Desperate

Chapter 33

Elizabeth giggled then exchanged goodbyes with her and hung up. She slipped her phone into her dress pocket then walked to the door. After taking a deep breath, she took one last look in the mirror. "Time to be the girl you're expected to be," she muttered then plastered on a smile and brushed a stray flyaway behind her ear. Her hand reached toward the door, but she gasped and stepped away from it when she realized she forgot something essential to her look. "The gloves."

Running over to her vanity, she picked up the never worn gloves and was about to slip them on until she noticed the strange blue marks glow on her wrists. A week after the accident, those erratic designs appeared, and she wasn't sure what they were. All she knew was that they kept getting brighter with each transformation. The patterned marks spread from her wrists to her elbows which caused Elizabeth to sigh in defeat and throw the gloves back on the vanity. They would be easily seen through the white silken gloves. She would have to wear something darker and possibly ruin her reputation as her father's little Princess. A small smirk fell on her face at the thought then looked over at her closet. Although tonight would be boring, at least she could look like Elizabeth instead of Elizabeth Masters.

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Vlad's POV:

The guests had already arrived, except for his true love and her ridiculous family. He straightened his tie as he stood at the top of the staircase, watching as people moved from the foyer to the ballroom. He smiled at them although he had no idea who most of the guests even were. He tried to invite everyone that Maddie knew as well as a few college students she might have associated with in the past. He also convinced her sister to stop by, but he doubted she would stay for very long.

He looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth's door, wondering what was taking her so long. He asked her to be ready before the first of the many guests arrived to greet them as it would keep their reputation as good party hosts. Whenever they had social gatherings or parties in the past, she would be finished early, and they would have a nice chat until people arrived. For some odd reason, she was ten minutes late, and he kept debating on whether he should check on her or not.

Oh, he was overthinking this. She probably lost track of time or couldn't decide what to wear. They had been late to other social gatherings elsewhere because one of them wasn't ready to leave. Perhaps, she was having one of those late days that evening. It wasn't anything to be concerned about.

He sighed then returned his attention to the front door and spotted a familiar teenage boy with messy black hair walk through. Vlad grinned, recognizing the boy as Maddie's son, and hurried down the steps to greet him. No, he'd never met the boy but was eager to make introductions. After all, the boy was going to be his son one day, and he was looking forward to it.

The halfa walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, accidentally startling him. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, my boy," Vlad apologized as the young lad turned to face him. "I had no intentions of scaring you."

"It's fine, uh, Mr?" he questioned, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Masters. Vlad Masters." He arched a confused brow. "I'm surprised your Mother hasn't mentioned me."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no, she did! I just didn't know what you looked like, Mr. Masters." He smiled sheepishly and held out his hand. "I'm Danny Fenton, sir."

Vlad smiled softly and shook the lad's hand, pleased that he was already taught proper introductions. No doubt Maddie made sure he learned that. Jack, on the other hand, most likely tried to teach him inappropriate lessons, such as voraciously devouring food or slouching at the dinner table. Once the boy was his, Vlad would ensure he mastered every lesson on propriety.