Page 27 of Taming the Elusive Billionaire

“Just with the looks.” Ella replied quickly with a shake of the head, “And also, this is Lucy . . .”

“Mason’s acquaintance, he told me already but didn’t tell me your name,” Phil said as he eased his hand away from Ella and sipped his drink again, leaving us both in shock.

I stared at Ella, surprised. “His what?”

Phil frowned and shrugged. “His acquaintance, was there a problem with that?”

“The l—” I poked Ella immediately.

“No, no, of course not.” I interrupted her while she looked away with a shake of the head. “Yes, I am, Sir.”

“Is there a problem?” Phil asked, looking at both Ella and me, surprised.

“No, there’s none. She just remembered something, nothing more.”

“Sounds good, well.” He stretched out his hand for a shake. “A friend of Mason is my friend.”

I took it and eased my hand away almost immediately while he turned toward Ella and smiled warmly. “Can I steal you for a moment so you can dance with me?”

Ella blushed and turned toward me. “I don’t want to leave my friend alone.”

“Oh, there will be no need for that. I can see Mason over there looking at us.”

I immediately saw him turning his gaze from us and greeting someone else. I moved my eyes from Mason back to Phil, who was still speaking to Ella, who seemed far gone, driven by words and good looks.

“I bet he will come over and take her from you any moment.”

“Yes, you should go with him, though I intend to use the restroom and get some air for a few minutes.”

“All right, love,” Ella moved close to me and kissed me gently on the cheeks. “Find another man immediately.” She said and moved toward Phil while winking at me.

I smiled as they walked towards the others, held each other, and began to dance to the tune of the music.

I turned and saw a waitress moving past me with a tray of champagne and took one immediately, “Thanks.”

I slowly moved away from the crowd, making my way toward the other side that led to the hallway, where I could finally get some much-needed quiet.

I exited the hall at the last minute, closed the door, and took a deep breath. “Peace, at last,” I muttered as I looked across the empty hall, sighed, and began to head toward the restroom.

*********

I washed my face, sighed, and rested my hands on the gold-marbled sink while trying to control my breathing.

It had been a rough day, and my body felt the effect of it all. I had woken alongside Ella by five and been awake until now, ensuring everything worked fine before the guests arrived.

And when they finally did, it was time to get dressed, and it took additional four hours for both Ella and I to get dressed, do the necessary makeup, and walk down the stairs alongside her mother.

I sighed, scooped more water from the still-running tap, and washed my face before closing it. God, I would do anything to get out of these clothes, lie on my bed and call it a night.

“A moment away,” a familiar voice said beside me, and I turned in fright to see Mason standing close to the door, adjusting his watch, before he inserted his hands in his pocket and continued. “And you have already started getting your fangs on the New Foreign Minister.”

I swallowed hard, took a little handkerchief out of my purse, and wiped my face. “I wanted a little bit of peace and privacy, Mason.”

“Ever heard of the saying ‘No peace for the wicked’?” He asked while moving toward me.

I frowned and put the handkerchief back inside my purse. “First, it was a crime for me to move around your home alone, now I have to stay away from people to avoid talking to them. I still fail to realize what my offense against you is, or you are just naturally this way when you deal with people with less privilege than you?”

He frowned and came toward me while wiping his mouth with his face. “Many people would disagree greatly with that.”

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