Third Person's POV
"Unsure?" Vanya turned around in surprise at Theodore's words and said, "If he doesn't come today, then all my efforts would be in vain."
"Whether he comes or not doesn't matter. As long as he knows that the M Group's masked ball is packed with guests, that's enough," Theodore replied.
Vanya sensed a hint of jealousy in his tone.
"That's true..."
"But you just want to annoy him, don't you?"
Vanya couldn't deny it, but she wasn't that naive.
"If he comes and sees that Kendrick doesn't look anything like me, he won't suspect me anymore," she said.
To create the Kendrick persona, she had put in a lot of effort. This time, she planned to wear flats, don a clown outfit, and appear in front of Cliff, making him completely drop his suspicions about her.
"Vanya? Vanya? Are you ready?" Grace's voice called from outside the door.
Vanya, now dressed as a clown, opened the door to see Grace in a Lolita outfit. She nodded and said, "I'm ready."
"Cliff is here. You should go out," Grace urged.
As expected, Cliff indeed arrived.
Vanya walked out in her clown costume. With the spotlight on her, she stood out in the crowd.
She casually threw some small toys into the audience, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere. The crowd's cheers reached a peak.
"Hello everyone, I'm your clown and also the head of M Group—Kendrick," Vanya announced from the center of the stage, her voice deep and powerful thanks to a voice modulator.
Upon hearing this, the crowd realized that the person who had been entertaining them was the mysterious boss behind M Group.
Cliff, dressed in dark Gothic attire, also quickly noticed.
He tried to take a photo, but his phone had been confiscated as soon as he entered the club.
It was clear that Kendrick had taken strict measures to keep the ball's secrecy, including everything that happened inside.
Elliot observed and said, "Alpha Cliff, this is Kendrick. He looks like a short guy, nothing special."
Cliff frowned and asked, "Does he look familiar to you?"
"Looks like... a stranger. I've never seen him before. No one in L.A. has ever heard of this guy," Elliot replied.
Hearing this, Cliff left Elliot and strode toward the center of the stage.
Elliot was too late to stop him and called out in astonishment, "Alpha Cliff!"
Cliff pushed through the crowd, his eyes fixed on the clown in the center of the stage.
He was determined to unmask Kendrick today.
Vanya saw Cliff's determined figure in the crowd and frowned.
What was he doing?
"Oh no, Cliff isn't going to try to unmask Vanya in public, is he?" Grace's face turned pale.
They just wanted Cliff to see Kendrick at the masked ball, not to have him unmask Vanya in front of everyone!
Derrick's heart also raced. "Come on, isn't Cliff supposed to be mature and composed? What's he doing, not thinking about the consequences?"
On Vanya's side, her heart was pounding.
Cliff was getting closer, but she couldn't leave now.
Suddenly, her vision went dark as something enveloped her. She looked up to see an elegant jawline.
"Let's go," Theodore's voice came.
Vanya felt inexplicably relieved and, under the cover of Theodore's cloak, quietly disappeared into the crowd.
On Cliff's side, in the blink of an eye, Vanya was gone. Elliot quickly caught up. "Alpha Cliff, you can't be so impulsive. There are too many people here. If you're recognized, it won't be good. Let's leave."
Cliff was reluctant, his eyes still scanning the end of the crowd.
He had clearly seen Kendrick there, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
"Alpha Cliff, let's go!"
Elliot tried to get Cliff out as quickly as possible, fearing that if Kendrick reappeared, Cliff would do something else impulsive.
Cliff was led out of the night club by Elliot. As soon as they were outside, Cliff said, "Contact Vanya. I need to know where she is now."
"Yes, Alpha Cliff," Elliot replied.
Meanwhile, Theodore escorted Vanya to a safe corner. Vanya looked up at Theodore's vampire-costumed face. Although she knew she shouldn't laugh in this situation, she couldn't help but feel amused.
Theodore, seeing her expression, couldn't help but smile, his eyes full of affection. "You're still laughing? You almost got caught just now."
"Isn't it because you came to the rescue? Besides, even if Cliff took off my mask, he might not recognize me," Vanya said confidently.
Theodore gently brushed a strand of hair from Vanya's temple.
She was taken aback as he said, "Be more careful next time."
"Vanya! Vanya!" Grace's voice suddenly called from a distance.