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"Gregory Ellison, my lady." The man introduced himself.

"Ellison. The organizer." Natalia simply stated smiling.

The man laughed for the second time.

'This lady is amusing.' Gregory said to himself. Normally, ladies can tell who he is right away and lined up in front of him. But not this woman.

"Where's your date? Don't tell me..you don't have one?" The man asked still amused and still holding her hand.

Before the woman can answer, another gorgeous man appeared at the scene and put his hand on the lady's lower back. "Natalia." The man spoke in a possessive tone.

"Gates." Gregory uttered seriously looking at the man.

"Ellison." Alexander lazily replied as he stared at the enchanting woman. When he finally spotted her earlier, he restrained himself on running towards Natalia and snatched her away from the people who feasted their eyes on his woman. But he cannot blame them. Everything about this woman is bewitching.

Meanwhile, the media couldn't believe that the two sexy, rich and powerful men were standing opposite each other. Both of them are heirs and have established their names on the business and entertainment world. Moreover, the two are still available on the market. Knowing those facts, the cameras didn't stop clicking and took advantage of the rare scene.

"Mind your own date, Gates." Gregory uttered with a mocking tone as the duchess walked at their direction. He held his arm out for Natalia as the royal lady called Alexander and snaked her hands on the man's arm.

Alexander clenched his jaws because he didn't want to cause an unpleasant scene.

Natalia glanced at him with an understanding look and was then led by Gregory inside the venue.

Duchess Ruth cannot help but frown at the scene earlier. She prepared eagerly for this event, hiring a well known seamstress and bought a very expensive jewelry at The Belle Shop, yet Alexander seems to be preoccupied with something or rather someone. She saw a woman that was somewhat familiar who had caused Alexander to be distracted. Her eyes narrowed at the innocent woman who's now talking with a group of people. She'll definitely not let this pass.

"Gem! How are you holding up?" Ziv whispered to Natalia as he eyed Gregory who seemed to be charmed by his lovely friend. The woman elbowed him and cleared her throat.

"Everyone, Mr. Gregory Ellison. Mr. Ellison, my dear friends and my brother, Jake Zimmer." Natalia simply introduced both parties. To her surprise, Gregory was friendly and talked normally with them.

Jake, Jonathan and Gregory were engaged in business discussions afterwards. The other group, on the other hand, were having a chatty talk.

"Girl, spill! How did you stumbled upon 'the Gregory Ellison'?" Luna asked with much eagerness.

"It's more of, he approached our dear friend here." Trish smiled jauntly teasing Natalia.

"Ladies, he's just at the right place at the right time." The brunette woman replied chuckling.

"So, does it mean I can ravish him with my eyes all night?" Ziv jested eyeing Gregory with much appreciation.

Natalia just shook her head and went away to get a juice drink. She then noticed a small empty balcony and excitedly walked towards it. She missed going to parties that's for sure but she enjoys the stillness of the night more than the noisy surroundings.

"Natalia." A man called and fenced his arms on the woman's waist. Natalia smiled knowingly and followed his leading.

Alexander gently kissed her temple first and traced down his lips on Natalia's neck down to her exposed shoulder. The woman unconsciously closed her eyes and savored the sweet feeling. They stayed like that for a while.

"They might see us." The woman uttered while caressing the arms of Alexander.

"Let them." He whispered then reached for Natalia's hand and rubbed it gently with his handkerchief. "This hand got dirty earlier."

Natalia, "...."

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Duchess Ruth went to the bathroom to calm her senses. Once again, Alexander left her for that sly woman. She cannot accept it. She needed to make her go away.

Right on time, a woman who was done relieving herself went out of a cubicle. She noticed the royal lady has a displeasing look on her face.

"Your grace." The other woman greeted. The duchess just nodded at her. "Is there a problem? A noble lady like you should enjoy the night."

The royal lady laughed bitterly.

"If I'm not mistaken, your date is Mr. Gates, right? Where is he?" The woman asked stirring up the emotions of the duchess. She was not mistaken as the royal lady confided with her about what had transpired earlier. She smiled at the thought.

"Thank you dear for listening. What's your name?" The duchess asked after sharing her predicament.

"Ariel Zippi, your grace." The woman smiled sweetly.

