Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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"Ladies and gentlemen…", Mr. Newman spoke into the microphone. "If I can have your attention, please…"

The noise quieted down as everyone turned their attention to the small stage where Mr. Newman was.

"As you know, there is another item on today's agenda, and related to that, I will hand over the stage to Mr. Schmidt who is here representing the Rasiel foundation…"

Mr. Newman handed the microphone to a plump middle-aged man who had rosy cheeks.

"Hello…", he said in a hoarse voice and cleared his throat before repeating, "Hello. As my good friend Mr. Newman said, I'm Mr. Schmidt, representing the Rasiel foundation. We are responsible for gathering funds to support projects that can contribute to science, and everything you donate will be tax-deductible. In this case, I'm here to ask you to look into the project speared by Mr. Weber, a renowned archeologist…"

Mr. Schmidt spoke about the excavation in the Northern Forest Complex of Myanmar. It was mostly the information that was already provided to everyone who had the invitation, so it was not very interesting.

He explained how they secured the site and excavation rights but are lacking funds for necessary equipment and to cover expenses for the crew staying there. "The more money we collect, the longer the project can run…"

Mr. Schmidt ended his talk by gesturing toward Mr. Weber who stood on the side and saying that we can approach either of them with additional questions.

I glanced at Duke who was looking at me as if asking me to change my mind and not give them any money.

"Oh, one more thing…", Mr. Schmidt said. "Whoever provides the largest donation tonight, his or her name will be featured on our website and on the large board at the excavation site…"

I could see Duke's expression change at this information, but I was unable to figure out if he approved or not. Of course, I assumed that he is mocking people who would be swayed to give money only because their names would appear somewhere.

"Do you think it's silly to have someone's name featured as an incentive?", I asked him.

Duke shrugged like he doesn't care. "It's good marketing. The general public reacts positively to philanthropists."

"A-ha!", I exclaimed. "Finally, you found something positive about donating money for science."

Duke rolled his eyes at me. "I see you are still set on parting from your savings. Do you want to talk with those guys, or you already have your answers?"

I bobbed my head and reached into my purse. "Actually, I already wrote a check." I ignored Duke's frown and glanced toward Mr. Schmidt. "I see some people talking to him, so when they disperse I will go there. I don't want others to know how much I donated."

Duke shook his head in disapproval and extended his hand toward me, palm up. "Allow me to perform the errand of giving your check to Mr. Schmidt. In that way, no one from the guests will know it's from you and it seems that you will be busy…"

I didn't care if people knew it's from me, but I didn't want to attract attention with a donation. I was about to ask Duke to explain that busy comment, but then two women approached me with big smiles on their faces. Ah, he saw them coming.

Mrs. Piet and Mrs. Arthur are in the business of what I like to call, matchmaking the companies. The two of them connect a company that needs specific equipment or material with a company that can provide it. Notte Pharmaceuticals has several successful collaborations with Mrs. Piet and Mrs. Arthur and ditching them would be impolite.

I gave Duke the check with a grateful smile and turned toward the newcomers.

I have no idea how long Duke was missing. It couldn't be more than ten minutes, but I felt the loss of his proximity increasing with every passing second.

Since when was I this needy?

Duke made me feel a variety of emotions that I didn't know how to cope with.

A warm palm gently landed on the middle of my back, and I relaxed instantly as the scent of pine trees mixed with the ocean reached me.

I couldn't believe how among this crowd of people and perfumes I can sense Duke's scent. And that was not his aftershave, that was him.

I would think of myself as a werewolf or some other creature with an enhanced sense of smell if I could identify more than Duke. No matter how I thought about it, for everything else, my nose performed at the level of a regular human.

So, is this smell-only-Duke phenomenon because of me, or because of Duke? I didn't know, but I chose to believe that our connection runs deep and that is why I could identify his scent easily.

I wondered if Duke can smell me more than the others, but I kept that question for myself as I didn't want to risk sounding like a crazy person.

"Who is this charming young man?", Mrs. Arthur asked while eyeing Duke.

My smile stiffened. "Drago Orsini. My date."

I don't know why I felt like slapping the woman in front of me. She is in her late thirties with a husband and two kids, but I didn't like how she looked at Duke.

Was I jealous? I think the right word would be furious.

Duke's arm moved over my back higher and landed on my shoulder. He gave me a gentle squeeze while shaking hands with Mrs. Piet and Mrs. Arthur.

I wondered if he can sense my discomfort.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mrs. Arthur was back on the topic of Duke being my date.

"I apologize if I appear to be nosy, Miss Mezzanotte, but so far you appeared only with your father, so I am curious about your relationship with Mr. Orsini."

I glanced at Duke and faced his smile. He wanted to hear my answer, probably more than Mrs. Arthur.

What is my relationship with him? Do I even know how to answer that question?

What are the right words to say he is the air I breathe, and the water I drink? He is the earth I walk on, and the clouds high above. He is my sun and my moon and my everything.

I leaned on Duke, tucking my shoulder under his armpit and not breaking eye contact with those blue eyes I would gladly drown in.

"Drago is my high school sweetheart.", I responded. It was not a lie.

Duke's expression lit up and his grip on my shoulder tightened.

"Oh, that is so romantic.", Mrs. Arthur gushed. "I met my husband in high school also! We didn't start dating until last year of college…", she blabbered.

Romantic? I would call it tragic, considering the last seven years, but we can fix that by focusing on the future. I hope.

Several other conversations later, Mr. Schmidt took the stage again.

"I want to thank everyone for generous donations. We exceeded our goals and Mr. Weber will send updates on their progress to the people who contributed…", he glanced at the paper in his hand. "As promised, the person who made the largest donation will be featured, and I am pleased to say that in this case, we have a couple. I want to thank Miss Seraphina Mezzanotte and Mr. Drago Orsini for their generous contribution…"

People around us started clapping and I turned toward the cheeky man in slow motion. "You donated?"

Duke shrugged nonchalantly. "I only matched your donation and said that we are a couple."

What happened with wasting money? Why did he change his mind?

And then it hit me, "You did that so that our names show up together on the website."

"And on the big board at the excavation site.", he added matter-of-factly.

I knew that he is silly and unpredictable, but this was outside my expectations. That was a lot of money just for our names to be side-by-side on an unknown website and on a board in the middle of nowhere, unless… "You did it for me."

Duke smiled. "No matter what you do, I will always support you to the best of my abilities, as your equal."

My heart melted from the euphony of his words, and my brain melted as well.

Duke will always support me, as my equal... It almost sounded like I'm above him and he will do his best to match me. Sweet-talker.

I felt like kissing him until my lips go numb, forgetting about my resolve to go slow, but we were surrounded by people who were clapping so I couldn't kiss him no matter how much I wanted it. I had to suppress that urge, regrettably.

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