The CEO's Mistake (Editing)

1: In Which She Does A Cinderella At The Ball

The black dress clung to her curvy body as though it were a second skin. The lace details that covered its bodice sparkled in the golden light of the ballroom.

She moved with grace, the crowd parted subtly, almost as if they knew she was a woman of royal descent. She smiled at them all, her smile was mesmerizing, it had left all the men around her breathless and all the woman envious of the attention she commanded without even knowing it.

He clenched his jaw. He was finding it very difficult to restrain himself from approaching her. He hated the fact that all the men in that room were staring at what was soon going to be his.

Ethan De'Amico did not like to share.

He knew she wouldn't react well if he were to reveal himself to her now. He could have of course mailed her the joint custody petition documents but he figured that wouldn't end well either. Skylar Hart was a stubborn woman.

So he stood in a corner brooding over a glass of whiskey, never taking his eyes off the ethereal beauty. She mingled with everyone with a patient smile and a witty joke. She'd humored an old man or two by dancing with them and spent the rest of the night on the arm of an attractive man in a tuxedo.

Ethan, of course, knew who the man was having done his research on her. Stefan King was the founder and owner of the model management firm CLASSIQUE. Rumors had been going around about the two for a while. Skylar was, of course, an up and coming model in the industry and Stefan was her mentor and supposed lover.

Ethan hoped from the bottom of his heart that they were just that, rumors because otherwise, Stefan could mean trouble for his plans. He didn't seem like the type of man that gave up on what he wanted.

Hence the reason why he was flabbergasted when Skylar approached him. She came and stood next to him, leaning against the cream wall. had promised himself that he would not make a fool out of himself in front of her, he would try his best to come off as cool and detached but the moment she smiled at him, all his mantras went out the window.

She was even more breathtaking up close. He mentally berated himself for letting a beautiful woman like her slip through his fingertips.

His face must have looked rather funny because a giggle escaped her mouth before she could stop herself.

Ethan's lips quirked up to form a smile as he shook his head in jest.

Hi. You planning on finishing that drink?"Skylar pointed to the amber-hued drink in his hand.

"Nope. You can have it."Ethan smiled wickedly before giving her the glass. Skylar knocked it down like a pro, leaving awestruck.

"You know, you kind of remind me of this girl I met once in a bar. She was a pro at drinking too."Ethan smiled, wickedly.

"Yeah? What was her name?" Skylar wondered out loud.

"I don't... I don't remember." Ethan was squirming.

"I'm Skylar Hart and you're the infamous Ethan De'Amico." She smiled coyly and held out her hand for him to shake.

"I think we can do better than that," Ethan said, before pulling her into a hug and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Her head fit like a puzzle piece in the crook of his neck. He let her go after a few seconds, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Would you like to dance?" Ethan gestured towards the center of the ballroom where a few couples were waltzing to the slow classical music.

Skylar was about to reply when she caught sight of Stefan walking in their direction. He stopped once he was standing next to her and placed an arm around her thin waist.