Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Chapter 234: For Old Times' Sake

Katherine sucked in air when she entered the huge hall that was filled with more than two hundred guests whom she didn't know personally. The room was grand and luxurious, it made her feel both out of place yet familiar at the same time. 

The small smile on her face masked the butterflies in her stomach. She looked absolutely stunning as she walked through the red carpet with her grandfather next to her.

She didn't do anything outrageous with her hair, styling it with light and huge curls on the sides and allowing it to fall on her shoulders and back naturally her chestnut brown hair was gorgeous under the sparkling chandeliers.

Her eyes scanned the room while convincing herself that she was only trying to check the surroundings and not searching for a tall, handsome, and delicious-looking man among the crowd. There were quite a few head-turners but she had not spotted the man she anticipated yet was afraid to see.

"Falcon, what's your status?" Styles's voice came through the earpiece, snapping Katherine out of her trance.

"No signs of movement on the south," Falcon replied.

Chairman Young led Katherine up the stage and addressed the crowd below him. He gave a speech about the importance of family before informing the guests that an official article will be released in an hour regarding what happened to his granddaughter which Katherine had prepared beforehand and will be published through the same online news journal that released the announcement from before.

It was exactly as they had planned, not allowing the hungry media to write as they please or the first scoop and taking control of what would be out there for her enemies to see.

There were rumors going around - speculations of what happened to her but nothing that might ruin their plans.

There were only three of them in the team but Katherine didn't treat their number as a weakness. One of the things she learned throughout the years was Sun Tzu's war strategies, and one of it was: "It's more important to outthink your enemy than to outfight him."

Chairman Young passed the microphone to her and even if she was nervous, it didn't show. Just like what she did outside the hotel, she kept her words short and natural and mostly said her words of thanks to the guests for coming to the banquet and for the people who made the party happen.

The crowd gave her a round of applause when she finished speaking, their minds already running their gears thinking how to suck up to Chairman Young's granddaughter. They rarely see Chairman Young being so active like this and because of that, it made them realize how much he valued his granddaughter.

As soon as they descended down the stairs, Deborah Young greeted Katherine with a suffocating embrace. "Oh, you look so beautiful, Katherine," she said.

"Thank you" Katherine replied meekly. For the times that she had faced her aunt, she had this weird feeling that she had to be cautious of Deborah. She remembered that she was never close to her even when she was young as she only saw her during special occasions in the Young Mansion. And because she was just a child, she never really bothered with it.

Ever since she came back, Deborah had been treating her nicely and she returned just the same treatment.

"Darling, Caroline" Deborah gestured for her daughter to come closer who had a smug expression on her face when she brazenly looked at Katherine from head to toe. 

Seeing the expression on her cousin's face, Katherine ignored it and gave her a charming smile, looking so innocent as the two of them greeted with an air-kiss. "You look nice, Caroline," she said.

"Hmmm. As always." Caroline shrugged and when she saw her mother gave her a look, she returned the compliment, "You too, Katherine. You look intense."

This was the second time that Katherine met Caroline after she came back to meet her grandfather at the Young Mansion. They hadn't exchanged a lot of words but Katherine didn't mind, she had a feeling that Caroline didn't like her the feeling might be mutual. 

Who could blame her? Caroline looked like one of those bratty rich kids who had never worked in their lives and everything had been handed over on a silver platter.

Katherine resisted the urge to squeeze her cousin too tightly so she stepped back just as soon as they hugged.

"Katherine Sweetie, there are some people that I'd like you to meet in a bit, so don't you go too far, okay?" Deborah smiled ever so warmly, touching Katherine's arm.

"I won't," Katherine nodded, receiving the glass of champagne that her grandfather gave her.

There were a few business partners who came by to greet Chairman Young and Katherine was introduced to them one by one. She put on her best smile and talked to them as politely as she could while making a mental note of their names and faces, she knew that she was going to meet them again in the future.

She played her part so well and for a short period of time, she had forgotten that she had to keep herself alert until one of her grandfather's business partners asked about her connection with the CEO and Chairman of Crown Resort Group, Damien Park.

Despite the uneasiness, Katherine managed to smile and kept her answers short and simple, not wanting to say more than what she should say.

And because of the current topic, she had the urge to escape the conversation. All of a sudden, she heard Falcon and Styles's voices through her comms.

"I got a visual," Falcon's voice was stern followed by Styles's muttering, "Uh-oh. I'm so sorry Queen, he just appeared out of nowhere. Don't turn. He's right behind you."

Katherine straightened her back instantly. Styles's warning didn't help her to calm down at all. What was up with 'Don't turn. He's right behind you'? Now all she wanted was to turn around and see but she couldn't, so she could only stand frozen like an idiot.

A warm, large hand tentatively touched her arm, making her slightly turn to the side. The touch made her heart drum so wildly, she was thankful that the music playing in the background was loud enough to mask it.

Turning around slowly, she came face to face with the man she expected to see that night. How bold of him to just approach her like this in a room full of people who were watching her every move?

Katherine didn't say anything and just stared at him. For some reason, it was like they knew what the other was thinking.

Those blue eyes staring back at her gave her so many mixed emotions. She tried to maintain a poker face as she looked at him and she prayed that her feelings didn't betray her expression. She couldn't let him see through her.

"Katherine, who is this young man?" Chairman Young turned to face the two, wondering how his granddaughter knew him.

Before Katherine could say anything, Chris had already beat her to it. He formed a charming smile on his face and extended his hand to the old man saying, "Good evening, Chairman. I'm Christopher Curtis. I was Ms. Katherine's mentor. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh! Likewise. It's nice of you to come here." Chairman Young received the handshake and returned a noble smile.

Katherine was still speechless as she watched the two exchange pleasantries. Chris looked so sharp in his tux. He was already in his mid-thirties yet he still looked athletic just like he used to. The short scruffy beard made him look even manlier.

"May I have this dance, Ms. Katherine?" He had his palm out to her.

Katherine looked at his waiting hand, trying to figure out what he was planning. They were in the middle of the party. Was he really asking her to dance with her? Was he going to kill her on the dance floor?

Sensing her hesitation, he smirked and tilted his head. "For old times' sake?"

Swallowing the huge lump in her throat, Katherine placed her hand in his and allowed him to drag her towards the dance floor. 

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