04

« Belle can sit down after the speeches. » He said before raising his hand apologetically at the pained woman.

Then tell Mr. Vanderbilt to hurry !

Abraham scoffed and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked her up and down. « Okay, sis. I got you, but we have to follow the plan ! Take her outside and stand by the pool. After that, do whatever you want, but we need to capture this moment for the cameras. Okay ? »

Of course, cameras would be here, Mary thought fearfully. She shadowed Belle outside, but guided her to a seat closest to the pool. From sudden directions, three photographers swarmed them and asked for permission to take photos after already stealing a few shots.

« Sure, » Belle frowned before sitting straight and smiling.

« You get in too. This is for the photo album, ladies ! » A woman instructed Mary. They caught her under the flashes, not because she wanted to, but because she froze again. The photographers pulled back from their cameras and suggested she look less like a deer in headlights. Belle tried to veer them away from her, but Mary took a deep breath and placed her hand on Belle’s shoulder. « Atta girl ! » a man cheered before turning his camera with a grin. She gave the most she could in a half-smile. She wasn’t used to being in front of the camera, but behind it. Feeling the trembling hand on her, Belle touched Mary. A moment of security was the cherry on top for the artists.

Like Belle, she the event already exhausted her. Abraham appeared behind them and pointed angrily at his watch.

Mary clenched her jaw while helping Belle from the seat. Standing before the pool, the photographers fired off more flashes before Mary squinted away to call the attention of a caterer passing and mouthed for water. The guests slowly filled the outside living and continued chattering until Abraham excused himself between the photographers and handed a wireless microphone to Belle.

« Hurry, Nathan, » Belle said through her teeth, waving at guests. Valentina lingered by the open door and gestured inside before signaling a halt. Mary took a glass of water, but the moment she grabbed it, Abraham took it and walked away with a stern eye and tightened lips.

« Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out this beautiful evening. First, let me say… on Mr. Vanderbilt’s behalf that he’s delighted to have each of you come to celebrate his award for the East Coast’s Entrepreneur of the Year. All of you have played a part in his success, and this tonight is a thanks to each one of you. Ladies and gentlemen… your esteemed colleague and friend, Nathaniel Stefan Vanderbilt. »

Just then, Mary gasped beneath the applause. A tall, dark-haired man stepped into the outdoors with a coltish, ivory-skinned beauty with black curls bouncing over her modelesque shoulders linked to his arm. He looked regal in a black, fitted suit stressing his defined frame while his date stunned the crowd in a glimmering silver dress. They were a gorgeous pair. His cheeks were like a chiseled, finely carved statue of the Renaissance. Darling dimples indented his freshly shaved skin when he revealed his first smile of the evening, and he packed his jet black waves into sleek tapered coif. Just like his pictures of his home, the images online didn’t do Nathan Vanderbilt justice.

The couple moved through the crowd and Nathan gravitated to Belle’s open arms. He inevitably shot a glance at her. Of all the things she appreciated the most, it had to be his dark eyes she confirmed were brilliantly blue. The color was an appropriate shade for a man so regal. Mary averted her attention and finally exhaled. From her peripheral, she saw Abraham waving from a distance. When he caught her attention, he angrily clapped, and she joined in the applause.

His curious eye lingered on her when he took the microphone. He turned to the crowd. « Thank you all for joining me this evening. »

She pulled her lips in at the sound of his low baritone echoing through the speakers. There was no confusion behind his date’s eyes, gazing adoringly at him.

« I’ll keep this very short, but I would love to give a special thanks to my family who could make it tonight. » He looked at two tall sandy-haired people who raised their short glass in the distance. They shared similar features in the face as the man of the hour, and since Nathan was the youngest of three, she was sure they were his siblings. « I know if our father were still here, he’d be proud of all of us. And I would love to share my gratitude with the women in my life who helped me come this far. » He turned to his date, and they exchanged a brief kiss, arousing a wave of swoons across the audience. « Karina, you’re not just beautiful, but you’re amazingly resilient. »

He turned to Belle. « And Belle. Some would call you my second mother, but I call you a woman who means the absolute world to me. »

She waved her hand at him before he hugged her tightly. Phones raised and applause filled the air again. « Now everyone, please… eat, drink, but most importantly, don’t forget to take a photo with this year’s 1080 Entrepreneur of the Year ! »

The extra help flitted away immediately and slipped into the kitchen to search for an empty glass. Valentina called her name, holding water and a saucer with aspirin. « You’re welcome. »

She returned outdoors and found Belle sitting.

« Thank you, dear, » Belle said, taking the drink.

« Is everything okay with Belle ? »

Mary looked up and took a step back. He batted his attention between her and Belle before wrinkling his brow at Mary. She felt her nerves clashing like cymbals. This wasn’t how she wanted her first interaction to be with him, but it was too late.

« Go and enjoy yourself, Nathan. I’ll be fine, » Belle waved her hand with a frown. « Don’t make a scene. »

He tossed his head back, annoyedly. The look he threw at Mary was not kind until he saw the crystal lilies above her breast matching the one on his lapel. Luckily, Karina and Abraham pulled him away. He didn’t make it easy to stay around with his concerned eye, frequently returning to his ‘second mother’. A server approached them with a tray holding a stack of magazines. Belle took the print with Nathan’s cover but put it on the couch immediately. More irritated, she insisted on retreating to the kitchen and took preference with a stool at the busy island. Mary pulled a few saucers of hors d’œuvres between them and smiled.