Chapter 9 – Neuf

"Is it really necessary for me to come along?" Della asked her father with a sincere expression. "I mean I love working extra shifts and this gala is a great opportunity for that." She explained as Garreth continuously typed on his laptop. After sometime he looked up and gave his new long lost daughter a smile.

"Adela, i want to introduce you to all my close friends and everyone else who needs to know you are my blood and heir. I will not allow my only daughter to be cleaning up tables while I dine with the upper crust." He said giving her an assuring smile.

"This is to make up for lost time, my darling you are a McCarthy." He said with a grin on his lips and a glimmer in his grey eyes.

"I have already sent for Donato Vivaldi to have your outfits for tonight set." Garreth said in an excited tone. Della looked rather confused maybe because she didn't grow up with the beau monde moneyed class. She had always longed to be wanted and loved, of course her abuela gave her that but this was different because the very same man whom she thought abandoned her was here making her feel like a priced ruby.

"Who is Donato Vivaldi?" Della asked anxiously. He had to be one of the upper crust people she thought to herself.

"That's one of the best designers in the business, he usually makes me custom made tuxedos whenever I am to attend a pretentious event like the one happening to night." Garreth said proudly.

"Oh but you don't have to spend alot of money-"

"No no Adela, do not worry yourself money is not a problem and you shouldn't have to ever worry about that okay?" He asked a hint of his British accent coming into play. It amazed Adela, she never thought that her father was from Britain. She always imagined he was some Mexican mechanic who wore blue work suits and had a mustache. That was initially the idea her mother gave her whenever she described him with the worst Mexican insults.

"But I don't want to stop working, I mean I enjoy being occupied." She composed herself.

"Yes yes dear but I want you to focus on your writing. I know you have a few drafts planned out, have you thought of finally looking for a publisher." He asked.

"No, i felt like it wasn't ready to be published yet." She said with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Your work is excellent my dear. How about you continue working seeing as you don't want to stop but also let me help you look for a publisher. Your story could help other people out there suffering from depression." He told her with a genuine smile making her feel a certain feeling that she had always longed for. She always wanted her mother to say she was proud of her and now it was even much better because her father was the one who was saying it.

"Not to cross the line or anything but what about Leo's father.. Is he maybe around?" Garreth had been meaning to ask but didn't want to push any boundaries. He knew this was something that really hurt Della. Remembering the first time she told him about it, how she cried showing how broken she was. Allowing him to see her at her weakest.

"He is —uhm— he is around." She said looking away. She didn't want to ever think about Andre, he made her feel dirty, stupid and above all worthless. She didn't want to be reminded of the hurt that he made her feel, she didn't want to feel whatever she had felt back then. She just wanted to move on and that was far from impossible considering that he had started asking questions. What relieved her was that he had stopped, she had not seen him ever since their encounter at the park.

"I always thought Andre Levetté was a well respectable young man until I realised what he put your through." Garreth said in deep thought.

"No, he is a respectable person. Don't let my view about him change the way you see him." Della didn't know why she was defending him but she just wasn't the type of person to purposely hurt others because of bitterness.

"I can't help but be maddened by the way him and his family treated you. I read the papers and when you told me your side of the story... I finally understood what type of vultures those French imbeciles are." Garreth was beyond angry, he was a down to earth person but when anyone crossed the people he loved, he became the worst.

"Don't mind them, it's in the past." Della said putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I can't help it my dear but I won't let that ruin my night." He said grabbing his glass of whiskey and gulping the rest down. Della had never felt so appreciated... this was different. Garreth had told her that he wanted to introduce her to his world but it didn't mean she should stop being herself because he had grown to love her the way she is.

-

"You have nice curves, yes?" Donato said in a deep Italian accent. Mila wanted to laugh hysterically at his behavior because he would jump back and fourth with a dress in hand then wonder around for the jewellery that matched with a certain dress. He was certainly serious about his line of work.

"I'm jealous of that ass too." Mila pouted making Donato give her disapproving look.

