Back then, Vissarion was still just a guy she was dating. Little did she know that she would be a fiancé just a few months later. Neither of us realized what would bring me to the Lobanov estate in the coming months.
Well, here I am. Best friend of the bride-to-be.
“Thank you,” I uttered as the driver opened the back door for me to step out.
I craned my neck as I took in the tall building in front of me. The two men at the entrance looked so muscular that I could imagine them throwing a troublemaker out without breaking a sweat.
In that second, I contemplated calling Anya, just so I wouldn’t have to step in alone, but I knew I shouldn’t since she was the celebrant and not just another attendee. This wasn’t one of the regular events we’d attended together. Smoothing my dress down, I took a breath and ascended the stairs that led to the entrance.
“Name, miss,” the man on the left asked me.
“Mi—” I started before the other man cut in.
“Miss Mila. Welcome,” he greeted before muttering to his colleague, “Miss Anya showed us her picture. She’s the one.”
That explained why the driver didn’t ask for my name or request a call to Anya for verification. He recognized me. I almost chuckled at the thought of Anya showing them a picture of me while making not-so-subtle threats to ‘end’ them if they dared question me like a stranger.
“Oh, apologies,” the man on the left said.
“No problem. Thanks,” I answered.
He opened the door and the sound of music spilled out onto the dim patio, colorful lights brightening the evening darkness a fraction.
As the door closed behind me, the combined scent of expensive perfumes and delicious pastries hit me, as if I’d just walked into a three-star Michelin restaurant. But the sight was something else entirely.
The women were dressed in glamorous outfits that definitely cost more than my tuition, not to mention the magazine-worthy, flawless makeup they had on. The men, who were dressed in sharp suits, talked among themselves like members of some type of cult. It was nothing short of extravagant, even though the space wasn’t filled to the brim.
I silently thanked the powers that be for my dress, even though I couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place. I smoothed the dress again, internally telling myself to breathe.
Realizing that staying fixed to my current spot for another second would make me look really weird, I ventured into the ballroom with the desperate hope that Anya would notice me soon.
I stuck to the fringes of the room, my eyes searching for my best friend’s golden brown hair. I was close to the middle of the ballroom when I spotted him.
Alexei Lobanov.
The sight of him hit me like a blow. His dark auburn hair shone beneath the chandeliers just like it had under the streetlights and his charcoal black suit looked even more impeccable. He stood across the ballroom, his slicked-back hair making him look impossibly handsome. As my eyes moved from the glass of whiskey in his hand to his face, they met his.
Oh, God.
I hadn’t seen him since the night I first met him. That night, his presence tantalized my senses and haunted my body.I had told myself it was nothing—and it had been, really. But at that moment, with those piercing eyes locked on mine, I wasn’t sure nothing described what I felt.
He was watching me. Openly. Daringly. Like he remembered every second, too.
“Oh. My. Goodness. Mila!”
My eyes darted to the side, towards a smiling Anya. I went towards her, and we hugged like we hadn’t just seen each other two days earlier.
“You look…stunning. Damn!” I complimented her, taking in the black silk dress she wore.
She had tried it on in my presence, so I wasn’t surprised that it looked so good on her. Still though, she looked so beautiful that I couldn’t help taking the dress in again. The sheer lace that made up the sleeves matched the material that covered the cleavage between the V-neckline, and the material was covered in silver rhinestones. The dress perfectly cinched her narrow waist and accentuated her soft curves as the high slit widened the dress down to her feet.
“I was just saying the same about you,” she answered, rolling her eyes. “I hope no one gave you any trouble. I mean the driver and security.”
“Not at all. Seems they knew my face or something.”
“Good,” she remarked, looping her arm through mine. “Come, Vissarion has asked after you like a million times.”
“Of course, anything to see the second celebrant of the day,” I answered as we moved along.
