Page 61 of Then Came You

"As do you," Cindy fawns. Sometimes I don't know whether she wants me to get back together with Avalon, or if she's interested in me romantically. Either way, I'm not interested in either scenario.

"Where's Row?" Zee asks, understanding how important this event must be to her.

"No idea. She'll be here soon," I shrug.

"Disorganisation is never a good sign with an employee," Avalon chastises.

"Luckily, it's me who's disorganised then, and I'm the boss," I snap back.

"She isn't very good at communicating. I tried texting her to inquire about a last-minute dietary requirement and never heard back," Cindy feigns inconvenience.

"She's not the event organiser, nor is she the caterer. I've hired her to do hair," I shut her down so fast that Zee's eyes bulge out of his head.

This woman bugs me to no end. I have to be gracious towards Avalon because I spent more than half my life with her. However, I don't have to be considerate of an up-and-coming nobody whose only mission in life is to see Row fail because she shines too brightly. It's the last straw.

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend," her lips quiver in a fake way that I know she doesn't give a damn if she offends or not.

"Really, Blade? Where are your manners?" Avalon scolds. "As a paying guest, the least you can do is be a bit more cordial to Cindy. There is no need to attack Cindy for merely pointing out the lack of response from Rowena."

"It's Row," I grit. "If you're both so unhappy with the planning, I'm more than happy to refund your tickets and see you both out." This gets them both to shut up quickly.

"Whoa. Dad. Chill. Everything is cool. They didn't mean anything by it."

I'm livid. They act like Row is a stain they can't get rid of. How did I ever fall for someone like Avi, when it's abundantly clear that she has no grasp on reality? Cindy is a mini Avalon in the making, but unlike Avalon, she has this manipulative streak to her where she doesn't come across as sinister, but she is.

I need to warn Zee to watch out for her. There's just something about her that I don't trust.

Both plaster a smile on their faces. "Of course, Mr. Renshaw!" Cindy smiles.

I don't want to be in this conversation anymore. Just as I'm about to pretend I need to say hello to someone important, the room parts like the Red Sea and Row comes into view.

She is a vision.

I try to take a deep breath, but it's caught in my throat, emotions swirling within. The weight of her beauty wraps around my lungs. My eyes are glued to every inch of her, but it doesn't escape me that other men physically turn to watch her swan past them. It makes me feel murderous. She isn't theirs. She is mine.

With my eyes locked on her, unblinking and completely absorbed, I hone in on this captive creature, who is softly swaying with every step she takes toward us.

I've never seen someone so ethereal. My god, I drink in the sight of her, unable to form words. If I don't swallow soon, I'll end up in a coughing fit. She takes my breath away. Her beauty isn't to be exaggerated. She is a masterpiece. The twinkling lights make her shimmer the closer she gets.

"Hi," she greets everyone with a demure smile. Xander and Cindy are gaping at her, but I suspect for very different reasons.

"Row, you look exquisite." It comes out huskier than intended, but I can't hide my reaction to her. I don't want to just say stunning when it doesn't even come close to how she looks this evening.

Her dress is strapless and has a soft low cowl neck that shows off her incredible chest. It is a silver foil colour that skims down her curves. The lower it clings, the more transparent it becomes with dots of diamantes cascading down to her ankles, where the most delicate Cinderella shoes adorn her feet. They look like glass and are covered in diamonds with a big bow on the front. Her skin is golden, and makeup perfectly light, only pink dusting her cheeks, with a shimmer of silver across her eyelids. Her mouth is glossed in a soft pink, that my lips are begging to lick off, but it is her hair that I want to run my fingers through, tugging on her roots. I've become too used to seeing it in a bun or a ponytail, forgetting how gorgeous it is when it falls in soft vintage waves.

She looks like my own personalised gift all wrapped up, waiting to be untied. Jesus, is it hot in here? I feel myself perspiring in her presence, unable to cool down from the heat emanating off her.

"Thanks." She bites her lip in shyness, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she casts her eyes down.

"That wasn't the dress we bought," Cindy snaps, clicking her fingers in front of Row's face.

"It's very…flashy," Avalon chimes in, hinting that she hates it.

"Oh, um, well I didn't love the one you chose for me, so I went back and exchanged it." Zee went shopping with the girls this week.

I'm shocked at how two of the most prestigious women in the room can be so crass and classless. Row looks nothing short of mesmerising, and I think they know it.

"Oh Row, you could have asked to borrow some real jewellery," Cindy laughs, drawing attention to the delicate dangling earrings. They're plain. Silver. Nothing special, but I know they mean more to her than any diamonds in the world. They spell out the word "hope," which is affectingly appropriate for tonight and holds such sentiment that it takes my breath away for the umpteenth time since she arrived.

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