I stood there absolutely confused. Which one was first and when was the party?! Hailey and Rosé took my arms and dragged me to our class. Rosé was hyper the entire day as she told everyone she had been invited to the McAllister's home. I didn't realize it was referred to as the Manor until now. I was surprised to see all the envious faces people had when they learned of Rosé's invite.

I took out my phone to text Ali that I'd be attending the party. Yep, it's a new phone. Somehow, Ali had found time to order a new phone for me. When I woke up in the morning, Ali handed me the new phone along with air pods. I was about to refuse, but she said Gemma had actually bought the headphones as an apology. I nodded, which prompted her to give me an Apple Watch. Before I could complain, she said it was an apology from Chico since his drink had spazzed out my phone. I just glared at her as I took the expensive gifts.

Ye I'll be there. When's the party tho?

TONIGHT?! AND YOU'RE JUST NOW TELLING ME?!?!

I didn't kno u had dyslexia

And Zara has antisocial personality disorder?

People with ASPD are known to b witty fun and charming

You got me there anyways when's the party

Aye so 8?

I put my phone away before the teacher could confiscate it. The rest of the day was boring as I began thinking about the outfit I'd be wearing tonight. Since Rosé had heard Ali invite me, she elicited the help of our friends to find me an outfit. It wasn't that much effort since it was just a formal event and I could borrow their clothes.

Cher loaned me her dress while I borrowed Rosé's shoes and jewelry. Leon did my hair while the girls fought over who was doing my makeup. Hailey somehow won the argument and expertly applied the cosmetics.

Rosé offered to drive me since she was curious as to what the exterior of the house looked like. Her mouth dropped open when we pulled up to the gate. I guess I'm just immune to the grandeur since I'm here like every week. The guard took one look at me and opened the gates.

I waved goodbye to Rosé as I began climbing the steps. Waiters were swiftly moving around and making sure none of the guests' glasses were empty. One of the valets offered to escort me inside. I gladly took his arm as he led me into the main room.

I took an hors d'oeuvre as the waiter passed me. The Iberian ham was extremely tasty. The twins and Ali spotted me at the same time. They excused themselves from the conversation and greeted me.

"Nic!" Gemma tightly hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" Zara was more questioning Ali, who ignored her and brought me in for a hug. "If mother sees her-"

"What? What would she do? It's not like she'd purposely sabotage her own event. Plus, she needs to get used to it." Ali rubbed my arm.

"Get used to it is one thing, but PDA is another." Tamsin had now arrived. "And you better keep it below a minimum. Like microscopic." She held her thumb and pointer finger barley a centimeter apart.

"Oh, like Laurens' dick?" Tamsin subtly hit Zara.

"Nothing wrong with a micro Tammi." Ali mocked her sister. "It's all about the motion, right?"

"Deal with this yourself." Tamsin turned on her heel and left.

"She has a point though. You are obviously trying to bait mother. I, for one, am not opposed since it'll offer me great entertainment. Alas, we must part." Zara took Gemma and walked to an executive.

"Really? You're playing with fire." I wasn't amused by Ali's actions. "Are you really trying to get at your mother at my expense?"

"Uh-" She got saved by a guest who wanted to speak with her.

I just scoffed and walked away. I can't deal with my girlfriend right now. I was about to exit, but I saw her mother speaking to a guest. I quickly turned on my heel and walked as fast away from her.

"Hello." A man blocked my path. "I'm James." I shook his outstretched hand. I really wasn't in the mood for small talk. "I'm the CFO at Deutsche Bank, but you already knew that." He laughed like it was the funniest joke. "You are absolutely stunning. Is a beauty like you interested in-"

"There you are! We've been looking for you everywhere. The business deal is about to close and-" I felt two people grab onto my arms.

I turned to my left and saw a smiling Astrid. As I turned to my right, I saw a smirking Yasmine. They quickly sent apologetic smiles to James and guided me away.

"As much as I know how riveting stocks and bonds are... I figured you needed a breather." Yasmine spoke.

"When in doubt, talk about how depreciation is a killer, but the interest you are acquiring puts you ahead of your competitor. If that doesn't work, ask if they invested in Bitcoin. 9 out of 10 times they didn't and will go on a rant about it." Astrid smiled.

