𝑺 𝑬 𝑹 𝑬 𝑵 𝑰 𝑻 𝒀 (18+)

five.

SERENITY

♥

Tonight was a very special night.

Once a year, a charity event was held to raise money for countries disadvantaged from natural disasters. It was an excuse for rich people to get together and flaunt how rich they were, each person trying to top the other by donating more money. Mr. Harrington donated to a few charities privately, but there was one he seemed especially passionate about. Most of the money he donated went to a cause that fought to preserve wildlife, and stop the overproduction of building in animal homes. I knew this because I was always the one who sent in the donations, so I knew exactly how much money he sent to each.

Mr. Harrington was one among a list of two-hundred and fifty other successful businessmen and women that were invited to participate in tonight's affair. My parents were also two of the other people on that curated list.

This wasn't my first time going to the Lend A Helping Hand charity event, I'd gone with my parents dozens of times before. I'd also gone with a few of the other men I've worked for so I wouldn't be going in blind tonight. Tonight was more of a popularity contest than it was about helping other people. The event was heavily publicized, it gave the people in attendance the chance to feel like celebrities even though they weren't.

That was the thing about rich people, they did things not out of kindness, but to fuel their own egos making them feel selfless and sensitive. Most of the people going to these events could care less about the people or things they were helping, I wouldn't be surprised if the event tonight was the only time of the year they donated anything. I hated that, the inauthenticity. If you wanted to be selfish, stand in that truth. Don't pretend to be something you weren't just to please others.

Mr. Harrington gave me the afternoon off to get ready for the benefit tonight. The invitations were sent out two weeks in advance so I had a dress ready, I just had to get my hair, nails, makeup, and toes done. It was all a very boring process, getting ready. I'd sit in the chair and gossip with the woman sitting in front of me, counting down the minutes until I could leave. It sounds bratty I know, but the anticipation was the real reason I couldn't stand sitting in the chair. I might have been used to lavish events but that didn't mean they still didn't make me nervous. I'd always been a confident girl but I wasn't invincible, I had my moments of self-doubt too.

The transformation as you may have guessed was my favorite part. I loved the look of being all dressed up and I thought I looked damned good when I did. Hopefully, Mr. Harrington would think the same. My dress was champagne in color and silk in material. I loved the way it felt on my skin and it made me feel so elegant I couldn't get enough of it. I let the stylist do as she pleased with my hair and she felt an updo would look better for the type of dress I was wearing. I agreed, I looked sexy and elegant all wrapped in one. To avoid stealing the attention from my gown, my makeup was a soft glam, consisting of neutral tones like brown and beige. It really brought out the color of my eyes, making them appear light brown as opposed to their usual dark tone.

Mr. Harrington sent a town car for me, and to my surprise, he was waiting outside of it when it arrived. I carefully descended my front steps and approached the man in front of me, nearly fainting at the sight of him. He was always well kept and in a suit but something about him tonight was different. His perfectly styled black hair, the Armani suit, the freshly groomed facial hair, everything about him screamed sex appeal.

I didn't seem to be the only one in a state of shock because it took me calling out his name twice for his eyes to meet mine once again, "Mr. Harrington," I spoke. "Shall we go now?"