[PRESENT]The masquerade ball, one month later, was nothing short of spectacular.The event was held at the Plaza, which was decorated with an opulent array of flowers and fairy lights. A live band played music that could be heard throughout the entire venue, and the guests mingled and danced with one another, their outfits the height of fashion and their masks an elaborate collection of feathers, lace, and jewels.In the midst of it all was Elena, wearing a floor-length gown of navy blue silk and a mask covered in silver beading. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant twist, and her lips were painted a deep red. She looked gorgeous and she knew that, but the night was hardly about her. It was about the company, and it was about Josh.Elena had thrown the ball, inviting all the richest and most influential people in the world, in the hopes of drawing in the attention of the man who was known to have all the answers.Simon Walsh. The president of the Walsh Group of Companies. The m
“We’re here, sir,” his chauffeur said.Richard McDowell looked up from the screen of his phone and out the window of his car, realising that they had reached the venue for the ball thrown by M & S Group. He sighed deep into his chest and tucked the phone into the pocket of his suit coat, stealing a glance at the young woman sitting next to him on the plush seat of the car.“Are you sure about this?” He asked Cecelia as he watched his step-sister redo the clasp of the diamond necklace around her neck.Cecelia raised her eyes at him, her delicate brow furrowed with confusion. “What do you mean?”He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant about the whole thing. “We don’t have to be here. I don’t feel like it.”“Are you insane?” She scoffed, incredulous at his behaviour. “This is one of the most exclusive parties in the year. How can we not attend?”Well, that was one thing for sure. He couldn’t deny that. The only problem was, he wasn’t feeling that well. Since the incident a year and a half
Cecelia loved the mystery of the night just as much as the next person, she was not oblivious to the attention she was getting. People were watching her everywhere she went, their eyes following her every move like they were all waiting for something to happen. Cecelia couldn’t help but preen under such intense attention. She loved being the centre of attention. It made her feel powerful and strong in a way that nothing else could.But then, when she least expected it, a waitress, out of absolutely nowhere, bumped into her and spilled wine all over her dress. Cecelia was furious as she turned around and glared at the girl.“What the hell? Are you blind?”“I-I’m so sorry!” She said, her voice shaking as she held up a bunch of napkins in her hands as if that would make a difference.Cecelia cursed under her breath, but as she looked around and noticed everyone was watching her, she forced herself to smile, acting as if everything was fine and she didn’t care at all. She snatched the napk
Elena made a quick stop at the address on the screen of her phone and asked the driver to wait for her there. She got out of her car and looked up the hotel building for a second, before making her way towards the entrance. As soon as she stepped foot inside the lobby, she found herself surrounded by the usual crowd of hotel guests, businessmen and women and tourists alike.She ignored them as she walked straight towards the elevators, pushing the button to call one down to her level. She only had to wait for a few seconds before the doors slid open and revealed the empty compartment inside. She quickly stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor, where the presidential suite was located.During the masquerade ball, she had received a text from the stranger she had met in Paris, and then Milan and then Paris again. According to his text, he was in New York for some kind of business which she thought she had no business asking. For as long as she could remember, both of them
The next morning when Richard picked up the newspaper, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he read the headlines of the New York Times: “The ‘Love and Disobey’ star, Cecelia McDowell warming bed with her billionaire brother”.“What the hell?” He muttered to himself as he stared at the front page, eyes widening at the images displayed on it. He quickly skimmed through the article, reading about the intimate moment shared by Cecelia and Richard in a hotel room. There was even a photo of the two of them kissing in the hallway, and even though the picture was kind of grainy, he knew the man in the picture was no one else but him.But…what the fuck, though? When the hell did this happen? He didn’t remember anything about kissing anyone in a hotel room, Cecelia or not. And why would he have an affair with his own fucking sister? That made the least sense of all.Sure, they weren’t exactly related by blood, but still. She was the daughter from his stepmother’s first marriage, and it was only a
Elena stared at the screen of her tablet and smiled to herself.The article was out. Everyone in the world now knew about Richard and his stupid mistress. She couldn’t wait until her plan worked out perfectly and destroyed his life forever.She thought back to those days she spent with Richard before disappearing from his life completely. She remembered the way he used to look at her, like she was the only person in existence who mattered to him anymore. She remembered how his touch felt on her skin, gentle and loving. And she remembered how they used to kiss and make love for hours upon hours before falling asleep in each other’s arms.But then he went ahead and betrayed her in the worst way possible. Sleeping with his own fucking sisters, related or not. She couldn’t believe it when she first received the photos through the detective she had hired. The same detective who gave her the keys to the hotel room where her husband was fucking his bitch.It broke her heart into a million pi
Simon Walsh grinned to himself, watching the chaos unfold on the television screen in front of him as he sipped his coffee slowly. “Look at that, little guy,” he said as he nudged his small dog that was lying beside him. “The whole world is going to hell now thanks to that fucking whore. Good job, Elena. You finally did something right.” The dog gave him a small bark in response before continuing to stare at the television, his head tilted slightly to one side as if confused by what was happening around him. Simon leaned forward in his chair and grabbed a bottle of whiskey off his table, pouring a generous amount into his cup before taking another sip and closing his eyes, relishing in the delicious flavor. He loved whiskey. And he especially loved it when he got to watch his dear nephew go down like that. Fuck. He hadn’t expected Elena to be so bold, but apparently, she proved him wrong. She was indeed a formidable opponent to have, and those people underestimated her capabilities
Elena sat by her brother’s bed, watching him as he slept peacefully like he had been since the night of his car accident. She watched him breathe with the oxygen mask strapped to his face, and her heart ached. She hated seeing him like this, so helpless and vulnerable. It killed her inside every time she looked at him, knowing that there was nothing she could do to make it any easier on him.She sighed softly as she ran her fingers through his hair, brushing aside a few strands from his forehead. “Josh,” she whispered while leaning down and planting a tender kiss on his cheek. “I miss you, Josh. Aren’t you tired of being like this? Of all this sleep? You should wake up now, really, it’s too much. Please.”But Josh didn’t reply. Instead, he kept breathing steadily, as if nothing else mattered in the world.“Come on, Josh,” tears pricked at her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Please, wake up. I need you to wake up. I can’t live your life for you, you know. You have a son. He comes to