Loving With A Heavy Heart 42 Let The Night Begin

Elle stepped out onto the walkway, taking long strides as her eyes slowly adjusted to the lights. Hanging above her head were hundreds of long strings of Wisteria flowers. Elle felt as if she had stepped out into some sort of magical garden. The entire room was dark, only the walkway was lit. This way Elle couldn't see the faces of the hundreds of guests staring at her, she could imagine that it was just her in here.

As she walked she recalled Adam's coaching. Look straight forward, no smile, no expression. Just keep walking till you reach the end. There was light music playing, but Elle couldn't hear it over the sound of her own pounding heart.

As Adam had promised the end of the walkway came quickly. As Elle approached it she put all her focus into ensuring she wouldn't trip as she carefully lifted her dress and stepped down the stairs.

Only when her feet landed safely on the solid ground did Elle finally relax. She let out a shaky breath and only then did she register the faint music playing and the crowd of clapping people around her.

Elle wasn't to look around or acknowledge the guests. For the rest of the night all she had to do was walk around the venue and let people admire the beautiful craftsmans.h.i.+p of the items she wore.

It was easier said then done. As she walked people blatantly stared at her. Some would whisper or point as she pa.s.sed them by. It took everything she had to suppress the urge to look towards the noise when she heard them speak, or when she saw them point at her from the corner of her eye.

It was also a strange and unusual feeling for Elle to be the center of attention. Elle usually strived her hardest to go unnoticed. She preferred to the peace and quite that came with keeping to herself. However, on this occasion she found that, although it was a foreign feeling, she didn't mind it so much.

Usually if she heard whispers she would feel paranoid, wondering what sort of remark people were making about her. Or when she was noticed she would feel obligated to start a conversation that she had no interest in. However tonight she was specifically told not to talk to anyone. And all the stares and whispers she knew were directed towards what she was wearing. No one knew who she was, when she was stared at it was stares of awe not judgement, and who could possibly have a bad thing to say about any of the pieces she had on tonight?

So as Elle was taking a turn about the room she walked with a new found confidence. As she walked she was finally able to properly see the other four girls as they occasionally pa.s.sed each other by.

Each one of them had a completely different look and each look just as stunning as the last. The first model Elle noticed was wearing an off-white evening gown with a lace bodice. The necklace she wore was similar to a pearl string necklace, except instead of pearls it was made out of asymmetrical rows of diamonds and rounded crystal beads. The second model wore a grey chiffon gown with a thick diamond chocker. The bottom end of the of the chocker was tapered so instead of following a straight line across it formed a V-shape that went all the way down to her chest. The third had on a champagne coloured tulle gown paired with a beautiful necklace of intertwining vines that had diamonds arranged to look like flowers nestled between them. Finally, the last model wore a taupe coloured gown with a lattice work diamond necklace.

All four girls wore different coloured dresses, and had completely different styled jewellery, and yet somehow the pieces all went together. You could still tell they belonged to the same collection despite all the differences.

Elle also spotted Adam standing across the room speaking to a couple whom she recognized as the chairman and his wife: Adam's parents. Elle stood and watched him for a moment. As she was watching Adam suddenly lifted his head and looked in her direction. He caught her eye from across the room. Adam held her gaze for a moment before Elle gave him a quick smile and continued about the room.

Unbeknownst to Elle, as she continued to walk amongst the crowd she pa.s.sed two people who's faces didn't stare with awe, but rather with annoyance.

Emma and Suzy stood together watching Elle pa.s.s them by without so much as a glance. Although Emma hadn't forgiven Suzy for leading her on about the event she had decided to come here with her tonight. A missed opportunity today could still lead to an opportunity with MK in the future, she decided she couldn't through Suzy away yet.

Suzy had a similar thought. She was glad Emma had agreed to come tonight because she believed she could still use Emma to help her in the future. The friends.h.i.+p was long gone, but neither girl realized she was only being used by the other. Unfortunately, after tonight one person's usefulness would come to an end.