The Masked Stranger

The D-Day came too early for Jasmine. She was nervous to an extent of almost having a panic attack. For jasmine, it was the first time that she would be seen by the crowd physically. She was going to make an initial appearance since she started her career as an artist. She was confident about her abilities and talent without any doubt for sure. What she was nervous about, however was her reaction to meeting the two greatest villains of her life.

Emilio looked at his adopted sister's exquisite face. Such a pity, it would be hidden from the world for some times. Who cares though, he was going to make the natural master piece into an exotic one. His talented hands and passionate heart conjoined to make Jasmine look like a fairy. Her makeup was done within no time and then her hair was next.

Two hours later, Jasmine sat in one of the most deluxe limos sipping a glass of grape juice. She was going to make a grand entry and would be the last to enter the hall. As time ticked by, her heart hammered in her chest. The man sitting beside her looked at her with worry evident in his eyes. His sky blue bright orbs clashed with her lively emerald gaze. "Are you alright?" Beau asked.

Jasmine glanced at her manager admiring his beautiful face. Yes, he was sinfully beautiful for a man, but who could blame him, it was God's gift to mankind. His features were soft and hard all at ones. He was every bit a man, yet the adjective that could best describe his face was simply beautiful. Sinfully so.

She nodded as she gulped down the few drops of grape juice left in her glass. "It's time, let's go." She nodded, once more as she adjusted her mask and got out of the car. The moment her feet touched the ground, flashlights blinded her eyes temporarily, however, she was not fazed by them. She grew up on the streets and there were very few things that could scare her.

The guests in the glamorous event hall turned their gazes towards the door as the cameras focused on the entry of the goddess of the night. Beau's stoic face was the first thing that they saw until their gazes settled on the woman whose hands were intertwined with his. Among the people in the room, was the other important guest of honor, Lorenzo Matias and his date for the night, Arya Lee.

Lorenzo who was initially bored almost to death followed everyone's gazes and his jaw dropped. This was a charity event organized by the TECLA Company. It was the company that was number one in the whole country and ranked among the top in the world. He and Arya arrived late, be that as it may, the event had not started yet. Apparently, a very important figure was been waited on.

Being the impatient man that he was, he had felt insulted waiting on a woman, despite being the Guest of Honor. Or was he being mocked? Nevertheless, as his gaze fell on the figure of the woman in a black lacy stunning mask that hid almost all her face, his heart fluttered in his chest.

Her body looked tantalizing and elegant in the simple yet figure hugging black Portia and scarlet one shoulder mermaid gown. As she walked further into the room, he could see her long beautiful bare neck that was accentuated by the neckline of the dress, which appeared to have a partial open back. Her well-endowed hips were showcased by the delicate swathe of fabric that accents on them.

He didn't have to see her face to know that behind the feminine and delicate mask, laid a beauty that could destroy nations. He gulped hard as he felt his member grow in his well-fitted pants. Damn, he thought, who would have thought that a masked stranger could turn me on even without seeing her face?

Jasmine finally stood at her designated table where Edgar received her with his three sons. She had talked to them prior to the event that she didn't want her relationship with them exposed to the public as of yet, since she intended to make a name for herself. Beau stood beside her after greeting the men.

The event started shortly after, as the most awaited guest had finally arrived. It went on for sometimes with entertainments and charity donations until the peak of the event was reached. The very eager Master of Ceremony invited the world's fastest growing pianist to move to the stage and play something for the guest. Depending on how the audience felt about her music score, they would give their donations.

It was after the Master of Ceremony's announcement that Lorenzo got an answer to his question on why the woman was the main guest. Wow! She got talents too? Let's see how talented she is. It was true that she had been on top of the music world, although, he was not much of a music person. Even so, he has heard of the brand name "MINE" in the business world.

Jasmine sashayed onto the stage where the lights were turned off and a spotlight directed to the grand piano in the middle. She sat down elegantly, loosened the pins on her hair letting some free and closed her eyes as the first key resonated into the silent room. Soon, an eerie sound filled the room. At first, the music was pleasant and soft telling the tale of young and fresh love, as it progressed it got darker and darker.

Each note evoked feelings in the audience from love, to despair. From sheer impuissance to surrender. As the notes soared higher, the feeling of heart break and betrayal filled the room making everyone's eyes wet with tears. By the time Jasmine was done playing the piano, silence resonated in the room for a second before the deafening sound of claps echoed in the hall.

Throughout the play, Lorenzo's eyes were fixated onto the beauty on the stage. Her ginger hair reminded him of his Jazz, but, she was already dead. What kept him rooted was the soul-searing music score she had just played. It had torn at his guilty conscience like a sharp knife to butter. It was the first key that had made him realize why she was celebrated in the music industry. Her performance was iconic.

Standing next to him was his forgotten date for the night. Arya coincidentally had worn a black dress too. Hers was a one shoulder fishnet maxi dress unlike Jasmine's mermaid gown. Initially she had been the most beautiful woman in the hall and she had basked in the glory of the people's attention. Being a first-class model, she was well known to all the people who mattered and even those who didn't.

Her internal gloating ended the moment the woman came into the room. She admitted that the woman had the grace and elegant of a queen as she walked confidently as though floating on air. She had accepted that the people's attention was taken from her. Yet what she could not take lying down was the fact that Lorenzo's attention was no longer on her. This had left a bitter feeling in her mouth as jealous filled her heart.

The climax of the whole thing, however, was when she realized that the woman didn't have to show her face to the world. She gained their attention and praise through her talents. It didn't matter that she wore a mask as she beautifully show cased her talents to the world. She had been busy looking at Lorenzo's reaction to enjoy the original master piece.

Her jealousy trip was cut short as it escalated to the size of a tsunami, the second she heard Lorenzo bid 20 billion dollars for charity to have the first dance with the woman. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"