At first, during the shopping, I wasn’t too excited about the fundraiser but now that I was wearing my bold velvet gown, I was eager to get to the venue already and feel the stares on me.
The velvet gown was very bold which was not what I was looking for but one look at it and I couldn’t let them take it back.
The dark red gown was stunning and had a rare glossy sheen to it that would be illuminated properly with the right lighting which I was certain the venue would have. It was a long-sleeved gown with a plunging neckline that stopped just below my cleavage.
It was easy to rock the gown with my small perky breasts, so the neckline didn’t appear too much because of that. From the waist down, the gown flowed to the gown in an A shape and also had a long slit that went all the way to my lap.
The gown was already a bit too extra, so I did a simple makeup, so I didn’t look like a clown instead of the classy look I was going for. My makeup was soft which made me look very innocent which was a contrast to my look.
My red bottom 7-inch heel made me look intimidating and I loved it. I don’t know about anyone else, but Atticus’s account would definitely feel a dent. I even had a spa day to make sure my skin was glowing. Today’s theme was going to be all eyes on me.
Someone entered my room as I stood in front of the mirror and let out a loud gasp which made me turn in shock.
“Wow, you look so beautiful. Everyone’s eyes will be on you tonight” Lily squealed and jumped around in excitement. She walked around me, taking in every detail and I was so happy to see the shine in her eyes as she looked at me.
“Thank you, Lily, I was having second thoughts about the outfit,” I told her.
“Why would you be having second thoughts? You look absolutely stunning” she exclaimed.
“I think it’s a little extra,” I said with a pout, and she shook her head furiously while waving her hands around like a comical cartoon character.
“What!!! No way. It’s not extra at all. You should make them all green with envy” I loved this girl more and more. She had the same thinking as I did, and here I was having second thoughts about making her my friend.
“Right?” I asked with a pleased smirk “I should make them green with envy at how good I look on my husband’s arm” I told her.
There was a knock on the door and Justin poked his head through the door. He was not quick to hide his reaction, so I was able to see the brief look of shock on his face when he saw me before he quickly schooled his reaction.
“Mr Hayland has arrived to pick you up” Atticus had left the house very early this morning, and he had not come back home to change for the event up until now.
“Give me a minute to grab my purse and I'll be out at ten,” I told him. He gave me a small nod and left the room, so it was just me and Lily
I turned around to see Lily already holding out my purse to me. She handed the purse to me with a wide smile.
“Make them wish they were you, ma’am,” she told me with a naughty smirk
“Call me Hazel and that's the plan, isn’t it? ''I told her with a wink.
I took my purse from her and left the room. Justin was not waiting outside the room like I thought he would so I made my way downstairs where I was sure they would be waiting.
Atticus’s car was parked just outside the front door and Justin was standing by the car waiting for me. When he spotted me coming out of the door, he opened the back door for me so I could get in.
My husband was on his laptop doing whatever when I sat down in the car. I knew he was going to ignore me, so I did the same.
I had forgotten to take some photos so I could post but I wasn’t worried about that. I could ask someone to get some pictures from the photographers who would be present at the event.
Today, everyone would find out that Atticus was married to me. It was the first time we would be appearing in public together and I could not help but feel my stomach clench in anxiety.
I knew I wouldn’t be liked by the majority and would have to hear some despicable words but I had to make sure not to let it show how much their words affected me.
The rich could be pretty brutal when it came to saying bad things about people they didn’t like and one of those people would be me today.
“You look beautiful. I like the gown” Atticus spoke from beside me and I turned to stare at him in shock. Since when did he do compliments?
“Thank you. I was worried I may have overdone it a little” I replied, suddenly eager to keep the conversation we barely had going.
“It certainly is worth the amount I paid” He commented and I looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I didn’t think he paid attention to the amount of money that left his account.
“Thank you” Pulling out his card from my purse, I handed it back to him. He raised his head from his laptop to stare at me for the first time since I entered the car.
“Keep it. That way you should be able to get whatever you want without needing to ask me all the time” I didn’t know if I was feeling stupid or just in the mood to make some trouble but the words, I uttered almost made me slap myself.
“I have a black card too. I don’t need yours” I blurted out foolishly and his expression confirmed my thoughts.
“I am well aware you do but as my wife, you are my responsibility, and I would be happy to provide you with what you need.” he replied.
