Rule #15: Never go to a party without some kind of weapon, preferably a dagger strapped to your waist...
Maybe hitting his head was the answer because Lilac and Asher were finally able to finish up the final design. Brandon was more than shocked when they showed him the final design.
"I thought we'd have to wait for 3 more months before you guys would be done."
"Well, we decided to put our differences aside and finish this." Lilac said, plastering a fake smile in Asher's direction. He smiled back at her with an equally fake smile.
"I'm going then." She grabbed her bag, heading to the door.
"Wait!" Brandon called after her, following her outside. "I was wondering if you want to..."
"No, right now I want to go home. Take a shower and sleep. So no, Brandon, I don't want to go do anything." Weary, she said.
"All right, so would you like to accompany me to the Sapphire Rose Jewelry Launch Party?"
She sneered, "Shouldn't you be inviting your fiancée to such?" She watched with glee as his face went pale. "Of course I know about your fiancée; anyways, my answer to that would be a no. I'd rather attend on my own, thank you."
With that, she walked away.
"Brother, what are you trying to get from her?" Asher, who saw the whole thing, asked.
"You won't get it." Brandon turned to look at him
"I don't think you should be interacting with her that much; firstly, she's a suspicious person. Secondly, you have a fiancée. It's not good to have questionable relationships with others."
Brandon chuckled. "Look at you all grown up." He ruffled his hair and pushed his wheelchair back into the office. "Keira and I have an understanding."
"What kind of understanding?"
"You don't need to care about that. What happened to your forehead?"
Instinctively Asher raised his hand to the band-aid covering his wound. "I accidentally hit my forehead."
"Really?" Brandon raised his eyebrow, not believing him.
"Trust me. We should go and prepare for both the launch party and the jewelry. I'll discuss with the design team and the others. They should be able to finish the first product in 2 weeks, and then we can have the launch party 4 days after? What do you think?"
"Yeah, we can do that." Brandon smiled indulgently.
⋆·˚ ༘ *
After taking a nap, Lilac made a call to Emily to update her about the progress.
"When did you start getting involved in the design project? You were just meant to take a look at it and let them handle it." Emily said, a little pissed.
"I'm sorry I like beautiful things." She replied sarcastically.
Rubbing her temples, Emily sighed, "It's fine, I guess, since it's already done. Just, next time, let them handle it. You can give ideas of what you want, but being involved in the whole process is just...too much."
"We'll see. Anyways, will anyone be coming for the launch?"
"Uh...no. This isn't really a huge project, so we don't get involved. You can go with Amy; she'll guide you."
"Guide me? With what? I've been going to launch parties since I was in my mother's womb." She joked, nostalgic.
She recalled holding her brother's hand and running around the hall while a servant chased after them, trying to get them back into their rooms. The feeling of being held high in her father's arms while he spoke to the guests and watching her mom on stage as she talked about her creations—her mother was the main designer for VEGA; maybe that's why Lilac had such high standards for jewelry designs.
"Lilac?! You there?!"
"Uh...yeah, yeah, just thinking of something. What did you say again?"
Already used to this, Emily repeated, "I was saying that someone could come for the auction."
After the launch, the first 5 would be auctioned; that's why the first five had to be different than the rest that would be sold at the store.
"Oh, nice."
"Are you okay? You suddenly blanked out, and you're sounding weird."
"I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine soon." Lilac quickly reassured, just like her mom, Emily was also a worrywart.
"If you say so. I have to go; a meeting is coming up soon."
"Okay. Take care."
It took about a week before Lilac got any news about the launch party. She was cooking when she got a call from Amy.
"Hi, boss!"
"What is it?" She tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder, trying to stir the sauce without burning it.
"Mr. Rowen just sent both of us invitations to the launch party."
About time. "When is it happening?"
"In about 10 days."
It was Tuesday, which means the next week Friday. Lilax quickly made the mental calculations. "Okay, thank you for informing me. You'll be my plus one."
Amy suddenly chuckled, "That sounds so suggestive."
Ignoring her, she said, "Are you free on Thursday? We could go pick up dresses."
"Are you buying me a dress? Because I don't think I can afford it." Amy teased.
"I highly doubt that. What were you planning to wear if I didn't invite you to get a dress?"
"Well, I was planning on wearing my old dress; I'm sure I have one somewhere, or I'd rent one."
"Amy, sweetie, have you never been to a launch party? It's not just a party or an auction for charity; it's a place to shine. It's a place where those bloodsucking hungry bitches are ready to sink their fangs into anybody. You have to stand out not only for your beauty but also for the way you dress."
"Wow...Emily told me you didn't know anything about these kinds of parties and that I should help you but look at you helping me."
"A thank you would suffice." She turned off the stove and carried her pot to the table. "I need to eat now; I'll talk to you later."
"Okay then, see you on Thursday." Amy hung up.
₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎
"The red and the black are both good, could you pick one please?" Lilac groans on the couch of the boutique.
"Can you give me a moment?! I have to be sure i look my best." Amy says holding up the dresses to her body.
It was Thursday and they were shopping for dresses which Lilac regrets more than anything. She promised to buy Amy a dress, which she regrets too she never knew Amy was such a shopaholic. Lilac was able to pick a dress in less than a hour but Amy had been going on for 4 good hours and still couldn't decide when it was the SAME DAMN DESIGN!
"The theme is fiery desire so go with the red."
"Hmm...i like the red too." Amy nods thoughtfully.
"Great! Please help us pack this up. Thank you." Lilac addressed the shop assistant quickly.
"If it's fiery desire then why'd you pick a gray dress?"
She could have said the truth, I'm expected to walk in either wearing red or black but I'm Lilac fucking Callen and i'd play the part. The attention, the looks, the awe will all be on her. but all she says is "Because I want to."
"I see." Amy nods, her face not showing if she believes her or not.