"Oh, thank you, Charles." Mrs. Davidson said as she took the medium-sized cardboard box.
The man nodded his head and placed a small bell on the glass counter. "Please check and see if everything is as you wanted it. I'll be in the back preparing the bill. You can ring the bell when you're done."
With those words, he left the counter, heading for a small door. Auralia stared at Mrs. Davidson, curious about what was going on.
As soon as he left, Mrs. Davidson opened the box and handed Auralia a few small velvet boxes. "See if you like these."
"I…"
Auralia felt at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say, completely confused at what was going on. Mrs. Davidson, seeing this, sighed and stopped looking through the cardboard box.
"As my granddaughter you'll need some proper jewelry. Otherwise people are going to look down on you and think you're faking it."
"Still this is a bit much." Auralia opened some of the boxes and looked at the large gems used. "This is enough to buy an apartment in the downtown area."
Mrs. Davidson rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about the money. This is pocket change to me. Besides, the jewels are an investment for me."
"…"
Auralia still felt unconvinced about it. Mrs. Davidson was doing way too much for an arrangement that was fake and only meant to last a year.
"Look, we'll just say that what you're going to use is on loan from me. You'll use it until your contract with Maria ends." Mrs. Davidson finally said.
"Alright…" Auralia gave in to the older woman, knowing this was the most she was going to compromise. "We'll do that."
"Good. Now see if they fit. I want to make sure they look good on you." Mrs. Davidson smiled as she handed Auralia a pair of emerald earrings.
***
After another two hours of mostly window shopping, Auralia and Mrs. Davidson finally returned to the black sedan. They made their way back to the mansion where Mrs. Davidson helped Auralia pick out her outfit for her "debut" into high society.
The two had decided to go with a long strapless purple gown that hugged her figure and black pumps, Auralia not yet comfortable with high heels. Mrs. Davidson meanwhile wore an elegant, blue gown with a matching shawl.
As the sun was setting over the city, Auralia found herself at The Pink Lotus, the only six star hotel in the city. She had only even seen the hotel in passing or photos and was amazed at how much better looking it was in real life.
The entrance had a red carpet where guests walked across, the press snatching pictures of famous celebrities. Auralia was nervous about having her picture in the media, but Mrs. Davidson had reassured her that Maria would make sure there were no pictures of her.
Besides, they were more worried about the celebrities at the movie premiere than they were about some old socialite's granddaughter.
Inside the hotel was just as grand inside as it was outside, wealth pouring out of every corner of the building. Auralia soon found herself among the rich and famous, being introduced to various people she would have never thought of meeting.
It was a dizzying experience and after a few minutes, Auralia excused herself from the venue. She needed to get some air to calm herself down.
As she made her way to the balcony, she grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter for extra strength. A few people greeted her, but most chose to ignore her as she walked past them.
When she got to the balcony, the sun was long gone and a gentle breeze had filled the night, making it a little cold. However, Auralia liked the peacefulness of the balcony watching as the trees lightly swayed in rhythm.
It was much different from inside the ballroom where chaos seemed to rule. Within a few moments, Auralia had calmed down and was slowly sipping on her champagne, enjoying the peaceful scenery of the garden in front of her.
Suddenly, Auralia heard the door of the balcony swing open and turned to see who it was. At the doorway stood a man in a black suit, similar to the ones the waiters wore.
"Are you Miss Davidson?" The brown haired man asked.
"Yes…"
"Mrs. Davidson is looking for you. She asked me to come find you."
"Alright, let's go."
The man nodded and stepped to the side, allowing for Auralia to walk back inside the hotel. The two then made their way back to the ballroom where the movie reception was being held.
There Auralia spotted Mrs. Davidson talking to a woman who seemed to be in her thirties. She handed the waiter her glass and walked up to the two women.
Mrs. Davidson smiled upon seeing her. "Auralia, just in time. I want you to meet someone."
Auralia looked at the woman with long black hair and honey brown eyes. She was slightly bigger than most of the model-like women in the ballroom but she had curves in all the right places, her black gown highlighting those features.
"Hello there." The woman stuck out a hand. "My name's Grace Terra."
Auralia shook the older woman's hand. "Nice to meet you. The name's Auralia Davidson."
"So, this is the granddaughter you've been telling me about." Grace raised an eyebrow and looked at Mrs. Davidson curiously.
"Yes, this is my granddaughter." Mrs. Davidson turned to look at Auralia. "Grace owns the company that does all the I.T. work for the hospitals."
Auralia nodded her head in understanding. During her lessons with Mrs. Davidson, the older woman had told her that alongside the construction company her eldest son ran, she owned a few private hospitals under the Davidson Family.
She mostly left the running of the hospitals to the directors of each hospital, acting more like a shareholder. Additionally, the family had some money in various companies, most within the medical field.
Suddenly someone called out Grave's name and Auralia looked to see a man with striking green eyes appear. He immediately curled an arm around Grace's waist, leaning into her until there was no gap between them.
"Mrs. Davidson, you don't mind me stealing Grace from you." The man looked at the older woman, eyes glowing darkly, an intense aura coming from him.
Auralia instantly found herself moving closer to Mrs. Davidson, feeling a need to protect her from the mysterious man. The man gave off predator vibes as if he was ready to pounce. The man, noticing what she was doing, smirked.
"Of course." Mrs. Davidson suddenly said as she smiled, breaking the tension in the air.
The man nodded his head in thanks before walking off with Grace. Auralia watched in shock as the man's personality did a complete 180 as the two disappeared.
She watched as Grace scolded him, acting as if he was a puppy who had chewed a shoe. The man took the scolding, even trying to butter her up. It was weird watching him go from predator to mischievous child in a matter of seconds.
"Interesting couple, aren't they?" Mrs. Davidson exclaimed unexpectedly, breaking Auralia away from her thoughts.
"They are… Who's the man?" Auralia turned away to look at Mrs. Davidson.
"Daniel Princeton."
Auralia's eyes widened as she recognized the name. "You mean the chairman of RT Tech, Daniel Princeton?!"
"The one and only." Mrs. Davidson smirked. "Would you believe that Grace's company was giving him a run for his money three years ago. Still does in fact."
Auralia frowned, not able to wrap her head around the last comment. How did two business rivals land up together? It just wasn't adding up.
"The look on your face is how everyone felt when the two announced their marriage. No one could believe that they were in love. Some even thought the marriage was Princeton's way of getting rid of competition as Grace was taking no money."
"So what happened?" Auralia asked curiously.
"Let's just say a little bundle of joy ended all that." Mrs. Davidson paused for a second. "Looks like the film is going to start. I guess we should go to our seats."
"Alright…" Auralia sighed in disappointment, wanting to know more about the couple.
Their story would be far more interesting than any movie right now.