"Thank you." They smiled and stopped once we were in the gardens. "Not gonna lie, that was overwhelming."

"I can imagine since you're not used to this." Yasmine crossed her arms and looked away.

"Are you alright? You look upset and very tense... what did Ali do now?" Astrid's question got Yasmine's attention.

"I don't know if I really want to be bitching about my girlfriend to her two best friends." I warily replied.

"But, it is the best option, contrary to your belief. We'd be the ones to beat the shit out of her."

"And give her our honest opinions." Yasmine added. "What did she do?" Her tone made it clear that I better answer the question.

"She invited me here to vex her mother. I don't want to be used that way, especially when I'm out of my element. I also was trying to leave, but her mother was near the exit." I observed the gorgeous water fountain.

"I think her ego sometimes overshadows her actions." I looked at Yasmine. "She is going out of her way to show you that she doesn't wish to hide you. She feels added pressure since she cannot make a public announcement about your relationship or parade you around in front of colleagues. Because her relationship status with you is unknown, her mother is using that as an opportunity to diminish and dismiss your relationship. Ali is making a big show of your relationship so that her mother can't deny it."

"I think it's also pissing her off that her mother is still setting her up with suitors- OW!" Astrid winced when Yasmine elbowed her.

"She still has suitors?" Instead of answering my question, Yasmine glared at an embarrassed Astrid. "Well, this day just keeps getting better and better. So she's gone on dates with them, right? And why didn't she tell me about this?" I narrowed my eyes at them, forcing Yasmine to speak.

"Not voluntarily. Most of the time, she's been tricked into a dinner date. She has been up front with her suitors about not pursuing a relationship with them. I think she also doesn't want to worry you-"

"Or for you to be mad- OUCH! That really hurts." Astrid complained when Yasmine elbowed her again.

"You did know that this relationship wasn't going to be easy. She loves you, never doubt that. It's just that there's so many obstacles in your way and she's willing to push through them if you'll persevere as well." Yasmine stated.

"She really does love you. I've never seen her love someone as much as she loves you. I mean there was Skye, but- OWIE! " Astrid rubbed her side. Who was Skye? Yasmine gave Astrid a pointed look, causing her eyes to widen in shock. "Umm... she loves the night sky and horizon sky in general..." Yasmine just facepalmed herself. " Nothing else to that statement... I word vomited and-"

"The point is that she'll fight for you if you fight as well. You guys are stronger together and will overcome any obstacle." Yasmine smiled.

"Lala, there you- oh, hey guys." Ali slowed her speed down. "When did you guys get here?" Oh, I was under the impression that Ali had sent them to keep me company.

"Too long ago. We've exhausted our stay, so we'll be leaving. Bye, Nic." Yasmine waved goodbye.

"Bye Bye!" Astrid waved while being dragged away.

"I'm sorry." My eyes found Ali's apologetic ones. "I didn't mean to make you feel like you were an object on display for my mother and I to gripe about. I-"

"It's okay." I hugged her. "I think we just need to talk more. You can tell me whatever familial burden you're going through. I can tell you that it'll help lessen the load on your shoulders." She lightly smiled and nodded. I looked around, but saw no one close by so I pecked her lips.

"Well, aren't you sly." She chuckled. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Oh, just how bratty you are." This got her to laugh. "I'm sorry for storming off like that. Didn't mean to make a scene."

"Don't worry, you didn't. Although, you forced me into a 30 minute conversation about statistical data analysis, so you do owe me." She giggled. "Oh and crisis averted." I tilted my head in confusion. "Mother dearest didn't see you." I laughed at that.

"How come you're the only one with a 'secret' date? Not even Tamsin brought her boyfriend."

"This is just a private function where we entertain our business partners. This isn't a 'fun' event for us. We're actually supposed to be working on business deals, so there isn't a need for our partners to be here. My parents actually ban us from having dates at events like this since they want us to completely focus." She explained. "But, I always want you around, so screw them." She shrugged.

"You really are playing with fire." I teased.

"As long as you're the one who burns me, then I'm good." She kissed me.