3. Surprises
three
Kaira
Finally, I had a moment alone. I had greeted all of my guests and exchanged small talk, while slipping messages into each conversation that would encourage them to want to make a contribution.
And now, I could disconnect and recharge for a few minutes.
Knowing that I shouldn’t leave my own party for too long, I practically floated—trying to remain invisible—toward the stairs. As I went up, my eyes roamed over the party to make sure nobody was searching for me. I had my phone in my hand, in case the planners or caterers needed to reach me.
Upstairs, I slipped into the study and closed the door. Blessed was my grandfather for soundproofing the room, since my grandmother had hosted hundreds of parties and he—just like me—needed his quiet time every now and then.
Taking off my heels, I left them by the door and walked through the room barefoot. I approached the window and gazed out, the garden looking beautiful as always under the moonlight.
But then I heard a knock on the door. Letting out a brief exhale, I hollered, “Come in.”
As I turned around, I saw Chad materialize through the widening crack of the door as he pushed it open. He smiled and stepped in. “Hiding from your own charity endeavor, huh?”
Blinking quickly, I couldn’t hide my surprise at his audacity to follow me upstairs. “Is there something I can help you with?”
His eyes lingered on my grandfather’s antique chess set on its custom table. “I came to tell you that we’re on fire down there. Bet you never thought we’d raise so much.”
My gaze joined his in examining the set. “That’s wonderful. I’m really grateful for all your efforts. And your girlfriend’s, of course.”
Without asking permission, he pulled a chair and sat down by the set, narrowing his eyes at the crystal pieces. “I don’t even know her name.”
“Well…” I took a step closer, secretly worried that he would damage the priceless antique. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
His fingers lingered over a piece, and my heart stopped. Without looking up at me, he asked, “Do you play?”
“Um—I do, yes. Just not with this.”
His hand froze in a hovering position while his eyes shot up at me. “I shouldn’t touch it, should I?”
A nervous titter escaped my lips. “It’s just that it’s—”
“A really expensive collector’s edition,” he interrupted me. Nodding, he stood up and slid his hands into his pockets. “I’m aware.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I gave him an apologetic look, wringing my hands. “It’s just that it belonged to my late grandparents.”
“They taught you?”
“My grandfather did.”
“And grandma?”
I grinned, shaking my head. “He would wait for me to beat her first, to play against him.”
He chuckled. “Poor grandma!”
“Oh, no. She didn’t care. It was more his thing, anyway.” Resigning to the fact that I clearly wasn’t going to get my break, I marched toward my shoes, putting them on. “Well, I think I’ve ignored my guests for long enough.” Standing by the door, I rested my hand against the frame. “Shall we?”
Leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world, he began to step away from the set. “How do you keep it so clean? Every nook and detail are spotless.”
“Anti-static dusting spray,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Ah.” He joined me at the doorway, and I switched off the light. Walking out toward the stairs, he added, “You know a lot about cleaning, then.”
“I like to remain involved. It is my house.”
“Fair enough,” he said as he stepped aside, gesturing for me to go down first.
As he followed, I asked, “I don’t see Abel anywhere. Did he leave already?”
“Nah, he’s probably somewhere here with his lady.”
I glanced over my shoulder, my hand barely touching the rail as I placed my foot down on the floor. “And where’s yours?”
“I told you; I don’t even know her name.”
“After all the help tonight, I think you ought to learn it.”
Smirking, he let his hand slide back to the nape of his neck, as if to massage it. “I don’t think that’s what she’s after.”
“No woman wants to be with a man who doesn’t care enough to ask her name.”
“You’re generalizing. It’s dangerous. Some women walk into my bedroom with the very intention to never tell me their real name.”
I could feel my body stiffen. To conceal it, I pushed up my chin and stared blankly into his eyes. “Mr. Niles. I know that this isn’t your sort of thing, but I do appreciate your efforts.” In a calculated manner, I moved my eyes quickly away and smiled, lifting up my hand in a wave. “I must go now. Someone needs me. Have a good time.”
I didn’t want to wait for a response, since I could sense that he was going to say something else that aimed at prolonging our discussion. To me, the exchange had reached its conclusion, and I wasn’t supposed to invest any more time in Chad Niles. Aware that he was morally a lost cause, I knew that he was going through all of that trouble, only to end up in his bedroom with the beautiful blonde. Doing me a charitable favor was only a bonus point for him.
As I headed over to the catering manager, I saw Chad make a beeline toward the blonde, who received him with an enthusiastic grin. Following a brief search with my eyes, I saw Abel and his date for the night. I couldn’t help but smile, happy that he had finally found someone who matched him well.
“Kaira!” A familiar voice prompted me to turn around. “Hi! Oh my gosh, you haven’t changed a bit.” It was my cousin’s British fiancée, who tried far too hard to sound American when she was here.
“Vera, hello.” I quickly stretched my lips into a grin as I approached her with open arms. “I had no idea you were in town.”
