174: PARTY (1)

PARTY (1)

Raine had never attended such a party before. In fact, she had never attended any party ever in her life. That was why, when Torak asked her to come with him, she tensed up.

"If you really don't want to come, you don't have to." Torak chuckled when he watched the shock expression on all over her face. As expected. Even before he asked her the question, he already imagined this would be her reaction. 

Torak only offered it because he thought that Raine would like to try it. He assumed so, because of her progress that had been very well up to this time. She could now talk again, and not only that, she could now start an interaction with other people with less angst, and she even actually talked about making friends in the university.

Raine frowned, she was behaving like a spoiled child right now as she snuggled and put Torak's arms around her body.

"Don't be depressed like that…" Torak tousled her hair. "I'm not going to force you to come with me, if you don't want to go."

Her gaze shifted back towards the movie again. Her eyes fixed on the movie, but then she asked him faintly, "Is this the kind of party where you will wear a mask?"

"Yes." Torak replied. He rested his hand on Raine's head, caressing her hair so tenderly. 

"Can I choose my mask?" Raine asked again.

This time Torak's eyebrows creased as he stared at Raine, who was resting her head on his chest. "Do you want to come then?"

"Only if I can choose my own mask…" Raine said timidly. She didn't even raise her head to see the wide smile that beamed on Torak's face the moment when she agreed to come.

"Sure, you can choose your own gown too…" Torak tousled her head. He knew it was hard for her to come into this decision, but she chose to do it anyway. 

She was trying hard.

==============   

The next day, Torak had some meetings to attend. But he promised that he would be back to pick her up for the masquerade party.

In the afternoon Calleb came in to bring the dress for Raine to wear later. Even though Torak said that she could pick her own dress, Raine seemed to give up the option and let Torak pick something for her instead. What did she know about what to wear, when in reality, she had no idea what this occasion would be like? It was all because she had never attended something like this in her life.

"Go on and try it, I'd like to see!" Calleb urged her, when Raine received the enormous box. He looked more excited to see the dress than Raine herself. This was the first time ever for Torak to choose something like this. So it was understandable for people who were close to him like Calleb, was suddenly getting so excited, and curious. 

Well, it was only Calleb who acted that way, because Raphael didn't show any expression for this occurrence. The Beta was too busy with his work. 

"Did Torak ask me to try it right away?" Raine hugged the package box, and looked at Calleb innocently. 

Calleb frowned upon hearing her question. "No… he didn't say something like that. But, you need to try it anyway." He replied. "Try it, let me see." His eyes glimmered with excitement.

"If Torak didn't ask you, then I'm going to try it later when he's here." Raine said it lightly and walked towards the stairs.

"Why don't you let me see it?" Calleb was annoyed. He really wanted to see how the dress would look like in her. The reason for that, was because for the party tonight he wasn't invited. So that was why, his only chance to see Raine in that dress was only now. 

"Well of course because I want Torak to be the first person to see me in this dress." Raine shouted from the second floor. Afterward, there was a sound of the door closing. 

"Sometimes, I miss her timid self…" Calleb clicked his tongue. 

==============   

Inside the bedroom, Raine put the box on the bed and stroked the edges of it gently. She took a deep breath because even the box smelled so nice.

The box was wrapped in blue color, with a white ribbon atop of it. Even the package alone looked luxurious, and Raine was afraid to ruin it all at once, so she tried to open it carefully. 

She untied the ribbon on top of the box, and opened the box to reveal a pure white dress. She picked it up, and her eyes were beaming. The dress was so beautiful. Raine had never seen any clothes that were as beautiful as this dress. 

The dress cut was figure-hugging, with laces around its neck and on its sleeves too. It didn't reveal too much skin, neither was the fabric too see-through. There were not many intricate embroideries to embellish the dress, but it didn't cease its beauty nonetheless. The fabric was so soft to the touch. And when Raine's skin rubbed on it, it felt so delicate.

She couldn't wait to try it. But before she did that, Raine pulled out her phone out of her pocket. Then she made a phone call to a certain someone. It took only two seconds before the line was connected. 

"Thank you for the dress!" Raine was too excited that she forgot to say 'hello'. "The dress is so beautiful and it feels so soft in my skin!" 

