BloodStar

Chapter 7: Gala

After cleaning up the bare minimum to remove the prisoner’s blood from her own face, Xenia exited the meeting room. She rang for one of her loyal servants and ordered him, “There is freshly harvested meat and a wine glass full of blood. Please prepare the meat and transfer the wine to a more suitable glass. Then have it brought to me for dinner at the gala.”

The loyal servant nodded and said, “It will be done General Xenia.” He paused before executing her orders and said, “To confirm. You wish this meal to be served in public at the gala?”

She smiled and said, “Yes. Call me to my dinner table when it is ready.”

Before the servant could respond, she hurried off to change for the impending gala. Her black leather outfit still remained covered in blood as she made her way to her room. She carefully removed her bloody leather outfit before taking a quick shower.

She then donned a beautiful, long, formal yellow dress and let her glistening and lustrous black hair down behind her.

She readied herself at a record’s pace, and she made her way down to the red-carpet welcome at the hotel’s elaborate entrance. The circle drive was packed full of Rolls Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, and other luxury cars as members of all types of high society arrived.

There were Hollywood Stars, Wall Street Bankers, Politicians, Music Artists, and more. They had traveled from all over the country to meet the lovely Princess BloodStar in person.

Xenia served as a gracious host as she stood on the red carpet prepared to greet every guest as they arrived. The first guest to arrive was a famous Hollywood Star. She approached the star and exclaimed, “What an honor to meet you in person! I have seen all of your movies! Every single one. So happy to have you here tonight.”

The Hollywood Star gleamed with excitement, “I wouldn’t dare miss a chance to meet the lovely Princess BloodStar in person!”

This personalized meet and greet continued for half an hour until a black limousine with deeply tinted windows arrived as a last straggler. Senator Arthur Davis alighted from the vehicle and straightened his suit jacket.

He then spotted Princess BloodStar from afar and gave her a big smile and wave as he approached.

She excitedly ran over to meet him halfway and said, “Senator Davis! I am so happy you could make it. You are the first and likely only Senator to grace me with his or her presence tonight, and I am quite thankful.”

Senator Davis responded, “I wouldn’t miss this event for the world. And please… call me Arthur.”

She looped her arm through his as they walked in to the hotel together. Once they entered, she said, “I must attend to my duties as host of the party; however, please do find me later. I would hate to miss such a perfect opportunity to discuss a few matters with you.”

He smiled and said, “Please take care of your guests. I will find you once you catch a break.”

She gave him a satisfied look and said, “Please do. Until then.” She then disappeared into the party as patrons of her fought for the chance to make talk with her as she snaked through the crowd mingling as she went.

Before long, she made her way up to the stage and took the microphone. She tapped it to ensure it was working and then began, “Welcome everyone! It is quite the honor to have such an illustrious crowd of America’s greatest all in the same room. Your support on my first trip to your country means more than you know.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her servant prepping her freshly made meal at the head of one of the long tables. She continued, “Now, I won’t take up too much of your time because I have expended quite a lot of energy today healing and dodging assassins…”

The crowd laughed along with her. She continued, “…And I have had but a small bite of food here and there. So, as I see my staff setting my succulent steak at the table, I think I shall make this short for all of ours sake.”

The crowd laughed once more as she delivered every line with charm and charisma. She smiled and continued, “Now I know many of you traveled far and wide to make it here tonight. As a token of my appreciation, I am happy to match every donation made here tonight to a charity of your choosing. Don’t go on easy on me now. I am the heir of the BloodStar Empire, a royal member of a very powerful Empire. There will be no limit on the match for tonight!”

The crowd roared into applause as guests turned to one another in disbelief, “What a truly heartfelt gift. This is a great opportunity to make sizable donations to help out our favorite charities.”

She then left the stage beaming with joy and took a seat at the head of her long table. She sat down and quietly said to herself, “Finally! I can sit down to a delicious meal.”

Senator Davis took the opportunity to sit aside her as she began to eat. He said, “Would you mind if I kept you company while you have your first real meal of the day?”

She slowly chewed her first bite of steak and enjoyed every second of it. She was in no rush to answer Senator Davis’s question. Once she was done savoring the proper flavor of meat, she said, “Arthur, of course, please sit. Have a bit of steak if you wish.”

She prepared him a bite on her fork and handed it to him. He took it as to not be rude, and he started chewing. He couldn’t believe how tender and flavorful the meat was. After his first bite, he said, “Wow! The hotel prepared that?”

She took a sip of a deep crimson red wine and said, “Oh no. My staff prepared this. It’s my favorite dish, and they know how to cook it so well. Just excellent.”

She gracefully cut another bite and prepared it on her fork and said, “Care for another taste?”

He couldn’t say no and gladly accepted. Every chew flooded his tongue with exquisite flavor. After finishing another bite, she said, “And don’t miss the wine pairing.”

She handed him the wine glass and he gladly took a sip. He wasn’t as enthused by the wine. He choked slightly and said, “Very. Very strong. Mineral flavor. A very earthy wine you have there.”

She laughed and said, “Yes, I like my wines to be rich in iron.”

As he recovered, he said, “Yes, I suppose the soil that grew in must have been mineral rich. Goodness.”

She nodded, “I better hold on to this drink it seems.” The two laughed together and conversed as she finished the rest of her meal. She then politely said, “You aren’t in a hurry tonight, are you? I’m afraid we haven’t had much time to discuss proper business. I can see you privately after the party if you please?”

He stood from the table and pulled her chair back to help her stand as well as he said, “Not at all. I will meet you back here as the gala winds down.

She raised her glass and said, “Then I shall see you then Arthur.”

Xenia was the lifeblood of the party as she entertained and won over every single guest present. After several hours she reappeared on the stage, and made an announcement, “As the night draws to a close, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for the absolute pleasure I’ve had tonight.”

She then cued up a presentation that was projected on a screen behind her. She looked back at the screen and said, “And here are tonight’s total charitable donations. The grand sum comes in at… just over $110 million! What generous people you all are! And you certainly pulled no punches!”

She reached for her checkbook and said, “As promised, I will match the $110 million in total spread proportionally over the charities donated to. Thank you all again for this opportunity to help others in need who are less fortunate. If you are here tonight, you have also earned my respect and friendship. Should you ever need anything, please reach out to me!”

The crowd cheered and hollered. For a Princess, she was likeable, charming, down to Earth, and simply… perfect.

As the crowd slowly waned, Princess Xenia made her way back over to the head of table and took a seat across from Senator Davis who had been patiently waiting. She swirled the last bit of her wine glass and took the final drink as she said, “Sorry to keep you waiting Arthur. I’m all yours now.”

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