Hidden Secrets (Hidden Series #1)

2 | A Senior Year Celebration

THREE weeks after Seraphina's birthday party, Chiara Cavalero wanted to throw a celebration for surviving the last five years in their school and was now proceeding to senior year. Of course, the girls were invited, they always were invited to the most fun parties. The invitation indicated that the celebration will be held at Chiara's beach house on Saturday.

The girls gathered together at Hillary's house to discuss preparations for the celebration. Hillary wanted to look perfect as always. "What should I wear to this celebration?" She asked the girls. Like the fashion icon she is, Hillary had the dream closet. Luxurious and beautiful clothing filled her closet to the brim, and she would look amazing in any of it.

Vivianne looked up from the book she was reading, "You have a lot of beach dresses, choose one of those."

Hillary smiled, "You're right, Viv. It is an evening beach party after all. Stasia, pass me that beach dress." Anastasia handed her the beach dress with a nice pattern.

Seraphina joined in the conversation, "Chiara's hosting it right? Your cousin?"

"Mhm, she hosts the most fun parties." Hillary replied, facing the mirror as she tried on the dress. Hillary couldn't choose what to wear because everything looked good on her, she always has this so-called struggle. "What's taking Amelia so long? I need to try on more dresses before choosing the right one. Sera, can you call her?"

Just as Seraphina was about to call her, Amelia opened the bedroom door carrying an armful of dresses. "Sorry for the wait." She tosses the dresses on the bed - "Well? Let's start." The girls looked at each other and hurriedly went closer to the pile of dresses, choosing and taking dibs on the best dresses. That day was filled with laughter and joy shared between the friends. Hopefully, it will always be like that.

Cavalero Beach House
Ember Street
6:20 PM

The strong aroma of champagne, wine and rich delicacies filled the halls of Chiara's beach house. The beautiful lights and music were perfect as the students danced the night away. Preparation for the food and drinks were made by only one of the best chefs in the city. It was perfectly planned, that was always what Chiara aimed to achieve.

"Chiara, hi!" Hillary greeted as she and the girls approached her cousin in a crowd of people. Chiara gave a bright smile, sharing the same excitement seeing her cousin. "Hi! You made it." Hillary gave her a hug - "Of course, we made it. I would never miss one of your amazing parties."

Chiara Cavalero was the city mayor's daughter. She and Hillary were the closest of cousins. They went to the same school since they were young and are both terrifically brilliant. Everyone in the entire city knows that the Cavalero's and the Valentine's are the most influential families around the city.

"Well, of course. This is our celebration before senior year, so it is a must. Enjoy the party, girls." Chiara said with a smile. Just then, a guy approached her with an annoyed look on his face. Chiara turned to face him, sharing the same expression as soon as saw him. "What do you want, De Luca." He suddenly pulled Chiara away with a strong force, which left Hillary and the others shook.

Vivianne couldn't believe her eyes, "Was that Gabryll De Luca?"

Hillary stared at them for a while until they disappeared into the crowd, "Yep. That's him alright." Seraphina too was shocked, "Gabryll De Luca? You mean the guy whose family owns one of the biggest airlines in California?"

Hillary looked back at them, "Who else would it be? Let's go."

The girls walked towards the drinks and desserts, chatting along the way. "Can you tell us more about the De Luca's, Hillary?' Amelia asked, all she knew was that they owned an airline and were nearly as rich as Hillary. That's about it. Anastasia picked up a glass of champagne, "They're extremely rich. Their airline has been around since Gabryll was born. I heard their airline grew big in just a couple of months." Hillary took a sip of her drink and grabbed a piece of dessert. "That's true. It is a pretty big and successful business. Our families have been regulars in that airline since forever."