Midnight CEO

11.

RUSSIA

WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL GALA DINNER HOSTED BY CARTER MORGAN AND MIDNIGHT INDUSTRIES. WE DO HOPE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF TONIGHT.

"Ebony, are you ready?" I heard Carter's deep voice say through the bathroom door. We had arrived in Russia last night, and I was indeed staying in a huge room with Carter. The home we were all staying in was just magnificent. A double-storey mansion on top of a beautiful snow-covered mountain looked like it was out of a fairy tale, except for the six-foot-tall wall surrounding the entire property with barbed wire, motion sensors, security guards, and cameras. That bit was not out of any fairy tale. We had arrived here just before the break of dawn; the sun was nearly peeking through the cloud-covered sky. Everyone had gone straight to bed except for Carter. He stayed up doing paperwork at the desk in the bedroom until the late morning hours. I fell asleep listening to him type on the computer and mumble quietly about running out of time. He must have fallen asleep next to me on the bed at some stage, and I noticed when I woke up that when he sleeps, he looks dead as he doesn't breathe, and for a second there, I panicked until I remembered that he was actually dead, hence the vampire thing he has going on.

"I think so," I called back, putting more concealer under my dark eyes and spraying my hair with hairspray one more time. Note to self, if you have a dinner to attend to that night, you must get more sleep. A few hours just doesn't cut it. The gown looked even more beautiful than I remember, and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I took a big breath and opened the door as I exhaled slowly.

I saw Carter standing by the bed, fixing his black tie. I couldn't help but stare at him in his tailored black suit and slicked-back dark hair. He looked so handsome my breath hitched in my throat for a second.

"I knew that dress was the one," he smiled, looking me up and down as I blushed. "You look magnificent, Ebony; you are going to be the most gorgeous girl in the room tonight for sure." he paused as he walked closer to me, his eyes on mine. "You are perfection," he said gently. Once again, I noticed his eyes turning silver as we stared at each other silently. My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears. "We better get downstairs. Everyone is waiting for you," he said, taking my hand in his. "I love how warm your skin feels against mine." he entwined his cold fingers with mine and closed his eyes momentarily. "I almost don't want to leave this room; I enjoy just being around you."

I held his hand tightly. "Me too, more and more each day, actually," I smiled. "Do you want to kick off these shoes and watch The Hangover 2?" I shrugged.

He chuckled in the back of his throat. "I would like nothing more than to do that, but unfortunately, I have work."

"You always have work," I rolled my eyes.

"Not always." he smiled. "Come, I want to show you off." he pulled me towards the door and into the corridor. I felt like royalty walking next to him in my beautiful gown. Could this night get any better?

"Hello, Carter," a female voice purred behind us. Carter stopped in his tracks and froze at the mere sound of her voice. "You are looking well. Incredible, in fact."

He slowly turned to her with his hand still in mine. I felt his hand tense as their eyes met in what can only be explained as pure tension. "Genevieve," he said in a low voice. They said nothing to each other as if they were having a conversation in their heads. My heart sank as I realized she was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. Her long chocolate-coloured hair flowed below her shoulders as her tight black gown hugged every inch of her perfect curves. I noticed that Callan had her dark eyes and plump lips, and I immediately knew who this beautiful woman was, and my stomach sank. This is his ex-wife. "You are looking very nice," he said as his fingers suddenly let go of mine.