Third time, the charm!

- CHAPTER 16 -

CRASH!

A loud noise attracts everyone's attention to the centre of the event hall.

The remains of a tower of champagne glasses lie on the floor, spread across every possible direction in smaller pieces of shards.

In the middle of it all, there is a young girl garbed in a pink dress.

Her movements are a bit staggered, her body slowly recovering from the weight of impact.

Yua's face has a faint grimace. Her eyes slowly tear up, but under the loud gasps of the audience, she tries to push an unaffected smile. One that hopefully comes off as, I'm fine, don't worry, enjoy the party.

There is a dull pain ringing somewhere from her right arm.

Curiously she looks down at her hand and notices red leaking from the fabric of her skin.

That's weird, she vaguely registers.

She raises her hand to inspect it, but the movement makes her feel woozier, swaying further on her unsteady feet.

Someone comes in and holds her by her waist. Simultaneously, she feels something dry press upon her numb arm firmly.

Yua closes her eyes and strains to open them with much effort.

In a breathy voice, she asks, "P'Kavin? What are you doing here?"

His omnipresent flirtatious smile is replaced by a firm line, "Let's find you a place to sit."

Kavin tries to direct her away from the area of accident, but her legs don't follow through. They feel heavy, and slightly uncoordinated. Just then, one of her legs slips under her weight. The action pushes her further into Kavin's arm.

She vaguely hears his voice, "I think you're in shock."

There is a muffled sound of noises followed by a firm, "Then, excuse me in advance."

In the next second, Yua feels the heaviness of a warm blazer upon her shoulders. It carries a scent of earth and sandalwood. Partially hidden from the eyes of the crowd, Kavin carries half her weight and smoothly directs her to a lounge room.  

The hotel Yua's family booked for the event can easily host 700 people at once. It came with multiple rooms like this where guests can retire to and relax if they needed a break from the party.

The room is decorated in tasteful shades of beige and white, like it was a page torn straight out from the latest edition of Architectural Digest. Kavin ushers her on the sofa and checks her arm. The white fabric has a splotch of red, already bigger than when he first tied it on her forearm.

"Yua, can you hear me?"

Yua takes heavy breathes, trying to steady the hammering beat of her heart. She raises her head, and Kavin sees her unfocused eyes.

He worriedly looks at her. "Stay right here. I will quickly get a doctor, ok. Don't move!"

Yua tries to nod her head, but instead she gives out a wince.

There is a quick fluttering of steps, the sound of a heavy door closing. All is silent in the room.

Yua leans back on the sofa, moving her body into a more comfortable position. She lifts her injured arm into the light for another inspection, but a bright glare catches her eye. Trailing the ray of light, it is nothing more but the reflection of her diamond earrings on the ornately decorated mirror.