Chapter 4
After the main part of the engagement ceremony, the dance party was up next. After Peterson and Edith finished their first dance, more youngsters joined in the fun on the dance floor, having a whale of a time.
Upstairs in the lounge, the Whitmans and the Millers were sitting together, their faces grave after a heated. argument. Ike Whitman, the second son of the Whitman family, was nonchalantly leaning against the window, intrigued by the scene on the dance floor.-
Among the sea of soft, muted colors, a lady in a red dress stood out, her skirt swirling with her dance moves, oozing artistic flair.
The party had been going on for just twenty minutes, and Seraphina had already had five dance partners. Yet, there were still plenty of dudes lurking around, hoping for a chance to dance with her.
The door was pushed open, and Peterson and Edith came in. Edith’s dad immediately picked up a glass of water and threw it at Peterson’s feet.
Ike turned around when he heard the noise.
The parents started arguing again, but Edith and Peterson remained silent, one with a stiff face, the other puffing away on his cigarette, frowning.
The lounge door was pushed open again, and the bridesmaid Amelia appeared, panting.
Edith looked at her with a poker face. “Where have you been?”
“I… I was locked in the toilet. I just managed to get out.” Amelia was startled by the tense atmosphere in the room. “What happened?”
Edith sneered, then turned to look at Ike.
Ike smiled and said, “Come on, it’s a day of celebration. Don’t frown all the time. As for Seraphina… I’ll take care
of it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Peterson looked up at him, his face dark.
Ike had already turned his head, his gaze returning to the banquet hall.
The dance floor was still buzzing.
Apart from the boisterous atmosphere, the open garden at the end of the corridor seemed serene and tranquil.
Seraphina was leaning at the entrance of the garden, holding a slim ladies‘ cigarette in her hand, but it wasn’t
lit.
She was in no hurry, tiptoeing patiently.
Soon, a tall, impeccably dressed man emerged from the nearby restroom.
“Sir,” Seraphina gently called him. When he turned around, she raised the cigarette in her hand. “Could you lend
me a light?”
The night wind swept through the garden. Standing in the breeze in her red dress with the skirt fluttering, she was stunning.
The man stood there for a while before approaching her.
It was then that Seraphina got a good look at him. He was about thirty–five or six, tall and thin, dressed in a well–fitted black suit. He was wearing black–rimmed glasses, and he had long, gentle eyebrows and eyes, giving him a refined and scholarly look.
“So it’s Mr. Lawson,” she said with a smile, her voice soft.
Balch Lawson didn’t seem surprised that she recognized him. He just smiled slightly, his eyes unwavering.
After all, as a tycoon like him, there was hardly anyone in Sunburst City who didn’t know him.
Balch elegantly flicked the switch on his lighter, the blue flame flickering between his fingers.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly, lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, watched the smoke slowly rise, then looked up at the man in front of her and smiled slightly. “Thank you, Mr. Lawson.”
“You’re welcome,” Balch said calmly, put away his lighter, and turned to leave.
But Seraphina suddenly grabbed his sleeve, then draped her arm around his, looking at him with a sweet smile. Balch seemed somewhat surprised, looking at her without any hint of disgust.
Seraphina’s gaze, however, was fixed behind him.
Balch turned to look, and at the end of the hallway, Ike was coming this way with two others.
Seeing Balch standing next to Seraphina, Ike seemed somewhat surprised, but the smile on his face remained. “Mr. Lawson, I couldn’t find you in the banquet hall. You came out for some fresh air, I see.”
Balch answered politely, “What can I do for you, Mr. Ike?”
Ike glanced at Seraphina standing behind him and said with a smile, “I was hoping to have a few drinks with you!”
Before Balch could answer, Seraphina was already clinging to him, cooing, “Mr. Lawson promised to take me home. He can’t drink anymore.”
Balch looked at her, seemingly understanding something, and nodded in agreement.
Then Balch said goodbye to Ike, arm in arm with Seraphina, they strolled away.
“Balch… I heard that ever since his wife passed away, he’s been avoiding women, hasn’t he?” one of the men
behind Ike said.
Ike, puffing on his cigarette, stared at the retreating figures of the two, a smile still on his face, but his eyes deepened, “That depends on the ability of the woman he comes into contact with…”
Seraphina, arm in arm with Balch, headed towards the hotel entrance, casually glancing back a few times.
Balch walked steadily, looking calmly ahead, and said softly, “It’s still early, the dance isn’t over yet, Ms. Bennett, are you sure you want to leave?”
Upon hearing this, Seraphina sighed softly and looked down at her feet.
With just a slight movement, her heels would ache.
“Even if I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help it. I’m wearing a pair of shoes that don’t fit, and I can’t dance all night.”
Balch followed her gaze and said slowly, “If the shoes don’t fit, you should throw them away sooner. There’s no need to torture yourself.”
Seraphina laughed after a moment of silence, “Oh no, I can’t do that. After all, I paid for these shoes. The more uncomfortable they make me feel, the more I want to step on them, for as long as I can.”
Balch didn’t say anything for a moment.
Seraphina tilted her head to look at him, “A nice guy like Mr. Lawson may not understand this kind of stubbornness in us women.”
At that, Balch smiled slightly.
Once they got in the car, Balch whispered something to the driver. Soon, the driver took out a pair of cotton
slippers from the trunk and handed them to Balch.
Balch put the slippers near Seraphina’s feet. “Put these on.”
Seraphina looked down at the slippers for a moment, then looked up at Balch, her eyes full of gratitude. “Mr. Lawson, we’ve just met and you’re already this considerate. Aren’t you afraid I might start to like you?”
“When we first met, Ms. Bennett, you trusted me enough to get in my car. Weren’t you worried I might have ulterior motives?” Balch countered.
At this, Seraphina laughed. “I’m not scared. The media calls Mr. Lawson a ‘gentleman businessman. How could someone who maintains such gentlemanly manners even in business possibly mean harm to a woman like me?”
Balch simply responded with a smile. “Ms. Bennett, you flatter me.”
“Just call me Seraphina.” She bent down to change her shoes. “In any case, Mr. Lawson, you’ve done me a big favor today. I must treat you to a meal to show my gratitude.”
Balch quietly sat there, watching her bend over and appreciating her graceful body curves.
“So, when shall we set the date?” Balch suddenly asked.
Seraphina, who had just changed her shoes, laughed when she heard Balch’s words. Then she raised her eyes to Balch, “Tomorrow. Are you available, Mr. Lawson?”
When Seraphina returned to her rental, as soon as she opened the door, her good friend Sandra Smith rushed up and grabbed her hand.
Seraphina was startled. “You scared me.”
“Are you okay?” Sandra looked her up and down, her eyes full of concern. “The Whitman family is not easy to deal with. I was worried you wouldn’t get away safely! Did everything go smoothly?”
Seraphina patted Sandra’s face, smiling. “Don’t worry, everything went smoothly.”
“Who brought you back?”
Seraphina glanced at the cotton slippers she had just taken off. Her eyes were clear and she slowly said,
“Balch.”
Hearing this, Sandra was shocked. “Are you really planning on getting close to Balch?”
“I already do.” Seraphina looked up at Sandra, her charming smile returning. “After all, that’s why I came back,
isn’t it?”
Chapter b
