The Mafia Lord's Daughter

This was the best route no one knew about, only she and maybe Faye because she had seen her sneak out a few times. Grace waited till the clouds were darker and was sure the men outside were less vigilant about her escape. It was a good thing there was a tree just below her room window; it made her escape easier. Somewhere outside the gate, Faye would be waiting in her car for her. Grace was wearing a black net gown that stopped mid-thigh, her hair made up, and her lips dipped in red. Her father was away; it was no wonder the guards were less vigilant than they would on the nights he would be there. This was one of the reasons she chose this night to go to the party Faye always told her she missed out on. One, two, go! And off she went. Cleaving on one branch, she watched through the trees to see that the men were more engrossed in the alcohol they were taking than the ruffling leaves. It was a good thing the night was windy, so they could easily waive it off as one of the doings of the weather. When she was sure they weren't looking, she placed her leg on the branch lower than the one she had been on. Faye chose this time to call. Grace's phone rang out, and she almost cussed out. "Who's there?" One of the men shouted. Grace, trembling with fear, clung to the branch she was stepping on. When there was a diversion in their focus, she jumped down, careful not to make a noise but fast enough not to get caught. She held her stilettos in one hand and her purse in the other as she ran toward the fence. She stepped on the little extensions on the wall and jumped over the fence. She landed on the flower bed on the other side of the wall. Just next to the flowerbed was a red Lexus she believed to be Faye's new car she had told her about earlier. "Girl, what?!" "You called me in the middle of my escape, who does that?" Faye was laughing so hard that her shoulders were rocking. Grace rolled her eyes. "You were a ninja, girl I'd like to take some lessons from you." "Drive." Grace turned to her friend, impressed by what she wore. She wore sleeveless cowl-neck silk gown which, from what Grace could see, barely crossed her mid-thigh. She wore boots with matching elbow gloves; her makeup was superb, and she always knew Faye to be an excellent makeup artist compared to her. Grace looked at herself in the mirror; the only different thing on her face apart from her high cheekbones and brown eyes were the black eyeliners from her eyelids to the sides of her eyes. She had been careful enough to make the perfect arc, which Faye would've praised her for if she hadn't concentrated on driving. "Pass me some of your glittering eyeshadow," Grace demanded. Faye turned to her, half-laughing. "You look gorgeous Gee, and look at those eyeliners; they're really on point!" She snapped her fingers, doing a slow dance with her shoulder. Faye opened her purse and threw her eyeshadow, and Grace caught it immediately. She held it like a trophy. "I'm getting better at this." "Right about time, Gee." Grace's focus diverted to the mirror in front of her. Sometimes she didn't know whether Faye called her 'gee' because she thought she was her 'gee' or maybe she didn't want to call her Grace. She recalled the first day they both met. Faye said her name sounded like what they say at the end of a church sermon. When in earnest, it was a name her father gave her because his mother bore the same name. It wasn't news that her father was very attached to his mother. He always talked about when they entered America as immigrants and how his mother did everything to ensure he had a better life. Grace never saw her grandmother, but her pictures at every turn in the house could create a memory of her in Grace's head. "And we're here!" Faye's car jerked to a stop in the parking lot. She slipped out her phone from her purse and made a few dials, and next, she heard a phone ring at the other end of the parking lot. Two big boys who looked twice Grace's size came from that end; she didn't know them, but seeing how Faye jumped into one of the guy's embraces, she knew they were in for a long night. Grace felt a tinge of jealousy. It was supposed to be a girl's night out, and no boys were allowed, just the two of them, drinking alcohol and having fun all night long. But these boys heavily baptized in tattoos would ensure that reality doesn't happen. "This is my friend, Grace." "Grace, meet George, my boyfriend." Grace faked a smile. She didn't want to ask Faye when she broke up with Ambrose. She shook his hand, and he picked it up and kissed it. Grace pulled everything in her not to be disgusted at the gesture. "Nice to meet you, Grace." Faye giggled like a child. Grace shook her head. The boy next to George was Nathan, his friend. Grace knew what Faye did; she expected her to mingle with Nathan like a double-paired party, but Grace knew this wouldn't go well. She didn't like Nathan. George's hand wrapped around the smallness of Faye's waist as they made way for the entrance to the club. Faye was not a small person like Grace, but next to George, she looked small. Certainly, he did that to a lot of other people in his life. Nathan tried to mirror the gesture, but Grace carefully wriggled herself out of the position to not upset Nathan. Nathan didn't mind. So many girls were lined up at the entrance as the bouncers checked their identity cards before they got into the club. They must have been late for it. But seeing how George walked confidently to the front and spoke to the bouncers who were just about his height and size, Grace knew this guy was VIP. She saw how other girls glared at her and held herself from laughing. This was fun already. Inside the club, the stench of alcohol mixed with weed followed. Grace was not a smoker, but she sure was a drinker. The strobe lights gave her a light headache, and the hotness produced by too many humans in a small space made her temperature rise. There were waitresses dressed in skimpy gowns, holding trays of drinks above their heads, so they wouldn't bump into someone and spill. The DJ and his equipment were on the stage, working magic with those tunes. She would confess he was good at what he did and his transitions to different songs had her hips swaying. There was a DJ announcement over the music, and another round of music erupted from the speakers. If there was anything that could intoxicate Grace, it was this music. Soon, she didn't know where Faye went with her heartthrob nor where Nathan slipped into. Grace shrugged; it was the night of her life, and she had to enjoy it. She ordered a martini glass; when she finished that glass, she could swear she felt the content swim through her bloodstream. She shook her head, dancing to the tunes. She ordered another glass. She felt this was what she wanted, a night to be carefree and not to be bottled in a room like Rapunzel. She locked eyes with a few guys who whispered in her ears, asking for a dance. She danced with a few but was tired now, so she sat down to rest a little. She didn't know the time, but she knew she had to find Faye. It was her ride home, after all. Just then, she had the sudden urge to pee. She steadied herself, picked up her purse, and followed the direction she believed to lead to the restroom. She couldn't move two steps without holding something for support; a wall, a stool, a hand, and a hard brick body. Only this body didn't move, it stood there, and Grace raised her head to see the owner of the body. Never in her life could she have believed such a handsome face would own this body. He had a frown and a threatening blue pair of eyes. With well-defined jawlines and high cheekbones, he would pass for a vogue model; those graced the magazine's first pages. Grace had come across a few in the past; she had one seated on her desk at home. She traced her to his face. "Why do you look so perfect?" The guy felt embarrassed; he moved his face, and she laughed. "Oops." She said, "I'm sorry." She covered her mouth with her palm.