Chapter 07

QUINN

I wiggled my way into the skirt of the white two-piece I chose to wear. The top was a sleeveless turtle neck, embellished with silver lace appliqués. Only a sliver of my tummy showed before the skirt started with its flowy chiffon material that was set in layers. A short skirt lay under so no one could see the world down there. This was the perfect dress for me and I was glad that Delphine had already kept it aside for me, predicting that I would hate the dress my mom chose.

Delphine had even chosen the perfect mask. It was pearl white with silver and gold designs and covered most of the top half of my face, only leaving my stunning blue eyes and pouty pink lips on display. That worked in my favor since word of me being at the ball got around very quickly. Everyone wanted to see the face of Theo Harper's daughter. They wanted to see how I looked to criticize me in the next freaking issue of PEOPLE magazine. I so desperately wanted to go out there and tell them that they could suck my toes!

Snorting at the thought, I twirled a curl of hair and let it fall to the side of my face. The rest was up neatly with crystals placed in different points of the bun. Although no one could see my face, I went heavy on the makeup just in case Gunnar caught me without the mask on. Maybe, if I were lucky, he would recognize me with the makeup on. You may call it catfishing, but I called it saving my ass from the devil's wrath.

"Are you ready?" Came Danny's muffled voice from the other side of my bedroom door, "the party's already begun so you're fashionably late, little sis."

"I'm thinking of not showing up at all at this point," I yelled in reply, biting back a giggle so I could sound serious enough for him to believe me, "I mean, would mom notice if I didn't attend?"

Without warning, my room door burst open and my fuming brother entered, ears red at the tips and chest heaving, "Don't you dare leave me alone with these cluster fucks!" He spat but then paused when he allowed his eyes to sweep down my figure. He pointed to the bit of skin showing on my belly, "Sis, I think Delphine ran out of material when making your dress. Might want to take it back."

Rolling my eyes at his overbearing nature, I grumbled, "It's showtime. Remember, keep me as far away from Gunnar and Katie as possible."

"I'll think about it," he taunted, draping an arm over my shoulders, "you've got to deal with me all night in that case because I don't plan on following dad around like a lost puppy so he can show me off to his friends."

"It's his way of showing you he's proud of you," I chastised, playfully swatting his chest, "but, yes, I'll be at your side the entire night. By the time the night is up, everyone will think we're conjoined."

He scrunched his nose and narrowed his eyes until they turned to slits, "Look, I love you but you can't follow me into the john, sis. That's a sacred sanctuary for men only."

"Every day you find a new way to show me how weird you are," I shook my head at him to which he chuckled.

He led me out of my room, allowing me to hook my arms with his as he helped me down the stairs to the first level of the house. The ball was taking place in the backyard inside a massive tent they had set up. A red carpet from the front of the house leading to the back was laid for the elite guests who were in attendance. Unfortunately for the press, they couldn't make it past the large gates and the amount of security we had hired for the night.

"How many people have showed up already?" I questioned in a whisper as we entered the backyard through the glass doors, evading the red carpet altogether.

"Too many to count on my fingers and toes," I caught the groan of irritation that vibrated at the back of my brother's throat, "it's going to be one long night."

We walked the stone path through the garden that led to the entrance of the tent. The orchestra was playing a tune that I didn't recognize but I quickly took notice of the couples waltzing on the dance floor situated in the center of the tent. Mom kept the color scheme of the party according to the scheme she had for her wedding — a way to reminisce on the good old days. Minks and whites bathed the place with white fairy lights.

"I guess mom outdid herself this year," I murmured loud enough for my brother to hear.

"That she did. I think it's the reason I decided to be decent this year," he pulled a black mask out of his pocket and placed it over his eyes, "let's get this shit show on the road, shall we?"

"We shall," I giggled, and entered the tent alongside him.

It was completely bothersome how every set of eyes landed on Danny and me. None of them cared to even blink. An eerie feeling of being watched came over me, and how could it not when every single person in the room was watching my every move. They couldn't see my face but having my presence here alone was enough to leave them in awe. It was the first time they had seen Quinn Harper since the age of seven.

"You look gorgeous," my mother gushed, cupping my face in her hands and kissing the small bit of my cheek that wasn't hidden under the mask.

"Persephone, you're smothering her," my father chuckled, pulling my mother away from me, "ladybug, thank you for coming. I know this kind of stuff makes you uncomfortable so you showing up really means a lot to us."

"No stress, dad," I breathed, making note of how the music had even stopped, "might want to get your party started up again because everyone seems to have come to a standstill."

My father waved his hand, brushing my comment off just as everyone else in the tent found a new person to gawk shamelessly at — or should I say a new couple. There, at the entrance, stood Gunnar in all his dipshit glory. Yes, I said dipshit glory. My reason for saying so was because of how delicious he looked in the silver suit he wore. He looked almost edible with the way the fabric hung off every curve. And yet, admiring his outward beauty only made me realize what a dick he was on the inside. He gave the saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover its meaning.

Next to him stood Katie in a fully embellished silver gown that fitted her hourglass curves. I was jealous of her figure. She was thin in all the right places and I resembled a potato. Luckily, everyone loved potatoes. It didn't bother me though, I still showed off the little figure I had, even if my stomach wasn't as flat as it should have been. There was nothing wrong with being on the curvier side of life, that didn't mean I didn't try keeping to my diet.

Both Gunnar and Katie wore identical black lace masks which barely hid their faces. Even if I weren't the one that chose their attire for the night, I would have easily recognized them. Murmurs filled the quiet space, most of the guests shocked that Gunnar had the guts to pitch up at this event but he was invited after all. I thought the guy had moxie. Maybe, this made me respect him a little more than I did.

