Secretly Mine

"Second Miss," the maid called out from the other side of the door. "Master and Madame are waiting for you in the living room."

"Okay, I'll be right there!" I shouted from my dressing table.

I still wasn't sure what kind of event it was that I was attending tonight, but my nerves calmed slightly when I saw the dress I would be wearing.

Unlike what I originally thought, it wasn't some wedding dress. My mother would rather die than marry anyone off in a non white wedding dress, so when I saw a long, black evening gown, I felt better.

"Hopefully they'll tell me where I'm going," I mumbled under my breath as I put on the final earring.

To complement my black evening gown, I decided to wear pearl jewelry, keeping a very elegant look. The dress was a very sophisticated design, so I felt that wherever I was going, it was a classy, upscale event.

After finishing the final touches, I stood up and walked out of my room. When I arrived in the living room, I noticed my mother and father both sitting on one of the sofas.

As soon as I entered the room, I could feel my mother's eyes on me, scanning me from head to toe. She must have liked my choice of accessories as she finally gave me a slight nod of approval.

"Father. Mother," I greeted.

I stood in front of them, wishing they would tell me where exactly it was that I was headed.

"Good. You're ready. The car is already waiting for you out front. Make sure you don't embarrass the Moresi name." My father stood up from his seat and walked away.

I looked over at my mother with a worried expression, "Mom, where exactly am I going? I don't feel prepared."

"Nonsense. You should always be prepared. You'll see when you get there," she said before following my father out.

The fact that they were still refusing to tell me where I was going made me concerned. If it were an important family event, why would I be going alone?

Maybe I shouldn't go.

I stood still, thinking about my options. Even if I stayed behind, there was no way I could hide from my parents, who were home today.

"Second Miss, the driver is waiting."

A maid walked over and pulled me out of my thoughts.

Of course. There's always someone watching me.

Fine. I'll go.

Having resigned to fate, I walked out of the house. As soon as I got into the car, I turned my head and glanced at the driver through the mirror.

"Where is this event?" I asked.

He seemed a little startled by my sudden question, but replied.

"It's at the Seven Moon's Hotel, downtown."

I lifted my eyebrow. I was very familiar with this hotel, since many less prominent events were held there in the past.

Maybe there really is some sort of event happening tonight.

---

When we finally arrived at the hotel, I was a little surprised to see so few cars parked outside. Usually for events, there would be at least a small line of cars out by the entrance.

Maybe we arrived early?

As soon as I stepped out of the car, the driver drove off, leaving me alone in front of the large hotel. I stepped inside and noticed that there was a decent number of people in the lounge area, just outside of the main lobby.

After looking around, I walked over to the main reception desk to ask about the event.

"Hello! Welcome to Seven Moons Hotel. How may I help you?" the receptionist greeted me politely.

"Hi! I'm here for the event. I was just hoping you could direct me to the correct place," I smiled back.

She looked at me for a second and nodded, "Ah, you must be here for the VIP event. Please wait in the lounge while the event space is being prepared."

A wave of relief washed over me. It was already awkward enough coming here without knowing why. At least there really was an event of some sort. The only question remaining was: why did I come here alone?

I followed the receptionist's suggestion and walked into the lounge area. It was a larger room with a giant rectangular bar in the middle. There were people seated all around, drinking and chatting. I found an empty seat in the corner of the room and sat down, waiting for this "VIP Event" to start.

As I sat, I looked around, seeing if there was anyone here that I recognized. Most events in the upper circle shared the same guest lists, so it was very common to see familiar faces, but so far, all of these people looked unfamiliar.

A few minutes later, a young man in a waiter's uniform came over to my table.

"Hello, Miss, may I offer you a drink? This is our house special, it's complimentary for those who are attending tonight's event," he said, placing a beautiful glass on the table.

"Oh, thank you. What is it?" I asked curiously.

"It's called the crescent moon cocktail. It's a rum base with a slight coconut flavor. It's very delicious," he explained before walking away.

I looked at the drink in front of me. Others around the room had a similar drink in hand, so I reached over to give it a try.

As soon as the first sip entered my mouth, I was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing the drink was. The light coconut notes fit the tropical rum flavor perfectly.

Wow, this is a lot better than most drinks I've had before. No wonder it's their specialty.

I continued to sip on the drink as I noticed more and more people starting to flood in. Everyone was dressed nicely, so I was beginning to feel a little less guarded about why I was here.

"Maybe it's another one of those promised meetings my father made but didn't want to attend," I mumbled.

It's happened in the past where a small-time business partner would invite my father to a certain event, but my father didn't want to go. So, not to seem rude, he would send me and Morgan to attend in his stead.

But just as I finished the drink, my eyes landed on the first familiar figure. Someone I didn't want to see with every fiber of my being.

Karl.