Farewell To My Endless Love novel Chapter 5

Scarlett's POV:

I looked at myself in the mirror. I wore a long white evening dress, a pair of Prada high-heeled shoes, and a pair of pearl stud earrings. I tied my hair up into a tight, clean bun.

But I still thought that there was something missing.

Then I put on my black choker necklace with the small turquoise on it and smiled. My father gave it as a gift to my mother, and my mother handed it down to me.

"Are you done? Come on, Scarlett, let me see. Can't you raise your phone so that I can see you?" Tiana and I were on video call while I was getting dressed. While I got ready for the party, she was protesting loudly on the other end of the line.

"I only have two hands, Tiana. Calm down. I'm almost done."

At last, I put on my favorite pink lipstick and pouted my lips to check the color.

"Turn around. Let me have a look."

I looked at myself in the mirror and still felt uneasy.

I picked up my phone and angled the front camera toward myself. Tiana covered her mouth and stopped moving.

The picture had frozen. Was it because of a bad signal?

"Tiana, are you still there?"

"Oh, my God, girl! You look absolutely stunning! Oh, Charles is going to be stupefied by how gorgeous you look tonight! In fact, all the men at the party will be stupefied!"

"Mrs. Moore, if we don't set out now, we'll have to take the helicopter," Burton, the driver, called at me from the driveway.

"Thanks for the over-the-top compliment per usual, Tiana. I have to go. I'm already running late." Then, I hung up.

I lifted my dress and went downstairs carefully.

"You look beautiful, Mrs. Moore. You'll be a sensation at the party tonight." Burton opened the door for me.

"Thank you, Burton. Let's go." I was not that much into attending formal events, but I was looking forward to this party.

"Will we make it?"

"We will, Mrs. Moore. Trust me." After saying that, Burton stepped on the accelerator and drove toward the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Before I knew it, I was at the hotel's drop-off area.

I got off the car and felt the cold evening wind on my arms and face. Fortunately, it should be warm indoors.

I entered the banquet hall, and many heads turned toward my direction. All the attention made me feel a little tense and wonder if I had somehow gone overboard with my outfit.

"Scarlett! You're finally here." I heaved a sigh of relief as Christine approached me.

"Hi, Grandma. Sorry I'm late."

"Our little princess is finally here."

I beamed as Alice and her husband Lawrence also walked toward me.

"Dad, mom. Oh, I'm so glad to see you both. I deeply apologize for arriving late."

"Don't worry about it, dear. The best is always the last one to show up anyway," Alice assured me with a smile.

At this time, many people in the banquet hall had taken notice of me. One of them was a young man who waved at me and smiled. It was Spencer.

I swept my eyes over the buzzing crowd and finally met a pair of cold, dark eyes. It was Charles, and he was staring right back at me. Other than the usual detached look, there was something else in his eyes tonight that I could not quite figure out.

"Who is she?"

"I think that's the girl Lawrence and Christine adopted. Don't you think she's magnificent?"

"Yes, she is breathtaking. She is even more attractive than Rita."

Everyone began to whisper among themselves.

"Look, our little Scarlett has become a charming young woman!" Spencer came over with a smile on his face. David was right on his heels.

"Long time no see." I extended my hand toward them, and they kissed it.

When Spencer hugged me, I caught a glimpse of Charles. He was standing by the stage and watching me. He still looked at me with those icy, unreadable eyes. This time, I caught a glimpse of anger on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Moore Group tonight, let us first please welcome our dear CEO, Mr. Charles Moore, for his opening remarks."

Charles went onto the stage, smiled at the emcee, and shook hands with him. The cold look on his face was gone, and he started giving his speech in a warm tone that I had not heard him use. He glanced at me from time to time, and I returned his gaze.

A few reporters were invited to the party tonight. After Charles's speech, they were allowed to ask him a few questions.

"Mr. Moore, there's a rumor going around that you and Miss Rita Lively are engaged. Is that true?" "Were you with her when she was photographed trying on wedding dresses?"

I was not surprised by the questions they threw right at Charles. The Moore Group had always been in the spotlight, and Rita was an actress whose career fueled the rumor mill. Financial reporters could sometimes be gossipy.

I turned to look at Alice, Christine, and Lawrence. They were not liking what was happening.

"I think my personal life is the least of everyone's concerns tonight. And with that, let me welcome you to tonight's festivities. On behalf of the Moore Group, thank you for joining us and have a wonderful evening."

Charles handled that quite well, and it was expected. He had been in the game long enough to learn how to deal with nosy people.

After Charles ended his speech, the band resumed the music, drowning out the reporters ' follow-up questions.