Book 1 of Monte Carlo Series
Escaping her chaotic past, Katrina moves to Monaco to start a new life. With a single bag and a guitar, she sets on a brand new journey to reacquaint with herself and maybe find love along the way.
The harbor of Monte Carlo was alive with loud music and flashing lights as they arrived at the port where Sofia's cousin's yacht was docked. Katrina had hoped for a small gathering, but that thought quickly disappeared as she took in the large crowd. From where they stood, it seemed like the entire neighborhood had shown up.
"Is this your cousin's yacht?" Katrina asked, her voice barely audible over the noise.
"Yep," Sofia replied.
"How come I've never met him?" Katrina raised her voice to be heard.
"He's usually not home for long. He lives in the neighborhood too, with some of his coworkers."
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Just then, a guy approached them as they stepped onto the yacht.
"Sofia, good to see you again," he greeted her.
"Hello, George. Glad you're here. Where's my cousin?" Sofia asked.
"He's somewhere inside. Who did you bring with you?"
"George, meet Katrina. Katrina, this is George, one of our neighbors."
"Hi, nice to meet you, George. I hope I'm not crashing the party," Katrina joked.
"A friend of Sofia's is a friend of ours," George smiled back.
Two hours later, Katrina had met nearly all of Sofia's neighbors. Everyone had been friendly and welcoming, just as Sofia had said. Though the night was still young, most of the guests were already quite drunk. Katrina, who had never been fond of the party scene back in Korea, started to feel the overwhelming mix of liquor and sweat in the air.
She decided to step outside and sit in one of the chairs. As much as she wanted to leave, she knew she couldn't. This was Sofia's cousin's party, and she was Sofia's ride home. She couldn't just ditch her. So, she passed the time scrolling through Twitter.
She didn't notice the man watching her with amusement until he walked over and sat in the empty chair next to hers, holding two glasses of wine.
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"Drinks?" he asked, offering her one.
"Sorry, I can't drink tonight," she politely declined.
"Don't worry, it's just wine."
Katrina hesitated, then accepted the drink out of courtesy.
"So, what brings you outside? Is the party too boring for you?" he teased.
"Not at all. The party's fun. It's just that there are too many people inside, and I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic."
"I hope you won't be offended, but I have to ask—who are you with? I feel like I'm meeting you for the first time."
"No offense taken. I've actually been getting that question all night. I'm new to Monaco, just moved here a few weeks ago. I came with my neighbor, Sofia. She told me this was her cousin's party," Katrina explained, surprisingly comfortable talking to him.
"Ah, you're the new neighbor my mom's been talking about. I hope Sofia didn't pressure you into coming here."
"No, not at all. I actually needed a night out. Plus, it's a good way to meet new people since I plan to stay here long-term."
