Chapter 5

I shuddered at the brisk wind piercing through my skin as I looked down at the entirety of San Diego. It was exhilarating to see its night sky, glimmering with bright city lights, from the highest floor of the Fauste Tower.

The two-hundred-story skyscraper was the tallest building in the world, and it embodies the power and wealth the Fauste Empire holds across the globe.

Meanwhile, golden lights glistened all over Forza, the vast banquet hall, just below the helipad of the tower, which allegedly could hold five hundred people despite it being situated on the highest floor.

Lavish events and parties were usually held in Forza, courtesy of the empire.

Like today, I was in one hell of a bizarre event— a matchmaking party for the elites.

'I get it, matchmaking was for the rich; blind dates were for the average citizens; while love at first sight was for the impoverished people like me.''

I scoffed at the thought. It both felt shitty and satisfying to be part of this bizarre gathering just to find my match, thanks to my father for perfectly pulling some strings after chasing my ass away that day. Who knew he would change his mind the next day?

What made him change his mind?

'I don't know. And I don't fucking care. As long as he lets me marry Euthird.'

At least, he was still powerful enough to put me in the same place as the privileged ones, even though Destro Groups was on the brink of destruction at the moment.

Tonight was my first event as Jenesse Destro, and the only reason I was here was to charm Euthird. I couldn't afford to fail.

But it was impossible to see him in this horde of Victorian wannabes, not unless he removes his mask.

Bal masqué was the theme of the night.

I was wearing a non-traditional ball gown, though, in a lavender hue. It was laced with sequin and had a corset bodice and lace-up back. Luckily, I shed some of my extra weight, and I bet my now-body gave justice to the striking gown.

I paired it with a face piece with a darker shade of purple and a little feather on one side. And since it was a floor-length gown, I suited myself with a pair of silver flats, so I could walk comfortably.

I heaved a deep sigh. Almost everyone had already found someone to talk to and dance with for the whole night. And here I was, still foraging across the vast hall, looking for Euthird.

Every second that passed, it was getting impossible for me to spot him. What if he was already talking to someone else? What if I already saw him, but failed to notice him?

Frustrated and parched, I went to fetch myself a bubbly and took a sip, licking my lips as I savored its toasty tang before proceeding to gulp the whole glass, completely forgetting about my asthma. If that was a glass of vodka there wouldn't be a problem.

'Stupid!' I dissed myself. I left my purse in my designated room, about a hundred floors below.

I was sure there wouldn't be a bunch of flowers in the venue, my father made sure of that. And here I was, drinking myself to death. But dying with a glass of bubbly would be much better and less pathetic than dying because of flowers.

I ran toward the exit of the floor, already breathing heavily. I quickly hopped onto the elevator, pressing the close button repeatedly as if the act would quicken the closing of its doors.

But as the doors started sliding close, a hand stopped it from shutting.

'Oh, fucking hell!' I cursed in my head. I felt my lungs constricting, and I was nearly at my limit. I didn't catch a glimpse of who entered as I started to get dizzy, but he was wearing that black Victorian tuxedo with a white shirt. Your typical Prince Charming.

"Are you okay?" A deep voice of a man boomed in the elevator as soon as he got inside.

I wanted to answer him, but I was running out of breath. I closed my eyes in annoyance, patting my chest.

'If I'm not in this predicament, I would have smacked the hell out of this man.'

Once I blinked my eyes open, I saw another man about to enter the elevator but the man beside me stopped him. "No! Get on the next one," he commanded him as he hardly pressed the close button.

The doors finally shut. And I closed my eyes once again, in relief, now wheezing.

"What floor?" I heard him asking me in panic.

"Sixty-three," I mumbled. That was when I passed out.

The next thing I knew, I was on the bed— No! I was in his arms, lying, and we were seated at the edge of the bed. He was holding my weight while his other hand was clutching the inhaler shoved in my mouth.

I gasped as my lungs started to clear.

"Are you okay now? My doctors are coming in a second." He removed the inhaler from my face.

I didn't have the energy to move yet, but I glanced at his face, realizing he wasn't wearing a mask. My eyes widened in shock as I recognized him.

It was Euthird.

Of the estimated five hundred people in that room, what are the odds that Euthird would be the one who'd save my ass?

Euthird.

The man who killed Dylan.

'Isn't that one hell of a kind of fate?'

My blood quickly boiled. I was itching to slap his clean-shaven face. He was radiating. He even looked better than before. He seemed to be aging like a fine wine. Life had been good to him as if he didn't murder someone back then.

'Should I kill him this instant?'

Now that I noticed it, I didn't feel a bit of his apathy. He was just probably depressed back then in the cell. And that demonic vibe he had at the funeral seemed to disappear.

But the way he gazed at me dissolved the violence I had at the back of my mind.

At first, I was afraid he'd recognize me too, but he didn't. My tan had been long gone, and my natural black chest-length straight hair was tied in a French twist.

I was not wearing freckles and glasses, plus, I lost a lot of weight, so that explained it.

I quickly bolted up and faced him.

"Thanks for saving me. I'm okay now. Just tell the doctors that I am fine."

'Okay. This is it. Start playing hard to get.' I muttered to myself in my head. 'Because that's what men want.'

"Do you know me?" he questioned me.

So he caught my reaction.

"Who wouldn't?" I calmly returned the question, but he didn't answer.

"Once again, thank you," I added, getting up from the bed and marching toward the door. But I was waiting for him to stop me.

"Is that it?" he asked in a growling manner.

I let out a smug smile upon hearing his words, before turning to look back at him.

"What?" I wrinkled my nose, pretending I didn't see through his words.

He now got up from the bed and slowly inched toward me.

"What about my reward?"

Knowing his reputation, I was expecting this. But still, heat crept into my cheeks. It had been ages since I had someone tease and flirt with me.

'No! I'm not getting worked up because of that.'

I knew Euthird was a womanizer, and I was lucky his father hadn't set him up to marry another woman yet. If that happened, it would be very hard for me to accomplish my plans.

Now he probably thought I would be flinching in fright as he approached me, stopping from a few inches away from me, and towering over me.

He just stood there, staring deep into my eyes. Then he leaned in for a kiss.

And I did not resist it.