Chapter 13: Chapter 12 Everything I Feared
"Holy shit," Giulia breathed, stepping backward. "Mireya. You look completely illegal. Like... the police should be called right now. Not to arrest you, just for crowd control."
I stared at myself in the cracked, full-length mirror. The garment bag Laziel had thrown across his desk wasn’t just a dress. It was a floor-length, deep black dress that hugged my curves. The front looked elegantly modest with a high neckline, but the waist was structured like a corset, snatching my torso until I could barely breathe.
And the back? Completely gone. The dress scooped down dangerously low, exposing every inch of my spine down to the small of my back. A wicked, high-thigh slit cut up the left side, flashing skin with every single step I took.
"Excuse me?" I said, "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"I mean you look gross in a good way, babes," Giulia said, her warm brown eyes wide as she walked a slow circle around me, a makeup brush still clutched in her hand. "Seriously, this dress is giving ’rich man ruin-your-life’ energy. If your boss survives seeing you like this, he’s either gay or clinically dead. Oh my god, you are going to kill everybody’s dick in that room. I hope your heart can calm down in case anything happens tonight, because wow."
"Giulia, shut up!" I hissed, as I threw a look over my shoulder. "Not in front of Anastelle with that mouth!"
But Anastelle wasn’t even listening. My baby had stopped playing with her dolls. Her mouth dropped open as she stared up at me like she didn’t even recognize the woman standing in our living room.
"Mommy..." her forest green eyes glowing. "You look like a princess. You’re so pretty. I love your dress."
I immediately knelt down, and cupped her chubby cheeks. "Aw, thank you, my sweetheart."
"Am I coming along as well?" she asked, tilting her head.
It was almost evening, Giulia was checking her watch, her expression turning apologetic. Her shift was less than an hour, and she couldn’t miss it. I had spent the last three hours praying for a miracle, but there was no other option.
"Yes, baby," I forced a soft smile. "You’re coming with Mommy."
"This is exactly how horror movies start," Giulia muttered under her breath, turning back to her makeup bag. "Bringing the innocent child into the lion’s den. Sit down, let me finish your eyes before I have to sprint out the door."
I sat on the chair, closing my eyes as Giulia aggressively attacked my eyelids. Since I didn’t know the first thing about high-end cosmetics, she used the deep, dark shades from her own palette to blend a smoky eye.
Then came the final shock.
I reached into the bottom of the black delivery box and pulled out a matching pair of black stilettos. When I turned them over, my breath caught. The soles were red.
Christian Louboutin?
This single pair of shoes cost more than three months of our rent. It was my very first time touching, let alone owning, a luxury designer heel. My hands shook as I slipped my feet into them.
"Alright," Giulia said, stepping back and tossing her brush aside. "No bun tonight. Enough of that tired office bun, Mireya. Let it fly."
For the first time in five years, I didn’t tie my hair back. Giulia had taken a flat iron to it, leaving my long, jet-black hair down in loose, heavy waves that cascaded over my bare shoulders and framed my face. With the smoky makeup, the snatched black gown, and the red-bottom heels, I didn’t look like a broke, hiding waitress anymore.
...
The car Laziel arranged was waiting downstairs. Anastelle clutched my hand as we got into the backseat, her eyes wide as she looked at the interior.
By the time the car pulled up to the grand entrance of the Palazzo del Senato, we gasped.
The gala was a completely different world. This was wealth. Paparazzi everywhere. Valets in crisp white gloves opened the doors of black Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Mercedes-Benz models. High-society women in diamonds and men in tailored tuxedos laughing and sipping champagne.
"If I don’t hear from you by midnight, I’m assuming you got adopted by a billionaire or kidnapped. Either one is believable." Giulia’s voice echoed in my ears.
Holding Anastelle’s small hand, I walked past the flashing cameras, keeping my head high and my eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Miss Brenner," a man in a black earpiece murmured the moment I reached the doors. He didn’t even check my ID; his eyes scanned my face and then dropped to the little girl beside me. "Mr. Monroe has already cleared your entry. Follow me."
He led us away from the main ballroom, taking a private elevator up to the tenth floor. The doors opened to a beautifully carpeted, soundproofed luxury suite. It was filled with pastel-colored couches, giant screens playing cartoons, and a table loaded with snacks—including the exact strawberry milk and apple slices Laziel had left on my desk.
Two uniformed nannies stood up immediately, bowing their heads respectfully.
"Mommy has to go down to work for a little bit, okay?" I whispered, kneeling in front of Anastelle, my heart aching as her fingers let go of my gown. "Stay here, eat your snacks, and watch your show. I’ll be right downstairs."
"Okay, Mommy," she murmured, already distracted by the massive barbie castle set up on the table.
I stepped out of the room. A security guard immediately locked the door behind me. Laziel hadn’t lied. She was safe. She was hidden.
But I wasn’t.
When I walked into the ballroom, the money in the room was loud. Hundreds of wealthy investors and old-money billionaires stood around, talking over some violinists playing in the corner.
The second I stepped onto the floor, the mood changed.
A few older guys stopped talking, their eyes glued to the thigh slit of my gown and my bare back. I could hear them whispering. They didn’t know who the fuck I was, just some random girl wearing a designer dress that probably cost more than their cars.
I ignored them and looked for him.
Laziel was standing with a group of rich investors, holding a glass of scotch. He looked completely in charge, like he owned every single person there. But the second he saw me, he stopped talking mid-sentence.
His blue eyes locked right onto me.
He didn’t smile. His face went totally blank as his gaze traveled slowly down my body.
The intensity of his look was so suffocating, so entirely consuming, that it felt like he was physically touching me from across the crowded room.
He dumped the investors with a quick nod and started walking straight toward me.
I wanted to turn around and sprint back to the elevator.
But before he could even reach me, people started moving out of the way near the entrance. The cameras outside went crazy.
"The Manhattan division is here," some rich woman near me muttered to her husband. "Look, it’s the younger brother."
Every drop of blood left my face.
Five years of running and praying our paths would never cross again.
"Mireya?"
A deep, arrogant voice spoke right behind my shoulder. A voice I’d know anywhere.
I slowly turned around.
Helix Monroe was standing right there.
