Chapter 7 — An Encounter

Her father’s bodyguards assisted Tiffany as they walked her towards the private chopper that her father sent for her. They informed her earlier that day about the special meeting with the Alphas in Ormon City.

“Did my father give you any specific instruction about this trip?” she asked the goon that her father sent for her.

“No, señorita. He just said you have to be there.”

Tiffany immediately climbed into the chopper and settled into her seat. From Libangon, the group will travel to a private place in Ormon City, whereas her father will also meet with the city mayor. Ormon was located miles away from Libangon, but with Tiffany riding on her father’s private chopper, it will just be a three-hour ride. She heard that her father and the city mayor will have a partnership in a certain business venture. But she’s pretty sure such business will never come clean. It’s already past six in the evening and the wind felt icy on her skin. Despite her thick coat, the cold still seeped through her inside, stirring the void that she had been feeling since she was a kid. Biting her lip, she focused on the task at hand. She tucked her right hand inside her front pocket as a bodyguard put a headset on her. She heard several announcements on the radio before they slowly took off through the night.

Three hours later, the bodyguards once again assisted Tiffany as she set foot on a wide lawn. According to the men with her in the chopper, the place was owned by the city mayor himself. Just several steps away stood a grand building that looked even more glamorous because of the yellow lights that were seen on the building’s facade. And as soon as the wheezing noise from the chopper stopped, then they heard then they heard a faint classical music from the inside.

Two women wearing black and white corporate attire approached them. “Señorita, please follow us,” they said. She silently followed the ladies and walked with steady steps as the two guards trailed behind them. They led them towards an elevator at the building’s parking lot. Then they entered a fancy hallway, where portraits of naked women hung on the walls. Finally, they approached a private room afterward. They left the two guards standing outside the door and another girl assisted her inside. The two girls who escorted her earlier bowed their heads and casually took their exits.

“Good evening, señorita,” the lady smilingly greeted her. “I am Mylene, your hair and makeup stylist for tonight. The Don sent me to assist you.” Her lips curled into a smile as she looked at her.

“Am I going to wear that?” she bluntly asked the lady as she pointed a finger to a dress that was displayed behind them.

“Yes, señorita.”

Tiffany took a heavy breath and ran her fingers through the soft linen.

“Lovely.”

In front of her was a black evening gown which she presumed costs a fortune.

“I didn’t know this is a party.”

“It’s a masquerade ball, señorita. Your father is already waiting for you. You’ll be his muse tonight.”

‘Fine.’

Without a word, she stripped her clothes and put on the black gown. Her father was always like that. Since he didn’t have a trophy wife, he often used his beautiful daughter as his muse at his social gatherings. It used to be so tiring for her, especially when she had to pretend that she enjoyed being with those shallow, rich people. And yet, tonight was different. This was going to be her first Alpha meeting. Hence, no matter how short the notice was, she decided not to complain. And she needed to be more beautiful now. She did not want the Alphas to be too disappointed.

‘I’m sure the party is some sort of cover up so that nobody will know about the meeting,’ she also convinced herself. The real agendum was the Alpha meeting. Just then, her phone rang. The assisting girl immediately gave her phone to her.

“Hola?” she asked without minding who the caller was. “Has visto el vestido, Tiffany?” (Have you seen the dress?)

It immediately replaced her tired spirit with excitement when she heard her caller’s voice. It was her most favorite person in the world. “Mamita Dionee,” she squealed excitedly. “Absolutely! I am wearing it now.”

“Oh, I hope you like it, dear. Your impulsive father once again demanded it to be finished immediately on such brief notice. Tenía muchas ganas de que fuera perfecto.”

Standing in front of the mirror, she noticed the intricate designs that her favorite fashion designer made for her black gown. The gown had exquisitely arranged paillettes that defined her figure perfectly, showing a grown upside of her. It made her realize she was no longer a child, but a lady with enormous responsibilities on her shoulder. “It’s already as perfect as you wanted it to be. No te preocupes (Don’t worry), Mamita Dionee. I love it. No doubt, eres el mejor estilista de moda de España.”

