Chapter 49

Brook's eyes flickered with something lisa couldn't quite place, but before she could repeat her question, he simply said, "You'll find out soon enough." With a sly wink, he turned and headed out the door, leaving Lisa to ponder his words and wonder what kind of scheme he was cooking up. As she looked down at the dress in her hands, she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Why was Brook's tone so menacing, and what did he want from her?

After Brook left, Lisa quickly changed into the new dress that he had brought her. She admired herself in the mirror, the red gown fitting her perfectly. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out of her room heading to the event hall, her eyes scanning the crowded room for the table where Brook was waiting for her..

The bustling hall was filled with people enjoying the festivities, and Ethan and Mel were seated in a corner, chatting amiably. As the night progressed, the awards for the best businesses in various divisions were given out one by one. When the award for the best in footwear and clothing production was announced, LIM Company was called out, and Ethan, the CEO, made his way to the stage to receive the award. Mel beamed in admiration, and the audience clapped heartily as they all expected LIM to win this award, as it had truly been the best so far.

As the night wore on, the hosts announced that it was time to award the best-dressed couple of the night. Miss Vee, the fashion expert, was called upon to present the award. She scanned the room slowly before her eyes settled on Ethan and Mel, who were surprised to be chosen. "I must say, I am very impressed by the couple sitting at table fifteen," she said, her voice carrying easily across the room. Ethan and Mel looked at each other in surprise, and Mel hesitated at first since she wasn't used to being welcomed by such a crowd. However, Ethan left her feeling assured that she could do it, and they made their way to the stage, where Miss Vee presented them with a shiny trophy and a bouquet of flowers. "Congratulations, you two," the host said, beaming.

As they received their award, they smiled for the cameras, but as they turned to leave, the announcer called out, "And now, we have a special surprise for our best-dressed couple. You get to share a dance on stage!"

Ethan and Mel looked at each other, suddenly nervous. Ethan felt his heart beating faster as he realized what was happening. He had no idea how to dance, and he certainly hadn't expected to be asked to perform in front of everyone. He could feel Mel's uncertainty too as she looked up at him.

But he took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. "We can do this," he whispered again. "Just follow my lead."

With a nod of agreement, they stepped onto the dance floor. The music thrummed through Ethan's veins as he took Mel into his arms. He stumbled a bit at first, but then he found his rhythm. Mel followed his lead, her body close to his as they swayed to the music.

Ethan put his hand around Mel's back as they continued dancing in the dim light. As the music continued, they started to move slowly, their bodies pressed close together. Mel felt a rush of warmth and excitement as Ethan twirled her around, his hand tight in hers. She looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest, and saw that he was looking down at her with a soft expression.

Lisa, who had been watching from her table, felt a pang of jealousy and anger as she saw Ethan and Mel dancing together. She looked over at Brook, who was seated next to her, and saw that he was also staring at the couple with a strange expression. His hands were clenched tightly beneath the table, and his eyes were dark.

Finally, the song ended, and the applause died down. Ethan and Mel stepped off the stage, feeling a little breathless and flushed. They sat down at their table, still feeling the glow of their moment in the spotlight.

"That was incredible," Mel whispered to Ethan, a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah, it was," Ethan replied, his eyes sparkling. "Thanks for being my date tonight, Mel.

The event proceeded further with all attendees having a general round of dance with their dates. After this, it was finally time to bring the event to an end. The host then gave a short and sweet closing speech, thanking everyone for coming and expressing gratitude towards the sponsors and the staff who helped make the event a success.

As the crowd started to disperse, Lisa suddenly appeared at Ethan's table, a broad smile on her face. "Hey Ethan" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. Ethan turned to acknowledge her with a nod, but his eyes quickly flicked back to his phone, a clear sign he was not interested in chatting with her.

