Over the course of the week we worked out our plan for the following Saturday. Corey would run surveillance, watching from the security room for anyone that doesn't seem to fit, cross-referencing them with my known associates from outside of the Academy. Brandon, Marc and Axel would pose as a 3 piece jazz band that would be the support act for Victor; and Raven would be posing as my husband, since he refused to practice any instrument and someone needed to stay with me while the others were on stage.

As promised by Gabriel, our full outfits arrived on Friday. Corey's suit matched the security team, a plain black suit, black shirt, and no tie. Brandon, Marc and Axel all had black suits with a white pinstripe, black shirt, white tie and white suspenders. Raven had a black suit with a silver shirt. They all had the standard black dress shoes.

My dress was a black, floor length, fitted evening gown, with a plunging sweetheart neckline and long sleeves. From the waist up, the dress was covered in black and silver glass beads and the side was split from the upper thigh to the ground. It was paired with some stunning silver heels and silver drop earrings. There was also the diamond ring that was insisted upon if Raven would be playing the part of my husband. Gabriel had outdone himself yet again with the styling.

After we had made sure everything fit to perfection, I went over everything I knew I would need. The reason Victor needed me to come was his mother. Once again, Jasmine was trying to force him to take on more than his contracted 2 appearances a year. He performed annually at the Morgan Family Charity Gala event and one other function, to be agreed upon by both parties. George and Jasmine had signed the contract outlining the terms and knew very well what would happen if they were to breach the contract.

I had been sleeping on the sofa in Axel's apartment since the incident that first night. No one argued with me about it after Marc and Raven filled them in on what had happened. I must admit that I had enjoyed knowing I wasn't in an empty house and one of them had always been close by. If they weren't in the room with me constantly, they would make excuses to come through and check on me. The most popular excuse was 'oh, I just wanted a glass of water' or 'I couldn't sleep, so thought some warm milk might help'. I had to give them credit, I couldn't remember the last time that someone other than Phil or Rose had been so considerate toward me that they felt the need to check in on me. I hadn't realised just how much I had missed being around people.

During the week, I had been filled in on the plan to keep Raven in the dark about my knowing Russian, and so far, he had taken almost every opportunity he had since we finalised the plan to call me his wife in his native tongue, thickening his accent after he noticed the reaction to it that I had attempted to hide. He also liked to given me little compliments that I am sure he would have kept to himself if he knew I understood him such as he liked the way my curls bounced when I walked and that he thought I was cute when I was flustered. We had also conversed a little in Spanish. He wanted to continue to learn more of the language, but was unsure about who he could practice his conversation skills with to ensure he got his pronunciation correct.

Waking up earlier than planned on Saturday morning, I decided to head down to the gym so I could get in a workout before making sure everything is perfect for tonight – including the multiple exit plans we had in place. I made it out the door and to the elevator before Brandon joined me, claiming he wanted to do the same thing. The workout was brief but intense and exiting the elevator back on their floor, we were greeted with the smell of breakfast.

I started getting ready around lunchtime. Corey, Axel and Marc had filtered in and out while I was working on my hair. Marc was trying to convince me that he would make a better fake husband than Raven and even attempted a fake proposal to try and get me to change the plan.

By the time I was finishing straightening my hair, I had all five guys watching closely. It was a little daunting, having that many eyes on me when I wasn't actually performing. Between performing in the circus and owning the floor in a courtroom, I had perfected my performance persona; but when it was just me, I wasn't so comfortable.

Finally, I put down the hair straightener and turned to face my little audience. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Straightening hair isn't all that exciting and your bathroom is far too small for all six of us."

"Andy, did you realise your hair basically doubles its length when you straighten it? I swear it was nowhere near that long before!" Corey sounded surprised at the sudden found length, but it was something I never thought about anymore. I smiled at him before shooing them all out of the bathroom. Gabriel gave me strict instructions on how I was to do my hair and makeup and there was no way I could pull it off with an audience.

Exiting the bathroom, once I was completely ready, I was met with Corey dressed in all black, a surprisingly good look for the little nerdling. Axel, Marc and Brandon were all wearing their outfits, but each a little different. Marc wore the shirt with the sleeves down, suspenders on, Axel had his sleeves rolled up and suspenders down and Brandon had his sleeves and his suspenders up. It gave each one a little individuality within the group and they all looked fantastic.

Raven walked out of the kitchen to see why the room was suddenly silent and the sight of him near made my heart stop. He was breathtaking in the suit that Gabriel had chosen. Apparently they all thought the same of me, from the dress to the simple, neutral make up with just a little sparkle, to the side swept ponytail of loose curls, the tight fitting dress, to the shoes just tall enough that I didn't look so short next to them all, finished off with the diamond ring I was given to show the world I was off the market.

