MARRIED TO A BILLIONAIRE

Chapter2

CHAPTER TWO

The fashion show generated a big crowd. People stood on the red carpet taking photos. Many prestigious celebrities were in attendance. Tonight looked to be an extravagant one. In the middle of the ruckus, a black Cadillac pulled over and the crowd turned to it. The back door opened and a black glittering shoe was revealed. The figure stepped out of the car and it was Romeo Richmond. He was dressed in a black suit with giant pockets and gold chains hanging off them. His jet-black hair was combed backward and his silver eyes glistened as the flashes from the cameras of the paparazzi bathed him. He reached into the Cadillac and brought out a woman with gleaming olive skin and short black spiky hair. It was Teresa. She wore a crimson gown with no straps. Her breasts were bussing out her dress making her look gorgeous. Her blue eyes were lit up in excitement. They had just gotten off their seven-hit flight and she felt they were late meanwhile it hadn’t even begun. The door of the Cadillac was shut and it drove off.

Romeo sighed and held Teresa by the hand as they walked towards the red carpet. The paparazzi followed them, bathing them with flashes from their cameras. Teresa paused and stood on the red carpet taking photos. Romeo didn’t seem pleased by this but he waited nevertheless. Teresa flashed her perfect set of white teeth at the cameras.

“Smile Romeo,” she said, not taking her eyes off the photographers.

Romeo didn’t find any of this enthralling. The long flight had him exhausted. He hoped he would get to sleep soon. Work had drained him. He felt he should have stayed at the hotel with Amber and made love to her more. But that wasn’t up for debate anymore. He was a thousand miles away from home. Romeo had met Teresa at the private hangar an hour later and she already had this suit for him. Romeo hadn’t been surprised. Teresa owned a fashion company where she sold and created many extravagant wears. He wondered why she hadn’t expanded the business yet and started her clothing brand. She had all the resources and he was ready to push her forward. But for some unknown reason, Teresa seemed comfortable.

Romeo flashed a smile at the camera and the paparazzi turned to him, almost blinding him with their lights. He blinked twice after they walked off, hoping that he hadn’t gotten blind from staring at those flashes for too long.

“How does anybody stand these paparazzi?” He asked Teresa as they walked towards the building.

“For someone who knows how to have fun, you have a vapid attitude tonight,” Teresa replied.

Romeo sighed and kept shut. He didn’t want to be here and she knew it. He was forced to come here because she didn’t have a partner to go with, and because he was bored. He blamed Dylan for rather having a girl over at his place than him. They would have had some much fun. Now he was going to sit for three hours looking at women with extravagant clothing styles.

“Ou! Here’s our seats,” Teresa said in excitement.

Romeo nodded and they sat down. The crowd wasn’t as big as he had hoped. There were just a few seats surrounding the runway which was illuminated with a bright white light. The ruckus outside had deceived Romeo. Romeo took a seat and waited patiently.

“So what now?” He asked.

Teresa rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Now we wait,” she replied.

“Let the show begin!” She added in excitement.

***

Elaine looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was coated with light makeup. She looked dazzling. Her platinum blonde hair was falling on her shoulders making it look like she was a fallen angel. A figure approached her from behind. It was Katherine. Elaine could feel some discomfort in her stomach. She was nervous. The show was about to begin and she was having second thoughts. She couldn’t tell Katherine because it was against their rules to feel negative on a night like this. In her words, “A person with negativity shouldn’t be on stage.” Elaine gulped as she recalled those words.

Katherine placed her hands on Elaine’s shoulders. She could feel her body trembling underneath her palms. Katherine looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her short black hair and her bright red lips—courtesy of her gloss—were glowing. She was dazzling and so was Elaine below her. She let one of her palms hold Elaine’s chin.

“You look beautiful, darling,” she said, her French accent disfiguring her intonation.

Elaine flashed a weak smile.

“Thank you, Katherine,” she appreciated.

“Tonight is your night darling,” Katherine reminded her. “And it’s okay to feel nervous.”

Elaine sighed at her last sentence. She knew. It was written all over her face.

“I’m sorry, Katherine,” she apologized.

Katherine chuckled hard.

“Nonsense!” She said,

Elaine jerked in fright.

“Should I let you in on a little secret?” She said turning the chair so that Elaine could face her.

Elaine looked into her blue eyes now. They were glowing. They looked like diamonds. Katherine was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. At forty-five, she was still every man’s dream. Elaine hoped that one day she would be just like her. Katherine didn’t look like she aged even a bit. It was fascinating whenever she thought about it.

“What secret?” Elaine asked, not taking her eyes off her.

Katherine flashed a smile and her blue eyes lit up.

“I was nervous on my first night,” she confessed.

It sounded surreal to Elaine. Katherine was the boldest person she knew. Was it possible that she could have felt the same jitters on her first night? Elaine didn’t know what to believe, but if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Katherine would never lie to her.