"I am glad if you like it." Torak's soft voice could be heard from the other side, and there was also a man's voice. From the sound of it, seemingly he was in the middle of talking about something, when suddenly he stopped because of Torak's words.

Actually, Torak was in the middle of a meeting. But when he saw it was Raine who called him, he picked up his phone in the middle of the chief director's presentation. This act alone was also a surprise to them. Because Torak was extremely strict when it came to things that related to work. 

However, who was the person that called him in the middle of an important meeting? Their cold-blood's boss even smiled when he listened to the other person speaking.

And when Torak talked in a soft tone that they never had the chance to hear, all of them whipped their heads towards Torak. They were all equally curious, and wondering if ever they actually heard it wrong. But, nothing was wrong with that. Because Torak was still talking on his phone, while gesturing for them to continue the meeting. 

"Are you busy?" Raine asked the moment when she heard that there was a slight noise in the background of where Torak was. "Am I interrupting you?" 

"No, you will never be an interruption in any way." Torak said sweetly.

Once again, the chief director stopped his presentation. He was as shocked as the rest of the people, who attended the meeting, also couldn't believe what they just now heard.

It must be a woman whom their boss was talking with. Who was she? Their future lady boss? If so, that could be more likely. All of them listened to the conversation silently, as the meeting suddenly halted. 

"What are you doing?" Raine asked curiously. Usually Torak would be busy during this particular hour, she was just too excited that she forgot everything, and called him immediately.

"A meeting." Torak replied curtly. 

"Oh." Just as Raine had thought. "I'll hang up then." She said hurriedly, and then added shyly. "Don't forget your lunch."

Torak smiled brightly upon hearing a concern in Raine's voice. "I love you." He said heartily.

"I love you too…" Raine replied and giggled. Her heart felt unbelievably warm even after the countless times of him saying it, but the feeling still the same. "Bye."

"Bye…" Torak kept smiling even when the line had cut off.

I love you?

Bye?

What was this feeling again? Is it the sky that looked like it suddenly was about to fall? Or is it Torak Donovan who suddenly became more human than usual? Little did they know, their boss was not even a human to begin with.

"Proceed with the meeting." Raphael finally broke the silence, and it made the strange gazes that all the head sections threw on him disappear. 

The chief director continued with his presentation, and also the other people in the meeting room tried hard to keep on focus with the matter at hand, instead of wondering about their curiosity of who the lucky woman really was. Who was she again, that she could capture their boss's heart? Such a feat required a great set of skills, it must not be easy.

Torak had been like this ever since Raine started to talk normally. It rather was a good sign, but his Alpha always put her first, in everything without exception. Well, as long as he could afford that, Raphael thought that would be fine. After all, it was the privilege that came with being filthy rich, and an Alpha atop of it.

==============   

When the night had finally fallen. Even the moon was exceptionally bright, and beautiful. 

Gregory stopped the car in front of the entrance door, as Torak emerged from the car and walked straight to their bedroom on the second floor.

The scent of Raine filled the entire house like a natural fragrance of the house itself. It became something that reminded Torak about a place that he called home. 

He opened the door, and found Raine was staring at herself in front of the body-length mirror. Her reflection in the mirror was so exuberant. Especially when Torak's figure reflected beside her there.

She turned around like an angel that she was. Pure, and pristine. Torak was stunned, as if his world was spinning, and brightened up in a heavenly way only by her smile. 

"Oh! You're here…" She sauntered across the room in her white dress that hugged her body perfectly. Her long, black hair flowed casually over her shoulder. She applied a simple pink lipstick, and nothing else. But that was enough to make Torak blown away.

Torak watched in silence when his little mate walked towards him. As if the life itself was approaching him with every step that she takes. 

The life that he would cherish.

"How is it?" Raine opened her arms to show herself in her white dress in front of Torak. 

"What should I do?" Torak said in a low voice as he pulled her into his embrace. "I am starting to regret my decision to invite you to the party. I don't want you to come to the party." He sighed helplessly as he rested his chin on Raine's shoulder.0

"Why?" There was a smile behind Raine's question.

"Because I want to keep you for myself." Torak admitted. "I don't want other people to look at you now…"

Raine could only laugh upon hearing Torak's cheesy words. Although it sounded so shabby, it made Raine happy just to hear that.