We left for the Gala around 4:30pm. I was to meet with Jasmine before the event started. Once we got to the Gala, Raven and I headed to where we knew Jasmine would be, while Axel, Brandon and Marc headed to the main stage to get ready to start playing for the guests that would begin arriving shortly. Corey was already stationed with security and checking everyone as they came in. I hadn't been able to shake the feeling all week that someone was going to try to get to me tonight. I had spent the last week essentially in hiding, not leaving the apartment building while we attempted to find out who was after me, but we had had no luck so far. Raven and I found Jasmine fairly quickly, pacing the hallway where Victor's dressing room was.

"Ah, just the beautiful lady I was looking for!" I exclaimed, smile on my face. "The beautiful Jasmine Morgan! It is so good to see you." I knew it was best to open with flattery, especially when one of the older Morgan family members were involved.

"Stephanie, what are you doing here?" Jasmine replied. It was the alias I had been using when I first helped Victor out with his contracts.

"I wish I could say I was here only for pleasure, but unfortunately one of my clients has need of me." I waved my hand through the air dismissively. "You do remember the terms of the contract that both you and your husband agreed to with Victor, regarding his public appearances. Do we need to revisit those terms, Jasmine?" I was giving her a mock glare before I broke into a smile.

Holding my hand out toward Raven, he placed a copy of the contract and a USB stick in my hand. He had been quiet through our entire exchange. Jasmine only seemed to notice him for the first time when I took the items from him.

"Oh Stephanie, who is this handsome man and why haven't you introduced me to him yet? Hello Sugar! I am the Mrs Morgan, but you can call me Jasmine, or any time you like" she practically purred at him, complete with the over the top, exaggerated wink.

I couldn't help but smile at her attempt to distract me, though the way she was looking at Raven had me wanting to claw her eyes out. I don't know what made me feel so possessive toward him, maybe it was all of the compliments he had dished out this week without realising I knew what he was saying, but even if he was interested in a cougar like her, she was married and should be acting like it.

"This is my husband, Raven. He was carrying a copy of your contract and the USB containing the photos and video feed of all three of you signing it for me, since I have no purse tonight and this outfit is far too revealing to be able to hide something like that. It also has both your lawyer and myself witnessing the documents."

I had heard all about the crap that she put past lawyers through with every contract she had ever had signed. I made sure I covered all bases and she knew it. Apparently she had forgotten though. I could see the surprise on her face as I handed over the paperwork and USB.

"Now as per his contract, Victor is only required to do two public appearances a year. He has agreed that this Gala event will be a standard every year, for what is a Morgan Family Charity Gala without the famous Victor Morgan showcasing his talents. Both parties must agree upon the second event and Victor has the right to turn down any show you offer that he has no interest in. Now, I understand you are trying to push Victor into a third and potentially even a fourth event of your choosing this year."

"That is not what I was doing at all! I was simply suggesting he might take some more time to contribute to his local community. Is that too much to ask?" She was starting to get snappy and heading toward the Jasmine that she was famously known as.

"From my understanding, Mrs Morgan, this event tonight directly contributes to his wider community. He is already doing a great service for his community by donating the payment he is entitled to for tonight's performance, but you would know that if you read the contract as extensively as you led us all to believe.

"Just remember that forcing Victor into any additional performances, or performances he does not agree to, will result in both you and your husband having to repay every penny that Victor has made for you both, with interest, from the moment he began performing for you publically. Now if I am not mistaken, that would essentially send you and your husband bankrupt, wouldn't it?" I paused long enough to let what I had just said sink in, before adding, "I am sure we will have no further issues moving forward. Enjoy your evening Mrs Morgan."

Looping my arm through Raven's, I lead him away from a now flustered Jasmine. We paused once we rounded the corner at the end of the hallway to make sure that she didn't attempt to take her anger out on Victor, before heading off to do a quick sweep of the backstage areas. Our little jazz trio had been on stage for a while now and were getting ready to wind down so that Victor could come out for his performance when we heard some cussing coming from one of the dressing rooms.

As we approached the room we heard the fellow that was supposed to be the emcee for the night freaking out. Apparently his very expensive suit had ripped through the seam in the crotch, very unfortunate indeed. Apparently Victor was aware of this as well, as he was walking toward us with a slight twinkle in his eye that gave me the impression he knew this was going to happen and he already had a plan.