𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑

chapter 5

.....Kristina........

                        ꧁ ʰᵃᵗᵉ ᵖᵃʳᵗⁱᵉˢ  ꧂

As the lights dimmed, a hush fell over the room, and then, with an air of undeniable allure, the ladies made their entrance. The doors swung open, and there he was, the king himself, bathed in the lone spotlight that seemed to worship his very presence. Dressed impeccably in a sleek black suit, his hair styled to perfection, he exuded the confidence of a man who knew he owned the world.
With a phone pressed to his ear, he strode through the room, every step oozing arrogance and power, as if he were conducting the very symphony of the night. "A king indeed," I murmured under my breath, unable to tear my eyes away from this magnetic force.

As he scanned the room, seemingly unaware of the surprise awaiting him, a lady approached, her eyes gleaming with admiration as she reached for his regal feline companion. "I'm seriously jealous of that cat," one of the ladies whispered to another, their attempts to maintain composure failing miserably in the face of his irresistible charm.

And then, to my utter disbelief, I saw him—Joseph.
I couldn't believe my eyes, as if they are playing tricks on me,

So, there I was, lost in the sea of people, feeling like a fish out of water at this guy's fancy party. And yeah, I may have shed a few tears—okay, more like a blubbering mess—when I saw him. Embarrassing? You bet.

I mean, who would've thought I'd end up at his company's shindig? And he was just there, looking all lost and brooding, like some kind of mysterious prince. Even in the middle of the crowd, he stood out, oozing that cool, aloof vibe that had everyone swooning.
Dammit krisa!

Turns out, his old man set up this whole shebang as a surprise. Talk about a family reunion, right? Nah probably a sort of random party the rich could arrange, And there he was, surrounded by these goddess-like ladies, all curves and confidence. Meanwhile, there's me, just keeping it simple and fair.

But man, did I wish Wulf was still around. I'd be strutting my stuff, giving those ladies a run for their money.

"Oh my goodness," my mom whispered in my ear, breaking me out of my thoughts. And there I was, sitting alone, pretending to be engrossed in my phone, while she tried to drag me off to chat. Like, seriously? Can't a girl just chill for a sec?

And let's talk about this dress she shoved me into. Red bodycon, tight as heck, backless with these annoying red threads holding it together, and a neckline that's practically begging for attention. Add in some killer heels that don't even match, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

I'm not really into wearing revealing clothes; they make me feel insecure and uncomfortable about my body.
I doubt I'm more like my grandma,love being covered.
This dress my mom picked out for me is way too much for a party like this. I was supposed to wear something more formal, like Joseph did.

My mom's always giving these backhanded compliments, like asking if I can walk slower when she really means hurry up. So annoying. I just grabbed my dress and headed over to where our staff were hanging out near the canteen. I feel more at ease with them than with all these fancy guests who might recognize my mom.

See, my mom's pretty famous in the city, and I hate being in the spotlight all the time. But whenever I'm with her, there are cameras everywhere, and she's always pushing me to dress up and act a certain way, which isn't really me. I just want to be normal, you know?

But then my mom comes over with a bunch of ladies and cameras, and she's talking about me having fans? What? When did this happen?
I tried to play along, but it's hard to keep up the act. I ended up telling her I need to go get some food and slip away.

After slipping away from the spotlight, I found a moment of respite near the food area. But as I was about to grab a bite, my mom swooped in with her entourage, all smiles and cameras flashing.

"Isn't this just wonderful, Krisa darling?" she gushed, her smile stretched thin as she posed for yet another photo op.

"Yeah, it's uh...something," I mumbled, trying to hide my annoyance.

"Oh, come on, darling, give us a big smile for the cameras!" she coaxed, her voice dripping with false cheer.

I forced a smile, feeling like a puppet on strings. "There, happy?"  A wide grin on my face now.

But as soon as the cameras clicked, I seized the opportunity to make my escape. "Actually, Mom, I just remembered I promised to catch up with someone over there. Excuse me."

Without waiting for her response, I hurried off, leaving her to continue her charade for the cameras.

As I wandered around, doing my best to dodge the cameras and avoid my mom's spotlight, my eyes landed on Joseph in the center of the room. He looked lost amidst the sea of wealthy guests, and something stirred inside me at the sight of him. Maybe it was the way he stood out, not just because of his good looks, but because he seemed so...genuine.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even notice my mom joining his group until she waved at me, dragging me back into the spotlight. Ugh, I just wanted to blend into the background and disappear.

But then, as the cameras flashed and I put on my best fake smile, I caught Joseph's eye. And in that moment, it was like the chaos of the party faded away, leaving just the two of us locked in a silent exchange. There was something about the way he looked at me, like he saw past the facade I was putting on and saw the real me underneath.

Suddenly, taking a risk and stepping into his world didn't seem so scary anymore. Maybe being in his spotlight wouldn't be so bad after all.

After all I was ready to enter lion's den.