Chapter 34
Halloween Party Scandal at The Darlington:
Guests Dance on the Graves of Dead Morals!
INsider Headline
Kate
“Henry is going to lose it when he sees you.”
Grace sat cross-legged on the bed in my hotel room and watched me with a smile as I stared at myself in the mirror.
I hardly recognised myself. Who was this woman?
The dress was the prettiest I’d ever worn in my life.
It wasn’t black but made of a light, silky fabric that hugged my body to create the illusion of curves.
Thin straps gathered at the back of my neck, and while the neckline was relatively high, the cut left almost my entire back exposed.
It was a stunningly elegant dress—but it was how Grace had transformed me that took my breath away.
She had brought makeup with her, along with the scissors Amy used to trim her fringe.
For the first time in months, my hair was even, with Grace having fixed what I hadn’t managed on my own.
Afterwards, she had used her straightener to add soft waves to the ends of my hair.
And she had made my eyes look sultry behind the gold mask, which covered only the top half of my face.
The sides of the mask were adorned with delicate, white feathers, as if it had sprouted wings, or a tiny angel had landed on my face.
“I think I’m going to lose it too,” I replied. This was yet another one of those times when I couldn’t quite believe that this was my life now. I had experienced so many of these moments over the last few weeks.
Grace laughed. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you.” I gently ran my fingers over the silky fabric.
I had the strange feeling that I moved differently in this dress.
Maybe because, for the first time in months, I wasn’t trying to be inconspicuous or invisible.
I wanted to be seen, because this dress deserved to be seen. “For your help too.”
“I expect a detailed report tomorrow as a thank-you.”
“You would have received one anyway,” I said, tearing myself away from the mirror.
Grace had risen from the bed to put on her shoes.
She had the day off today and had come to the hotel especially to help me, but Amy was waiting for her at home because she had been stood up by Garrett again.
The twins were having a film night instead, something I would have been jealous of were it not for the fact that Henry was picking me up at any moment. “I can’t wait. Have fun tonight.”
“Thanks, you too. Say hi to Amy from me.”
Grace slipped on her coat, and we hugged goodbye just as the doorbell rang. She shot me an excited smile before she went to open the door.
My stomach did a somersault when I saw Henry.
He looked as if he had stepped straight out of one of my romantasy novels.
Instead of a regular suit jacket, he wore a burgundy tailcoat adorned with black embroidery, paired with a matching waistcoat and elegant gloves.
Like me, Henry wore a mask that concealed the upper half of his face.
But while mine came from a supermarket’s Halloween assortment, Henry’s seemed custom-made.
It fit the contours of his face perfectly and had two curved horns protruding from it.
If this was what the devil looked like, I could hardly wait to get to hell.
Or perhaps I was already there, given how hot I suddenly felt.
“Perfect timing, Mr. Darlington. You look great.”
“Thank you, Grace.” The mask gave Henry’s smile an air of mischief.
“Have fun, you two, and behave yourselves.” Grace smiled as she slipped out into the corridor, leaving me alone with Henry.
His full attention was on me, and the heat in my body intensified.
His gaze swept slowly over me before returning to my face.
My throat suddenly felt dry, and my heart pounded wildly as he approached slowly before stopping right in front of me.
Even though I was wearing heels, he was still much taller.
He looked down at me. His pupils were dilated, yet the blue of his eyes seemed even more intense than usual behind the dark mask.
I swallowed hard. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Henry answered. “You look stunning, Cupcake.”
I suppressed a smile, not because I liked the nickname, but because he simply wasn’t giving up—it wasn’t in his nature. “Thanks. But please don’t call me Cupcake, Mr. Darlington.”
“Mr. Darlington?” Henry asked, bemused.
“Don’t you like me calling you that?”
“Oh, I do. Far too much,” he replied with a smile that made me want to say his last name more often.
He took another step closer and raised a hand.
His fingertips gently grazed my mask, then skimmed the ends of my hair before finally tracing my bare shoulder.
My heart pounded even faster. “I have to admit, I slightly regret inviting you to this ball.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Now I’ll have to share you with everyone else.”