“Thank you but I don’t need to keep it”
“Well, I want you to” He turned his attention back to his computer screen as a way of telling me that the conversation was over.
I grudgingly placed the card back into my purse and we were silent for the remaining part of the ride.
When we arrived at the venue, the place was swarming with reporters. I watched as cars lined up to the entrance dropping off the attendees. The flashlights from the camera showed that the reporters were having a field day with those who were being dropped off.
Our car slowly came to a halt in front of the red-carpet entrance that led to the entrance of the hall.
Atticus exited the car first then held out his hands for me to take. Even though I was very much aware that this was just for the public, my stomach stupidly warmed at the action.
I took his hands and stepped out of the car. I flinched a little when I felt his hands wrap around my waist and he pulled me to him gently before leading us straight into the venue, not answering one single question thrown his way by the reporters.
“Mr Hayland, so it’s true that you are married. Are you happy?”
“Was it an arranged marriage, there is no proof of you dating her before?”
Reporters were truly the spawn of the devil, these were just a few of the harsh questions that were thrown our way, and I felt his hands around my waist tighten, a sign of his annoyance at the questions being thrown our way.
I followed his lead as he entered the venue. The decorations were done in a minimal but elegant style, and I was amazed by it. It was a fundraiser for a charitable cause.
Atticus led me to a table that had eight chairs, six of them were already occupied. I was surprised once again when Atticus pulled out my chair for me to sit down. I was sitting in between Atticus and a really beautiful lady.
“Wow, you are so pretty” The lady startled me as she spoke out of nowhere.
“Atticus, where did you get such a fairy as a bride?” She leaned her head forward so she could see him.
“Thank you but your beauty is nothing compared to mine. You are so stunning, it’s unreal” She was truly beautiful though I may have exaggerated a little bit, but I was the best when it came to compliments.
“Stop, you are exaggerating” Her face flamed up, but I could see it in her eyes that she appreciated the compliment.
“Atticus your wife is such a lovely woman” There was something in her voice that I could not pinpoint as though there was a hidden meaning behind her words.
“She is.” I knew he didn’t mean it.
“Hey, man” The man sitting beside the lady spoke next. Atticus stood up to give him a brief handshake before he sat back down.
“Things are fine. You did good here.” Atticus commended and I assumed he was probably the organizer of the event.
“Thanks man. Forgive my wife’s manners. My name is James Hudson, Atticus self-proclaimed best friend and this is my wife, Danielle Hudson” His wife Danielle gasped in embarrassment as she realized that she had forgotten to introduce herself
“I can’t believe I forgot to do that first” She exclaimed.
“It's not a problem. It happens. My name is Hazel Reyes Hayland, it's nice to meet you” It felt weird introducing myself as Hayland but at the same time, I felt good.
“Wait, you are the daughter of Martin Reyes? the supposedly human doll? I can see now why you were given that title. You look so unreal” Danielle said, and she was so close to my face that it was becoming a little uncomfortable.
Her husband must have sensed it because he pulled her back a little.
“I’m sorry, Danielle has no idea of the word personal space” He apologized.
“It’s fine really” I gave an awkward laugh.
“You should come to our club meeting tomorrow. Is that okay with you Atticus?” She had somehow managed to swap seats with my husband, so he was sitting beside her husband and both men seemed to be engrossed in a heated discussion before Danielle called him.
“What?” He asked
“She can come to our club meetings, can’t she?” Danielle asked again.
“She is automatically part of the club since she is married to him, so she has to attend” Her husband spoke.
Atticus studied me for some minutes or maybe seconds as if looking at my face would provide him with the answer he needed before he finally nodded in agreement.
“Sure, she can if she wants to” he told her and she turned her eyes to me, waiting for my answer.
“What is this club about?” I needed to make sure I knew what I was getting into. I normally liked to avoid things done in groups, but Danielle seemed like a nice person.
“It’s just a little group of us high society women. We hang out and do some good work for the society” I was so close to saying no.
Groups like this were mostly made up of obnoxious women and I didn’t want to get involved but the look she was giving me was making it hard to say no.
“I’ll see if I can make it tomorrow,” I said instead of the No that was supposed to come out of my mouth.
She squealed in excitement and pulled me into a hug while I pulled my hair mentally wondering what I had just gotten myself into.