Elizabeth
“So... You’re the August Dereon,” she said and looked at him. His expression showed disappointment as he let out a sigh. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you who I was. That look and the formality in your voice, I hear it every day,” he replied and continued, “It was refreshing to have a normal conversation with another person without feeling as if they’re lying to me.”She spotted her Maybach pulling up and looked at him, rolling her eyes slightly, “Well I’m glad I could provide you with much-needed normality, Mr Dereon,” she said in a sarcastic tone. Please know that you do not owe me an explanation as I’m but a random annoying socialite attending a ball.“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go home. Good night, sir.” She finished and turned to get into the car. Why was she so upset with the entire thing?
“Dragonfly...” August called after her and moved to grab her wrist, but she pulled it out of his grasp. She whipped her head around and glared at him. “My name is Elizabeth,” she said before slamming the door and hopefully, erasing his face from her thoughts. She knew her mother would blame her for not ‘landing August Dereon’, but there was no way she would try to woo an engaged man. If her mother wanted her to do that, then she honestly thought low of her own daughter.
Letting out a final sigh, she instructed the driver to take her home.
August
As he watched her Maybach drive away, August did not know why he felt so guilty. He knew this woman all of 5 minutes and she has had such an effect on him. Yet, with her he felt like a normal guy, like he could be himself and not worry about judgement, even if it were only for five minutes.
Berating himself, he snapped out of his reverie and headed back inside his family’s hall to look for Emily. When he spotted her, he headed over with a smile on his face. “Darling,” Emily crooned when she saw him. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I'm attending an important meeting in the morning with possible investors and would like to get some shut-eye, so I’ll be heading home, love.” August said, the partial lie slipping out of his mouth easier than he expected. Emily looked at him and smiled. “I’ll head home with you,” she said, but he shook his head. “You don’t have to. Stay and mingle, I know how much you love these events. I will see you at home.” August said and kissed her lips softly. He felt her smile in the kiss and could not help but feel sad. “See you there,” Emily said and left his side.
August watched her walk away and headed out. He walked out of Dereon Hall and found his Mercedes Benz, thinking about what a disaster the evening turned out to be. Why did he have to come back to this stupid town, anyway? As he got into his car, he couldn’t help but think about Elizabeth. Feeling angry at himself for allowing this stranger to get to him, he starts the car and drives off.
Elizabeth She arrived at White Manor and slipped off her platform heels, walking barefoot from the car hoping her mother would be asleep. Elizabeth knew that her mother would have heard about August’s engagement by now and she would be livid. From the outside, her life seemed glamorous; the glitz, the glam, the fashion and the money. Her family, The Whites, being the second wealthiest family in Washington, second only to the Dereons. Her father had his fingers in many pies, some even speculating that he had ties to the Chicago mafia underbelly. But her mother was the matriarch. Agnes White ran this family like her father, Robert, ran his company, no love lost to any mistake made and people cut when they were not deemed worthy. Elizabeth dreaded running into her mother right now. But alas, Agnes was waiting for her as she opened the door. Elizabeth blanched. “Mother-“
Elizabeth 3 am and Elizabeth stood with her bags and belongings all packed, while still wearing the dress from the ball. She took one last look at her room and sighed, realising she probably would not miss living here, and the thought alone saddened her profusely. When she reached the stair landing, she walked towards the kitchen and placed the keys where she knew her mother would see them when she came downstairs in the morning. With her resolve set, she straightened her back and wiped the last of her tears away. These would be the last tears she ever shed for her mother. Ever since her sister, Blair, died, her mother had been nothing but cruel to her only daughter. Blair was her mother’s favourite and a musical genius well on her way to becoming a prodigy. She had always shielded Elizabeth from her mother’s mood swings, but now that she wasn’t around anymore, Elizabeth got the brunt of her anger all the time. On the way from her mus
Elizabeth "August!" Elizabeth exclaims and looks at the handsome man who just caught her. Out of anyone she could have run into, it had to be him. "Little Dragonfly, are you following me?" he says and gives her a sly smile. She frowns at his words but feels a blush forming on her cheeks. But as she was about to respond to him, she remembered that she still had Liza on the line. "Sorry about that Liza, you got all that?" She asks, not just talking about her cake and coffee order. She hears Liza chuckle. "I'm still here and want all the details when you get back. I'll get a mixture of cakes. See you at the office, boss lady." Liza responds, and Elizabeth smiles," "You're a star, babe!" she said and ended the call, then looked at August. "I am sure you would like to believe I'm following you, but I am afraid that this is not the case. I am staying here for the time being due to personal reasons." Elizabeth said and wondered why she was telling him all this.
