Chapter 20: Honored Guest

When I noticed the time, I felt like I should head off. I wasn’t going to overstay my welcome with Lola.

As I was ready to leave, she said, “I’m going to meet up with the gangster’s subordinate and persuade them to give me more time.”

I was worried for her safety but didn’t want to make her more anxious about the meeting. Hopefully, everything would go well for her. Maybe she’d get the time she needed without getting more hassle from him.

“Good luck. I know you can do it,” I told her reassuringly.

“Yeah, I think I can too. I’ll see you again sometime.” She added, “I’m not sure when but we’ll keep in touch.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you around.”

I waved goodbye to her and opened the door to leave. I went down the stairs and headed for where the car was parked.

The chauffeur was waiting for me when I reached the car. He opened the back door for me.

As we got closer to the mansion, my nervousness for my sister grew a little. But I had to be positive.

I knew she could get more time if she tried really hard. I had to stop worrying about her all the time. It wasn’t good to do and made me have stress for her.

Once the gate came into view, I personally felt safer. It was a much better place to be than my sister’s neighborhood.

When I got out of the car, I gave an admiring look to the mansion. It was hard to believe I had been here for a while now. If I grew any more attached, I’d think of it as my own second home.

I had to eventually distance myself from this place. Someday I wouldn’t be able to stay here anymore. I pushed the thought away as I made my way to the front door.

The view was different than usual. There were a lot of people setting up for a party. This was a shock to me, as no one had informed me of this.

Right away, I noticed all of the decorations. I came over to investigate the tables that had been moved into the room. Every tablecloth on each table was a floral swirl ornamental pattern that was expertly set. Then the silverware was gold and each place had a triangular folded napkin beside the plate. The glasses were made of the finest china I had ever seen.

I also admired the baby’s breath flower arrangement on each table and swan ice sculpture that was at another table where the food would be placed. There were even glittery party streamers hanging from the ceiling.

It kind of overwhelmed me how extravagant the party was going to be. I wondered who was going to attend. Was I even invited? Maybe they wouldn’t want someone like me there. I didn’t fit in with high-class society.

I went over to one of the people setting up for the party and asked, “What’s the big occasion?”

“Mrs. Ryan is going to throw a party in your honor.”

I was struck speechless and couldn’t believe this. No one had ever thrown such a big party in my honor. I’d have to thank her when I saw her.

Suddenly, I remembered what I was wearing. I had chosen to wear designer jeans and a blouse with flats. That wasn’t very elegant to wear to such a party.

I went to my room to make sure I was at my best. I needed to freshen up altogether. Even my hair had fallen out of the ponytail I had put it into earlier.

After I showered, I brushed my hair and then headed for my closet in a towel. I had to choose the perfect outfit to impress all of the guests. I hoped I’d find something flattering with my baby bump. Not that I had a huge belly yet.
There were fashionable maternal wear outfits in the closet.

Eventually I chose a pink and lavender off shoulder chiffon Maxi maternity dress. I hoped it would look flattering on me. The more I thought about the party being in my honor, the more nervous I became. My palms started sweating.

I did my hair up into a bun and made sure to re-do my makeup. My hand was shaking a little as I held the massacre brush. I tried to calm down and took a few deep breaths.

It had been a long time since I had been this level of nervous. The last time I remembered being nervous might have been my prom night. That was nothing compared to the idea of the party. It felt like it had been sprung upon me out of nowhere.

When I was finished getting ready, I headed for the stairs to go down but stopped before reaching the rail. My nerves grew worse. There was no way I could make myself go to the party.

I couldn’t face all of them. It was too much to be the center of attention. Everyone would be looking at me, and I didn’t know if I could live up to their expectations. I wasn’t from their walk of life.

What if they didn’t end up liking me? I was so worried about their reaction to me that I was going to hide away like a coward. It was better than letting all of them down.

I sat on the edge of the bed and wondered how the party was going. Maybe they would end up leaving when I didn’t show. Guilt came over me thinking that way.

A knock on my door came a moment later.

It was probably one of the servant’s sent to escort me to the party.

I opened the door to see Dax standing out in the hallway.

He must have come back from his business trip not long ago. A suitcase was left in the hallway.

I didn’t even know he had returned. I must’ve missed his arrival in all my worries about the party.

“Danica, what are you doing in here? Everyone is waiting for you. You’re the guest of honor.”

Dax had sounded quite concerned and had a worried look on his handsome face.

Why was he so concerned about me? It kind of touched me that he was worrying over me like this. He hadn’t shown this side of himself to me much, so it always surprised me.

I swallowed and said, “I can’t. I’m way too nervous to attend. Tell them I’m sorry but I can’t make it."

“I’m sure you’re overwhelmed, but it won’t be that bad. Trust me.”

His face softened as he looked at me. That weird feeling came back in my chest, while my heart beat faster than usual.

What was happening to me? Dax had never made my heartrate speed up before. We still weren’t even friends, so I decided to ignore my reaction.

It was for the best to not let anything develop for him. I had to stop before I actually did fall for Dax. I couldn’t afford to do that.

“How do you know? I’ve never been to such an extravagant party before. I might make a fool out of myself.”

Dax shook his head in disagreement and looked into my eyes.

That’s when I noticed a change in his usual self.

He had a warmth in his eyes. He seemed genuine with what he was saying. I wanted to trust him but wasn’t completely convinced to go join the party yet.

His kindness had thrown me off a little bit. I wondered where it had come from. This was the second time that we had shared a moment like this.

It made me feel bad, since he had left me after our shared moment not long ago. What if he did the same thing to
me again? I couldn’t handle it if Dax walked out on me this time too. I was trying to believe that this time would be different.

Seconds went by before he said, “It’s no different than any other party. There's always too much food and someone will be cut off from the alcohol.” He added with a laugh, “Probably my uncle.”

I laughed along with him.

I stepped out of the room, and he took my hand in his. His touch was electrifying and sent chills down my spine. We headed downstairs and excitement went through my every nerve, as I prepared to enter an unknown world.