Chapter 54

OLIVIA

We arrived at the port, not knowing what adventure would await us. The lights that were emitted in this place added a nostalgic feeling and reminded me of the letter postcards that I usually see in old letters back in the orphanage. It was as if I was looking at the wallpaper of a computer screen.

It was very picturesque.

"Mathias, we have to go from here. Please wait for me and Mia, alright?" I said to Mathias.

He bowed his head and then replied, "I will wait here like what you ordered, Madame."

"Thank you so much!"

Mia also thanked Mathias before we headed towards the ship.

This was actually the first time I'd been on a yacht, and I must admit that I couldn't hide my excitement. It was like a dream come true. The yacht was colored white; it was enormous, and it towered among all the other regular yachts resting at the port. I bet it could accommodate up to a hundred people as it had a second floor and a view deck. I couldn't help but wonder how much this yacht cost. It seemed to me that Charles spent a lot of millions just for this.

Mia clung to my arm with her hand. "Reese, I'm so nervous. You see, I'm not really socially friendly. What if I ruin your plan?"

I looked at her and saw how her eyes roamed around the port as we walked to the boarding area. I offered her a sincere smile and held her hand to assure her that everything would turn out fine.

"Don't overthink it, Mia. Just be yourself and let the other people see how kind and friendly you are. I'll be with you, so don't be so tense. We will have fun!" I said, trying to cheer her up.

She let out a sigh and gave me a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Reese. I owe you."

"Don't mention it. You're my new friend, and I always help my friends..."

She giggled and leaned her head on my shoulders.

We continued to walk until we reached the crowd lining up to board the yacht. I noticed some familiar faces. It appeared that Charles had invited our classmates too. These ladies and gentlemen wore elegant clothes, stunning jewelry, and brought some luxurious items with them. This was, indeed, a real party for the elite of the elite.

I couldn't help but think about my plan. The only reason I wanted to attend the party was to teach Charles a lesson; to make him realize that Mia was a beautiful woman inside and out; and to see her as a lady who was worth the time and attention of others. Aside from that, I wanted to help Mia gain confidence in front of the crowd, build connections, and be socially friendly.

As long as my plan works, it would make me happy and satisfied. I guess it would be worth the lies I told Chase... I also thought that I would probably bump into some great business owners here and learn a thing or two from them.

"Good day, Mrs. Maxwell," a young man in his early twenties said, dressed sharply in a suit and with neatly combed hair. "Please allow me to escort both of you to the ship."

Mia and I both looked at each other and then nodded. We followed the man, and he guided us to the boarding ladder that would transport us to the ship.

The ladder was a bit swaying. Luckily, the man held us carefully to ensure that we wouldn't fall and set our feet on the ship properly.

My mouth dropped open as I was greeted by what seemed like a high-end bar. I could smell the luxurious aromas of liquor, food, and desserts, as well as the large crowd of people who each had their own place in this elite society.

The entire deck exuded elegance and wealth...

"Wow!" Mia exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know Charles invited a lot of people in here."

"That only gives us an idea of how large his connections are," I commented, a little bit satisfied with all the great things I saw before my eyes. "Let's find a place to settle in."

I held Mia's hand and we approached the center of the deck. The cold and salty breeze embraced my skin, which gave me another satisfying feeling. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the day, even though the party hadn't started yet.

Loud music could be heard in the place, making some of the guests dance in their elegant dresses and suits, and I couldn't hide how great it was to watch them enjoy themselves. Some of the guests even greeted us warmly. I got engaged with a few words and exchanged compliments.

"Goodness! You must be Reese Jones, Chase Maxwell's wife. Am I correct?" One of the ladies asked me as she approached me and Mia.

She offered us a sweet smile. The lady was so stunning, I had to say. She was wearing a black, revealing dress with a diamond necklace and earrings. She looked very rich, yet her expression told me that she was a down-to-earth woman.

"Hi, yeah! My name is Reese Jones-Maxwell, Chase's wife," I said as I introduced myself. "And this is my friend, Mia Brown."

She extended her hand and shook hands with me and Mia.

"It's nice to see you here! My name is Ellie Steward, one of the owners of a luxury bag, the Davis," she introduced herself.

"Oh! It's nice meeting you, Ellie!" I said, astounded.

I recognized the brand of bag she mentioned because Lara had introduced me to it when I was still a bar dancer. We bought imitations of it from the black market before.

"My gosh! I love the bags you released! I'm so happy to meet you here, Ellie. I hope I can invite you for dinner at our house sometime. I will be glad to cook delicious food for you!" I said, seemingly excited to see her and hoping that I could get to know her and perhaps get a free bag!

She smiled at me and handed me her calling card. "I'd love to get to know you, Mrs. Maxwell. Please contact me whenever you have that time for dinner. I'll go ahead for now. It's nice to meet the both of you again!"

My gaze followed her when she walked past us and approached a group of people near the railings. I squeezed Mia's hand out of excitement. I didn't expect to see one of the owners of one of my most favorite brands here!

Who else was here, anyway? This place was filled with wealthy people!

"You're so lucky to be approached by a known person, Reese!" Mia commented.

"I actually didn't know her, but I love Davis, so I was surprised that she approached us!"

We both giggled. I put the calling card inside my purse. We roamed around and continued to blend into the crowd. On the upper deck, I saw the DJ playing upbeat music. We reached the open bar. My eyes couldn't help but glance at those handsome bartenders serving drinks.

