Mr. CEO's Young Mistress novel Chapter 49

Sharon's birthday banquet was to be held in Imperial Hotel at eight in the evening. 

At nine in the morning, stylists and makeup artists had already arrived at the villa to give Sharon her makeover. 

Sharon could not wrap her head around why she had to prepare so early.

At half past six in the evening, Sharon arrived at the hotel and waited in the VIP lounge. 

By seven, she called Melanie to ask whether she had arrived, who replied that she was on her way.

...

After calling Melanie, her grip on the phone tightened. After thinking for a moment, she sent a message to Simon. 

"Simon, have you arrived?"

He replied almost immediately.

"Yes. Don't worry."

Reading his message, Sharon let out a sigh of relief. 

Suddenly, the doors opened. Sharon immediately locked her phone and lifted her head. 

Leonard wore a dark blue suit with matching trousers. He paired it with a white dress shirt and a waistcoat of the same colour, along with a burgundy tie. There was also a handkerchief that was neatly folded in his pocket. To top of his look, he wore leather shoes that were smartly polished. 

...

At almost two meters tall, he looked absolutely charming in his custom outfit!

Although, it'd be even better if he wore another expression.

"I heard you ate little at noon. Are you hungry?"

Leonard walked up to her and bent down, looking at her tenderly. 

"Nope." Sharon avoided his eyes, slightly guilty of what she was going to do next. 

...

Actually, Leonard knew she was up to something since three days prior, but he kept silent. 

When Sharon saw him sitting down beside her casually, she felt suffocated. Her heart started pounding faster, and she tensed. 

Sharon froze when a large hand suddenly held hers, her eyes widening at him. 

...

Leonard lowered his gaze calmly. In a gentle tone, he asked, "Are you nervous?"

Leonard opened Sharon's fist to find it covered in sweat. 

Feeling guiltier, Sharon quickly pulled her hand out of his grasp and looked away. "A little." 

...

It wasn't the banquet she was anxious about, but what she planned to do later. 

Leonard narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a small smile. "What happened to the fearless girl I know?" 

Sharon huffed unhappily. Glaring at Leonard, she mumbled, "You make it sound as though I'm always bullying you."

"Would you dare to?" Leonard raised an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling. 

"Excuse me? Of course not!" Sharon thought to herself. 

...

Sharon pressed her lips together. "Master Leonard, isn't that a rhetorical question? You would have destroyed anyone who bullied you in Montreal." 

"I see. To you, I'm a tyrant who would kill anyone who defies me, huh?" Leonard snorted. 

Sharon gave him a look, as if to say, "Duh!"

Leonard's smile instantly disappeared, his face darkening. 

Sharon's heart skipped a beat, and her hands clenched into fists.

"That's why you should never do anything stupid." Leonard stated seriously, his face stern.

Sharon's face turned white, and she trembled slightly. "Master Leonard, if I upset you, would you treat me like how you treat others?" 

"If others were to upset me, I'd make them disappear. However, if it were you, I'd lock you up in chains for each day you're disobedient. Be it for days or for years, but unless one of us dies, you'll never be free." 

...

Leonard's face was void of emotion, and his tone was indifferent. However, his words shook Sharon to the core. 

...

For a long time, she couldn't utter a word.

Leonard gently patted her head, stood up, and left the lounge.

...

Once she heard the click of the door closing, she immediately hugged herself to comfort herself. 

......

Since it was the Lefebvre family who was hosting the banquet, all guests had arrived by seven-fifty. 

Paul, clad in a burgundy suit, looked flirtatious as he held a glass of red wine. Cheerfully, he waddled through the crowd, checking out the ladies. 

Daniel had never liked excitement.

Everyone in Montreal knew Daniel was never one to enjoy such events. In fact, trying to catch him attending formal events is probably like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

If it weren't Sharon's birthday, he might have never appeared. 

Oliver Adams stood beside him, holding a glass of wine as well. His eyes narrowed on Paul, who was being a coquet. 

