"Dominic."
"Hmm?"
He raised his head to look at me. We are having dinner together at home. His chef always cooks delicious food, so we rarely go out to eat.
I took the towel and wiped the corner of his mouth.
"There's sauce on it."
He nodded and continued to enjoy the chicken breast. I fiddled with the fork, looked up at him, was about to say something, but seeing that he was concentrating on enjoying the food, I decided not to say it anymore. I don't want to spoil his appetite.
"What do you want to say?"
"Huh?"
Dominic wiped his mouth and looked at me. He's always been like that, easily guessing my thoughts from just a few of my unusual gestures.
"Ah, well... My academy is having a Christmas ball this Sunday. And each person will bring their partner to participate." I speak slowly, looking down at the plate of chicken breast and salad instead of at him.
"Uhm... And?" Dominic put his hand on his chin and looked at me, his eyes smiling.
"Can I be your partner at that Christmas ball?" I looked up at him and spoke quickly. My heart was pounding. I watched the expression on his face to guess how he was feeling.
He breathed softly at first, then he leaned forward slightly to reach for the bottle of wine, pouring it into his and my glasses. I lowered my head again, cut a small piece of chicken breast and put it in my mouth, slowly chewing.
"I was busy that day."
My heart skipped a beat, but I remained calm and nodded.
"Um, it's okay. I see you're a bit busy these days."
"But..." He interrupted me, then motioned for me to raise a glass of wine with him. "I want to be your partner. I'll be there, but it's a bit late, doesn't that bother you?"
"No, it's great." My eyes lit up and a relaxed smile appeared, and then I gathered the excitement on my face and took a sip of wine.
Seeming to see my shyness, Dominic smiled, then continued.
"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
I thought for a moment and remembered our three-month agreement. If I ask now, I'm afraid I'll ruin this sweet and romantic dinner, making our moods turn bad. So I pursed my lips for a moment, then shook my head.
"No? You haven't learned how to be greedy and take what's yours."
I think about Dominic's words, wondering what it all means. Until the Christmas ball, I still didn't have an answer for myself.
"Esther, there you are." Veronica waved at me as she watched me get out of the car. "Wait, why only you?"
Veronica peered into the car to look but seeing no one, she looked at me questioningly.
"Um, he'll be a little later. He needs to take care of business at the corporation." I smiled softly.
"Tch, did he make you wait? If I were you, I'd sulk him and get mad." Veronica crossed her arms and pouted.
Her words left me dumbfounded for a few seconds. Is this what Dominic wants from me? I am too gentle and easygoing, I am always selfless and rarely get angry, does that make him feel that I lack "greed"? I can't confirm that thought of myself, but I feel like I need a change.
"Okay, let me introduce my lover to you. Here he is, Jeffrey."
"Hi, Jeff."
"Hi, Esther."
Her boyfriend is indeed quite handsome and tall, he has black and curly hair, a mischievous smile and big round eyes. His voice is full of excitement and his attitude is also very friendly. Apparently, the first impression on Jeffrey was pretty good.
"Esther, you look familiar... I think I've seen you somewhere before." Jeffrey rubs his chin and looks at me thoughtfully, but for the moment he can't seem to remember anything.
"You must have misremembered. You and I have never met." With someone as bright and brilliant as Jeffrey, there's no way I wouldn't remember him if we had actually met.
"Really?" Jeffrey shrugged.
"Alright, let's go inside the dome hall." Veronica took her boyfriend's arm and went inside with me.
The hall was designed very grandly and beautifully, compared to the design of the Royal group's concert hall, it was even more flashy.
The floor-to-ceiling windows are tens of meters high, the silk curtains with embroidered motifs and plain colors are simple but attractive enough. The golden light from the giant chandeliers shined and illuminated every nook and cranny of the domed hall. The decorations are hung on the wall and they are blinking very cheerfully.
The orchestra plays melodious and enchanting classical chamber songs. There were quite a few people coming, they were chatting happily.
It was a ball where everyone danced, so songs would play one by one and couples who wanted to dance would walk out into the center of the hall.
The dance scene was so beautiful, everyone was in a joyful atmosphere.
Just like what Veronica said, everyone was dressed very elegantly and neatly. The ladies wore colorful ball gowns, each with a different beauty. Some are feminine and feminine, some are sexy and daring. In general, everyone is like a princess out of a fairy tale.
And the gentlemen are truly princes and kings with neat suits and shiny, glued hair.
Everyone was wearing masks, so I didn't recognize anyone. Even Veronica and Jeffrey happily joined the ball, holding hands and dancing happily.
I felt a bit lonely standing alone, so I decided to find a place to sit and rest.
At this moment, my elbow was grabbed by someone.
"Esther Joan?"
I turned around and discovered it was Garrick Harvey. Lately we often go together at the academy, although I rarely share my private affairs with him like before, we are still good friends.
Currently, Garrick and I are both S-level students, so we spend most of our time practicing together. Everyone in the academy continued to gossip about me, just like they did. They say me and Garrick are now a couple, I have taken Kaylin's place to be Garrick's perfect partner. They flattered me as the perfect person in terms of both talent and looks, and Kaylin received a completely different response. Kaylin's scandal almost ruined her reputation, even though Mrs. Ernesta tried to make people forget about it.
Sometimes, money can't buy the gossip of the public.
Apparently, Garrick didn't have a partner today, probably because Kaylin wasn't in. He looked lonely so I decided to stay with him for a while while I waited for Dominic.