiling at me, and I didn't know how to feel about the compliment.

She looked even more beautiful with a smile, but it also felt weird to me. I had this peculiar perception of her since our first encounter that she had a strong, domineering personality and in my head, people with such personality always had a passive expression, any other would seem odd.

"Thank you." I forced a smile.

She nodded and her face became passive once more. Her eyes and hand quickly went to a bag on the seat, and she brought out a file from it. Her new expression already told me it was all business from now on, and I unconsciously anticipated whatever she was going to say next.

"You'll be going on your first assignment tonight, and I have to brief you on what to expect. But first, a friendly reminder, you still remember the terms and conditions of your contract, right?"

I nodded.

Why on earth would she think I'll forget the most important part of my job which I plan on adhering to too strictly? Not adhering to it meant seeking a penalty, and I wasn't planning on getting one.

"I'm not supposed to catch any feelings for the client, and I don't intend on doing so."

"Good," she continued, "A few things you must also note. The client we've been referring to is no other than Mr. Liam Anderson."

Liam Anderson? The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my fingers on where I'd heard it before.

"We couldn't disclose the name up until now, and I know you understand perfectly well why we didn't."

I blinked once more. "I'm afraid I don't, Miss Khloe."

A side of her lips pulled up, "No worries, Miss Abigail. I can brief you on him. Liam Anderson has a unique personality, one quite different from yours, but no less than interesting. Simply put, he's one of the most influential bachelors in the country. You'll be attending his twenty-fifth birthday party today, held at one of his mansions. This is the first time he's thrown a party after he was publicly recognized as the youngest billionaire at twenty, five years ago."

Chills! I swear I felt chills all over my body at the revelation coupled with my accelerated heartbeat.

The client is a billionaire. A fucking billionaire?

How am I supposed to seduce a billionaire?

"Nevertheless, remember your end of the bargain. Getting caught and ruining the plan will lead to immediate termination of your contract, and you'll have to pay for breaching the contract," she continued despite my astounded look.

I swallowed subconsciously. Her words made me tenser instead of doing the opposite.

She smiled. "We're here, and you'll be alighting the car here, Miss Abigail."

I looked around the new environment in bafflement. We were here already and I must say the whole scene beat my imagination without measurable doubt.

The chauffeur who stood by the door opened the side of the car where I sat, and I was about to alight the car when I heard Khloe's last words.

"Good luck."

I looked at her and forced a smile to hide my nervousness, "Thanks." She smiled and I stepped out of the car with the help of the chauffeur who offered one of his hands I took.

As my heels clicked on the floor, I took a quick survey of my new environment before proceeding to the entrance of the building.

I felt like I was walking into a red carpet-event as I looked around. From the paparazzi that stood by the corners of the entrance, to the bodyguards who stood in front of them, restricting their movements to prevent them from making any of the guests uncomfortable.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that I would attend an event this grand when I woke up this morning.

The large hallway I walked into which led to the hall where the event took place was exquisite. I had to refrain from admiring too much cause everyone who walked past me seemed nonchalant about it. It made me wonder how the other parts of the building would look like if a mere hallway was this beautiful.

This was a whole different world, I could feel it from the beautiful music that sounded throughout the mansion, to the elite people who walked past me in the hallway. I could tell they were from the elite society from their appearance and how composed they seemed.

It made me wonder what Liam Anderson would be like, and I suddenly started feeling anxious once more. The nervousness I felt before was nothing compared to how I was feeling now. I could suddenly feel the weight of my job.

Two doormen stood at the entrance of the hall which seemed to be my final destination, and they gave a slight bow whenever any guest walked into the room after opening it for them. I was no exception and I took a quick deep breath before entering the room after it had been opened by the doormen.

The music sounded more divine and clearer now I was inside the room where the performers played. I took my time to survey the glittering room, an effect of the light radiating from the huge chandelier hung inside the hall, but that wasn't the only reason why it glowed. The expensive jewelry and accessories from the guests who attended the party also added to the adornments of the room.

It was packed with people, yet it was also spacious enough to contain every guest who attended the party who stood around magnificently decorated round tables in groups. Waiters walked around serving champagnes in beautiful glasses and I picked one when a waiter walked past me.

I gulped it down slowly, taking my time to savor the flavor. It also helped ease my nervousness, and slowly I started to enjoy the party. It wasn't difficult to blend among the elites, even if I had this nonchalant attitude about engaging in a conversation with any of them, to avoid losing focus on my goal.

I just had to mind my business and find excitement in my way, and the only way I could think of right now was to explore this beautiful mansion.

I gulped down the remaining champagne I had left in the cup I held in my hand and replaced it with another before leaving the room. I didn't know how, but after walking for a couple of minutes, I found myself in another part of the mansion which happened to be well-decorated with beautiful artwork.

I couldn't help my fascination with artworks and instead of exploring further, I stopped to enjoy their glorious sight. The fact that they held deeper meaning and feelings of artists piqued my interest.

As I stood there watching it, I was so oblivious to the fact that someone stood beside me staring at my face, until she called out my name.

"Abigail?"

I recognized that voice anywhere, and my brows furrowed slightly when my eyes met her face.

My nightmare in college. I wonder what she was doing here?

"It is you. I know I wasn't mistaken. What are you doing here?"