After the meeting with Sebastian's mother, Andin finally made her way to the ballroom where the party was being held. Albeit the conversation was pleasant, she felt a little tense the second she stepped inside, knowing that Maria must be here and sooner or later she would have to face her. Taking a deep breath, she approached one of the waiters who carried a tray full of drinks and took a glass of soda. She let the drink calm her down as she made her way toward the long serving table full of varied appetizers. She was about to grab a mini sandwich when someone knocked her back from behind.

It did not take a genius to figure out who it was because the next thing she heard from just behind her was "What do you think you are doing here, bitch?"

Andin glanced over her shoulder. "What does it look like? I am simply attending the annual party."

"Without invitation?" Maria laughed evilly as she leaned back, the slit in her black dress raked up and showed her perfect olive skin. "Do you want me to call security or do you actually have some dignity left to walk out of here yourself?"

Keeping her head held high, Andin walked away and tucked herself into the other side of the room. She wanted to shove Sebastian's invitation in Maria's face but she did not want to provoke her especially when she had no idea what Sebastian's plan was. This whole thing was new to her. She did not usually walk into something without knowing what it was. She was not used to simply taking a leap of faith. Her nerves were all over the place and her brain was telling her to drop everything and run. The only thing that soothed her and made her stay was her trust in Sebastian. She knew he had something planned even though she had no idea what it was.

Then as if he knew she had been thinking about him, she watched Sebastian walking into the ballroom. All eyes were on him yet he kept on walking until he arrived at the front and one of the event organizers handed him a microphone. "Good evening, everyone," he greeted.

Everyone moved to the front of the ballroom, surrounding him, and Andin found herself walking toward him as well. She walked through the crowd, making her way to the front until she was on the very first row and their eyes met. He was devastating in his formal evening clothes, his lean good looks emphasized by them. The deep blue ocean eyes looked at her lingeringly. She felt herself tremble, flushing, at the open hunger in his gaze.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?" Someone hissed at her ear but she refused to listen or even give her a small part of her attention. Her eyes were solely on his and she did not care about the rest. "I am going to email the photos now. Do you understand me, bitch?"

"As always, I want to thank all of you for still being a part of Summers Entertainment this year. Especially those of you who have been here since its inception ten years ago." He gave everyone a charming smile and then pointed his finger at Jeff Morgan, one of the executives. "Don't worry, Jeff, I got you. I told you I will be sure to mention you in this speech."

Everyone laughed while Jeff replied, "Ten years and counting, baby!"

Sebastian smiled at Jeff's response then continued, "Even though, it has been ten years since I started this company, most of you have known me for longer. Some of you probably have seen me greet you behind the receptionist desk or when I delivered mail to your desk back when I was still in high school and worked part-time or full-time during the summer. To be honest, even I had no idea back then that I would become the CEO of Summers Entertainment. After all, knowing my late grandfather, there are no such things as certainty." His face grew solemn and Andin knew that he was probably referring to his brother, Draven, who had been written off from their family's will by their grandfather and had run away from home. "But here I am today," he continued, his lips forming a small smile however sadness still lingered in his eyes. "And I could not be more grateful. I would like to thank all of you who have helped me build this company from scratch. Those of you who have believed in our ability to shine in this industry. I just received a phone call from Forbes asking for an interview as Summers Entertainment would be featured as one of the three leading companies in the entertainment industry."

Everyone cheered and clapped. Some were patting each other's back. Andin had tears in her eyes. This company had always been Sebastian's baby and right now, seeing him finally succeed, made her really proud and happy for him. He had worked harder than anyone else. He deserved this accomplishment.

"I am guessing they must have heard about our successful expansion." Sebastian chuckled. "Anyway, I invited their journalist to be here along with some folks from CNN." He pointed at a man who stood in the same row as Andin. Next to that man was a cameraman who busied himself taking photos and recording the entire event. "Today, there are so many things to celebrate." He regarded the crowd before focusing his eyes on her. "And I would like to add one more thing."

