A shiver ran down my spine when a cool breeze kissed my neck. The silk shawl draped around my shoulders barely covered every inch of bare skin that my dress was exposing.
At the time it had seemed like a very good idea to buy this specific dress. It was elegant, with its short train and flattering fit. It was gold with some extra shine added to the fabric...some modest shine. But it was a strapless dress and now I was regretting not bringing a whole coat to throw over it.
Which is why I was more than elated when a black Mercedes pulled up outside our hotel. My father offered me his hand and I took it, as he guided me down the steps of the hotel. A chauffer stepped out from the driver's side of the car and opened the door for us.
"Mr Clarke. Miss Clarke." He greeted as we entered the car.
"Hi. Thank you." I got into the car first and my dad went around the other side and got in next to me.
My door was closed and our chauffer was back into his seat and the car started moving in no time. I ran my fingers across the leather seats.
"Well, this is fancy. When they said they'd take care of your transport I didn't think it was gonna be this fancy." I chuckled.
My father looked around and chuckled. "I suppose the committee was a tad extra with this." He admitted.
"Yeah but it doesn't matter. You deserve all this extra-ness. Aren't you excited?" I beamed.
"I am...admittedly a little bit nervous."
"Ha! I knew it!" I exclaimed. My father shook his lightly. "Relax, dad, you've got this." I assured him.
"I hope so...I wouldn't wanna make a fool of myself in front of all those...'snobby lawyers', as you put it." he replied with a small grin. I laughed.
"You won't. Besides, I'll be there with you and Daddy will be there in spirit."
"He said the same thing to me yesterday before we left."
"Cause it's true. So stop worrying. You're one of the bravest and most confident people I know. You've got nothing to worry about. All that's happening is that you're getting the recognition you deserve."
My father's hand lifted to dark hair but he dropped it back into his lap when he remembered that his hair was slicked back with a little bit of gel.
"You're right! It's not that big of a deal, I don't even know why I was nervous. I've been to this gala a lot of times and I've seen lots of people being inducted into the Hall of Fame, I have nothing to worry about." His familiar confident expression had returned and I smiled to myself as the car came to a slow stop.
We had arrived at our destination.
The Writ Gala was split into 3 main events. Just the mingling and the chatting in the beginning of the evening then the dinner and then finally the award ceremony. If you were a lawyer and wanted to make sure that you were successful then you wanted to end up with an invitation to this gala.
When my father and I walked into the ballroom where waitresses and waiters were walking around with trays of champagne and finger foods, manoeuvring between men in fancy suits and women in extravagant gowns, I had to supress my urge to leave immediately. Something told me these people were as pretentious as they looked, if not more.
"Oh my god, Jason Clarke?" I sighed as a woman in royal blue ensemble walked over to me and my father. She was smiling widely which I found impressive considering the tight bun on her head.
"Hannah Goodman. Always a pleasure to see you again." My father hugged her and she beamed at him.
"Look at you, you haven't aged a day. Are you still in corporate law?" she asked. My father nodded.
"And you? Still a District Attorney?"
"Guilty as charged." The woman laughed. Her eyes glided over to me. "And who is this pretty, young thing?"
My lips strained into a smile.
"This is my daughter, Megan." My father introduced me.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ms Goodman." I greeted with fake enthusiasm.
"Oh please, call me Hannah." She smiled back, crow's feet appearing at her eyes.
"Hannah." I corrected myself stiffly.
After about seven more encounters like that with people my father knew but I had no interest of getting to know I looked over at my father with a pout and he chuckled and told me he'd find me later. I excitedly excused myself from the conversation we were having a plump, old judge who was convinced that he'd seen me in a jury for an old murder case he worked.
I naturally gravitated towards the food. There was a less crowded sort of lounge area near the main floor. I went there and sat down with two mini-quiches on a napkin. I watched everyone mingle and it was fascinating to be honest.
"Can I sit here?" I looked up at the girl who was wearing a tight black dress that had a lengthy slit running up the side.
"Sure."
The brunette sat down next to me and I glanced over at her. She smirked.
"You know, I bet you more than half of these men are here with women that aren't their wives."
I chuckled. "That sounds accurate." She sighed before laughing but not like she found something funny.
"I'm here with a criminal attorney who I found out is married." She laughed again. I looked over at her and noticed that her eyes were a bit red.
"Are you okay?"
"Fifteen minutes ago my world came crashing down so I'm not exactly peachy but I'll survive." She replied.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." I put my hand on her bare back.
"You know, my mom warned me...she told me to never date a lawyer because they are just professional liars and manipulators. But of course I didn't believe her because I thought I was clever. Now here I am, known as Ian McIntyre's whore. What a fun time."