Lisa did not feel deterred by his reaction instead she leaned forward, her hands clasped together on the table in front of her. "Ethan, you look really stunning tonight," she said, her tone a little too sweet. "I had wanted you to be my date, but it seemed I wasn't fast enough." Her eyes darted to Mel, who sat next to Ethan, and a flash of jealousy crossed her face.

"As you can see, Lisa, I don't need a date. I already have Mel with me," Ethan replied coldly, finding it insensitive that Lisa would speak such nonsense in Mel's presence.

"Oh, Mel you say? That's her name?" Lisa said, turning to Mel. "Hello, Mel. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting before." she said lying through her teeth.

"We have," Mel said curtly, her memory going back to their previous encounter, where Lisa had bumped into her.

"We've met? I don't think so. Perhaps you're mistaking me for a different person," Lisa buttressed her lie, trying to save face.

Mel bristled at the implication that she was somehow mistaken. "I remember you," she said sharply, her tone making it clear she was not in the mood for any more of Lisa's games.

Lisa sensed the tension between Mel and herself and decided to change tactics. "You know, Ethan, you shouldn't make use of fake dates this way," she said, her tone slightly mocking. "You know how people easily believe in things like this. Just now, a couple close to where I sat was already referring to you as though you were truly together with Mel."

Ethan, who had been staring at his phone for a while now, lifted his head and turned to face Lisa with a cold look on his face. "Who said we aren't a real couple?" he asked, his tone hard. "Is it you? Since when did you get to decide such?"

Lisa stuttered at his response, her eyes flicking nervously around the table. "I know it's fake, Ethan. You just needed to pick her out since it was mandatory to attend the event with a date," she said, her tone defensive.

Mel, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "I wonder what kind of lady would clamor so badly to be a man's date if she knew it was just for show," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "When you first arrived, you mentioned that you had shown up too late, if not, you might have been Ethan's date. Now let me ask you, why would you want it so much if you knew it was fake?"

Lisa couldn't respond properly, her face reddening with embarrassment.

"Could you excuse us, Miss Lisa?" Ethan said, deliberately emphasizing the "Miss" to show his level of formality. "We would like to have our couple's time together, and we do not like anyone interfering anymore." Lisa, feeling humiliated, barely managed to nod her head. "See you around, Ethan," she said, before walking away.

After Lisa left, Ethan apologized concerned that Mel was angered by her words. But surprisingly mel did not feel that way, she explained to Ethan that she had already met lisa on two occasions now and she was now used to the way she spoke.

****

As Ethan and Mel sat across each other at the table, Ethan's phone buzzed, alerting him of an upcoming court case between Darth and himself. He sighed, feeling the weight of the impending stress bearing down on him. His eyes shifted to the red wine on the table and a thought popped into his head. He turned to Mel and asked, "Would you like to have a drink with me?"

Mel nodded, feeling a little nostalgic about drinking red wine. However, she knew she wasn't good at holding her alcohol and didn't want to make a fool of herself. She decided to take it easy and limit her intake. Ethan, on the other hand, was already familiar with the effects of alcohol, he was good at holding in his liquor so he felt like it wasn't such a big deal.

As the night wore on, Ethan continued to drink, taking glass after glass. He wasn't sure if it was the contents of this particular wine or the stress of the upcoming court case, but he could feel himself getting drunk. Mel could tell that Ethan was getting a little out of hand and offered to help him back to his room.

As they reached Ethan's room, Mel guided him towards the bed, but his unsteady steps made him stumble and fall with his weight on her. They both landed on the bed, with Mel now beneath Ethan. However, she didn't feel uncomfortable or trapped under him. Instead, she held onto him to make sure he didn't fall off the bed and hurt himself.

laying on the bed, Ethan was half awake and half asleep, their faces were only a few inches apart. , and Mel could feel Ethan's breath on her lips.

Taking in the scent of her lipgloss in his drunk state, Ethan felt a part of his memory stir up, and subconsciously he uttered her full name, "Melanie"