Welcome to the city of Shanghai. A world of designer clothes, chauffeurs, lavish parties, and juicy scandals. Ever since the Chinese economic boom, rich foreigners have inhabited Shanghai and ruled every inch of the electric city, from the sparkling...
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THE BEAUTIFUL AND GLAMOROUS DAKOTA WINSLOW did notbelong in the same room as sweaty prep boys, red solo cups, and cheap vodka. Even if said room was a three-floor penthouse and said boys were millionaires with reputable surnames.
Dakota did not belong there; she belonged at charity galas hosted by the one percent, prestigious events such as the Oscars, and basically anywhere where drunk teenagers would't be spotted in a ten mile radius.
What ever happened to class and grace? Dakota scrunched her little nose, looking round in complete disgust at the animals surrounding her. These rich kids who supposedly carried superior genes were acting like lunatics. Their parents were business moguls and tech tycoons, and this was how their offspring behaved?
Dakota was a Winslow, she was appreciative of that and mindful of how her every action could affect the public opinion of her parents. It was not easy being part of a dynasty, an empire, but she had the duty to uphold the family name. While the children around her, they sure had a taste for embarrassing their families and making a mockery out of their livelihoods.
Regardless where their parents were placed on the Forbes 100, the teenage mind was too stupid to crave anything other than instantaneous pleasure. But while they were wasting their lives away downing Rosé, Dakota was busy planning her future.
A future where she would take over the Winslow empire, where she would bring pride to her family name by growing the company exponentially, and becoming one of the most powerful women alive.
Gabriel Salvatore understood how important image was, his parents were just as demanding of him. That's why they clicked and became such good friends in the first place. They both came from powerful families who had high social-standings and were in the public eye, yet Dakota and Gabriel weren't scandalous, wild, rich kids. They were two puzzle pieces that just fit.
Brad Peterson's penthouse party was in full swing by midnight and Dakota was waiting by the hotel doors for Gabriel. She clutched her champagne flute tightly, taking a sip every few minutes to calm her nerves. She looked around at the crowd, the dizzying array of lights making it difficult to see anything clearly. Dakota felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, red hair flowing as she turned around to see who it was.
"Courtesy of Mr. Salvatore." A clean-shaven man dressed in a black suit, clearly a Ritz-Carlton employee, handed her a single white rose. "He is awaiting you at the garden and would like me to escort you there."
She looked down at the rose, twisting the stem to admire its delicate petals. My favourite flower. Dakota's piercing blue eyes narrowed as she tried to fight off the little smile forming on her face. She remembered why she loved Gabriel so much in the first place, he was attentive and romantic and thoughtful. Nothing like most guys she knew.