"I wasn't talking to you young lady." Donato rolled his eyes acting quite dramatic. Mila laughed with Della who stood in a red dress that shaped every curve of her body. It molded her like a hand in glove. When she walked in even Leo gasped.

"Mommy you look beautiful like a Queen." Leo said making her mom feel all emotional.

"I knew this one would be perferto." Donato said clearly proud of himself.

"You look amazing." Mila said out of words. When Della stared at her self in the huge full length mirror, she almost didn't recognize herself. The dress was sleeveless and strapless. leaving her beautiful collar bone out for show and her breasts shaped well in this dress as well as her curves and ass that now even looked bigger. She felt beautiful and she hadn't felt that way in a long time. Her eyes were glossy with tears wanting to fall. Her hair looked beautiful in waves and her makeup not too much but a hint of natural look carefully done. Her dark red lipstick making her look beyond alluring, graceful, divine, elegant, refined, dazzling even pulchritudinous—

no word could describe how beautiful she looked.

"Don't ruin the make up." Donato said cheerfully. " You will have all the man in a trance even the married men." Donato said with a quirky smile.

"Thank you." Della said showing off her pearly white smile.

"Now that I'm done with the first lady, young man get in your suit and Milano get in your dress." Donato demanded.

"It's just Mila." Mila said rolling her eyes.

"Sì, Your parents failed at Italian class because it's Milano." He said in an nonchalant tone. Della and Leo held back laughter as Mila cursed some incoherent words in Spanish.

"Idiota." Mila muttered under her breath as she walked in to the dressing room. Luckily Donato did not hear any of that otherwise hell would have broke loose.

-

It had been over fourty minutes and the guests were becoming in-patient.

"McCarthy is never on time." One of the guests muttered to the other guests who were dressed formally for the event. When Garreth finally arrived with Leo walking right behind him, all the attention turned to him. He spoke to a few business man and welcomed them. Andre was beyond bored, after his second glass of wine and looking around the servers hoping he would see his Della but nothing. Luc had talked to half of the single women in the room and grown tired. Classical music played continuously by the orchestra and the guests chattered amongst themselves.

Andre felt someone tap him and turned around only to see nothing, that was until he faced down... Leondre. "Hey little man." Andre said surprised to see him in a suit and his hair gelled to perfection.

"Hey we look like twins." Leo said making Andre think obviously, you're my son. They practically had the same features. He wondered where Leondre's mother was before he could ask, Garreth McCarthy was on the stage and asking for everyone's attention.

Adela and Mila walked in the middle of the announcement not wanting to draw any attention. They both looked magnificent. Everyone had their attention focused on the person who was standing at the stage.

"Evening everyone." Garreth greeted and everyone responded in incoherent replies. He apologized for being late. Went ahead and talked about his latest charity campaign against women abuse and also about the donations he was holding for the people of Puerto Rico that had a devastating natural disaster. Everyone listened attentively, he mentioned how important it was to be a helping hand especially if you have the resources. Della felt proud to have a father like him, he was so kind and Mila on the other hand felt guilty for having called him a cunning bastard but never mind that, she had to look for her own millionaire around here.

"And lastly I would like to introduce to you, my long lost daughter who is here tonight. Adela, I'm sorry for not being there all your life but I'm going to make up for lost time and hopefully be the father you have always wished for. Everyone the beautiful Adela McCarthy, my daughter and my heir." He said with a proud smile on his face.

The spotlight went on Della and she felt beyond nervous but Mila gave her a gentle squeeze. Everyone was amazed by how beautiful she was they gave an applause. Garreth moved from the stage and went to stand beside his daughter.

"She is a McCarthy." Jeanine said to her husband clearly shocked.

"There always was something about her." Ben replied. Andre was shocked infact dumbfounded, he couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream. "That's my mom." Leo said tugging Andre who stood there astonished not only by the words that had came out of Garreth's mouth but because of the way his wife.. ex-wife looked, she didn't look beautiful; it was beyond that and her smile lit up the room. The way she talked to the guests who came to hug her and introduce themselves had him in awe. He knew he had made a mistake and wasn't quite sure if he would be able to ever fix it.