Hostile Takeover

Chapter Twenty-Four

There was one thing to be said of her marriage to Gray, she was never short of a pretty frock when the occasion called. Gray had ensured she was always dressed stylishly for whatever occasion. There were things in here that she would never have been able to afford on her salary, but being the wife of Grayson Holloway had meant she needed to have them. She could remember protesting the first few times he'd bought her dresses once they were married. Gray had simply laughed at her and said one of the best things about being the richest man in Australia was that he could buy his wife stupidly expensive dresses. He liked buying things for her and sometimes, she had to admit, she liked it, too. Especially when there was always competition from other women like Felicity or Morgan and Bella wherever they went. At least she was dressed better than all of them.

She put the thought from her mind as she rifled through all the dresses, some of them worth thousands. The worst thing was that she could no longer fit them all into her wardrobe. It was sad to think she might have to get rid of some since she was no longer going to move back in with Gray. He'd been trying to call her since yesterday but she'd remained deliberately out of range. She half expected him to show up here at her apartment, which was his usual method of doing things, but so far he'd been a no-show. If he turned up now at least she had an excuse not to talk to him, she had less than an hour to get ready and be at the function tonight for Celia.

She was glad of the distraction. It meant she didn't have to think about how she felt about Gray. It was a mistake for her to think they could get their marriage back on track, he hadn't changed and she was better off not having any contact with him at all. That way she could avoid getting hurt. Except she knew that later tonight everything would hit her acutely. It always did. Like right now she was pretending that she didn't want anything to do with Gray, yet she was also hurt that he wasn't here banging her door down trying to fight for her. It was confusing.

Sighing sadly, Quinn selected a latte coloured gown made of satin. She loved this one, the way it shimmered when she moved and it was so comfortable on her body. She remembered the first time she had worn it to a business dinner. Gray had loved it and when they got home later that night he'd barely been able to keep his hands off her. That had been a very memorable night in Quinn's mind, some of the best sex they'd ever had. She thought about putting the dress back, it provoked too many memories, but then, she felt sexy in this dress, it boosted her up and she so needed that tonight. She slipped on a pair of matching shoes and grabbed her purse. She was ready. Thank God she had her car back, she didn't want to have to catch the bus or taxi in this getup.

The function was more like a party when she got there. For a political event it felt more like an award ceremony, everyone was dressed up like they were about to walk the red carpet. There was a huge media presence outside the venue and Quinn was glad she didn't have to slum it out here with the paparazzi tonight. As an invited guest she had her own invitation which Celia had ensured yesterday. Celia had also mentioned some of the things she would like Quinn to pay particular attention to, such as her comeback since the scandal that had rocked her career almost three years ago.

Quinn looked around the function room hoping to find someone she knew to latch onto. But she really didn't know a soul. A waiter passed by and offered her a canapé. She picked up a piece of lavash bread with tzatziki on it from his tray. What she really wanted was a glass of champagne, she was sure that would come her way soon. She glanced around the room again and saw Celia. She was in deep conversation with someone she didn't recognise. Quinn decided to find a glass of champagne and make her way over. She looked about for a waiter again.

"That's her."

Quinn heard a voice to her left. She didn't turn around though, she didn't pay any attention to the voice since she didn't recognise it.