Chapter 25 BIRTHDAY PARTY III

            It was the time of the evening. Eleanor knew it was time for the Graysons family, as everyone already knows they loved parties more than anything. She felt nervous, not cause of the party but because she would be meeting new members of the family, the ones Ethan was yet to introduce her to.  She sat before the dressing mirror, her makeup artist was ready to apply makeup on her face so were her hairstylist and designers.

          Her hair was styled into long voluminous curls, after which makeup was applied to her face successfully. The designer picked out a dress from the numerous ones she bought earlier today when she shopped with Chloe, which she wore, and they left after that.

      She stood in front of the mirror in her closet, admiring herself. She was gorgeous, and she could see it from the way she appeared in the mirror as she turned around slowly, checking every possible angle she could see with her eyes from the mirror. Her hands traced down her curves as she stood in different seductive poses. As she stared at those poses in the mirror, it made her wonder how Ethan would react when he sees her like this. Would he drool? Or will he freeze at a spot just staring at her? She blushed at the thought as she smiled, but suddenly came back to reality, and her smile faded. She sighed in disappointment as she brought her face close to the mirror.

     "You can't have feelings for him, Eleanor," she pointed at her reflection in the mirror. "This is all a lie. A lie that will come to an end in less than a year. So, don't want this and don't develop feelings for him cause you'll just end up being hurt," she told herself, sighing bitterly.

     A knock was heard on the door, and she went back to her room to check who it was. "Come in," she said sitting on the couch in her room and the door opened, revealing beautiful Chloe in her stunning outfit. El's mouth opened in both surprise and awe as she stood up to her feet.

    "Oh my God! You look amazing Chloe," El blurted out when she could no longer contain her admiration. It felt like she was staring at a goddess, a goddess of beauty. She always knew Chloe was very beautiful, but this night she was extraordinarily exquisite. She wore a red v- neck gown that hugged her waist. The way the dress hugged her body revealing her curves, the way her hair was styled, the way her eyes complemented her makeup, and the way her whole appearance complimented her skin, it was just so breathtaking and she couldn't deny that fact. 

         "Thank you," Chloe said as she twirled around for El to have a better look at her. "And you also look amazing. What am I saying? You look more than amazing. Trust me, with that outfit, my brother won't be able to look away. His eyes will be so glued on you, that he will forget to breathe."

      They both giggled. "Please Chloe, stop flattering me. But it's the truth. I mean I'm gorgeous, and that is a fact," El said jokingly, and they laughed again.

      "Let's go downstairs. I'm pretty sure Ethan is already furious," Chloe said, and they both left the room.

It was 7:30 pm, and Ethan stood outside the building close to the car with his hands slightly put in his pockets, to reveal the expensive watch he wore. He was wearing a Stuart Hughes diamond edition suit, customized for only him with the imprinting 'E.G' by the sides of the cuff of the black shirt sleeves inside the suit. His pair of neatly black shoes were as black as vantablack. He stood for some minutes waiting for her and when he got tired of standing, he decided to wait inside for her. As he was about to go into the building, he saw her coming out with Chloe, their arms wrapped around each other as they walked side by side out of the building, and he stopped on that spot as he looked down at the woman walking down the stairs.

       She was gorgeous in her black mini sleeveless satin dress, showing the most sensitive part of her body. Her brown curled hair flowed with the wind making her look breathtakingly stunning. His eyes traced her legs to her visible white thighs and then her slightly exposed cleavage making an appearance, wiggling every now and then as she moved towards him. He could clearly see her nipples show slightly in the dress, even if it was so obvious she wasn't wearing a bra. Ethan could feel something build up in him, something he's not felt in a long time. She made him feel things whether or not they had intimate contact, things he didn't know he could still feel. He gulped at the seductress before suddenly feeling a need to protect her from the eyes of other men. And he couldn't tell why he was suddenly acting this way towards her.

      Eleanor smiled when she saw his eyes on her, this is exactly what she wanted. She can tell from the way he stared at her that she affected him in many ways. She watched his eyes move down her body, to her cleavage, and down her long white thighs, and for the first time since she had known him, she saw it flicker in his eyes. Attraction? Desire? She couldn't tell but there was finally an emotion in that emotionless eyes of his and her lips curved into a smile upon seeing his narrowed intense eyes on her.

       "I think it's time to take my leave," Chloe said smiling as she saw the way they both stared at each other. Her words broke El out of her daze, and her gape diverted to her. "I told you, he won't be able to take his eyes off you." She winked at El, earning a faint chuckle from her before walking to the car parked in front of the one they were to board, and getting in. El watched her get inside the car and watched it leave before turning back to look at Ethan whose eyes were still on her.

         "You can stop staring now, let's go." She said when she stopped next to him awaiting the gentleman to open the car for her just like every other gentleman does.

      "What are you wearing?" She heard him ask suddenly, meeting his gaze.

      She was confused. What did he mean by that question? She looked at her outfit just to be sure that she was wearing the same gown she had on before she came downstairs because his question suddenly made her unsure.

    "What am I wearing?"

            He said nothing else and pulled his suit to cover her body. Shocked Eleanor could not speak or form a normal sentence. "Take this off and you're dead." Was his last order before stepping into the car.

       What just happened? Eleanor asked herself as she stared at his suit on her body, and then at him inside the car. She could not believe what just happened. Why did he wear her his suit which stopped above the gown she wore, covering the clothing? If she was going to end up wearing his suit, then why did he bother calling all those famous artists to dress her up? She stared at him contentiously as he sat gracefully at the back of the car. 

