Chapter 10
1402 Words
Bree couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mouth slightly opened at the sight of what was now laid out on her small bed. Chelle shook her shoulders, but she couldn't even acknowledge it.
To say that she was shocked was an understatement.
"Who are these from?"
"Who else? From Sir Renz! Didn't he say he'd take care of what we would wear to the party tomorrow?"
Chelle seemed even more excited to wear the dresses that were sent for Bree. Renz had also sent her a dress, so she immediately rushed to her friend so they could go together.
They had to go since they had work to do. Chelle was an assistant secretary, while Bree was part of the marketing team. They needed to be there in case there were any issues at the party.
"Why three? I only need one dress."
"Didn't you check who sent them? Look, quickly!"
Bree was forced to open the boxes and check the note inside. She felt nervous, unsure of what to think. She hadn’t even touched the dresses, afraid she might ruin them.
Bree gasped when she saw one of the dresses from Renz. It was blue, and the fabric was stunning. She felt embarrassed to wear something so extravagant. She was sure it was expensive based on the designer's name on the box and the dress itself.
"Sir Renz is really something else; he's so grand. The dress he sent me is also beautiful, Bree. You can tell these are expensive."
Bree pulled the cover off the second box. This one was yellow, and like the first, the fabric was exquisite. In fact, this yellow gown was even more beautiful. It had stone details around the neckline.
Bree felt hypnotized by its beauty. And she was even more stunned when she saw the note inside.
"This one is from Sir Chris!" Chelle exclaimed, equally shocked. "Why would Sir Chris send you a dress? My god, Bree, you’re so lucky! Every handsome guy in the company has a thing for you!"
"What are you talking about? They're just being nice. Do you really think Sir Renz likes you just because he sent you a dress? He's just a kind person, and you're overanalyzing it. Stop reading those billionaire romance stories—you’re always daydreaming," Bree said, exasperated.
Chelle only pouted, unaffected by Bree's words, and clapped excitedly when she saw the third box.
Bree couldn't explain it, but this white box made her extremely nervous. She felt an odd sensation, almost like she was about to wet herself from anxiety.
"Open it, hurry!"
Biting her lip, Bree carefully lifted the lid.
Her breath caught when she saw a red dress. The color was strikingly beautiful. She was temporarily speechless.
"My God, Bree! This is the most stunning one!"
Without warning, Chelle took it from the box and held it up.
It was an off-shoulder dress. When Chelle held it against Bree's body, it was clear that it would fit her perfectly.
"This is made for you, girl! Check who sent it. You’re really so lucky, Bree."
Bree searched for a card but found nothing. There was no indication of who had sent the dress. There was also no return address. She looked at Chelle in confusion and shook her head.
"What?"
"There's no card. There's nothing on the box saying who it's from or where it came from."
Chelle grabbed the box and checked for herself, but there really was no indication of the sender.
"Maybe it's from your secret admirer, Bree. Maybe Sir Jax sent it!" Her eyes widened.
Bree bit her lower lip. It was unlikely that Jackson had sent the dress. First of all, he was mad at her. Second, who was she to him? She was new at work, and he barely knew her. There was no reason for Jax to send her a dress. She was way out of his league.
Bree shook her head. "That's impossible, Chelle." She took the dress from Chelle and folded it. She had no intention of wearing it. She wouldn’t wear a dress if she didn't even know who had sent it. She couldn’t. If it really was from some secret admirer, that made it even worse. It was terrifying.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm putting the red dress back in the box. I won't wear it. It's too beautiful, too attention-grabbing. Sir Jax might get even more annoyed if he sees me trying too hard."
Chelle’s mouth fell open at Bree’s words. She couldn’t believe that Bree would pass up the opportunity to wear such an elegant dress. If it had been given to her, she definitely wouldn't let the chance slip by.
But she also couldn't blame her friend. They didn’t know who had sent it, so it was scary to wear.
"So, which one are you going to wear?"
"The one from Sir Renz. He’s the one I spoke to earlier. I'll just return Sir Chris’s dress—it's embarrassing that he even went out of his way to send it."
The two of them got ready and headed to the Diamond Building together. They didn't go through the red carpet since it was only for celebrities and wealthy businessmen invited to the grand ball.
The place was star-studded. Expensive cars were parked outside the building, and Bree was almost overwhelmed by the luxury around her. This was the first time she had seen so many celebrities.
It dawned on Bree that there really was a part of the world where people lived in such wealth. Meanwhile, there were people like her who survived on just enough.
She sighed and stepped inside the building. There was a separate entrance for employees. She was also grateful that the dress Sir Renz sent wasn’t too extravagant. Bree didn’t want to attract attention, especially since some people in the marketing department already had their eyes on her.
Chelle excused herself to find Miss Cindy. They were here for work. Bree immediately looked for her team. She spotted Miss Maila standing next to the projector, frowning while talking to Jandro, who had a mischievous grin.
"Bree is here. Wow, you look amazing, Bree. Come here, stand next to me so I can absorb some of your beauty—and maybe some of your curves too, share a little!"
Their colleagues burst into laughter at Olga's joke. She was like a clown, always making people laugh even with her slightly inappropriate remarks.
Bree scanned the hall. Celebrities and wealthy elites were everywhere.
Her eyes searched for one particular person, but she couldn't find him in the crowd. He had a speech later, so maybe that’s why he wasn’t showing up yet.
Bree wondered how Jax would look tonight. He was already handsome even in simple clothes. She had once seen him wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans, and he looked effortlessly good. She imagined he would look even more dashing at an event like this.
She spotted Claire dela Fuerte, the famous beauty queen, with her businessman husband, Niu Altamirano. Bree knew them because their extravagant wedding was televised.
She also saw Elise Trinidad. But she wasn’t with Jax. Bree wondered where he was.
Suddenly, Bree felt uneasy. Her heart pounded for no apparent reason. She frowned. She had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her, but when she looked around, she saw no one looking in her direction. Everyone seemed busy with their own conversations.
She glanced at her teammates, who were also preoccupied with chatting and joking.
She turned back to the guests. She wasn’t imagining it—someone was definitely staring at her because the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
She ran her palms over her nape to ease the sensation.
"Bree!" Jandro called. He approached her, holding two glasses. He handed her one.
Bree wanted to refuse, but she didn’t want to seem like a killjoy, so she accepted it.
"Thanks, Jandro."
"Enjoy yourself. We’re not just here for work. We’re invited, so we can drink all we want."
The bitterness and sweetness of the alcohol burned Bree’s throat. She wasn’t used to drinking, so she immediately felt her face warm.
As Bree’s eyes wandered over the sea of people again, she didn’t expect what she saw next.
Her breath hitched as she locked eyes with the most soulful gaze she had ever seen.
- Writer