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Guiding her hands, Alexander went to his parents and introduced Natalia. The woman was all flushed as the two wonderful people praised her beauty, the Zimmer family and their thriving company.

"Thank you very much Mr. and Mrs. Gates. Now I know where Alexander got his looks along with his fragrant words." Natalia said chuckling.

"Dear, just call us by our names." Priscilla Gates told the lovely lady.

"And by looks, you mean, he got it from me, right?" Timothy Gates asked and was apparently fond of the young woman to teased her.

All of them laughed in return.

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Ariel was able to struck the emotions of the duchess and used it for her gain. It's not everyday that you can have a royalty by your side so she must build connections. She suggested a prank on Natalia and it fitted the duchess goal to make the woman go away for the night. Ariel will pay someone to bumped onto Natalia at the toast ceremony later. She will make sure the drink will spill on her dress.

Both of the women smiled and shook each other's hand.

On the flip side, Devon already settled his own plan for both Natalia and him. There are three private rooms inside the venue hall. One room was setup with the forbidden love incense. His men were already in placed in case Natalia will rest for a while and compose herself which will surely happen. He knew Natalia can get tipsy for drinking alcohol. The toast ceremony was an advantage to his scheme.

Afterwards, he can have the woman for himself and let the media took a glimpse of it. His measures are bold but he couldn't care less. At the end, he will surely have Natalia.

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"Timothy. Priscilla." Gregory greeted the power couple.

"Ellison, boy." Timothy Gates greeted and hugged the handsome man like his own son.

"How's Mirriam?" Priscilla asked for the young man's mother and looked thoughtfully at Gregory.

"Mom is coping up." Gregory shortly replied. His mother became a widow last year. The gala is part of his father's legacy on the social world. Even though memories came rushing in, Gregory courageously continued upholding the festive celebration.

"Such a brave man." Priscilla cupped his cheeks in appreciation. The young man smiled at the old woman seeing her as a mother figure.

Natalia was quietly listening at the sides as Alexander held her waist. She sympathized with Gregory and recognized him as a remarkable man.

After the touching scene, Natalia whispered something to Alexander. The man nodded in agreement and the woman approached Gregory.

"May I have the honor of dancing with the great Gregory Ellison?" She smiled at the man.

Gregory snickered and led Natalia at the dance floor. "So, he's your man?" He looked over at Alexander who had been his rival since they were young.

"Yes. My man." Natalia answered proudly.

"What a fortunate guy." Gregory uttered as his lips curved upwards.

The two tripped with the music and just knew that they found a good friend with one another.

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As the toast ceremony started, each guest held a glass of red wine. Natalia's group was seated at one of the middle round tables. She stood up and faced the platform where the master of ceremonies was speaking. Unaware that a server tripped and bumped to her, her hands trembled and her drink spilled on her gown.

She gaped at the liquid dripping inside her attire. Natalia specially requested for a grape juice instead of wine and her glass was somewhat full.

"I...I'm very sorry madam." The server apologized.

Alexander saw what happened and looked over Natalia. The brunette woman dismissed the server and went to the bathroom. She was accompanied by Trish and Luna. Alexander followed them and called Sergei.

At the other side of the hall, three eyes were keenly observing the action of Natalia. The two women looked at one another with a smirk while the man was ready to move according to his own scheme.

"That clumsy helper." Luna uttered aiding Natalia in wiping the liquid to prevent her skin from becoming sticky. Trish also wiped her damp gown so that the wetness will be lessened.

A knocking sound was heard from the entrance of the bathroom.

"That's Alexander. You can go back to the ceremony. I'll be alright. Thank you very much ladies." Natalia told her two friends.

When the brunette woman exited the bathroom, Alexander held her hands and they looked for a vacant room. Fortunately, there's one that is available at the moment. He let Natalia entered the room first because he will meet Sergei and pick up the gown made by Naomi Uno.

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After some time, Devon entered the room where he had setup the love incense. According to his expectation, Natalia was already there and trying to fix her dress. The room was slightly dark much to his satisfaction and let his desire overtook his body. With the help of the addicting scent, he grabbed the woman and undressed her completely.

The woman willingly gave herself under the influence of the aroma. Devon took the liberty to extinguished his lust again and again screaming the woman's name.

"Natalia.." He groaned as he kissed her lips.

The woman had no strength left in her and was whimpering as her mind cleared out.

"No...."