Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen

Three days flew by in a flash. Except for Uno’s frequent contact with me, nothing noteworthy has occurred in the last few days. We’ve become more casual with each other since we officially became friends with benefits. Just yesterday, he texted me that we would meet today because we needed to buy a gown and suit for the party.

“Annie, where’s my car key? Hasn’t dad returned it yet?” I asked when I returned home from school and noticed one of our maids cleaning in the living room. Dad usually returns my car key right away, and he wouldn’t let me use public transportation for long. He avoids raising suspicions as much as possible.

He was very concerned about maintaining our family’s good image, even though our name had long been tarnished as a result of his decision to bring a new woman home after his wife died. He’s insane to assume that people still think the same way about his image as they did before.

“Uhm.” Annie seemed hesitant to respond, and even though she hadn’t said anything yet, I already had a feeling why she couldn’t answer me directly.

“Did Kathy use it?” I asked, and she nodded her head slowly in response.

“He forced your father to lend her the key when she came home from school earlier.”

“I see, thank you,” I said as I walked upstairs. Damn that fucking bitch! What’s her deal? She has her own car, why would she use mine? I’m not sure what she’s going to do while driving my car. I swear, if she causes trouble and I get the blame, I’m not going to be as easy on her as I was the last time. I don’t care if her mother aids her in her retaliation against me. They can even include dad if they want.

I just took a shower to cool my head and changed my clothes right away because I didn’t want to meet Uno in a uniform. I don’t want to draw unwanted attention to myself any longer. It’s both uncomfortable and irritating.

“Ah, what should I wear?” I thought to myself as I opened my wardrobe closet. I bit my nail before removing the towel from my hair and tossing it on the bed. Following that, I grabbed my crop top with a nasty print on it and my black and white plaid polo. For my bottom, I decided to go with high-waisted shorts.

As soon as I decided what to wear, I got dressed immediately and blew my hair. I also sent Uno a message to pick me up outside the gate.

“Should I put lipstick on?” I asked myself in the mirror as I twisted my hair into a messy bun. Fortunately, the hickey has disappeared, and the bruises on my arm are starting to fade. I’m already itching to wear sleeveless, ugh!

“Are you leaving, Ma’am Kharris?” Annie questioned as I exited the house, while she was watering the plants in the garden.

“Yes, just tell Dad that Reo is with me,” I said, lying.

“Sir instructed me to tell you that you are having a family dinner tonight and that a guest is coming.” I stopped walking when I heard that and looked at Annie.

“Guest? That’s rare. Who is it?” My brow furrowed slightly because I think it was last year when dad brought a visitor here to the house. Normally, if he is meeting an acquaintance or he has a meeting, he will invite them to a restaurant. I can’t help but wonder who the guest will be tonight.

“Sir didn’t mention who.”

“I see.” I just nodded and continued walking until I got out of the gate where the familiar Mercedes-Benz was already there.

“Hi,” I greeted when Siegren came out of the car and opened the backseat door for me. Why am I suddenly feeling like a VIP? Am I a princess or something? Lol, I’m not going to get used to this kind of treatment.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

“Where’s your boss?” I asked as he entered the car and began to drive.

“He has a meeting right now, so he’ll just follow to the boutique after his prior engagement,” he replied before I glanced in the rearview mirror for a moment.

“Oh, is that so? Is that man even taking a day off?” I wondered; a little bit intrigued by Uno’s working life.

“No, but he makes an exception when there is a major event like his brother’s engagement party.”

“Wow, I had no idea he was such a workaholic,” I remarked. “Is that the reason why he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“I can’t give you an answer,” he said, barely laughing, which piqued my interest. I mean, Uno isn’t that old yet, but he’s also not that young, so I’m not sure why he invested in a no-attachment relationship with me instead of looking for a partner and settling down. Although it is not really necessary for him to settle down at his age, it is usually around the age of 30 that the desire to start a family enters the human mind.

Maybe he just wants to fool around for a while because he won’t be able to do so once he finds a wife.

“Uhmm… Is it just me, or has a car been following us since we left?” I asked Siegren. I took my gaze away from the rearview mirror and turned around to get a better look at the red car that was tailing us.

“Shit!” I muttered when I saw the car driver’s familiar face. That was one of Kathy’s friends when they were still living in the suburbs. Why does she keep ordering someone to follow me? She’s only endangering their lives. When Uno gets involved again, I’m sure I’ll be questioned about my stupid stepsister’s scheme.

“Do you have any idea who is following us?” Siegren asked, drawing my attention back to him. When our gazes met in the rearview mirror, I chose to lie.

“It’s one of my suitors and I guess he’s stalking me; can you drive faster?”

“Of course, leave it to me,” he says confidently, and I feel like I set off his mafia mode. I just shrugged and breathed a sigh of relief when we were able to get rid of the car that was following us.

When we arrived at the boutique, I asked Siegren to accompany me inside so he won’t get bored, but he declined, saying he would just wait in the car because Uno was already on his way.

“Good afternoon, ma’am; are you perhaps Kharris Villa Luna?” asked the female staff as I walked in. I forced a smile because I had no idea how she knew I was the one she was talking about. I mean, what kind of sorcery is that?

“Y-Yes, how did you know?”

“Uhm, Sir Uno informed us that the person attending the party with him has long red hair,” the woman explained as she led me to the gowns section. Oh, that makes sense, but was it really necessary for Uno to describe me himself? I can just introduce myself, why would he bother making an effort? That’s not typical of him.

Maybe he’s just acting like a gentleman because I’m doing him a favor.

“Sir Uno said that the party’s theme is a masquerade,” the woman told me.

“Really? He didn’t mention that to me.” I shrugged as I examined some dresses on the mannequin.

“What kind of dress do you want to wear? Have you thought of anything? Have you seen anything that has piqued your interest?” she asked me politely, and I smiled.

“Am I allowed to choose any color?” I asked because I was unaware of the event’s specific details. Only the date and time were given to me by Uno.

“Yes, you can wear whatever color you want as long as you wear a masquerade mask,” the woman replied, and I nodded.

“I see, then I’d like to wear a long-sleeved dress that isn’t too conservative and something lowkey revealing... If such a thing exists.” I chuckled.

“Oh, we have that. Please wait, I’ll just take our new designs,” she said, and I nodded before turning to look at the other dress on the rack. They are a little flashy, but they look nice to wear. I’m sure I’d be more comfortable if I could just wear sleeveless.

“These are some of our new designs that have been released on the market. Feel free to try them on and let me know when you have already decided what you want to wear so we can adjust the measure,” said the woman carrying five different long sleeve dresses.

“Sure, thank you,” I said as I entered one of the fitting rooms and hung the dresses on the hanger rack. After that, I began to remove all of my clothes except my underwear.

The first thing I tried was the one that drew my attention right away. It’s a black maxi dress with a v-neck cross open front lace, and a high slit design. Simple but elegant, just my cup of tea.

“Ah shit, it's stuck,” I grumbled as I closed the zipper on the back, which had stopped in the middle. “I’m sorry, miss, but could you please assist me in zipping up—”

I couldn’t finish what I was about to say when I peeked out of the fitting room and saw Uno instead of the staff. I tried to look around but there was no one else in this section of the boutique besides him. I pursed my lips before I returned my gaze to Uno, who was loosening his necktie, indicating that he had just arrived.

“What’s the matter, kitten?