Chapter Twenty Five

“Here,” I look at Uno’s hand as he opened the door for me and extended his hand to help me get out of the car. I slowly touched his hand and then got out of the car. We’re already wearing masks, and there are already a lot of guests on their way to the entrance.

I bit my lower lip, Uno and I were still awkward because he fell silent after I said that I no longer belonged to the family. Again, he didn’t ask anything else, so I didn’t tell him dad was mad with the Del Romans and I wasn’t allowed to approach them.

“I’m getting nervous,” I muttered as I hugged Uno’s arm and we prepared to walk up the stairs. The visitor is in line because the invitation was already checked at the entrance. Purse my lips before looking at Siegren who’s behind us.

“Don’t be concerned if we see your parents. I’ll make sure they won’t see you.” Said Uno, not looking at me, and I grinned. I’m just hoping we don’t run into Dad. I can’t imagine how angry he’d be if he found out I was Uno’s date and I didn’t come home yesterday.

“Oh shit! I forgot about Kathy,” I mumbled as I remembered my idiot stepsister. If she was watching my every move yesterday, she’d known that I was staying over at Uno’s place.

Fuck. Has she already reported to dad? I mean, if Kathy had already told dad what she discovered, he should have contacted me yesterday, but I didn’t receive a single missed call or message. Damn it, it’s making me anxious for some reason.

“What about her?” Uno questioned as he handed the invitation to the receptionist, allowing us to enter inside.

“What did you do to Kathy yesterday?”

“I told my men to threaten her not to say anything about what she saw, and don’t worry about the camera she used to record you. It’s already shattered.”

I breathe a sigh of relief when I find out that’s what happened. Maybe Kathy was too afraid, so she didn’t report to dad. Well, hopefully, that’s the case.

“Do you want me to teach her a lesson? We’ll just scare her—”

“Don’t bother, I told you I’d take care of her; just don’t get involved. It will make things messier.”

“What’s wrong with me just helping you?”

“You really want to know?” I asked as we entered the function hall, which was already crowded with well-dressed guests. This isn’t the first time I’ve been able to attend this type of party, but I’m still amazed how they organize such a grand party, especially since only business tycoons are invited. They certainly went above and beyond.

“Yeah,” Uno replied, so I turned to face him and smiled when I noticed he had also turned to face me.

“Because my father despises your family, I’ll tell you the details someday even though I have really no intention of telling you this,” I said before avoiding his gaze.

“Mr. Del Roman,” calls the elderly man who approaches us. Wow, I can’t believe he recognized Uno right away even though he was wearing a mask. Well, they must be very familiar with each other.

“Mr. Smith.” Uno called to the old man, and when he looked at me, I smiled.

“Who is this lovely young lady? Did you finally get yourself a girlfriend?” The elderly gentleman laughed.

“No, she’s a friend,” Uno corrected, and I turned to face him.

“Do you need privacy? Should I go somewhere while you’re talking?” I questioned, and Uno shook his head in response.

“Don’t leave my side.” He whispered and I looked at his hand as he removed my hug from his arm, he then placed his hand gently on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

I bit my lip and looked around the party while Uno was busy talking to Mr. Smith, I tried to find dad, but they were nowhere to be seen. I just sighed and grabbed a glass of champagne when the server passed by. I gracefully drank it and smiled at Mr. Smith when our gazes met but I flinched a little when Uno squeezed my waist. Being confused and all, I turned to face him, but he didn’t look back. What’s his deal? Why did he do that?

“Thank you, we’ll go ahead,” he said to Mr. Smith before they finally parted ways. I had no idea where we were going, but I still followed Uno because it seemed like he had no intention of removing his hand from my waist.

“Why did you squeeze my waist?” I wondered, before finishing the champagne and placing it on the table we passed.

“I didn’t do anything like that,” he simply replied, and I didn’t ask any more questions, thinking I had just been mistaken. I just shrugged my shoulders and wanted to say something else but someone called Uno’s name again, drawing his attention. It was younger this time and seemed to be the same age as him. When the guy smiled at me, I smiled back.

“Hello, gorgeous,” he greeted before taking my hand and kissing it.

“Damian, weren’t you told it’s impolite to touch someone else’s date without permission?” said Uno.

“Hello,” I replied, as the two looked close to each other. And, if I’m not mistaken, he was also a member of the mafia. I’m not sure why, but he gives me that vibe.

“Can I speak with Uno privately, if you don’t mind?” Damian asked, ignoring whatever Uno said.

“Sure,” I said, smiling before turning to face Uno.

“Don’t worry, I won’t go far,” I assured him, and he simply nodded, so I said goodbye and walked away, making sure Uno and I were still in sight.

I looked around the party and tried to find dad again—somehow, I couldn’t relax knowing we were in the same place.

“Ashton?” I whispered as he passed in front of me. He stopped and turned to face me as if he had heard me. I knew it was Ashton because of the tattoo on his neck. Even though he was wearing a mask, I could see his eyes squinting as he tried to figure out who I was.

“Kharris?” he asks when he finally recognized me. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you,” I said as he approached me.

“Oh, dad brought me to introduce me to the world of business. You know, they’re already training me as their heir.”

“I see what you mean.”

“How about you, did your father—”

“No, my friend invited me to be his date,” I replied cutting him off and surprised when the music suddenly became louder.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you!”

“I said my friend invited me to be his date!” I said again, and we moved away from each other. We started to talk about random things and laughed, and as a result, I lost some of my anxiety.

“Are you finished talking to your friend?” I asked, and he just nodded sparingly before looking at Ashton as if he saw an enemy; what’s the matter with him?

“Hey, he’s not a stranger; don’t give off a scary vibe,” I said as I elbowed him in the stomach because he was standing behind me.

“Ah, I’ll go ahead, see you at school, Kharris,” Ashton said quickly, so I stared at Uno. He just shrugged and I shook my head before starting to walk but when I saw Divina, I immediately pulled Uno. I almost made him a shield just to hide me as I leaned against the wall.

“What? Did you see your parents?” he questioned, and I nodded. As a result, he turned around and faced me again.

“Let’s go,” he said before wrapping his arms around my shoulder, almost hugging me. He’s making sure that he could still hide me from the sight of my parents. Damn, they’re really here. Even if they are wearing a mask, I know who they are; I mean, how can I not recognize those who have made my life miserable?

“Where are we going?”

“On the balcony.”

“Is it okay for you to leave the party? How are you going negotiate with other companies?”

“We’ll just hide for a while I make a way for your parents to leave the party,” he said before gesturing his hand in the direction of Siegren, clearly sending a signal. Following that, we went directly to the balcony, where we were the only people.

“Ah, I could finally relax,” I thought as the evening breeze blew. “How about just leaving me here so I’m not getting in you wa—”

“Who’s a sensible person who’ll leave his date in the middle of a party?” Uno’s response to what I’m trying to say. After touching the railing, I turned to him.

“Wow, when did you turn into a gentleman?” I smirked but flinched when he leaned both hands on the railing. He’s now cornering me and towering over me.

“Who was the man you spoke with earlier?” he questioned as he pushed my hair to the side and kissed my nape.

“H-hey, we’re in a public place. And he’s a friend, why are you asking?” I bit my lip, tickled by the kiss he was giving me.

“Kharris,” he called my name softly, causing me to swallow hard. What happened to him so suddenly?

“W-what?” I asked, a little nervous.

“I want to do it.”