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She came out of her stupor and stared at her reflection. The attendant managed to twist her hair into an elegant updo, with the curls intact and framing her face.
“You’re a lifesaver! Thank you.”
She handed over a tip before she adjusted the fitted bodice of her gown and ran a hand over the flared skirt, then touched up her lips. She couldn’t resist locking herself in a stall to write another page in her notebook before she dashed out and blew a kiss to the attendant on her way out.
She joined the last stragglers filtering into the dining room and took in the long, elaborately decorated table. She knew Colette and Ariana meticulously arranged seating, so every guest could take advantage of not only who was on either side of them but across as well. Nothing was left to chance. Servers helped locate name cards. She found her seat in the middle of the table, between two wives her sisters wanted her to entertain, so the men could discuss business. Dad sat at the head of the table, flanked by Colette and Ariana. They made a striking trio. All fair-haired, tall, and stylish—they were not only attractive, but intelligent and lethal in business. It was no wonder they graced the covers of countless magazines. It wasn’t common knowledge that Maximus had another daughter. A part of her suspected that he didn’t want her ruining their symmetry with her dark hair and shorter stature. She didn’t try to capture his attention, even though it had been two months since she’d seen him. He had more important things on his mind and wouldn’t appreciate the distraction. Although she contributed nothing to the party, he still insisted on her presence for appearance’s sake. All that was required of her was to smile, look pretty, and not offend anyone. When she was younger, she assumed one day she would be up there with them, but now realized it would never happen. She hoped the Baldwins would include her when they hosted in the future. That was the only way she would be anywhere near the head of the table. It would never happen in her family.
As the first course was served, she introduced herself to the women on either side of her. It quickly became obvious why Colette had placed her between them. The older woman on her right was the wife of a French real estate investor and spoke very little English. Her relief was obvious when Jasmine uttered her tongue. The woman on her left was twenty years old and married to a man old enough to be her father. It was obvious she wasn’t from their world and had no idea what she was doing. Jasmine guided the young bride through the meal and kept up a steady stream of conversation with her French companion. Between the two, she didn’t have time to engage with those across from them, but realized Colette had taken care of that as well. A group of fashionistas weren’t interested in conversing with anyone who hadn’t attended the latest fashion shows.
As soon as people started to drift back to the ballroom, she tried to make her escape, but was brought up short by the young bride, Kimie, who latched on to her with both hands.
“Where are you going?”
She gave her a reassuring smile. “I have to powder my nose.”
“But…” The girl cast a wary glance at her table companions. “I don’t know how to do this!”
She glanced at Kimie’s husband, who was oblivious to his bride’s insecurities, and ducked her head to whisper in her ear, “Just copy what everyone else is doing.”
“But if I make a mistake…”
She lifted her head and grinned at her. “Who cares?”
Kimie blinked. “What?”
“Joe loves you, right?”
Kimie blinked again and then gave her a tentative smile. “Yes.”
“That’s all that matters. Just stick to him, and you’ll be fine.” As color returned to Kimie’s cheeks, she patted her hand. “I’ll check on you in the ballroom.”
“Thank you,” Kimie said fervently before she released her.
She made a beeline to the bathroom, where she locked herself in a stall and wrote amidst gossip and minor emergencies that the bathroom attendant efficiently dealt with. Her pen raced across the page as the mysterious man on the hilltop continued his campaign. When the heroine ignored his requests to meet, he resorted to haunting her dreams.
There was a delicate knock on the door.
“Miss?”
“Yes?” she asked without looking up from the notebook.
“Is something wrong? You’ve been in there for forty minutes.”
She sprang up from the toilet and opened the door to find the red-cheeked attendant standing there. She was giddy with discovery, high on the story that continued to unravel in her mind. She hugged the attendant with an exuberance that made the woman squeak.
“Thank you!” Jasmine said with heartfelt sincerity before she hurried into the ballroom.
A server appeared at her side and handed her another flute. A sip confirmed it was non-alcoholic champagne. This was a good thing since she was already lightheaded. There was a smattering of couples swaying lazily on the dance floor, while others strolled on the terrace. She didn’t make a mark before she entered the crowd, as she had been taught to do. She dove and found herself drawn into a familiar group of men.
“Look who it is! It’s the future Mrs. Baldwin!”
She struck a demure pose before she offered her cheek to Matthew. “And what about you? When are you going to get married?”
“Now that Ford snapped you up, I don’t know if it’s ever going to happen.”
She snickered. “As if your mom would let you marry me.”
He grinned. “Ever since she caught me playing the groom for you and Daiyu, she labeled you two off-limits.” He turned to the other guys and bobbed his brows. “My first threesome.”
