It is the time of the year when all of the KeyLine employees look forward to this event. KeyLine Publishing House"s Holiday gala, a party hosted every year before Thanksgiving, to thank the staff for their hard work.Shane Ricardo, the president of the company, invites all employees together and treat them to gourmet feasts and c.o.c.ktails. Booked an exclusive ballroom for the gathering, the grand hall, located on the 30th floor, has the expansive un.o.bstructed panorama of the city. A mix of formal yet trendy was the theme of this party, thus allowing the guests to relax and have a great time.
Ladies all looked pretty in their c.o.c.ktail gowns and dresses while the men looked sharp in their dainty suits as they escorted the event with their partners. Everyone attended this gala, any name under KeyLine, is present inside this room. It is such a joyous gathering people always look forward to every year since the evening brings all departments together as a whole beneath one roof.
The ballroom glowed under the high golden chandelier. The DJ booth is around one corner of the room, and she played upbeat songs, not too loud to interrupt, but kept the energy flowing without a drop. Apart from such typical entertainments, there also stood a karaoke setup for people who wish to bring out their inner voices to the world.
Jenna, along with her editor friends as well as from various departments, stuck together as a group surrounding the appetizer table, looking into the platters of bites prepared ahead and presented flawlessly to feast the eyes. Their conversation went from high screeched greetings to brief chat about life and returned to crying over deadlines, hoping that the writers could spare crushing the editor"s body and spirit.
"So, your author isn"t joining us this year as well, huh, Jenna?" a lady who wore laced little black dress asked.
Jenna shrugged to the truth.
"I was hoping to see who this Gill is, can"t you tell us already?" the ladies urged.
Jenna wished that she could smile and say that it is not a handsome guy that they can expect from the reveal.
"I don"t have the right to spill the beans, you guys. It isn"t anything new. We all know that Gill is not interested in attending events like this," she replied.
They all agreed in unison as if they knew it already. Giselle, who was also with the group, appeared dazed from listening.
"Did you guys know that only a few have seen Gill in real life other than Jenna and Shane, obviously, but they also say that the person could randomly just walk by into the office, and we won"t have a clue about it!" one of them muttered.
"It"s pointless to talk about something that can never happen!" another woman bitterly exclaimed.
The first time Shane invited Lillian Grey to KeyLine"s holiday gala, she did attend the party out of his endless appeal. However, she shortly left, feeling bored and unable to enjoy it. Lillian Grey, who enjoys social gatherings, lost all of her interest to the void in her heart.
Giselle read their faces eagerly and stalked Jenna"s, her ears sharp to catch any falling clues about Lillian, and why doesn"t she come to this event. However, the topic quickly settled as it seems to be a dead-end for all except Jenna. Giselle waited for a chance directly to ask Jenna but felt someone tap on her shoulder from behind. She turned to see this woman pointing the direction. Giselle followed to find Jayce, who was standing a little far from the group, waving his hands gleefully after spotting his editor.
A group of subtle gasps heard as all eyes stared at Giselle and Jayce.
The prince of KeyLine, whose known for writing most profound love stories, is calling for Giselle. Both women and men gagged to their drinks.
"You should probably go, Giselle," a few sang instantly to the uproar, urging Giselle to tend to her author.
"Yes. Yes! Go on," they all spoke collectively.
Left with no choice, Giselle marched towards him while hearing the distant rustles of gasps trailing her.
"Giselle is lucky!"
"Tell me about it!"
Two women in their glamorous gowns and bright makeup exclaimed at the sight of Jayce, the romance writer. Jayce"s open charismatic personality defeats the ladies altogether, and everywhere he went, they swarmed him to their ogling eyes.
Jenna and her group silently watched Giselle interacting with her author, all in awe and jealousy. Just as they watched, a waiter walked pa.s.sed them to add another treat to the jammed table, a cheese fondue along with the plate of treats to dip and eat. Distracted by the new addition, the group returned to feast their grumbling tummies with delicious bites.
Shane was on the other end of the room, near the live bar, immersed into deep conversation with the heads of various departments while having drinks.
The music played along to the occupied ears and kept a lively atmosphere.
Intruding this scene, into the view of others as they all began to take notice, peering their eyes to this presence. Some could recognize the lately arrived guest, while most of them don"t, and they wondered.
Appearing versatile and refined, this person wore a v-neckline, ivory colored, long sleeve crepe dress with a black sequin skirt.
Making a flashy entrance into the grand ballroom, and welcomed by its radiant atmosphere, the person starts to search the crowd, scanning from individuals to groups, one by one.
It did not take a few seconds that upon the random hunt, the wanted target appeared to the display.
Acquiring the goal, the lately arrived guest advanced across groups of people, drinking and chattering about their luckiest evening. Upon nearing the destination, the marked prey shows to be in a pinch and soon hastily left the scene.
The sudden visitor wished no longer to seek the spot following the defeat and was about to take a diversion when an annoyingly manly voice pierced through the way.
Turning around, the two locked glances and grinned with a soft salute.
"Lillian! Grey!" Jayce called out fondly.