A NEW FACE

“Big News: Tonight is the D-Day. The day we’ve all been anticipating, the day when every celebrity will gather, and every famous person will meet and acknowledge each other. A day we celebrate icons of the century and philanthropists whose love has extended to the poor.

Tonight at Burj Al Arab in Dubai, there will be the wedding anniversary of the Steele couple, also known as the ‘Blind Heroes’—a name given to them by the numerous poor and innocent people they’ve saved. At the same wedding anniversary, they’ll be receiving the ‘Icon of the Century’ award. Prominent figures from all over the world have been invited to witness this day.

To see your favorite actors, sports players, musicians, and influencers gathered in the same room, exchanging greetings and acknowledging each other, tune in to ‘View Me’ at 10 PM, because we’ll be providing you with live coverage of every event. We won’t miss a thing.”

………

In one of the VIP rooms stood Charlotte, looking outside the window with a glass of tequila in her hand. Adrian approached her slowly from behind and held her by the waist.

“Are you ready to welcome the big guests?” he whispered in her ear, and she slowly turned toward him.

“Yes, let’s make sure they enjoy tonight.” She smiled at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to start getting dressed. You should too, since we’re the main characters of this event.” Adrian smirked, kissed her, and went to get dressed.

……….

clack, clack, clack

The soft sound of subtle footsteps echoed in the luxurious hallway of the Burj Al Arab hotel. The footsteps stopped in front of a VIP room, and then the door opened.

“Ma’am, the boss said you should get ready. It’s almost time,” he said to a silhouette with a feminine figure sitting in front of her mirror.

“I’ll be done in a minute,” she replied, and he left.

…….

It was 10:30 PM, and the event center was bustling with people: influential figures, social media celebrities, journalists, and broadcasters with cameramen capturing and interviewing the important attendees for news pieces.

It was time for the red carpet, and as a grand celebration, it was requisite for the most prominent among prominent people to be recognized.

Celebrities walked in with their partners, each trying to steal the spotlight for themselves, but at the end of the day, the true main characters arrived, and all attention shifted to them.

“Look, it’s the Blind Heroes!” some broadcasters yelled. Within seconds, more camera lights flashed on them, and interviewers surrounded them.

Just as they finished entertaining questions from the interviewers, they went ahead to greet their guests. In the middle of greeting, another car pulled up. It was a popular limousine, the representation of Vance Co-op. Everyone turned their attention to the newly arrived.

As if the spotlight focused on the yacht, Damien Vance, with his breathtaking looks, stepped down, looking elegant in his perfectly tailored brown suit and black shoes. His hair was combed back, and his beard was well-groomed.

“I… it’s Damien Vance!”

“Vance? You mean the brother of the victim of the murder ten years ago? That Vance?”

“What’s he doing here? Why does he look so perfect?” journalists discussed among themselves.

He went ahead to help his partner. Everyone was certain that no matter who he came with, he would outshine her; his presence became a sight worthy of admiration. But what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.

As she grabbed his hand and stepped out, men began to drool at her beauty. It was a face words couldn’t describe—perfect without imperfections. A slender young lady, wearing a black net dress, exposed some of her snow-white skin.

Her silky black hair fell down, and her pearl blue eyes were hypnotizing. She immediately became the center of attention.

“Whoa, who’s she?” one of the onlookers murmured, and the next second, journalists swarmed them.

“Hello, Mr. Vance! You look good. Have you come here to wish Adrian and Charlotte well?”

“Mr. Vance, it’s been years! How have you been?”

The journalists bombarded them with questions, but Damien ignored the trivial inquiries and only answered the ones he deemed fit.

“Mr. Vance, are you still mourning your brother?” a journalist asked.

“It’s been ten years. Who mourns for that long? I loved my little brother, but mourning him for ten years would just make him restless. Besides, the murderer is getting what she deserves, so let the dead rest,” Damien said in a cold tone.

“Mr. Vance, who’s the lady with you?” another journalist inquired.

“She? It seems you have poor intel to not recognize her right away.” He drew Elena closer and kissed her forehead.

“She’s my wife—Celine Vance.” Everyone was dumbfounded by this revelation. They had all thought he was mourning his brother, but he seemed to be doing well.

After some minutes, everyone dispersed, and the celebration continued. Elena, now Celine Vance, still garnered most of the attention, and other billionaires acquainted with Damien approached her themselves.

Charlotte observed this but wasn’t foolish or childish enough to let jealousy dictate her actions. Instead, she saw this as a chance to make more connections and strengthen her ties with the Vance family once again.

Once she finished receiving awards, it was already past midnight. She finally saw Celine alone and decided to approach her. Meanwhile, Adrian was busy greeting other guests and conversing with them, so he didn’t pay attention to her.

“Hello, Miss Celine!” she smiled at her.

“Oh, hello!” Celine greeted back with a bow.

“Congratulations on your honorary award. It was well-deserved.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” Celine replied.

“I was waiting for Damien, but he seems busy talking with other men. Why don’t we have a little chat over a drink?” Elena offered, and Charlotte laughed heartily.

“Men will always be men. Even Adrian hasn’t looked at me just because he’s busy conversing with other men.” She laughed as she took a seat and ordered a drink. They discussed as they drank, and as Charlotte felt that things were going smoothly, she decided to create a connection between them to finally win her over.

“You know… we would have been family enjoying more of this moment if an accident hadn’t happened ten years ago.”

Elena immediately picked up on her trick. “You mean the incident of your sister murdering Lucas Vance? I heard rumors saying that she was innocently framed…”

“She did it,” Charlotte cut in. “That bitch did it. I saw it with my own eyes.” Elena secretly rolled her hand into a fist, concealing her anger. She was quiet for a moment, then took a sip of her drink and said, “Really? Tell me more.”