Chapter 3 - The Ruined Engement

IRIS

She flew...

Yes, she knew it sounded like a coward, and she indeed felt like a mere baby animal who tucked her tail inside after the accident with that handsome stranger.

That was her genuine response under such an ambush. Either she fights or flight. She could not take the weird tension that she felt when she talked with him. And it resulted in her not being acquainted with him properly. She did not even know his name. And she felt really stupid because after she gave him her name card, she forgot to ask for his name.

Ideally, it should not matter to her whether she knew his name.

But she was... deep down felt anxious when she got in this disadvantageous position like this. She got none while he took her name and phone and all the information provided on her name card.

The further she walked away from the hall, the clearer her mind from the hazy mist of her befuddled brain.

Not to mention her heartbeats became slower and finally, they thumped with a normal rhythm as they were supposed to. She took a long deep breath to clear up her mind, willing to make herself take control of its body again.

She entered the kitchen alley and went straight to the backyard.

All the commotion and noise inside the mansion drastically reduced, provided the surrounding of this backyard was serene compared to activities inside.

Feeling more composed, she tried to recall such absurd moments.

She was amazed by how handsome he was. Just like a masterpiece perfectly sculpted his face.

Not a single deformed or wasted feature on his face.

Thick eyebrows framed his liquid-rich chocolate eyes. His eyes were seductive yet sinister, hard yet languid. Turbulent might be the apt description to picture the intensity of his gaze.

His hard-cutting jaws and high cheekbones emphasized his Hades features. So magnificent and regal. As if God was partially fond of him and gave all the best features for him to be admired wholeheartedly.

And she could not believe it when he talked to her and even cornered her!

Iris knew she was a plain-looking girl who would not get a second look when she passed on the street. And not to mention her awkward interaction with the opposite sex. It was mostly a secondhand embarrassment if Iris could tell the truth.

First thing first, she acted clumsy like usual. She blanked and could not even form coherent sentences when talking with him.

Iris now understood what it meant to be enchanted by the looks because she experienced it firsthand when that handsome man put his face closer to her.

And second, now Iris heard some giggly gossipy servants talking about him. She knew it because when she tried to put her back in the alcove around the backyard; she overheard a female talking enthusiastically about a certain handsome man.

While the party had not yet started, Iris was almost sure that this handsome man they talked about was the same person whom she just encountered several minutes ago.

And a big surprise for Iris. It turned out the handsome man was Alexander Roman Browning.

No wonder Rose was so adamant in her desire to meet this Alexander Browning.

“Did you see him? That Julienne Ruthford is a lucky woman! How could she bag the sexiest bachelor alive!” chirped one girl.

“Yeah, I mean… I almost swooned when I passed him by. That face is sin personified.” Another one replied.

“But I saw him talking and getting cozy with some unknown girl.”

Iris heard that and tried to hide deeper in the dark while still maintaining distance to hear what they said.

"Do you know her?"

"No. I don't even see her face. But I think she was rather a plain-looking girl." the maid replied to her friend.

Iris bit her lower lip upon hearing those conversations. She should be back inside and stopped eavesdropping like this.

Then, she walked nonchalantly passed through these two gossip girls and successfully back to the kitchen. She waited here together with other food vendor owners for the party to start.

***

The ballroom was already packed with high-profile guests invited by both families. The Browning Family and The Ruthford Family. Also, the extension of those two powerful families.

The situation and the atmosphere itself were warm and filled with laughter and hooting from the guests. Adding the orchestra music hired exclusively for this occasion, the ballroom was indeed the epitome of old money - the place where the people who hold the power and influence gathered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming here." An MC started this party. All the voices were down significantly. Giving the MC full attention to what would happen next.

"Today will be a historical time for the two affluent families, The Brownings, and the Ruthfords." said the MC with a cheerful voice.

"The engagement of one of the hottest bachelors, Mr. Alexander Roman Browning, and one of the most beautiful ladies in our time, Ms. Julienne Claire Ruthford. Please give the biggest applause to those honored betrothed, ladies and gentlemen!"

After saying that, the ballroom went crazy. Most of the party attendance gave the biggest and loudest applause and made the entire room go wild.

Iris with other food vendors stood near the wall behind the ballroom.

She was afraid of meeting with that man again after what had happened at the alcove before.

"Hey! Do you think this party will go smoothly or not?" one girl who stood beside Iris asked and glanced around.

Maybe also intrigued by all the commotion.

Iris honestly did not know. But of course, she hope it would go smoothly. For the sake of her small business.

She needed this party to go smoothly.

Finally, they saw the intended fiancée. She went down from spiraling downstairs from the second floor into the main ballroom hall.

A murmur of adoration buzzed this ballroom.

Yes, Iris could attest to the fact that Ms. Julienne Claire Ruthford was the most beautiful person Iris ever encountered and saw in her entire life! She was not even kidding!

Her parents accompanied Julienne Ruthford, both on her side.

She was gleaming with the biggest and sweetest smile for her big day.

"Alright, our beautiful fiancee has come. Now, we will wait for the fiance. The finest man you will see in this room. No offense to all men here," the MC tried to joke and put on some cheesy icebreaker.

And it worked. Some audience members were laughing along while waiting for the fiance to come.

But time passed by and the said person did not yet come.

The smile from the young Miss Julienne faltered a bit. She glanced anxiously to the second floor. Her mother smothered her to ease her concealed anxiety.

All guests shared a perplexed gaze, confused with what would happen here.

And finally, an old man with a foreboding aura came with his elegant black cane.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Thank you for coming to our humble house here," said the old man.

His presence appeased the collective confusion among the guests for a little while.

But Iris could see the guests were starting to whisper behind the hosts' backs.

"Uh, what is going on?" The girl beside Iris talked again to her.

Iris could only shake her head.

"My son has an urgent engagement this time, and conveyed his regret that he could not attend his engagement party,"

Not long before the old man said those words, chaos erupted.

"What the hell is going on here?" The father of the fiance, Mr. Ruthford, raised his voice angrily.