“We could always stay here, order pizza, and watch a film,” I suggested, not entirely selflessly. As much as I was looking forward to the evening with Henry, I was nervous about diving deeper into his world. I had nothing in common with the people at this ball, and I had no idea what to expect.
Henry’s fingers were still dancing lightly across my shoulder. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I need to make an appearance, if only for a couple of hours.”
“Shame,” I murmured.
His hand slid from my shoulder and trailed down my arm to my hand.
Our fingers intertwined instantly in a way that felt completely natural.
He gave me an encouraging smile, as though he could sense my nervousness despite my best efforts to hide it.
I didn’t know the other guests at the ball, but I’d dealt with plenty of absurdly wealthy people in the past few weeks.
It was impossible to ignore how different I was—and they never failed to remind me of it.
They exuded an old-money vibe that couldn’t be imitated.
We took the lift down to the lobby, where voices and laughter filled the air.
I had never seen it so lively before. Dozens of masked guests, dressed in elegant suits and gowns, made their way to the ballroom.
Some outfits looked like they had come straight from a fairy tale—one woman even wore a tiara.
The masks were colourful and varied, and it was clear that most people wore custom-made pieces like Henry rather than last-minute masks made of cheap lace and faux feathers like mine.
Doubt crept in. Had I made a mistake by not taking full advantage of Henry’s credit card? But it was too late for regrets now.
Henry gave my hand a squeeze and led me into the throng.
Waiters from the restaurant, which was closed for the night, glided through the crowd with trays, offering guests flutes of champagne.
Henry took one, but I declined, too nervous to drink on an empty stomach.
It wasn’t long before people began to recognise Henry.
They nodded in greeting and smiled at him through their masks, while I drew curious glances as guests tried to place me.
Although the mask didn’t conceal much, the dress and makeup had transformed me from the girl in those McDonald’s photos.
It would probably take a while for them to connect the dots.
Henry steered me confidently through the lobby.
The double doors of the ballroom stood wide open, and the air buzzed with anticipation and excitement.
The ballroom had been completely transformed as well.
When Henry had shown me the scratch on the floor, the space had been empty, every step echoing off the walls.
Tonight, floral arrangements adorned pillars, and while the tables were still pushed to the sides of the room to create a big dance floor, they were elegantly set rather than hidden beneath sheets.
Upholstered chairs were dotted around, offering people a place to rest their feet.
A band played onstage, and although the evening had only just begun, people were already dancing.
“Wow. It’s stunning,” I said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. The downside to finally having a proper haircut was that I could no longer tuck it neatly behind my ears.
Henry smiled and gently nudged me into the ballroom away from the entrance.
A waitress floated past with a tray of hors d’oeuvres.
I grabbed two to line my stomach in preparation for the alcohol, and we went to find our seats.
Most guests were milling around or dancing, but everyone had an assigned seat—it was probably expected at such an expensive event.
No sooner had we sat down than a waiter appeared and asked if we wanted drinks.
I ordered a colourful cocktail, and Henry asked for a glass of water.
“Good evening, Henry.”
My shoulders tensed. I recognised Amanda Darlington’s authoritative voice immediately.
Of course Henry’s parents were here. It was their ball too, after all.
What else had I expected? My heart began to race when Mrs. Darlington stepped closer.
She was wearing a cream-coloured gown that looked almost like a wedding dress and was accompanied by Mr. Darlington.
I recognised his face from countless newspaper articles—and because, despite the mask, he was the spitting image of Henry.
Henry rose from his chair to greet his parents, and I quickly followed suit, assuming it was the polite thing to do. Maybe. I had no idea. “Hello, Mum.” He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek before extending a hand to his father, shaking it with the formality of a business partner at a meeting.
Mr. Darlington ignored me. “Have you seen Ethan?”
“I don’t think he’s here,” Henry replied.
His dad pursed his lips. “Why not?”
“It’s not his kind of event,” Henry said with a shrug. “If you wanted Ethan and his friends to be here, we should have thought about hiring strippers and serving weed.”