Twenty-one: A sign of welcome

Twenty-one: A sign of welcome

The warm air in the hall hit her as she stepped inside which earned a clench of her fists as she tried to use it to adjust herself. The whole place was lighted all thanks to the chandelier that stood in the middle of the ceiling that was designed intricately and the florescent lights that flanked every corner of the walls. It was quite blinding, Monalissa thought. She kept walking forward on her own since the bodyguard had left her. He didn't need to stay around her as that would be very annoying. A waiter passed by with a tray filled with glasses of champagne. Monalissa grabbed one immediately and took a light sip with her eyes scanning every corner of the room.

Kim had given her the name and picture of the person she was to deal with. This was one of the chances to gain the devil's trust so she didn't want to ruin it.

All the attendees of the party had arrived and they were all taken to the main hall where the event was meant to take place.

"Good evening noble ladies and gentlemen", the voice of the host rented the air, creating a quiet atmosphere in an instant. Everyone turned to the stage, anticipating whatever it was.

"On behalf of the Fords's family, I thank you all for coming to join in welcoming the heiress of the family, Ariana Ford who has just returned from abroad. And on this note, I announce the arrival of the heiress, Miss Ariana Ford".

At that moment, the door to the hall's entrance was thrown open and a brunette clad in an ocean blue fishtail gown stood at the door. Her hair was styled into a neat chignon with a pair of Chanel dangling earrings adorning her piercings on both ears. She was quite a beauty. Monalissa arched a brow when she saw the lady. She took another sip from her glass before turning forward to face the stage. At that point, an elegant but imposing figure stood from his seat as the host approached him. The host handed him a bouquet which he took with an expressionless face. He didn't even care. He walked from his seat towards Arianna who was at the door.

The brunette at the entrance was quite happy as the handsome made his way towards her. She felt so elated and special. With a few strides, the man was already in front of her, his cologne wafting through and invading her senses. She bit her lips as her eyes became dewy.

"Take your flowers", the deep voice sent her back to earth. She looked at him and took the flowers, mouthing out a thanks which made her look cute. Ezekiel looked at her lips and was suddenly reminded of that pair of cherry lips that had graced his lips this evening. He felt his tie suddenly tighten and he raised his hands to loosen it.

Monalissa looked at the duo who seemed like the perfect couple and couldn't help but click her tongue. She was quite astonished at how this devil could pull off this gentleman demeanor. He wasn't a gentleman neither would he ever be, but what if he was? What would it be like? Realization dawned on her that she was thinking far ahead about him. She pinched her tigh, allowing herself to feel the pain in order to be reminded that she was his enemy and he was her enemy. She hated him and thus, it should remain like that.

Ezekiel led Arianna up to stage where she was to give her 'welcoming and thank you speech'. Standing beside him, she couldn't help but admire the man that was beside her. He was everything that she had ever wanted, though it would be a miracle if she ever broke into his fort but a man like Ezekiel was worth the try. She would try. At the very least, she wasn't of low status and she was a beauty. With these few words of confidence that danced around her mind, she linked arms with him, attracting Ezekiel's eyes. He looked at her and then faced forward. He couldn't be bothered with her.

Meanwhile, Monalissa had not forgotten her reason to be here, so she kept her eyes open. Soon, the man she was waiting for arrived. A smile crept up to her face as she took a long sip from her glass. She was reminded of the time when she was going on missions with her sisters. A tear slipped from her eyes but she was quick enough to wipe it off. A certain kind of rage engulfed her as she thought back to a year ago when she returned from her last mission only to meet her family at their deaths. Raising her eyes, she looked up at the stage, at the man who was somehow the bane of her life. Though there was something suspicious about her last mission, she still hated him.

She needed to blame him in order to feel good. Her hazel orbs clashed with his blue ones and invisible sparks flew.

She tore her eyes away from his and looked at the target. She raked her brain for something to use as an attention-magnet. And just then, the host voice rang into her ears.

"Nobles, that was a lovely thank you speech' from our beautiful Miss Ford. And it would be nice if one of you would, on behalf of the others say something to Miss Ford as a sign of welcome ".

Monalissa couldn't be any happier. She needed to take this as her chance. Her chance to get the attention of the chairman of the Wings corporation, Mr. Banks. He was a very powerful and wealthy man. He was said to have no weaknesses but Monalissa didn't believe that lie. Early that morning, she had gotten an information from Kim about the chairman, of being a fan for the skirts, though this info was gotten after lots of pleading. The chairman was a lover of women in an excessive way that was sickening to the bones. Monalissa found it annoyingly disgusting but what could she do? The devil was this merciless as to send her to this male wolf that would devour her if she wasn't careful.

Without wasting time, she was on her feet as an idea came to mind, attracting the attention of all. The beauty clad in red. Her actions reminded the reporters of the chaos she had caused at the entrance which led to another episode of shutters snapping. Monalissa didn't mind them and stepped out of her seat. She had never played polite or cute, but she didn't care anyway. She looked at the celebrant.

"I would be giving you a welcome sign on behalf of others. It might take a while so I bet it would be better if you sit down", her hoarse voice rang out.

Arianna was a bit taken aback but she still smiled as the young maiden clad in red was quite interesting but for some reason, she felt a bit uneasy about her. She couldn't point it out but she knew that there was something. She complied and looked at Ezekiel. He got her cue and led her to the seat that was prepared for them. He played the gentleman role properly and Monalissa couldn't be more awed.

Monalissa called upon her bodyguard and the latter left to do the work. She stepped forward up to the stage. Soon, an upbeat music rose from the distance followed by her tapping of her feet. She was going to perform a dance that had always been in her. She didn't know how she came about it but she was a master in that particular dance. It was a dance of allure. She didn't know if it was okay to dance it or use it as a welcome sign but if it was going to get the attention of her target, then what harm was there anyway? Her eyes met with that of her target and in that instant, she held him captive, in her dance.