Sebastian turned off the microphone and put it into his pocket as he walked towards her. He looked very handsome that it should not be legal. "Andin," he greeted her then bent her back over his arm and looked down into her face. Everyone around them gasped and the crowd went wild. She could feel the light from the cameraman's camera.

"What are you doing?" Andin gasped, her eyes widened in shock.

"I am just making sure those photos are old news," he replied with a mischievous smile on his face. Then the next second, his mouth came down on hers and he tongue-kissed her in front of everyone. In front of all their colleagues and the journalists. The kiss lingered until she was dizzy and he was sure everyone got the point.

Then as if it was not enough, he dropped to one knee. His hand slipped into his pocket and he pulled out a velveteen box. He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever beheld. "I love you, Andin."

He smelled like sweat and champagne, and the warmth of his breath and the heat of his words crept inside her heart. Her footsteps faltered from shock and trying to balance on her high heels. She looked up into his blue eyes. "I love you too."

Sebastian smiled. "I know."

Her voice dropped into a whispering level as she added, "I love you too much to have you risking your name and reputation for me."

"I had my heart broken years ago and since then, I have worked for most of my life to just get to this one moment. Now that I am here, I have discovered it is not enough. I want more." His baby blues stared deeply into her eyes. "I want you in my life."

Andin wanted that too. More than she had ever wanted anything. More than money and security and big shiny diamonds. "There has to be another way," she whispered again so only he could hear.

He shook his head. "No, this feels right and I am doing this not because of her. I am doing this because for the first time in my life, I want someone to share my life with and I want you to be that person. So," he cleared his throat and smiled, "the floor is quite hard and I start to lose the feeling in my legs." Everyone laughed at his joke. "I know that I have not been a huge believer in love but things changed when I met you. My feelings have grown and it took me to get a little scolding from my brat sister to realize it."

From a distance, Andin could hear Clarabelle yelling, "Hey!"

But her focus was solely on Sebastian. She could hardly believe that this day would come.

"Andin Williams," he paused to plant a kiss on her knuckles, "would you do me the honor of letting me be your husband?"

Andin's ankles wobbled and her heart pounded in her chest. "Yes."

His smile turned into a grin as he slid the ring into her ring finger and rose to his feet. He pulled the microphone from his pocket, turned it on, and regarded the crowd, "Let's have a great party, everyone!"

The crowd was cheering on them, the camera was splashing. He handed the microphone to an event organizer and held Andin's hand. "Come." He led her towards the door and once they were outside, they walked towards the set of lifts at the far end. He pushed the button.

"Are you sure this is okay? Do you really mean it?" Andin asked once they were inside the lift. She still was not sure what had just happened. It was as if her brain had lost its function to process all of these.

"Yes." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you and yes, you just agreed to marry me for real, Miss Williams. No more backing down."

Andin stared at the two rings on her finger. "But why did you get me a new ring? You know you could have just asked me to return the ring we used when we were doing the ruse."

"Nah, it would not be right." He cupped her face with his warm hand. "That ring was only for the ruse. But this ring," he pointed at the ring he had just put on her a few minutes ago, "well, this belonged to my mother. This was her engagement ring. This time, we are truly engaged."

"Oh my gosh!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Then she recalled Maria's threats. "How about Maria? I know this engagement means that her photos of us are no longer valid but what about her other threats? She said she would get your previous secretaries to make a false confession."

"You know I have been in this industry for years, right?" He lifted one brow, his lips curled into a smile. The elevator made a ding noise, informing them that they had reached their floor, then the door slid open. Both of them walked out of the elevator and Andin let him lead her to wherever he was taking her.

"Do you know how many times a personal assistant tried to blackmail the actress or actor they have worked for? I could not be in this industry for so long if I do not know the rules of the game. When they were fired, just like when those personal assistants' employment was terminated, they had to sign a declaration letter that basically said that they could not sue their employer and in that letter, the reason for their termination was stated. If any of my previous secretaries dares to sue me, I could take the letter and counter-sue them for defamation."

"So Maria has nothing against us?"