“Really?” Elaine asked, barely masking the surprise in her voice.

“Yes, darling,” she replied. “That is why you mustn’t feel bad. Go out there and give it your best shot. I promise you’ll be fine.”

Elaine nodded at her words. She was feeling strong again. The jitters she felt were gone now. She was once more confident. Tonight was her night. And so she had to make everybody out there know that. Tonight was the night she was going to stun the fashion world, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

“I will,” Elaine promised.

***

“Here they come,” Teresa told Romeo.

Romeo glanced at his watch lazily. It was some minutes away from midnight. He wondered what time he would get some sleep. They had been looking at different styles for the last thirty minutes and nothing seemed to have caught his attention. It looked like they were on their last parade now.

Romeo looked up and saw every model lined up. They were coming out in a single line. Romeo sighed in relief. He was finally going to get some sleep. He turned to Teresa and her eyes were fixed on the stage. This was her niche and so her attitude was understandable.

Elaine was standing behind the stage. It was almost time. The models had been flawless, and now it was time for the big reveal. Her. Standing beside her was Katherine Dubois. She had been with her all night, just like a mother would. Elaine couldn’t believe she had been blessed twice. Katherine was everything a parent could be to her, and tonight she was going to get the biggest gratitude.

“And finally, the mastermind behind these fascinating designs,” an MC said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Elaine stone!”

Elaine inhaled deeply and walked out onto the runway. The lights were bright and she was almost blinded. The crowd cheered and clapped for her as she made her way towards the models who gave her space. Elaine smiled and waved at everybody. This was her stage. They loved her. She felt like she was on top of the world and nobody could knock her down. Nothing could.

Romeo took his eyes off his watch and looked at the stage. What he saw made his eyes widen. He was staring at Elaine now. She was gorgeous. Her narrow green eyes made his heart shudder and her black gown was glittering courtesy of the sparkling stones on every single inch of the dress. Her olive skin was glowing from the bright white light of the runway. Romeo gulped hard. Maybe the fashion show wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.

“Thank you everyone for coming,” Elaine said. “I want to say a big thank you to Katherine Dubois for making tonight possible. Without her, there would be no Elaine stone, and these dresses before wouldn’t have existed. Thank you.”

The crowd clapped for her. She bowed at them and her eyes went to the crowd. Her eyes caught a pair of silver eyes which were staring back at her. She felt her heart skip a beat as they came in contact. She smiled nervously and looked away. A mischievous smile flashed across his lips as she walked away. There was no way he was going to bed now.

The crowd rose and began making their way home. Teresa rose from her seat and turned to Romeo. Romeo followed suit.

“Okay. I think you can go back to the hotel and get some rest,” she said. “I’ll join you when I get back from the after-party.”

Romeo raised an eyebrow at her as he heard her last sentence.

“An after-party, you say?” He asked.

It was Teresa’s turn to arch her eyebrow.

“Yes,” she replied. “What are you planning, Romeo?”

Romeo chuckled and glanced at his Rolex.

“I mean it’s still early to go to bed,” he replied. “I think I’ll join you at the after-party.”

“Romeo,” Teresa sang, not convinced by his words.

Romeo laughed again.

“You know what they say, Tess,” Romeo said, tapping at his Rolex.

“The night is still young.”

***

Romeo glanced around the party looking for Elaine. She was the reason he was here. She had caught his attention, and there was no way he was going to leave Paris without talking to her. He had a glass of champagne in his hand and his other hand in his pocket. Teresa seemed to be talking to a bunch of people he didn’t know. He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his champagne. He was getting impatient now and he felt he wouldn’t get to see her. Romeo knew he would be in bed by now if he hadn’t come across Elaine. She was someone you just couldn’t ignore.

Teresa walked back to him with a glass of champagne in her hand. Romeo was certain she was enjoying herself. This was her kind of function. She was going to meet all kinds of people in her field. He was the imposter here, but there was no way he was going to leave without getting to see Elaine. Even if it was to say hi.

“Why are you all alone?” Teresa asked.

Romeo shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of his champagne.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone. I know this isn’t your type of party,” Teresa added.

“It’s cool, Teresa. I hope this inspires you to think about starting your clothing brand,” he said.

Teresa scoffed and shook her head.

“We are not talking about that, Romeo,” she said. “I already told you my stance on that.”

Romeo sighed and sipped his champagne alone.

“But it’s not too late to change your stance,” he added.

“That’s it, Romeo,” she said and walked off.

Romeo was puzzled by Teresa’s reaction. She always seemed to get upset whenever he brought up that topic.

“Cool party, isn’t it?” A voice said behind him.

Romeo turned around and his eyes lit up in surprise. He couldn’t believe it. Elaine was standing behind him with a glass of champagne in her hand. Her green eyes glittered and her black sparkling dress helped compliment them. She looked more beautiful standing before him now.

“Hey there.”