Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 67: Making an Entrance

Watching the outfit come together under the hands of Bea and Stiff was magic. Bea used her makeup and hair skills to transform me into a star. The smoky eyes were picture-perfect. The kissing curls at my temples were sleek and sexy.

Stiff fastened the choker around my neck. "I want to hate this piece since King purchased it for you, but I can’t. It is perfect—almost as if it were made for you just for this night."

He then pulled out diamond earrings and slipped them in the holes in my ears. They dangled almost to my shoulders, complementing the choker’s aesthetic. What I wasn’t expecting was when he pulled out a pair of matching wide-cuff bracelets and latched them to my wrists.

Stiff added rings to my fingers and asked, "How do you feel about a nose ring?"

"I think it’s a little late to discuss a new piercing."

"This one doesn’t require a piercing."

He handed me a Celtic flame nose ring and explained how to put it on.

I tried it and tilted my head from side to side. It was unique. It suited the persona we had created. I wanted a picture because I never saw myself looking this exotic ever again.

I pulled out my phone for a selfie, but Stiff took it from me and held a mini photo shoot while Bea spritzed me with perfume. Then she placed the fedora on my head, tilting it down until I could barely see.

I was music-video ready.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked my friends.

Bea said, "You are my greatest work of art. I want to dress you this way every day."

Stiff said, "I want to throw you over my shoulder and take you to the bedroom."

Bea said, "You want to take her to your bedroom every day."

Stiff said, "Fair point, but this time, I want to play slave and master, and Teela can be the master all day, every day. Teela, you are a knockout."

I ignored Stiff and said, "Bea, you look terrific too."

She did. Bea wore a curve-hugging cyber grape gown with a mermaid skirt. She wore her hair in loose curls which she highlighted with a glitter shimmer.

Together, we looked like a power couple.

"Ready to go," I asked.

Bea smiled. "Hell, yes! Let’s do this."

Stiff said, "I wish I could go."

"No, you need to stay undercover for now. I have plans for you," Bea said.

"I know, I know. And I’ve made plans, so you ladies have fun. Call, though, if you need me."

"We will, Dad," Bea said as she took my arm and escorted me to the limo.

The auction was held in the Royal Elite Hotel. The place was so upscale that I was surprised they didn’t charge an entry fee just to walk across the lobby.

Our invitations secured us a table in the center of the room near the stage.

Whoever, and I’m assuming it was Anya since she was the chairperson of the event, decided on the table décor should go back to school to learn the basics about table settings. The centerpieces, while beautiful and statuesque, blocked the view of the stage as well as the tablemates.

Everywhere I looked, people were leaning to see around the massive pieces so they could hold discussions and view the who’s who among the attendees.

Bea, never one to be undone by stupidity, immediately flagged down a server and had the centerpiece removed from the table. Mimicking dominos falling, as soon as people at the other tables saw our centerpiece carried away, they, too, placed an order for the removal of the monstrosities from their tables.

I sat back and sipped on a flute of champagne. That was better. Now, the banquet hall was an open space where we could scope out our prey. And there was Lettie, sitting at a long table I assumed was reserved for the elites who sponsored the charity event. Her position was dead center of the table of a dozen sponsors. The position of honor.

To her left, Anya and Joshua were locked in a serious conversation that bordered on what looked like an argument. To her right, Maylean was engrossed in eating appetizers while the chair next to her was empty. I was willing to bet that chair belonged to Daniel. We’d hoped he would be here, but now it appeared he was otherwise occupied.

I’d give him a few minutes to show up in the event he was running late or in the restroom. I really, really wanted him to be here and not out with his bully boys.

"Bea, help me watch for Daniel."

"I’m on it."

The moment Anya spotted me, I felt it. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and a chill went down my spine.

"I’m hot. Are you hot?" I asked Bea as I removed my jacket while casually scoping out Anya. She was staring at me as if I was a puzzle piece that didn’t fit into the puzzle she was currently working on. If I had to guess, she wasn’t sure who I was yet, but she sensed she should know.

The jacket off, I stood to drape it over the back of my chair, but a middle-aged gentleman with a sapphire-studded tie clip took the jacket from me.

"Allow me," he said. "I’m Alejandro, and you are?"

"Thankful."

"But your name?"

Bea ran a hand down my arm. "She’s taken, Alejandro. Scurry back to whatever hole you came out of."

Alejandro gave us a slight bow, "My apologies."

Bea said, "I told you that you’re stunning."

"It was only one guy, Bea. That doesn’t make me a jaw-dropper."

No sooner had I said that before a man I recognized from the movies brought me a cocktail and sat it in front of me. "Hello, beautiful. I’m Fabio. May I join you?"

I smiled and put an arm around Bea, "Hello, Fabio, my sweetie, and I booked the entire table for a little privacy." I looked around where most of the tables were filled, and the stage lights had come on. "Such as it is at an event like this."

As he walked away, I eased my grip on Bea. The drink he left looked interesting. "To drink or not to drink."

"At an event like this, I’m guessing it’s safe, but the rule of thumb is if you don’t know the gift giver and you didn’t see the bartender pour it, pass."

"True, but I’m curious."

"Let’s take a picture of it. Ben owns a bar. He should be able to make us one or have one of his people do it."

"Good idea."

I scanned the room for Daniel one more time. "There he is."

I nodded my head to where Daniel was standing in the back of the room, talking to a man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Good."

Anya walked on stage on Joshua’s arm. She made a speech that went on way too long about the charity. I deemed it a long night when they pulled up a PowerPoint on the screen behind the podium. The screen depicted big-eyed children sharing a meal out of a single pot. Their faces were dirty, and they looked like someone had killed their puppy.

But what bothered me the most was one of the kids looked a lot like Davon. What the heck? What did the missing boy have to do with a charity devoted to helping starving children around the world?

"Bea, isn’t that Jake’s boy?"

"OMG, I think you’re right. So does that mean Anya is part of this operation?"

"I wouldn’t put it past her, but why use missing kids in a presentation? Aren’t there enough truly unfortunate kids out there who wouldn’t be identified by anyone? Some of these trafficked kids are on the back of milk cartons."

"I don’t know, Teela. At this point, we don’t even know for sure if that is Davon."

I took a picture on the down low. I wanted to send it to Jake immediately, but he had more important activities slated for tonight, and time wasn’t essential in this instance. I had no idea when that photo was taken or by whom. Without that knowledge, I would be upsetting Jake for no pressing reason.

By the time the presentation ended, the server had plied me with two more champagne flutes. Bea had given up pretending to listen and was playing on her phone. I was toying with the idea of slipping off my shoes and putting my feet up on her lap. She gave the best foot massages.

Lettie must have felt the same way. She was talking to a gray-haired lady who had taken Anya’s place at the long table. From time to time, the ladies laughed loud enough to be heard halfway across the room to where my table was.

Then Anya shifted topics from how the charitable donations helped to how the auction worked. It didn’t escape my notice that she’d failed to mention how much of the donations were directly spent on the kids and how much covered administrative costs, like statuesque centerpieces, upscale hotel banquet halls, and the salaries for the board of directors and the staff.

And then the first of the city’s most eligible bachelors walked on stage and the auction began.