"On that end, no. She could still sell our photos to some cheap magazines but with our engagement, I do not think anyone would buy her photos or even care. After all, now those photos were just photos of two lovers and not a CEO and his secretary." Sebastian shrugged one shoulder. He unlocked the suite and only now had Andin realized that he brought her to the same suite that Clarabelle had brought her about an hour ago.

"Do you figure out her motives then?" she asked curiously. That was one piece of the puzzle that she could not figure out.

"More or less." He brought her to the couch and they sat. He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Bring her in now. You could invite Clarabelle and my mother too."

"What is going on?"

Sebastian nudged his head towards the door. The next second, the door swung open and Pedro came in with Maria. He held her arm and made her sit on one of the chairs. A few minutes passed in silence until Clarabelle and Tiffany arrived.

"Maria," Sebastian started, leaning forward as he regarded her. "I know you are working for someone."

"You can not hold me here against my will or else, I will sue you for kidnapping." Maria's eyes narrowed but Andin could see a bit of fear there.

"I am not holding you. You can leave once we are finished." He tilted his head and gave her a cold smile. "You are not working for my competitors, I know that for sure. All of your threats were personal."

Based on how Sebastian's mother and sister's silence, Andin knew that either Sebastian or Piers had told them.

"You are working for someone closer to us," Sebastian continued. "Tell me who it is."

Suddenly a noise came out of Maria's pocket and she pulled out her phone. She accepted the call and listened. Then a smile formed on her lips. "Okay," she said to whoever was on the other end before ending the call.

"You are right." Maria crossed her arms. "I am working for someone closer to you. Someone you know well."

"Who?" asked Clarabelle impatiently.

"Your long lost brother," answered Maria, and the three Summers gasped. "Draven."

Maria said that she would pack her things at the office and left. She also said that she was only threatening them with the photos and would not send them to any newspapers or magazines. When Sebastian, not believing her words for a second, asked her for proof of his brother's involvement, Maria merely shrugged and told him that she did not care whether he believed it or not then left.

"Do you think it is really Draven, Seb?" His sister, Clarabelle, asked.

"Well, there is only one way to find out." He turned his gaze to Pedro. "Get me the digits of that person who just called her."

"Will do, Sir," answered Pedro then he turned around and left.

"If it is really him then why would he do this?" Sebastian's mother who had been quiet this whole time finally spoke. "Why would he do anything to maim you or your reputation?"

"I do not know, Mother, but I will find out."

Clarabelle moved to the minibar and poured herself a drink. "Gosh, this family is full of drama. Just when I thought Thornton and Ava's marriage would be the last drama we would have, another one shows up."

"You need not worry, Sister. This is about me, I will handle it," said Sebastian curtly.

"Oh, hush!" Clarabelle finished off her drink. "We are a family, Brother. We will deal with it. Whether it is Draven or not, we will deal with it together."

There was a pause before Tiffany gave me a sad smile, then looked at her daughter. "Perhaps we should leave, Clarabelle." She turned her gaze to Sebastian. "Let us know the second you figure out whether it is Draven or not."

"I will, Mother."

Tiffany Summers smiled at his son then at Andin. "Until we meet again, Andin. I so look forward to your wedding." Then she rose to her feet and dragged Clarabelle with her.

"But, Mom, I want to know more."

"Let them celebrate their engagement, Clarabelle. You come along with me."

Clarabelle's protest was still heard even after the door was closed.

"I am sorry you are going to marry this family full of drama of mine," said Sebastian as he turned to Andin.

"I have no complaints," answered Andin with a reassuring smile. Even though so much had happened with Maria and her threats, she still could not stop herself from being happy about her engagement with Sebastian. Moreover, him saying that he loved her.

Sebastian put his hand on the small of her back and put his mouth next to her ear. "There is only one thing that will make this night even better."

"What?" she answered, suddenly feeling slightly breathless.

"You and me." His lips kissed the soft spot behind her ear. "A hot shower and really inappropriate behavior."

~ END OF BOOK ONE ~

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