The Dinner - Opening Speech - 3

Aubrianne Ivanov

Jada stayed close to Aubrianne the whole time. She hand waved, smiled, and nodded as she followed Aubrianne and her father. The staff met her as well.

Now entering through the grand doors, Aubrianne and Jada were enthralled by the vision before them.

Tobias had slipped away on entry, and Christen and Timothy were nowhere in sight!

It was truly fit for royalty with its soaring high ceilings, ornate details of the moldings, stained-glass accents on ornaments, windows, and part of the doors, and lots of hugely oversized rooms decked with luxurious items of furniture just as dashing as everything in this house. Wow!

A grand double staircase with a wrought-iron and gold balustrade Foyer, a groined vaulted ceiling, and a few crystal chandeliers.

The dramatic great room, with its thirty-seven-foot-high, arched cathedral ceiling, has a three-level bay of Palladian windows, several conversation areas, an L-shaped fully stocked club-style bar, and French doors opening to the rear gardens, Theo had told her.

They did not venture out to the garden as he said they only had a little time before dinner started when their other guests arrived.

However, he would show her the grounds after dinner!

Theo mentioned he had invited the Beta family to the dinner also.

And that she would meet his gamma family and the rest at the ball in two weeks. Yes, her father was earnest about this grand affair.

Aubrianne had grimaced, but she relented. She had already told him to proceed as he was over eager to do this for her.

"Come, I have something to show you," her father said excitedly.

While Jada had stopped by a snack station, actually, there was an exquisite display with a selection of little appetizers. There were cutters and all the little sweet pastries you could think of, with a trolley of juice and all one might need to make tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

Aubrianne felt Jada's pain as she was tempted to stop also, but Theo was already gently guiding her down a corridor!

There were many of those, by the way, and she was lost. How many corridors does a house like this have?

Theo stepped ahead of her, turned, facing her with a massive smile when he opened the door and gestured her in.

Aubrianne walked in, and her eyes swallowed her face, yip they did. It was the real show stopper, a dramatic two-story library that is simply unforgettable.

"I wanted to show you my very own library and collection. Daniel told me he took you to the private library." Theo said while he gestured around, showing her the different sections.

Aubrianne smiled, remembering the day she and Daniel had their tour, and looking around this vast library, she could clearly see similarities between the two.

"You like it?" Theo asked with so much excitement that if Aubrianne said no, he might tear it down and build another one. He would be that disappointed.

"Oh, Goodness, Dad, Like? I love this." She said incredulously and in wonder at the same time.

Aubrianne finished while simultaneously grimacing at the memory of the book she never got to read, that she would also need to return soon.

Nevertheless, she still had time, and if not well, she could always return it any day on her way to or from work and find something in this fantastic library at her disposal if time ran out.

Aubrianne was not expecting these events these past few days, but she really enjoys her reading.

"Oh, baby girl, that makes me so happy to hear it. I had some work done." Theo gushed enthusiastically as he showed Aubrianne the changes he had made in the past few days since Daniel told him about her fondness for the library.

Aubrianne's heart was touched. Theo had been doing that from the get-go. Went all out of the way for her, and even now, at the dinner, he had been welcoming and warm, constantly checking to ensure she was alright or needed anything as they toured.

She did not have to worry about him only trying to buy her affection, he was actively present, and it was everything to Aubrianne, even more than the gifts because she knew he was a busy man and she had a lot of catching up to do.

His phone probably rings off the hook!

Nevertheless, she would take him up on that earlier offer when he asked if she needed anything.

Theo then showed her the wine cellar beneath, outfitted to look like a lavish version of an eighteenth-century saloon. Her father was beaming when he did. It was his personal collection. Now back at the beautiful library.

Aubrianne wanted to backtrack and meet Jada by the little soiree she was throwing herself.

Because if dinner was not ready soon, Aubrianne would die of hunger and, god forbid, her stomach would start making noises.

How mortifying!

After voicing her concerns, Theo mind-linked someone, and he said, "Actually, dinner is ready. Let's head back. You should grab something off the platter to help ease your hunger."

Aware that the food would still have to be served, and so on, before they actually ate, which might be another half an hour, Theo wanted to ensure Aubrianne would not starve.

Dinner was soon upon them. The gang was all now seated at the table!

Aubrianne and her dad had headed back, picked up Jada and some pastries to go, and made their way to the dining area.

Of course, nothing less than impeccable taste, it was inherently timeless and beautiful with a luxury Italian twist combining a hint of modernity with timeless aesthetics that flourished with a golden glimmer.

Apart from the beautiful fretwork of the grand table, there were the golden embellishments along the antic cupboard, and the silvery overtones of colors such as dark fuchsia, soft purple, and scarlet red of the chairs, table, walls, and the rest of the pieces of furniture add to the grandiose of this remarkable dining room.

It was a dining room draped in opulence, to say the least. Both Jada and Aubrianne were impressed yet again.

There were cute little cursive written names neatly placed on each plate setting. So everyone knew where they were to sit.

Light chatter from those seated at the table resounded around the room as soft music that played in the background wafted through the air, and the first course was being served.

The guests were chatting with the person beside them or opposite them.

Ten servers marched out. They were from the staff Aubrianne met earlier, and each server had a platter in hand. There were a total of ten sitting at the dinner table, so each had their own server.

The servers stood behind who they would be attending to for the duration of the dinner. Once all the servers had gotten into their positions, they bent forward, a hand behind their back, the platter in the other, gently resting it on the table soundlessly.

They were uniformed in their actions.

At the head sat Alpha Theodore Claude Thornton. He started off the evening by welcoming everyone, then he proceeded with the introductions, introducing everyone.

Theo then gave his opening speech, which led to the story of how he met Aubrianne one year ago,

"Then, when I heard my baby girl speak of her plans, mind you, after not probing at all," he had paused and shared a look with a smile at an embarrassed tomato cheek Aubrianne.

"She spoke with such intelligence. My baby girl," Theo smiled at Aubrianne as she playfully narrowed her eyes at him, a smile on her lips, but she was still changing color.

"Sorry, baby...Aubrianne does not like me calling her baby girl. She said she is too grown for that."

There was light laughter around the room.

"Aubrianne was absolutely sure of what she wanted to accomplish and had already planned how she would get there, and Goddess, I wanted to make it happen just the way she planned it. Leading her straight to me."

Theo smiled smugly that yet another one of his plans had come to fruition and was a success as usual.

"Yes, we all know you," Ivan inserted with a light chuckle. Theo smiled and waved him off. He was too happy to be bothered by anything at that moment.

Finding out he had a daughter was fantastic news for Theo, and the fact that she had a head on her shoulders, unlike Tobias and Timothy, sad to say, made him the proudest father in the world.

But Goddess knows he loves his sons and wishes every day that it would be the day they surprise him, ready to grab life by the horns.

Nevertheless, the guests eyed the two in awe. Well, most of them, that is, while one particular chair warmer felt like he could vomit, while another couldn't stand to hear him dote on the child he had with another woman...