The Secret Heiress | ✔️

19 | 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜

Viviane peers on with interest. Siya just shrugs, the irk still radiating of off her, "Before you, I had clients in New York. Langford's always been a little prick in my path with his obsession of locking up the rich. And I hate his face, what's more to say."

Hate his face? Really, had she even seen Ethan?

Sighing and leaving her enmity with Ethan to herself, I pull on my heels. Straightening up, I face my two go-to ladies, "Let's go and solve this scandal."

If only I knew the present scandal was nothing compared to what was to come.

---

☘︎ Lʏᴋᴀs Vɪᴛᴀʟʟɪs ☘︎

Davidson Villa's magnanimous ballroom is swarmed with the rich and mighty from all across the world, men in tuxedos and women in evening gowns hold wine glasses and socialize among each other. A renown opera singer sings a beautiful live melody on the stage, her voice melancholic. Waiters and waitresses take occasional sweep of the entire ballroom area holding wine refills, flavored juices and hors d'oeuvres.

Across the room from where I'm standing at the mini-bar counter, clad in a soft-pink tulle evening gown, Mia is in a deep talk with Francis, the guy having an expression of grief written all over his model face. A few feet from them, Ethan finds my wandering gaze and raises his champagne flute in mock salute.

I roll my eyes in answer, returning to observing Samuel and my father. I wait like the last half an hour for their hushed conversation to end and Samuel to be left alone so I can talk to him what I've been meaning to since the morning. Since I was dragged from Jennifer's mansion. The weight of the tiny box in my tux's inner pocket suddenly feels heavier. Jennifer. . .God I miss her, even if it's barely been a few hours since I last saw her.

"There's a billions dollars worth deal attached. Your father is going to be furious when he finds out. Are you sure you want to speak to Samuel regarding this?" Priyank, the elite team's security control command and an ex-army SEAl, questions looking at me over the rim of his wine-glass. Priyank's eyes trained on me remind me of a vampire with their light brown, somewhat red shade.

I take a sip of red-wine from my glass. I know Dad is going to be enraged, there's a high chance he'll disown me. But I can't do this. I just. . .can't.

"Are you in love? Is that why?" Priyank attempts again.

I spot Priyank's boyfriend Jeremiah, poke his head over Priyank's shoulder to glance at me. Unlike Priyank's outgoing personality, Jeremiah keeps to himself. He'd been shy to speak all this while, but now he suddenly seems curious too. Fucking fantastic. Why is everyone so invested in my life?

"He definitely is." Thana quips from where she's seated on a bar stool wearing a silver disco-ball mini-dress, before going back to typing rapidly on her phone with furrowed brows.

"What's she been typing so much all day long?" I ask, trying to divert Priyank's attention from me.

Thana answers, still typing away furiously, "You have no idea the kind of insane information I've found out on what you asked me to. Fuck this is crazy and too good to stop digging. I'm just confirming facts and notations right now to be fully sure."

My hand freezes on the wine glass, eyes completely shifting to her. I'd asked her to find information on one thing and then she'd wanted to dig further by going through Jennifer's records. . .

"What is it?" My voice turns ice-cold serious, making Priyank and Jeremiah look at me in complete interest.

Thana simply waves me off, still focused on her phone, "I won't give half-baked information. That's not my thing. When I give you the information, it's going to be complete and verified."