"Do your best to stay clear of them the entire night," my brother whispered into my ear.

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but I bet everyone here is dying to get a chance to speak to me. It's the first time in ages people have seen my presence."

"Well, be a social butterfly and talk to everyone but him, Quinn. He spends a lot of time with you, he will recognize your voice if you two decided to have a conversation," my brother had a point. Although I hardly spoke to Gunnar out of pure fear, the few times I did would have made him accustomed to what I sounded like.

"Come, we will start the evening together," my mother gleefully chimed, gesturing us to the front of the tent where a stage was set up. On either side of the stage was the orchestra.

"No," I reluctantly shook my head, looking back at Gunnar who apparently had his eyes set on me. My body stilled when our eyes locked, green-brown eyes darkening as they quickly swept down my figure. With a huff, I turned to mom, "that's not such a great idea."

"Ladybug, don't worry. He won't recognize you and all you have to do is stand beside us," my father assured, moving toward the stage.

My brother settled his hand at the small of my back, ushering me forward, "You know better than to piss off the old man, little sis. Just get it done and over with and keep your head down."

This was all way too stressful for the average eighteen-year-old. Nonetheless, I did as I was told, squared my shoulders because I was Quinn Harper and not the shy assistant of Gunnar Astar — Daniella Quinzel. Who was I kidding, I was shy either way and this fake it till you make it shit could only take me so far. I practically held my breath as I claimed my position at my father's side on stage.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, if you could all take your seats," my father announced into the microphone and everyone scurried to their assigned seats, "I'd like to thank you all for joining us this evening. My wife and I couldn't be more happier with the turnout. You all already know my son, Daniel Harper, but many of you have been asking about my daughter. She still exists and she stands living and breathing beside me."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at my father's introduction. That was one way of putting me on the spot alright. I gave the crowd an awkward salute, then cursed myself for saluting because what kind of eighteen-year-old girl does that? My eyes were still downcast but I could hear the applause that filled the room.

After that, my brother and I quickly took our seats as my father proceeded to give his speech. Telling the crowd the story of how he and my mother met. I had heard it many times. Dad was still in school, studying the architecture in Venice and mom was on vacation. It was love at first sight if you believed in that kind of stuff.

When the formalities of the evening were completed, that was when the slightly fun stuff began. My brother was always excellent at the waltz and so was I. We were both trained classical dancers from a young age and we both had to learn one instrument. My brother chose the triangle — because that was the hardest instrument to learn; note the sarcasm. I was more reasonable and chose the clarinet.

"We should probably dance," my brother said, eyes glued on Gunnar who in turn stared right back.

Gunnar's hard glare hadn't left me all night which irked me. It almost looked as if he was waiting for the right moment to come up to me and bombard me with questions. And me being me, would do anything to avoid that, "Fine, but we can't dance forever."

My brother gave me that crooked grin when he always had a mischievous plan in mind. He was probably plotting on ways to escape this ball the moment mom mentioned it. We easily blended into dance floor with the other couples, following their footsteps and rhythm. 

When the song ended, however, there was someone already waiting for me, showing me his evil smile as he asked my brother, "Could I possibly get a dance with your sister?" Gunnar was polite to the point it looked and sounded fake.

"As long as I get to have a dance with the stunning lady accompanying you tonight," my brother answered with the same bitter politeness and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the two were barely containing themselves.

Placing my hand on Danny's shoulder, I squeezed reassuringly and nodded that I would be fine. I was not going to be fine but my brain decided it would be better to lie and say that I would. With that, a new song started and Gunnar all but shoved Danny aside, placing one hand firmly on my hip and taking my hand into his free hand.

I shivered at the feel of Gunnar's rough hand greeting my bare skin. It had me arching myself into him for more contact. I wasn't sure why, but having him this close was both intimidating — as usual — and exhilarating. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that he didn't really know who I was. The mask gave me a sense of false security and maybe I could use that to my advantage.

"Quinn, is that right?" He asked, his feet moving effortless and leading me with elegance on the dance floor.

I simply nodded my head, letting my eyes hold his.

"Haven't seen you around, where's Theo been hiding you?" Gunnar cooed in a sultry tone that had my heart dancing for joy in my chest.

I made my voice high and tweaked my accent slightly, giving it a British feel, "He hasn't been hiding me, I choose to stay away from this."

His brows shot up, "Been in England then?"

I visited England many times so I could positively answer the question with confidence, "You could say that."

"You're eighteen?" He quizzed, seemingly interested in every detail he could get out of me.

"The last time I checked, yes."

"Working for your father?" His questions were curt and to the point. He caught the sight of my brother watching us to which a smirk curled his lips upward. Purposely, he moved his hand from my side, gliding across the skin to the small of my back before tugging me forward into him.

I yelped and I would have pushed him away if my body let me but right now I was concentrating on the feel of his skin and trying not to mess things up by losing concentration, "I have no interest in my father's business."

"Then what do you have interest in?" He asked with a coy grin forming on his face.

"I have an interest in not pissing off my brother, Mr. Astor," I scowled, making sure to keep my fake accent up. This facade was going to grow tiresome really quick.

"You know who I am?" He sounded genuinely surprised by that which perplexed me.

"I don't live under a rock," yeah, this mask sure was giving me some false confidence, "everyone knows who you are and I think it would be best for everyone if a man like you minds his own business and stays away from a girl like me." With that, I forced myself to pull away from him and exit the tent completely.