But of course, Chase was still the most handsome man I'd ever seen, in my opinion.

"Mia, let's get some drinks to warm ourselves up!" I told her, but when I looked at her, it seemed that her shyness had taken over.

"Reese..." She was tugging my arm slightly.

"Mia, what's going on with you?" Are you okay?" My forehead creased.

I tried to suppress my laughter as her confidence vanished in an instance now that we were here at the bar counter. I was about to soothe her when someone approached us. I mean her...

"Hi there! It's my first time seeing such a pretty face here. May I know your name?" It was a question from a tall guy with blue eyes, a perfectly sculpted face, and he had a great smile as well. He was looking straight at Mia.

I glanced at Mia, who seemed a bit stunned.

"Hey, he's asking you," I said, nudging her.

That was the only time she came back to her senses. She blinked several times before she spoke, "T-Thanks for the compliment. My name is Hailey Mia Brown. You can call me Mia."

The handsome guy initiated a move. I was shocked when he reached for Mia's hand and guided it all the way to his lips and kissed it.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Mia. My name is Joshua Peterson," he said, then gave her a warm smile.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It looked like Mia finally got some attention from a guy! I bit my lower lip as an idea popped in my mind.

"You know what? Let me give you guys some alone time. My mouth is getting a bit dry. I will just get some drinks," I said to both of them, then I winked Mia. That made her frown.

"Reese, don't leave me here!" she whispered, but I acted as if I didn't hear her words clearly, then just went straight to the open bar to get some drinks.

I sat on the barstool, then asked the bartender for a glass of margarita.

"Here's your drink, Miss." One of the bartenders just gave me my drink.

I took a deep breath and, for a brief moment, I hoped Lara was with me to enjoy this open bar. She hadn't gotten into this kind of party, and I was sure that she'd love it since she was born a party goer. That thought made me smile. Now, I miss that devil.

As I savored my drink, the upbeat music went loud. The crowd started to gather at the center of the deck, and danced as if this was going to be the last day of their life.

"Looks like people are getting all warmed up," I said to myself, and I shifted my position to watch them.

There was this girl who began dancing wild on their mini stage. The crowd cheered for her and I was impressed with her dance moves. Another group joined her and my eyes widened when I realized that they looked very familiar.

"Damn it. They are the choreographers at the bar I used to work at..."

They dressed nicely though, so even if they were dancing seductively, there was still class in it. The rich people really like to be entertained, especially these rich dudes giving tips to the dancers. Their glossy sexy outfits were really eye-catching. I couldn't help but take pictures of them, then I sent it to Lara.

I then looked around and noticed that there was a staircase leading to the ship's second deck. I walked towards it and went upstairs. There was a big pool that had girls wearing only swimsuits.

"Wow! I wish I had brought my swimsuit!" said by the familiar voice.

I looked at my back and saw Mia. My forehead immediately creased at the sight of her.

"Hey, why are you here? You're supposed to mingle with Joshua!"

She winced and shook her head. "Yeah, I know that's what you wanted. That's why you left me with him!"

"Yeah! He looks nice, not to add that he's too handsome and he noticed you!"

"I know that, but we're here for me to have the courage to be noticed by Charles, right? I want to focus on our plan, so I told him I'm going to find you."

I tapped her shoulders. "It's not just about you being noticed by Charles, but take a look around you. I can sense some cute men staring at us, and it's not because of me. You see, they're interested in knowing you more. Listen to me, Mia, build your confidence by speaking more to these men. I believe there's no harm in just having a conversation with them. If they become flirty, just call me and I smack their face!"

"Alright, alright!" she said and chuckled a bit.

I asked the bartender for some drinks. "One Cosmo, please!"

"You know that I don't drink!" she said, grasping my hand. The bartender gave it to us and forwarded it to Mia.

"Come on, just one sip!"

She offered me a glare but gave in thereafter. We didn't realize how many drinks I had. I just found myself sexy dancing on stage and I came back to my senses when people were cheering for me.

"Go, Reese!"

"Oh my gosh, why am I here on the stage?"

I then saw Mia grabbing my hand and saying, "Silly, what are you doing up there?" she said, pulling me down.

"I'm sorry. What just happened?" I asked.

One of the guys approached me and said, "I had no idea you were such a great dancer, Reese! I love it!"

I just turned around and didn't listen to him anymore as my head was starting to throb.

"Reese, stop drinking! You're already drunk!" Mia yelled at me and grabbed the red cup from my hand.

"How am I supposed to be drunk with that drink?"

There was a sudden spike of energy that went through my body and made me want to dance. When the music switched to electronic, all the people started dancing.

I felt someone was touching my behind.

"What the hell?!" I yelled, but I couldn't help but start dancing when the disco lights kicked in.

I no longer saw Mia when the crowd was packed. I was then handed a drink.

"Come on, Reese, drink some more," a lady said to me.

I shook my head. "I can no longer drink. I'm not supposed to be drunk. I'll need to go back to the port by twelve!"

I was shocked when someone embraced me from behind. I gasped and tried to walk away, but it was such a tight crowd. I pushed myself to go out of this crowd and I nudged my elbow at that person that was groping me.

"Get off me, you piece of shit," I said, then I stumbled to the floor.

All I could see from here was people dancing on their feet. I then saw girls kissing other girls, and guys kissing other guys, and then some men kissing girls half-naked.

"What the fuck, is this an orgy party?"