“Te quiero, cariño (I love you). Enjoy the party. And gracias (thank you) for saying that I am the best fashion designer in the whole of Spain. That’s quite true,” he replied with a haughty tone, followed by his very annoying laugh.

Tiffany smiled over the phone. “Indeed, Mamita, and I love you, too. I hope you can visit me in the Philippines soon.”

“Positivamente, definitivamente sí, sí, sí. You will never know.”

As expected, everyone’s eyes were on her when she entered the hall. The mask only revealed her chin and her delicate red lips, but she stood as the most breathtaking creature this evening. She casually took her steps towards her father, and his face displayed the evidence of pride.

The Don showed her around and several illustrious men started throwing interests at her.

“I didn’t know there is a party, Papa,” she whispered to her father when they both finally seated. She was still furious because of his dad’s scheme.

“You already know why, hija. I don’t need to explain that,” the Don explained gruffly. Something now stained his mustache with wine. Tiffany shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her sparkling champagne. “You always do that to me,” she grumbled.

“You ought to be prepared, my love. Always.”

She could only roll her eyes. She knew her father will never apologize to her and arguing will just be a waste of time. So, she was silent as she sat there, pretending to be interested in those who were with them at the table. Just then, the city mayor entered the fancy hall, and Tiffany stood face to face with a fat man wearing an exquisite violet tuxedo. She also fixed her smile.

“Compadre!” her father greeted the mayor. The two men exchanged excited comments about their physical appearances and some friendly banters followed it. “Anyway, this is my beautiful daughter, Tiffany.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the heiress,” said the mayor, as he kissed her hand gently. “She still has to prove that she is worthy of the position, compadre. But I believe in the potential of my child. She is one of the best Alpha students in the Academy, and even my goons could not defeat her during her training.”

The compliments were so good to the ears. She cannot stop smiling as she listened to the two men talking about her.

“Ah, compadre, señorita,” the mayor said later on. “This is also my son, Yuan Lloyd Marquez.”

This is when she noticed a dashing young man in his grand white suit standing behind the mayor. He was wearing a white mask that was minimally designed with diamonds, and a red rose was pinned on his left chest. “I’ve also heard so much about you, young man,” commented her father as he approached them with a big smile on his face. Yuan took a step towards her father and they shook hands. But when Tiffany’s gaze met with his, her eyes popped in surprise.

Yuan took her hand and brought it to his lips. He then winked at her. He left Tiffany dumbfounded.

“So, we meet again, Miss Blonde.”

They were now standing on the dance floor as requested by their fathers. Her left hand dangled to her side while her right hand was on Yuan’s shoulder.

“I can’t believe you are a politician’s son, Yolo,” she said, emphasizing the last word. He only returned the statement with a smirk.

“I knew by then that I have already seen you somewhere and I get it now. You were in the Academy I attended. Perhaps a batch mate or schoolmate of some sort.”

Yuan let out a chuckle. “Yes, I told you I knew you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You knew very well that I meant something else. Tell me about your mission at LNH.”

“That’s quite confidential, señorita,” Yuan replied mischievously.

Tiffany glared at him and buried her nails on his shoulder. Yolo winced a little, but then noticed the blonde curls of Tiffany’s hair. “If you want to succeed in your mission, I suggest you change the color of your hair,” Yuan said as he dabbed her blond pixie hair. Tiffany became angrier even more.

“You lied to me! All this time you knew who I am.”

“Come on, Miss Tiffany,” he whined. “Can we just put aside our tiring personal lives first and just enjoy the night? Later on, we’ll enter inside the chamber and we’ll be hearing all kinds of criminal discussions. So please, let’s just dance.”

Almost instantly, lively music for one of the famous Spanish dances, the Paso Doble, filled the air. It was a fast-paced dance based on the rhythm and movement of a bullfight. As a ballroom dance, they usually performed it in pairs, one man and one woman, with the former said to represent the matador or bullfighter.

