The Banquet Begins

The rest of the day leading up to the banquet was chaotic to say the least. After he talked to Aiden, Derek reluctantly went to wake up the others. Lyla, Becca and Spencer weren't happy at being woken up so early in the morning but once they heard the reason, Lyla and Becca were absolutely thrilled. They immediately began discussing what to wear. Spencer just wanted to go back to sleep and he couldn't understand what the big deal was about a banquet anyway.

Not wanting to take any chances by letting Lyla choose her own wardrobe, as that would surely lead to disaster, Derek made a few calls. A little while after breakfast, four people showed up at the house. They were all personal stylists and were to assist with clothes, hair, and makeup. Lyla and Becca went with two of the stylists to buy appropriate attire and another took Spencer to get a tailored suit and a haircut. When they were gone, Derek introduced the remaining stylist to Aiden.

"I know you're not fashion blind like the others but I thought having someone to help you might make things easier since we're pressed for time. This is Charlie. Charlie, this is Aiden. I'll be busy preparing other things so good luck." Derek gave them a quick thumbs up and left. Charlie and Aiden shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you. Shall we get to work?" Charlie asked. "Do you have formal clothes already or are we going shopping?"

"I have some but I don't know if they'll work."

"That's fine. Can I see them?"

"Yeah. Right this way." Aiden led Charlie into his room and over to the closet. He had several different dresses and styles of suits that could be worn to a formal event but he'd never been to a banquet thrown by rich people before.

"Hm? They're great but Derek told me to make sure his family had nothing to complain about when it came to clothes and that means expensive and brand name."

"Looks like we're going shopping then." After several exhausting hours of shopping, Aiden had his clothes, shoes, and accessories all picked out. Then they went back to the house and Charlie helped him with his hair and makeup. His makeup was kept light and elegant while highlighting his eyes. His hair was straightened, brushed all to the right, and held in place with a silver and sapphire hair accessory. Next, he wore sapphire earrings, one long and one short.

Then it was finally time to put on the dress. It was a gorgeous form-fitting blue, that perfectly matched his eyes, with silver sequin detailing. The gown was also floor length with long sleeves and a boat neckline. He sat down for a moment and put on silver heels before standing back up and grabbing a silver clutch. Charlie took one last look over everything and clapped his hands together.

"And my work is done. You look amazing, Aiden! I'm so glad I got to work with you."

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm sure you would've managed. Now, I better get going. Feel free to call me if you're ever in need of a stylist's assistance." Charlie waved and left the room. Not ten minutes later, Aiden heard a familiar shout from downstairs.

"Aiden! Hurry up and get down here now!! Don't make us wait any longer!" Ignoring Lyla's screeches, Aiden checked to make sure his phone was in the clutch and then left his room. He walked extra slow just for spite because he knew they weren't going to be late. In order to not trip, he paid close attention to the steps and slightly lifted the front hem of the dress. When he was halfway down the stairs, Aiden heard a gasp and looked up. He saw an amusing mix of facial expressions from everyone waiting.

The gasps were most likely from Mrs. Hudson and Lyla but their reactions couldn't be more different. Mrs. Hudson's eyes were sparkling and she was smiling widely with her hands clasped together in delight. Lyla, on the other hand, looked both shocked and outraged. Her mouth hung open and she glared up at him as if she'd just been insulted. Becca grit her teeth and her eyes had narrowed so much they almost vanished. Spencer just looked confused like he had no idea what was happening.

However, the expression Aiden liked the most was Derek's. His eyes were wide and he was looking up at Aiden as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Even as the others turned their attention to other things, Derek's eyes stayed glued onto Aiden with every step he took. He only snapped out of his daze when he heard Mrs. Hudson say his name.

"Huh? Sorry. What was that?" Derek asked.

"I said, isn't he beautiful?"

"Mhm." Aiden chuckled at the horrified look on Mrs. Hudson's face.

"'Mhm'? That's it?! Goodness! You call that a compliment? We really need to do something about your vocabulary!" She lightly hit Derek's arm while scolding him and then turned to Aiden. "Don't pay any attention to that man. You look lovely, dear. Absolutely lovely."

"Thank you Mrs. Hudson." Aiden smiled at her and then followed the others out the front door. They were once again taking two cars and Milo was one of the driver's. Derek sat in the passenger seat of the first car with Lyla and Aiden in the back, while Spencer and Becca sat in the back of the second car. Once they were all settled in, the cars headed off towards the banquet location.

The drive took a little over an hour with traffic and then they pulled up to a large mansion. It was obvious that the owners were rolling in money. There was a huge tiered fountain in the middle of the driveway that the cars and limousines drove around to drop their passengers at the front steps. The steps were covered in a thick red carpet and led to huge double doors that stood open with a guard on each side. Huge flower arrangements were placed on stands by every other step.

When their car pulled up to the entrance, Derek got out first and opened the door for Lyla. She was complaining about how she was supposed to be on the side closest to the steps so she didn't have to walk around the car. Aiden rolled his eyes and Derek leaned down to whisper so no one outside the car would hear him.

"Just get out." Lyla clicked her tongue but got out of the car. In the meantime, Milo opened the door for Aiden. Just as he was about to get out of the car, Derek extended his hand to help him. Aiden took it and elegantly stepped out before removing his hand from Derek's grasp. The three of them waited for Spencer and Becca and, when they were all there, they walked up the stairs and through the front door.

All eyes turned in their direction immediately after they entered. Some scoffed and turned away while others glared with disdain and disgust. Whispers filled the large hall but no one approached. Derek only took a single step forward when someone shouted from behind them.

"Derek!" A man taller than Derek,with short brown hair and a stubble beard, bounded up the stairs two at a time. He was probably somewhere in his late forties or early fifties and had a huge grin on his face. Derek closed his eyes and sighed.

"Here we go." He turned to face the gentleman, who was quickly closing in, and gave a slight nod. "Hi, Dad." Derek's father enthusiastically wrapped him in a bear-like hug and lifted him slightly off the floor.

"Ha ha! How long's it been? You never visit, you rascal! You could at least call." He let go of Derek and surveyed the rest of them. "You must be Lyla, Becca, and Spencer. We'll talk more later. And you're Aiden, right? Nice to meet you!" He shook Aiden's hand and then excused himself. "Well, I'll come find you all in a bit then," and with that he was gone.

"I feel like a tornado just rolled through," Aiden mumbled.

"More like a tsunami." Derek led them further into the hall and someone else called out to him.

"Derek." A man with shoulder length dark brown hair that was tied back walked up to him. He smiled warmly. "It's been a while. I thought you might just skip today."

"Cameron, it's good to see you and the thought did cross my mind." The two of them also hugged briefly and then continued chatting. Everything seemed to be going rather well until they heard a gruff voice from nearby.

"Hmph! Where are your manners? Shouldn't you greet your grandfather when you first arrive?" They all turned to see an older man with gray hair and a cane standing not too far away, glaring disapprovingly at Derek.