A waitress walked past and my new friend grabbed two glasses of champagne and downed them both.
"Girl, you need to take a breather. Leave and go or something, you shouldn't have to be here after this guy lied to you about being married or whatever. Why should you support him if he just betrayed your trust?"
"You know, you're right! I'm gonna-" she paused and her faced paled. "-puke." That was my cue to jump up and drag her to the bathroom with me. When we got to the bathroom she hunched over the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach. I cringed as I held her hair back.
After heaving some more she slumped against the stall's wall and she sobbed. I crouched down without ripping my dress and held her face in my hands. Her mascara was starting to run but that wasn't what distressed me...she had a young face.
"Sweetheart, how old are you?" I asked her. She hesitated before answering.
"Twenty one." She replied.
"No, you're not." I countered. Her bottom lip quivered, covered in smudged red lipstick.
"I'm nineteen." She admitted.
"Nineteen." I echoed. I couldn't believe such a young girl had been manipulated by a man much older than her, a married man. It made me want to puke along with her. I sighed and she started crying again.
"I just wanna go home." She whimpered as I held her. "I don't wanna be here." She cried.
"It's okay. I'll call you a cab." I helped her stand up and discreetly leave the venue. We stood outside where I used my phone to call her an Uber. It arrived within minutes. "Where are you going to go?" I asked.
"To our hotel and then I'm gonna call my mom and tell her she was right and ask her to come get me." She said. I smiled and opened the Uber door for her. "How can I thank you?" she asked through the window.
"What's your name?"
"Ashley."
"Well, Ashley, you can thank me by not going back to him." I said. She paused before nodding. "Okay, stay safe."
"Thank you." The car drove off and I stood outside in the winter chill, watching it disappear.
"Megan?" the voice made me jump. I turned around and almost choked on nothing when I saw who it was.
"Elijah." I breathed.
"You look stunning." He said as he approached me. His tall frame was dressed in a stylish suit, perfectly tailored. The maroon suit complimented him in every way. His face remained the same since the last time I saw it, except I couldn't see his blue-grey eyes in the dim lighting of the night.
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a chill settle on my skin. "What are you doing here?" I asked him, totally surprised by his presence. He unbuttoned his blazer and took it off, gently draping it over my shoulders. I wanted to reject the jacket but as soon as it touched my skin I felt the lingering heat in the material and clutched it around me. "Thank you." I said softly.
"I'm here with one of my managing partners. This was one of the rewards that came with making junior partner, I get to be her plus one." He explained. His voice was as melodic as I remembered.
"Your boss is a woman?" I asked. He nodded and I chuckled. "Girl power."
"Indeed."
"Well, junior partner, congrats, I'm impressed." I smiled.
"I doubt you're impressed by junior partners." He chuckled.
"What do you mean?"
"I've been watching you since you got here. I know you're not a lawyer so I figured you were here as someone's date...then I saw you hanging out with one of the more...seasoned lawyers." He spoke with an unsettling calmness to his tone.
"Who?" I grinned.
"The guy you walked in with. You were clutching his arm. You know, tall, dark hair. A little grey." Elijah explained.
I let out a short chortle. I tried really heard to supress my smirk. "Elijah...are you jealous?"
"No..." he muttered a response, looking at the ground. "He's old." He added.
"Yes, he's old and he's my dad." I finally explained.
"What?" Elijah's head whipped up, his dark hair moving a bit with every movement he made. "That was your dad? You didn't tell me Jason Clarke was your dad."
"Oh so you do know who my 'seasoned lawyer' is?" I teased. I saw Elijah's face redden. I stepped closer to him. "How are you here right now? I was never supposed to see you again."
"What a shame. Here I am, what are you gonna do with me?" it was a subtle challenge.
"The question is, what are you going to do with me?" I smirked as I let my hand linger on the thin fabric of the shirt that was covering his chest. I tucked my bottom lip into my mouth, reaching around and putting my hand on the back of his neck, coaxing him a little lower towards me.
I heard him inhale sharply as my nails lightly dug into the side of his neck.
"I'll see you inside, Mr Vanderverie." My lips brushed against his neck as I pulled back and walked around him, going back inside the venue.
I turned around once more and Elijah was still standing where I left him, blinking at me. I chuckled and entered the hall.
I did not know what game I was playing but it was always fun when Elijah was playing with.
A/N Voila! THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! I know you guys will enjoy this chapter a lot more than the previous one and I am excited to hear what you guys have to say.
What do you guys think about Ashley? Do you want her to pop up again in the story?
Are you happy that Elijah's back? What do you want to happen between Elijah and Megan?
Tell me any of your thoughts! I'm quite curious!
Lots of love!
Xoxo
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