“You did well with your act. You can pass as an actor,” she whispered.

They heard thunderous claps as the pair moved their bodies to the beat. They were now lost in the music. As a student at the Academy, Tiffany was an amazing dancer. She could jive with whatever genre of music was chosen and could even make it livelier and fun to watch. Her slender body and her beautiful face complimented her every move. She was just like her mother; her father always said every time she performed on stage. “That’s what we always do, señorita. We act. We deceive. We don’t let other people read our every move.”

“So, you are not a janitor, huh?”

“I am disguised as the principal’s scholar boy. I have to work with him in his office.”

“I see. Are you still on probation?”

“Again, everything that involves my mission is confidential, Miss Tiffany,” Yuan replies mischievously. Another round of applause filled the air as Yuan flipped her back and let her head briefly dangled to the floor. His hands expertly supported her waist and her body from falling.

“You dance very well, caballero (gentleman/ young man),” she whispered as Yuan twirled her around him.

“Because I’ve got such a beautiful dance partner,” he replied, and sent her a wink.

The rhythmic music continued to rise, and the audience cheered and applauded every execution of the pair.

“Bravo! I’m proud of you, Tiffany.”

Tiffany wanted so much to roll her eyes at him, but then again, she had to show some manners because she didn’t want to embarrass her perfect daddy.

“Thanks, Papa. Do you think I did great in there?”

“Hey, we did great,” Yuan interjected.

“Yes, both of you were so good with each other. I believe you will give birth to beautiful babies, right Compadre?” the Don asked, which made Yuan grinning and Steffy cringing.

“What do you say, hija?”

Tiffany only chuckled sarcastically before taking a gulp of her wine. “We’ll see what happens in the future,” she grimly replied.

“Well, I cannot wait to see my Yuan get married. Don’t you think Tiffany is a perfect pair for you, my son?”

Yuan chuckled a little before he answered. “She is such a beautiful creature, father. I’m sure she’ll also make a good wife.” Tiffany angrily kicked Yuan’s leg underneath the table, and the guy almost lost his cool. Tiffany snickered and rolled her eyes.

“Compadre, I think it’s time,” the mayor said. She heard her father grumble before he got up from his seat. Several men who were also members of the Alpha Brotherhood followed him. They moved carefully to avoid suspicion from the crowd.

“The two of you should follow us inside,” the Don reminded her and Yuan.

“Yes, Papa. See you there.”

“Your wife? You wish!” Tiffany said as she leaned closer to Yuan. The handsome guy only replied with a wink, which made Tiffany angrier. They became serious now as they watched the men of the brotherhood dispersed.

But just as the men left the room, they heard an explosion outside the building. Screams suddenly drowned the music down. There was another explosion and Tiffany cannot help but become panicky.

“Papa!” Tiffany screamed as panic rose inside her.

Gunshots immediately rose in the air and the screaming of the guests drowned her father’s voice. Bodyguards immediately surrounded old Don Arnulfo while Tiffany ducked to get a hidden revolver tied around her thigh. With a swift move, she shot two men who were approaching to kill them.

“Get my father to safety,” she ordered two of her men.

“Señorita, let’s get out of here!” Yuan said as he grabbed Tiffany to duck under the table. They heard more and more gunshots and screams as they ran towards the exit. They met several men along the way but tackled them down as they fought side by side. The gown made it hard for Tiffany to run, so she ripped the sides off it, exposing both of her thighs.

“Oh Yuan, stop ogling at my thighs. Now is not the right time for your sexual fantasies.”

The young man chuckled and led her to the garden. “You have such beautiful thighs. Come on, I think your father’s finally on his chopper!”

They indeed saw her chopper roaring with all its might and her father was waving at her, shouting her name.

“Go. Now!” Yuan commanded her. Tiffany was shocked. “What about you?” she asked him in a loud and worried voice.

“I have my ways. Go! Go! I still have to look for my father.”

Two men gently dragged Tiffany towards the chopper, so they forced her to leave her new friend behind.