Walking into Libellule House, Elizabeth was still stunned at what had just transpired. August's fiancee was begging her to take on her wedding dress project. "I have been such a big fan since day 1, and it would make me so happy if you would design my wedding dress!" Elizabeth could not say no to her, and she had looked so sincere. So, she gave in. "Alright, team, are we ready to go into battle?!" she exclaims, walking into the meeting room. Her team yells back, excited and sensing her renewed energy. "Despite the setback of our projects that my mother pulled out from under our noses, I have some exciting news!" Elizabeth beams at them and looks at their anxious faces. "Come on, boss, we can't stand the suspense!" "Yeah, please tell us!" Elizabeth chuckles at their curiosity and looks around the room. "This morning, something rather spectacular happened on the way here," she continues while looking at their faces. "We've got th
8 pm: Elizabeth stretches and looks at the time. Not realizing she had spent her whole afternoon putting out fires and designing her new line, she switches off her computer and takes out her phone. Fifty-one missed calls?! She stares at her phone in shock and then realizes she left her phone silent after lunch with a potential client. She unlocks her phone and clicks to go into her call list. Twenty calls were from the same unknown number, and the rest were from her mother. Sighing, she returns her mother's call. Her mother answers on the 4th ring. "This is just like her, like she's not the one who was desperately looking for me." Elizabeth thinks sourly. "Elizabeth," her mother croons; she groans inwardly. "Sorry I missed your call, Mother. I have been quite busy putting out the fires you've created for me," She responds curtly. Sensing her mother's anger, she continues, "Was there a reason for your call?" "I've heard through the grapevin
Elizabeth gets off her flight from Tokyo and heads to collect her luggage; afterwards, she heads to the hotel. In the elevator, she pulls out her phone and calls Liza. "Hey babe, I'm back. Could you please do some house hunting for me? I need to find a place ASAP, or all our savings will be going to this hotel suite." She says, "No problem, boss. I will come back to you with the prospect's tomorrow morning. Your schedule has been cleared for Ms Gray today." Liza responds. Elizabeth has not been looking forward to this meeting for some reason. "Thanks, Liza. Chat tomorrow," she says and hangs up. After showering, she decides on a casual, off-the-shoulder top and tight jeans, accentuating her curves. With a satisfied nod, she opts for flats instead of heels today. She pulls up in front of Emily's address and parks her car. The villa is surprisingly quaint, not the Dereon flashiness at all. Elizabeth smiles and heads inside. She was about to ring the bell, but E
Elizabeth stands up, feeling flustered at being so close to August and trying to maintain her composure. "I'm sorry about that, Mr Dereon," she says while collecting all her scattered things that had fallen. "I should watch where I'm going." August frowns at her formality. Why was she acting like this when she knew how much he despises it? "No problem at all..." he responds, and Elizabeth looks at him defiantly and turns to walk away. "If you'll excuse me-" "Elizabeth, wait, please," August calls out after her and grabs her wrist. Elizabeth looks down at his hand and swallows hard, "Mr Dereon-" "Please call me by my name. You know how much I hate formality." Elizabeth knew this; that is why she was doing it. She needed him to think of her as just another employee contracted to his fiancée. "A-August. What is it?" she responds. He feels his heart tighten when she says his name. He looks at her with a broken expression. "I'm sorry for not introducing my
The past two weeks have flown by quickly. Elizabeth has seen more of Emily lately. The latter let it slip that August would be working out of town for the next month, so Elizabeth decided to take advantage of the situation and get to know Emily better. Sitting in her office at 5 pm, Elizabeth closes her laptop just as her phone starts ringing. She glances at the caller ID and smiles. "Lizzy, save me!" Emily exclaims on the other line, "The Dereon's kidnapped me today. I have been at their mercy for 9 hours, jumping to boutiques along with the wedding planner. I am drowning in frills and lace!" She finishes off dramatically. Elizabeth chuckles before she says, "Want to go out tonight? It will help you forget a bit. I promise not to tell August!" She jokes and can already see Emily making a face. "Yes! I would love that!" Emily responds. "Great! I'll bring Liza along. You two haven't met yet, and I know you'll love her." Elizabeth was starting to get excited as