      "Are you gonna get in, or do you want me to make you? She heard him say with that cold voice of his, and she frowned. All her hours of dressing were now useless cause of this cruel man. She appeared nothing to a street dog at the moment. This is not the life she wanted, but she couldn't do anything about it. She sighed in frustration, before getting into the car.

       They drove in complete silence and her face was turned to the window as she stared at the road which moved past her with speed because of how fast their car was moving. She was angry, that was a fact, but she had learned to control it, and not show it. This was a lesson she learned in a hard way. She recalled all the past times she had showed her anger to this man, and she ended up hurting herself from the punishments he gave her. So, showing your anger to this man isn't a wise decision to make. 

       She removed her eyes from the road after a while because she started feeling dizzy, and when she turned in his direction he rested his head on the top side of the chair with closed eyes. He looked so peaceful, so innocent, and as she stared at him, the anger that was burning inside her died down. She found herself staring at him as she took note of all his graceful facial features as if memorizing them. He was more than handsome, as the word handsome was an understatement compared to how he looked. This scene was priceless to her. It wasn't every day she gets to see Ethan like this, quiet, relaxed, and also friendly because he wasn't keeping that emotionless face. She could stare at him all night and wouldn't get tired.

       "Are you gonna try to touch my face again?" She heard him ask as he raised his head from where he rested it and opened his eyes to look at her surprised, and embarrassed face. "I can't tell. You've been staring at me for a while now." She slowly turned her face from his and looked at the road in front of them. 

      "No, I, I wasn't planning on doing that." She stammered embarrassed as she blinked countlessly. She turned in his direction, only to see him staring at her, waiting for the excuse she was going to sprout out next. "And I told you back at the hospital that I wasn't going to touch your face. I was only trying to return the favor of staying with me at the hospital back then by helping you remove some particles stuck on your face." 

       He raised his brows in confusion at her explanation, and she bit her lips in embarrassment when she thought about what she said. It made no sense, even to a child. He obviously knew she was lying because she was terrible at it. He probably thinks of her now as a pathetic liar, she thought cursing at herself inwardly. She could tell from the way he stared at her, and she turned her face back to her window. She doesn't know why, but she somehow cares about what this man thought of her.

.

.

      Back at the Grayson's mansion,

     The room glittered, an effect of the radiant light reflecting on the chandeliers hung inside the hall room. But that was not the only reason. It also glittered from the expensive dresses, jewelry, and accessories of the guests who attended the party.

       A glance inside the room, and the guests will tell you how influential and powerful the Graysons were because of the status of the guests who attended the party. From the way they chatted amongst themselves, you could tell they were the elite people in society, people who couldn't just be seen anywhere. The waiters moved around the room, serving to people expensive champagne in beautiful golden goblets.

      Every member and relations of the Graysons were present in the room, except for Chloe and Ethan. It was Griffin's eighty-fifth birthday party, after all, the oldest member Of their family. It would be disrespectful if neither of them showed up. They congratulated him, as well as other guests at the party, presenting him with different expensive gifts which piled up on two different large round tables.

Antonio and Adrian were also present in the hall room.  

      Soon, Chloe got to the party. She was welcomed by everyone in the family, including Griffin as she also presented her gift to him. As she gifted him, she could feel the eyes of many people on the gift, measuring its worth with them. It was as if everyone was doing this unspoken competition for who would actually present the best gift at the party. Everyone except Griffin didn't care. You could tell from the way he received the gifts nonchalantly.

         An hour later,

       A black BMW arrived in front of the mansion with convoys behind it. The doormen stood up straight as they saw the imprinting on the four wheels of the tires, 'EG.' He had arrived. The person everyone had been anticipating silently. The door was opened for him, and he got out as he strode through the back of the car to get to the entrance where El stood. They already opened the door for her from the part of the car she sat. He surveyed the environment slowly, before holding out his hand for El to cling onto, which she did, and they both walked into the building with Max behind them.

       The door of the hall room was opened to them, and as they walked in with her hands wrapped around his arm, everyone's attention in the room shifted to them. They stole the spotlight from Griffin who also smiled upon seeing them. They were both graceful as they walked alongside each other. It was as if they were made for each other. Anyone who saw them would picture them as the most perfect couple in the world who is fated for each other. While most married couples felt this way, the single ladies didn't think of it that way. It was evident from the way they stared at El who cared less. She didn't even look in their direction.

       They walked to where other members of the Graysons stood. As they approached them, El could feel the stare of both the familiar and unfamiliar members of the Graysons on them both, but especially on her. She felt anxiety build up inside her as she looked at every one of their faces. They didn't look like ordinary people, and they had this dominating aura around them. She could tell that they judged her from the way they stared at her, her face, her walking steps, and her body. They wanted perfection in her and didn't want anything less. She could feel it, and she gulped softly.

     She didn't know why, but she wanted to make a good impression on them. The last time, she didn't make a good first impression but not this time. It was going to be different this time.

        "You're finally here," Griffin said directing the question at them both.

        "Griffin," Ethan called out nonchalantly as he stood in front of him. He was the only one who addressed him in such a manner, by his name. "Congratulations on being one year older." He turned to Max who stood behind them, and Max brought out his gift and placed it on the table.

       El was surprised. She didn't remember to come with any gift.