She kissed me on the cheek, and I felt her shiny lipstick stick to my skin. Before I could even think, my fingers got the best of me and rushed to wipe it off as my gaze watched her lips say, “I just landed. But I couldn’t miss all of this!”
“Is Wyatt with you? I’d love to see him.”
“Oh, he’s stuck at work as usual.” She waved it off with her hand. “But I see you’ve made friends with Chad Niles.” Winking, she giggled. “Well done!”
“Uh—No. Not at all. He was invited by a mutual friend.”
“Who?”
“Abel Drakos?”
“Ah, right. Well, it never hurts to have celebrities for friends, darling.” She then turned around, glancing at the bar. “I’d better start catching up with everyone else here, if you know what I mean.”
I forced a chuckle. “By all means, knock yourself out.”
“I’ll find you again, yes?”
“I’ll be around!”
I watched her go before turning away to find myself a new distraction. While Chad’s little game of ‘who’s going to collect more’ was fun, I still had the duty of entertaining my guests. The last thing I had wanted was for Vera to be here, because it meant that I had to invite her to stay. I knew the drill. She was going to swear that she had booked an extravagant hotel room; I was going to say, “Absolutely not. Family doesn’t stay in hotels while I got this whole place to myself.” And eventually, she was going to have her chauffeur bring her belongings over. My first thought after that idea popped into my head was to beckon Miriam over and instruct her to have one of the rooms cleaned and ready for a special guest.
In a quiet corner in the kitchen, I pulled my house manager closer and said, “I don’t know how long she’ll be staying. No doubt, she’s here on business, so it shouldn’t be long.”
“But the last time she and Wyatt stayed; it was a month.”
“They were together. Let’s hope this one’s a brief visit.”
Even Miriam couldn’t hide her frustration as she sighed. “Alright. Well, I guess the purple room suits her personality.”
“Do whatever you see fit. I honestly don’t care. All I care about is that Wyatt knows that we’re taking care of family and that we didn’t leave his fiancée alone in the city. It’s not a good look.”
“Of course.” She shifted in readiness to leave.
I grabbed her arm, “Miriam, hold on. I—I want you to make sure the study’s locked after each cleaning.”
“Of course.”
“Nobody goes in there but you and I, understood? All of my personal documents are in there, and they’re not Vera’s concern. Am I clear?”
“Of course!”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll go make sure the room’s ready by the end of the party, in case she decides to stay tonight.”
“Yes, perfect. Thanks.”
When I stepped back outside, I was told that Chad and his friend had collected nearly a million dollars in donations. My mind was blown, since not a single guest of mine had ever persuaded people to donate that much with such dedication before.
“Are you sure he’s not a close friend of yours?” Vera suddenly materialized out of thin air.
“Uh—What? Who?”
“Chad Niles?” She pointed with the drink in her hand. “He and his friend have been relentlessly circulating. They even came to me.”
My smile held a little sarcasm. “And how much did you give?”
“Five thousand.”
“Thank you.” You stingy little heiress. Vera had a multimillion-pound inheritance, yet all she could spare was five thousand dollars. No wonder she and Wyatt were so compatible.
“Kaira?” Chad came to my rescue—wasn’t it ironic that of all people, he was my savior now? “What’s this I hear of your bar not serving J?ger?”
“W—What?”
“J?ger?”
A titter escaped my lips. “Uh—Mr. Niles, this is a fundraiser… a benefit. Not a rave.”
“What, so people can’t feel generous on a little bit of J?ger? C’mon. That defies the purpose.”
My eyes widened as I saw his blonde friend enthusiastically nod, standing next to him. “My aim is not to get everyone drunk—”
“No?” He dipped his head, suspiciously staring at me from under his eyebrows. “Where’s the pleasure in that?”
“The pleasure is in spending a good evening talking to your friends, catching up—”
“Might as well serve Diet Coke and tea, don’t you think?”
“C’mon, Chad,” his friend said as she tugged on his arm with both hands like a child. “We’ve raised enough. Let’s go someplace we can dance!”
My eyes quietly examined her and then went back to him. He didn’t seem embarrassed or ashamed of his friend’s behavior. If anything, he appeared proud of his conquest. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Swallowing past a lump that had formed in my throat for no reason, I forced a smile and nodded. “Thanks for coming. Both of you. I really appreciate what you did.”
“Eh.” He waved it off and turned around, letting himself be pulled away from me by the blonde. I watched them maneuver their way toward the exit, and I didn’t know why my gaze lingered.
Without a doubt, Chad Niles was a famous playboy—a true ladies’ man from what I’d gleaned tonight. But tonight, he did surprise me. While most men wanted to earn my attention with their own wealth, power, and personal feats, he chose the most interesting of routes: impressing me by supporting my cause.
The party was a success, if we didn’t count the fact that I was now stuck hosting my cousin’s fiancée in my house at a moment’s notice. Who knew how long she was going to stay, or why she was really here?
Late at night in bed, I caught myself thinking of ways to make Vera understand that my grandmother’s inheritance isn’t going anywhere but towards matters the woman had originally intended—me and the charities.