"Would you change into your sweater instead?" Torak asked ridiculously.

"No, I'll draw even more attention that way." Raine hit Torak's back playfully, before she pried herself out of his arms. "Shall we go now?"

"Hold on." Torak said, and pulled out something from his pocket. It was a velvet box.

He gave it to Raine for her to open. She opened the box curiously, and found a pearl necklace inside. Astonished was the word to describe how she felt the moment when she touched that necklace. 

"This is beautiful." Raine said breathlessly. 

"Not as beautiful as you." Torak said lightly. And he didn't just say it for the sake of saying it, in fact he meant each of his words. He took the necklace out, and put it on Raine's neck. He kissed her shoulder, and it made Raine shudder. "Beautiful indeed." 

The soft gleam from the pearl, and her white dress complimented each other perfectly. Under the light of the room, both accentuated her flawless skin. She looked as if she was basking under the moonlight.

Raine could feel her face turning red by Torak's words. 

==============   

Inside the car, Raine was starting to get nervous once they were getting closer to their destination. Beside her, Torak kept caressing her hands to stop her from biting her lips.

He assured her that everything would be all right. He would be by her side for the rest of the evening. All that she should do was to stay beside him. Raine didn't even need to talk, if she didn't want to. Torak's words calmed Raine a bit, before she got to another episode of panic attack. 

"What if I ruin your image?" Raine looked at Torak, depressingly. 

Could it be that it was too quick for her to be in the eye of the public? She needed more time for this, doesn't she? This whole thing was too fast for her, wasn't it?—he thought to himself.

"You will never do that, my love." Torak chuckled, amused with Raine's nervous state. She looked like a little kitten that was cornered. Although, to think about it again, this was something that she decided herself. "Or, if you feel really uncomfortable, should we go back then?" He offered.

There were conflicting feelings that reflected on her beautiful obsidian eyes.

Going back? And waste the dress, and the necklace that he bought for me? Not only that, we're in fact about to arrive in a matter of minutes now. It would be a waste of time, and money, wouldn't it? Should I really ask to go back now?—she thought.

Raine shook her head stubbornly. "No, I am fine." She said, more to herself rather than to Torak. 

"I know you will be fine, my love." Torak kissed her forehead gently. "I'll be with you."

Raine took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew Torak wouldn't leave her alone. If anything worse should have happened and turned out to be the worst, she would simply never ever attend this kind of party, ever again in the future. This was a masquerade party after all. She would never take off her mask the whole evening, so no one would see her face. 

At the end of the road, a bright, and magnificent building could be seen. Once their car entered the main gates, it took a while before they could reach the main building. Along the way, the trees on their right, and left were adorned with some small colorful lights that flickered against the dark night sky. It was such a splendid view to behold.

"You need this." Torak said before they got out of the car. He pulled out another box from the seat, and opened it to reveal a white mask with an intricate design, and black fur on its right side. "Because the time was tight, you can't choose your own mask. I hope you like this one." 

Raine didn't say if she liked it or not. Instead, she leaned over to peck his lips, and smiled brightly. She turned around to let Torak help her tie the mask on.

The white mask with black fur, covered half of Raine's face. It only revealed her kissable pink lips for everyone to see. When the car finally stopped on their destination, Torak got out of the car, and opened the car door for Raine. 

The moment when she emerged from inside the car, some bright light surrounded her. They intimidated her eyes, once again she felt anxious, and exposed. But when Torak grabbed her hand, and the spark that erupted on her skin from their touch, it reminded her that she wasn't alone. Torak put her hands on the crook of his elbow, as he led the way to the party room.

Raine was too focused to keep her steps steady. So she wouldn't fall in her three inches heels. She wouldn't dare to go with any heels that were higher than three inches. Although it didn't help much with the height difference between her, and Torak.

That was why Raine didn't realize the many pairs of eyes were looking towards her direction, the kind of gazes that were full of questions. 

Women would look at her jealousy. These women started to compare themselves with Raine. While men looked at her with interest. This was the first time for Torak Donovan to attend a party with a woman as his partner. Who is this woman coming with Torak Donovan?

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