The Billionaires(#1)

65

Days were shorter, nights longer. Winter had marked its arrival as night fell too early as compared to summer where 7p.m. was sunset.

Gauteng Maboneng. A very unique description of the beauty of Johannesburg at night. The streetlights and house lights illuminated the city, marking its beauty with its brightness.

Sandton was the ‘it’ place in Johannesburg. Always busy. From fancy hotels to fancy restaurants, from fancy shops to fancy apartments, but nothing could compare to Cnr Grayston Dr and Rivonia Rd. Expensive cars piled up the streets, marking the presence of very important people, and a very important and big occasion.

A red carpet laid on the grounds of The Maslow Hotel from outside, all the way inside, and journalists littered outside the entrance of the hotel, taking pictures and interviewing some of the guests.

The inside of the hotel was exquisite and the most luxurious. It was covered in gold from head to toe. Large gold curtains hung on the walls, covering every inch and every corner. Gold chandeliers with a spark of diamonds hung on the ceiling, and numerous round tables covered in gold tablecloths, neatly occupied the hall; each surrounded by ten chairs. There were white saucers with gold edges, glasses with a spark of gold at the top and at the bottom, and ice buckets at the centre of the table with three bottles of champagne each.

The place was filled up with guests in fancy gowns and suits, and of course, with masks. Others were chatting while others were still arriving. A woman wearing a long red dress that trailed behind her back took the stand. She clutched a white purse and wore a white mask only big enough to cover her eyes. Her brown hair was tied neatly in a stylish manner, and she wore a matching pair of earrings, necklace, and bracelet. 

She picked up the microphone and checked if it was working by gently tapping it at the top.

“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen.” She spoke up. The hall slowly quieted down, and everyone turned to face her. “Thank you all for coming at such a short notice to celebrate MJ Billings’ birthday with us.” Cheers and applause filled the hall. “You all look very fantastic tonight; give yourselves another round of applause.” Everyone clapped and cheered. “Thank you. For those who don’t know me…okay, you all don’t know me obviously.” She said, and everyone laughed. “My name is Anita Simmons, and I’ll be your program director for tonight.” Another round of applause went off while Anita searched for Jorge with her eyes. He stood next to the long staircase while chatting with some of the guests, and he gave her a thumps up as if he knew she was looking for him. “Ladies and Gentlemen, it is sad to announce that our guest of honour will not be joining us tonight.” She said, and murmurs and whispers of disappointment arose.

She was saved from some more complaints when a figure on the staircase caught the attention of some of the guests, and soon, everyone in the room was transfixed by this mysterious woman. All heads turned to look towards the stairs, and some people made sure to make some space near the stairs. Of course, except for Jorge.

She slowly descended the stairs, carefully watching every step she took. She looked flawless in the long and strapless gold dress that securely covered all the right places and flowed all around her body, trailing on the floor and covering her feet and her gold heels. She was wearing a gold bracelet on her left hand and held a gold clutch, and her now dark brown hair was curled and left down. She looked beautiful and had literally stopped the show before it even started.

She was pulled out of her reverie by a loud applause. She stopped on the fourth last stair and looked up to be met with hundreds of masked faces like her own, except hers was black and gold. She carefully scanned through the crowd, searching for a familiar face, and her eyes landed on deep chocolate brown eyes.