176: PARTY (3)

PARTY (3)

"Oh, right!" Sunny put down Raine's dress. Though it turned out to be slightly wrinkled in the end, at least it was dry already. The stain was still there, but it was barely visible. "You have to stay until the party ends!"

"And what time will it be?" Raine wondered if Torak would let her stay that late. Because sometimes he could be too strict with her sleeping time. 

"Midnight." Sunny threw the tissue that she used to dry Raine's dress to the trash can there. "There'll be beautiful fireworks later." 

"Midnight…" Raine reiterated with a voice that was full of regret. Usually Torak would allow her to stay the latest until eleven o'clock only. "I don't think Torak will let me stay until that late…"

Sunny looked a little bit disappointed. "Or can you at least stay until the dance!? You have to share one dance with him!" She leaned over and whispered to Raine's ears while staring at the two women who just came out from the cabin, and the other woman in black dress who was seemingly still doing her endless makeup. "Imagine just how jealous those women out there would be!" She giggled. 

"I don't think that making other women jealous of me, is what I wanted…" Raine didn't think that it was a good idea to incite some other women's fury. Because once they were crossed, they could be scarier than any beast. "Besides, I don't dance…"

"You have to try it at least once!" Sunny insisted. "I heard Mr. Donovan had never danced ever before." 

"I guess it's a good thing… because I don't like to dance too." Raine said hurriedly. She wanted to get out from the restroom as soon as possible. This almost five minutes since she left Torak, whether it was only a joke or not, she didn't want to make him worry.

"You're wrong." Suddenly the woman in black dress chimed in. "Mr. Donovan had danced before." She said.

Not only did her statement make Raine to halt her step, Sunny who was still there, also turned around to face the woman in black. "With who?" She frowned, couldn't believe her.

"There're not many people who know about this. But, Mr. Donovan once had a girlfriend before." She said it loud, and clear. 

"Nonsense! Who is it? I have never heard anything like that." Sunny retorted. "Are you trying to start a rumor?"

"Why should I?" The woman in black dress shrugged her shoulder in a coquettish way. "You had never heard about it, huh? I guess it's because you didn't live in the same city as him."

Somehow, Raine didn't like what she heard, or what she was going to hear. 

Sunny, being the busybody girl that she was, asked about it further. "What do you mean? Did you live in Oriole before?"

The two other women were somehow interested in this hot topic. They decided to join, and find out further about this small amusing conversation, as their gazes shifted back and forth from Raine, to the woman in black.

"Yes, I was. I lived there for ten years." She said proudly.

Raine didn't know why this woman was so haughty. All because of the fact that she once lived in the same city as Torak. That was all nothing! Didn't she know that she shared the same bed with him?

"Oh, first let me introduce myself." She flicked her maroon curly hair from her shoulder elegantly. "My father is Ethan Harper. And I, Alice Harper."

"Harper… Ethan Harper…" One of the women whispered to the other. 

Apparently the Harpers were quite famous among the business society, in fact they're elites. Even Sunny was slightly taken aback by this revelation.

But, all Raine wanted to do now was to get out of this restroom. She wanted to run towards Torak, so that she could ask him to get her out of this party. She would have done so, if only Sunny's hand didn't grab her wrist so tightly. The situation was getting uncomfortable now. 

"The Harper family is the main competitor of Donovan's company…" The other girl said in a low voice to her friend. 

"No wonder they lived in the same city." The other replied.

"Right." Alice clapped her hands, and nodded towards Raine. "Are you her woman now?" She asked directly without scruple.

Raine heard Alice's question loud and clear. But she just didn't want to answer it. She felt that Alice had something under her sleeves, nor did she have good intentions by mentioning this topic right now. Thus, she kept silent, and stared at Alice from behind her white mask. 

"This is only a gentle reminder." Alice walked towards Raine. "Don't get your hopes too high. And you need to know that you are not the first woman he had. Of all things, look at yourself! You're so young, and immature."

Alice scrutinized Raine's body from head to toe, followed bya mocking smile on her face. 

"Who was this woman that once had a special relationship with Mr. Donovan?" Sunny asked. Even though Raine was there, she just couldn't resist her curiosity.

"Do you really not know?" Alice raised her eyebrows. "It was Jenedieth. His right hand woman, of course." She said excitedly.

"Ah! I know Ms. Jenedieth!" Sunny clapped her hands in recognition. "There was a rumor, or two, about them before this. But Mr. Donovan denied it all." 

"Are you sure Mr. Donovan denied it all?" Alice looked at Raine provocatively. "If you think about it again, Mr. Donovan didn't deny it exactly, did he? He used his public relations team to drive off the rumor, so that it passed, and never to emerge ever again to the public. You see, only the higher-ups in Oriole who know about all these."

"But, why didn't they go public about their relationship?" Sunny asked, puzzled.

"It must be because both of them were too busy, or maybe they both had something more important to do, rather than flaunting their relationship to the public." The woman who said that looked at Raine meaningfully, she even snickered.

"Actually they looked good together." One of the women gave her opinion. "I remember Ms. Jenedieth has a special reputation, as a woman whom many men desire. Dating her was something that many men could only dream of."

"Yes! She's beautiful, sexy, and smart!" The other woman chimed in. "They're a match, compatible, and perfect for each other."

Raine's expression turned rigid when she heard the way they praised Jenedieth. Her mask played a big role in hiding her change of expression. Even so, her gestures still gave a way how much she was trying to hold back her emotion. 

"Wait, where are you going?" Alice stopped Raine the right moment when she was trying to go out of that restroom from their aggravating words. "Did our words offend you?"

