.

I kept my pace as steady as I could with the high golden stilettos I was wearing, while walking down the stairs.

I tried to look as classy as I could, which is funny because before now, I had never cared about how I moved or how I carried myself.

But today, right now, with these hundreds of people watching me, I just felt like I had to.

As I took the last step down, I moved my face up and confidently looked at the crowd infront of me, who stared back at me with curious gazes.

The bright lights were back on and everything was clearly visible now.

There were murmers all around me. Some people staring, some whispering and clicking pictures, some doing both.

"Damn, she pulled of a big one. Her brothers are so rich."

"Omg, that's the girl from the newspaper. So she's not their girlfriend, but sister!"

"She's beautiful. No wonder she's The West Princess."

"She lives with men all around her, wouldn't that be weird?"

"Broke begger, now a rich brat lol."

…. and so many other things.

My mind was whirling, trying to process everything they were saying.

"Rose", I heard Riley call my name, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I looked towards him and saw him nod a little with a little smile on his face.

I realized he wanted me to join him on the stage.

I slowly walked towards the stage.

Elijah and Julian were standing with him, on either of his side.

As I neared the stage, Julian came forward and took my hand and walked me to join Elijah and Riley.

"This is our Rose", Riley said with a proud look on his face, to the crowd.

There were flashes of white light and I saw people and the media clicking my hundreds of pictures.

After that, Riley gave a little speech.

Elijah squeezed my left hand lightly and whispered, "don't worry Rose, you're doing great."

I smiled and nodded to assure him that I was completely fine.

"I hope everyone enjoys tonight", Riley ended his small speech and left the mic spot.

And then the lights on the stage were dimmed out and me and my brothers went down the stage.

"Rosy Rose, we're gonna meet the rest of the family now. You ready?", Chris asked, as he came near and held his hand out for me to hold.

"Oh."

"Don't be nervous", he told me with a smile.

"Rose!", Alex came forward and hugged me tight.

I hadn't seen him since morning because I was busy with preparing myself for tonight and he had some work (which I am not aware of, I still need to ask him).

"I missed you", he said.

"I missed you too", I giggled and pulled away from him.

I took in his appearance. He wore a blue golden tuxedo with his dark brown hair neatly combed.

As I took his hand, I followed him and Chris as they made their way away from the crowd.

"Where are we going?", I asked them.

"Oh, we are going to the small get-together room which is right next to this hall. Actually our family is waiting there for you to meet them. Once you've met everyone, we'll return here and enjoy the party. Till then, special trusted staff appointed by Elijah and Riley will keep the guests accompanied", Alex explained.

I nodded and followed my brothers out.

****

"Dear Rose, this is our grandfather, Aristole West", Riley told me, as I stared at the man ahead of me.

I was standing in the personal meeting room of the 2nd wing which was mainly meant for family meetings.

There was a round ruby red glass table in the center of the room with it's surface shimmering, as if it were made of dark expensive diamonds.

Around it were white comfy couches covered with red velvet.

There were glasses of wine and some appetizers around the table, which no one paid attention to.

The decor of the room, with high ceilings, a dark black red chandelier hung in it's center. Two big glass windows in the place of the left wall covered with thick dark curtains, gave out a very rich vibe.

I looked around the couches, staring at the unknown faces I've never seen before in my whole life.

My family.

There were men and women, both in expensive tuxedos and evening gowns, holding wine glasses in their hands. They were staring at me, every single one of them with different emotions in their eyes.

I looked up at my grandfather.

He looked young, but now that I knew he was my grandfather, I could notice the lines and wrinkles of age on his face. Under his lips, on the sides of his eyes, fading on his cheekbones.

His dirty blonde hair, half whitened.

His dark black suit, screaming riches, strength and ages of power that has clearly not faded with years.

He was the man I had bumped into earlier...

****