"Hikz, so you really can't get the tickets, Fred? Huwaaaaa ... I wanted to join, you know,""Oh, I've looked everywhere, Honey. There are none left. The tickets are really limited, and you can't just buy them anywhere. If it's not from their circle, it's impossible to get," Freddie replied with a tone full of regret. He felt uneasy delivering the bad news to his girlfriend, but if he didn't do it soon, Grace would be even more disappointed and keep hoping."But Sist Lea got one," argued Grace. She was truly jealous of Lea's luck, effortlessly getting a free ticket from her colleague."Yeah, that's a different case, Jo. Your sister just got lucky; her friend couldn't make it, so she got the ticket," Freddie explained with regret. He knew Grace had relied on him, with his many connections, to get anything she wanted, especially just entry tickets to a costume party. Oh, dear! Grace was genuinely disappointed this time."You just go home! I'm so frustrated! I might as well go to sleep!"
"Do you want to join me at my regular MUA, Lea? I'll wait for you at home if you do." Amanda's voice on the other end of the phone offered assistance.Lea thought for a moment. Amanda's regular makeup artist must be really good. She felt like getting dolled up there. But if she did, she'd have to go to the party's hall with Amanda, and she preferred to go alone."Lea? Why so quiet?" Amanda called out to Lea, who had been silent for a while, not answering her question."Oh, um, no need, thanks. But I already asked Grace for help, hehe; just let Grace do something for me. I'm not in the mood to leave early anyway," Lea finally replied, trying to sound casual so that Amanda wouldn't suspect her hidden agenda."Grace is pretty good, too; she knows how to do your makeup. Okay, then. We'll meet directly at the venue, right?""Okay... don't bother looking for me. You two enjoy yourselves with Alvin. I might end up being a disturber if I stick around with you too much. Especially Alvin; he se
Finally, Lea left her house at precisely 7:00 PM. Grace and Mrs. Anna saw her off with lots of advice and suggestions to behave gracefully, not be rude, and avoid unnecessary conflicts with others.Lea arrived, shaking her head at Anna's panic, her mom, and her sister. "Seriously, it's like I'm a troublemaker or something. You're making such a big deal out of it," Lea protested.Mrs. Anna responded that her daughter indeed tended to create trouble. "Sometimes, you're too quick to get emotional, Lea. You should be more patient when dealing with new people.""That's right! Remember what happened with Shane? Even though we warned you, you still caused trouble in the end!" Grace chimed in, responding to Lea's protest."That's different. It was Shane who caused trouble first. I just responded appropriately," Lea insisted."Well, that's still considered creating trouble. An elegant woman can control her emotions. She stays calm even if others bother her. The most important thing is self-ima
A few moments earlier...The girl in the purple and black dress with a feathered mask seemed alone in her chair. Sipping from a tall, clear glass of iced lemon drink taken from the buffet table, she placed a straw on it, probably to make it easier to drink. Like herself, the girl chose to wear a mask that made it challenging to drink directly from the glass.Shane had been observing Miss Purple since their eyes met a few moments ago. As he idly watched the room, he felt he couldn't recognize anyone as a friend.Until a Caribian-costumed man approached the girl, Shane continued to observe. The woman's gestures indicated that she wanted to keep a distance from the Caribian man, almost making Shane feel uneasy, tempting him to approach and separate them.Fortunately, the man eventually gave up, retreated politely, and rose from the chair before Miss Purple.Then, Shane noticed another masked man with a golden bell mask watching Miss Purple, seemingly about to approach her. Shane interven
"Damn! Where is she, Amanda?" Once again, Daniel grumbled.Amanda, scanning the entire room and examining every corner where Lea usually chose to sit at such parties, shook her head in confusion.In her hand, her phone continued to emit the ringing tone while calling Lea's contact. However, after numerous attempts, a response was still waiting. Amanda became anxious because Lea had assured her earlier that she would come here alone, as she mentioned while still at home.Alvin glared disapprovingly at Daniel. Oh no... Lea was missing, but now a guy was trying to replace her and disturb his time with Amanda."Let me call her home first," Amanda suggested, trying to devise a solution.She then fiddled with her phone to dial Lea's home number.Several rings were heard before a familiar voice, Grace, answered the call from the other side."Yes, it's Grace. Can I help you?""Oh, Grace. It's Amanda...," she said."Oh, Sist Amanda. What's up?" The girl sounded surprised."Did Lea leave a long
Lea, driving her car quickly to get home, finally arrived in less than thirty minutes. Grace, lounging on a lazy chair on their porch while playing with her phone, eagerly greeted her sister's arrival, surprised as it was still too early for the end of an elite party."Hey, why are you back so soon? What's up?" Grace interrogated her sister when Lea exited her car and walked towards the porch."Nothing much. Just felt like coming home, no fixed time to leave, you know," Lea replied casually. She wanted to go to her room and give her heart and mind some rest."Yeah, whatever. But if it were me, I'd wait until the event's over. Or wasn't it fun there?" Grace guessed randomly. Her curiosity always annoyed Lea."I'm just not in the mood. It's not lively enough. Only made one acquaintance, and then he left early. It's annoying, and we didn't even exchange names," Lea finally vented her frustration.Grace widened her eyes, "Huh? You made an acquaintance, and he left without even knowing you
Shane arrived at his house promptly because he drove his car so fast out of frustration. Once home, he didn't greet his mom, whom he passed in the living room, because he was distraught. His first blind date was a failure due to Lea's irritating attitude. The second date with an exciting girl ended without even exchanging names."Damn it!" he grumbled on the bed. He then pondered hard on how to find the mysterious Miss Purple. Did the party organizers know the identities of the guests? Probably not. He didn't provide any identification to attend. He just signed the guestbook with a short name and no last name. Also, he should have mentioned the costumes each person wore."Oh, no! Why didn't I think of just asking for her name? Ugh!" he exclaimed. He poured out his frustration onto the pillow uncontrollably.His mom, sensing something unusual about her son, approached his room. She knocked softly and called his name, asking to be let in. Shane had locked his room, which was unusual."S
Meanwhile, Daniel returned home, still very upset. The party ended at midnight, and he could only think about Lea. His efforts to enter the costume party were in vain, and he had yet to prepare a mask before leaving because he had no plans to attend. If it were up to him, he would have gone straight to her house and demanded an explanation for her unpleasant behavior. How could Lea treat him like he didn't exist? He felt offended and hurt like never before. Especially by a woman like Lea, a mere accountant. Even a manager from a large company had pursued him and begged for his attention, but he ignored her because he wasn't interested. Now, he was tempted to go to the disco and release his frustration through dancing and drinking. However, a call from Amanda thwarted his plans. She strongly advised Daniel to go home, calm down, and only go elsewhere the next day. Besides, it was already midnight. Initially, Daniel resisted the suggestion. After all, he needed to vent his frustration