"You will not possibly run to Mr. Donovan, and tattle to him on us after telling you all these, right?" The first woman said it with a nervous expression. But the glimmer in her eyes gave away her true intention. 

"Of course, she will not." The second woman folded her arms in front of her chest, while looking straight at Raine sullenly. "Geez, tattling is so childish! I don't know why Mr. Donovan changed his type. But, she's very different compared to Ms. Jenedieth."

With those words, Alice, and Sunny looked at Raine from head to toe. 

"Right, she's literally the opposite of Ms. Jenedieth." Alice agreed. 

"Probably, it's because Mr. Donovan is trying to forget about Ms. Jenedieth. That's why he decided to date someone with a totally different personality." The first woman made her own assumption. 

"Yeah, that must be the reason." Her friend chimed in as well.

"No, that makes a lot of sense to me! Maybe Mr. Donovan came to this decision of moving to this city, and opened whatever it is his other business here, because he wants to avoid Ms. Jenedieth? After all, this is the first time Ms. Jenedieth is not tagging along, right?" Alice turned around, and washed her hands under the faucet, while looking at the reflection of Raine from the mirror. 

On the other hand, Sunny didn't do anything. She just stared at Raine, and to the other three people there. 

"Why don't you take off your mask? You have been wearing that since the first time you entered this party room." The woman suggested. "What happened with your face? Why don't you show your face to us?" 

When her friend said that, the other woman had moved forward to snatch the white mask off of Raine's face. However, before she could do so, suddenly the restroom door was thrown open with so much force. The door swung so hard that the handle left a dent on the wall behind it.

"It has been five minutes." Torak said coldly. His eyes scoured the entire restroom, before they landed on the only woman who was able to catch his attention. Seeing the awkward expression from the other three women inside the room, including the woman who brought Raine there, Torak knew immediately that there was something wrong with this situation. 

Torak strode across the distance between them, and grabbed Raine's hand. When he did so, he could feel the tension from her. His guess was right.

"Mr. Donovan…" The two women, and Sunny stuttered when they saw Torak entering the female restroom without a single hint of qualm, all just to look for Raine. Sunny, who thought Torak's warning was only words, lowered her head in shame. She was terrified, and ashamed when those blue, unfriendly eyes glared down at her.

"Mr. Donovan, I didn't think that you actually would behave with such a manner like this! I mean, you can't enter a female restroom as you wish. This behavior is unacceptable!" Alice leaned her body against the sink table, folding her arms arrogantly. "If words come out, don't you think that your reputation would ruin then?" She said, trying to provoke him with her words.

Torak didn't even glance at Alice, but then he said, "Let's see who will get ruined first." There was a warning in every single syllable on his words.

"Are you threatening me?" Alice frowned. She dared to do so because her family was on par with Donovan's company.

"Yes." Torak replied curtly. He didn't want to waste another word on her. "Come." He grabbed Raine's hand, and took her away from the restroom without saying anything.

Torak, and Raine walked along the corridor in silence. But then, he stopped and looked at Raine. "What happened? Something's bothering you?"

Raine lowered her head. "Nothing." She said sullenly. She was annoyed, and deeply irritated by her own self. Because she couldn't talk back to them, and stand up for herself. 

What should have she said, if she didn't even know anything? Raine remembered something when she encountered Jenedieth for the first time.

Her words implied that she had something special with Torak. Another thing that Raine also heard, that if Torak didn't find her, then it was Jenedieth who would ascend and become the Luna of the pack. The equal status as the Alpha of the pack.

Many people would agree that she was perfect for the status as Luna, and Torak's woman. 

Beautiful, sexy, and smart…0

Raine clenched Torak's hand when she remembered those words. Something that she is lacking. The more she remembered that, the angrier she became. The more regret that she felt because she couldn't talk back to them.

But, what could she do, when she knew nothing about how to be worthy of that status?

"I'm fine." Raine said when Torak kept staring at her. 

"What do you mean with 'nothing', my love?" Torak removed the mask from her face, and revealed Raine's sullen expression. Even when she was anxious like this, she looked so stunning. "You are anything but fine."

"It's okay." Raine turned her face sideways, so that she could avoid Torak's eyes. 

"Tell me what they said to you?" The tone that Torak used was akin to persuade a small child. "What is it that is so bothering you?" 

The Alpha couldn't think of anything that they might say to her back there. What could possibly be the thing that made her to be in an intense bad mood like this?

"They…" Raine's words stumbled in her throat. But then she remembered what the other woman's words said previously, that it was such a childish thing to do, if she ended up complaining to Torak about what they said to her. 

"Yes?" Torak prodded. But Raine didn't continue her words, she chewed her lower lips anxiously. "Tell me, my love." He trapped Raine's face in his warm palms, urging his upset little mate to see him in the eyes. 

"They said you had a special relationship with Jen." Raine mumbled. Torak wouldn't stop until he got the answer and Raine wasn't good at lying. Thus, there was only one way to end this uncomfortable feeling. "They also said that you hide your relationship with Jen because both of you are too mature to be bothered to explain it to the public."

Torak raised his eyebrows. Women sure had their way to upset other people—he thought.

"They also said that you moved here because you are heartbroken, and want to forget your past relationship with Jen." Raine raised her head, and looked at Torak in the eyes. She frowned slightly. "I objected to this one, because I know why you moved here."

Torak chuckled lightly and rubbed Raine's head. He was speechless with her logic. If she objected to the last one why didn't she object to the other two as well?

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