Paul was well known for being a womaniser who paid great attention to looks. 

...

To him, all women could only be classified as ugly or gorgeous, nothing else. 

Paul was sure to tease any woman who piqued his interest, regardless of whether she was married. 

Besides working, Paul spends the rest of his time flirting with girls, as if he would die without the company of a woman. 

...

Oliver took a sip of his wine and drew his eyes away from Paul. He scanned the banquet, his eyes landing on a figure in red. 

Oliver narrowed his eyes again, watching her silently. 

Melanie was wearing the red gown Sharon had prepared for her. Slipping through the crowd, she found a seat in the hall's corner and sat down. 

Melanie blushed as she rushed to pull up the straps of her dress. 

It was a beautiful red evening gown that was made of silk. Its texture was smooth and form-fitting, cool to the touch. 

Two ribbon straps held the dress up at the shoulder area. Since the straps looked quite flimsy, she worried they wouldn't be able to support the weight of the dress. 

She had even envisioned the straps accidentally snapping apart as she walked. 

Just the thought of it made her uneasy.

...

Thankfully, the dress had a waistline, or it would actually resemble a seductive silk nightdress. 

Since the dress was so extravagant, Melanie had spent fifty dollars to curl her hair into temporary loose curls. She even spent another eighty dollars on her makeup. 

...

Her makeup may have only cost eighty dollars, but Melanie was quite satisfied with how it turned out.

The Faure family was fairly well known in Montreal. However, as the eldest daughter, Melanie rarely attended such events. 

As to why... Well, there's that. 

So, even though she was keeping a low profile, Melanie still felt awkward as she watched the elegantly dressed guests pass by. 

When a waiter came by with a tray, Melanie grabbed a glass of juice and took a small sip.

Finding it quite nice, Melanie instantly cleared the entire glass, forgetting to act ladylike. 

...

...

Oliver watched her, his eyes twinkling. 

......

At eight-thirty, the master of ceremonies entered and invited the main character for the night. 

...

With her arm linked with Puvis's, Sharon walked the red carpet, all eyes on her. 

...

Tonight, Sharon looked as beautiful as a fairy.

In her enchanting tulle dress with pretty flower buds, she wore her hair straight down to her waist. Behind her ear, she wore a delicate butterfly hair clip. 

Beads of pink pearls wrapped around her slender neck and shimmered  in the light as she stepped forward. 

Puvis gripped her hand carefully, afraid that she would stumble. 

Standing beside such a fair lady, Puvis looked as if he was two shades darker. 

Putting her extravagant outfit aside, just the fact that Puvis had walked her in showed how much the Lefebvre family cared for their adopted child. 

All the ladies present looked at Sharon with envy and jealousy. 

Of course, there was someone who was staring at her with jealous hatred. 

"Mummy, why is Leonard spoiling her so much? My eighteen-year-old banquet didn't even come close to hers! Am I actually his sister?" Selena cried, clutching Rosamond's arm. She looked as if she was about to cry.  

...

Rosamond quickly held her hand and comforted her. "You silly child. Of course you're his sister."

"Then why does he treat an outsider so much better than me?" Selena whined. 

"Leonard also treats you very well." Rosamond replied after a pause. 

"Since when? He doesn't even care about me!" Selena's tears were about to fall. "Ugh! I shouldn't have listened to you! Why did I come here? I hate this so much!" Selena ranted.

...

Rosamond saw that Selena was about to explode and whispered hurriedly, "Shh! There are so many people around here. Please behave yourself." 

"I don't care!" Selena humphed. 

Rosamond was getting impatient, but she couldn't bear to admonish Selena. She frowned and turned to Nathan for help. 

Nathan clenched his jaw but said nothing. 

Usually, there was nothing he could do when his youngest daughter kicked up a fuss. 

Not to mention Raymond and Scarlett had just left. 

Rosamond sighed tiredly. 

"Rosamond, Nathan."

A soft voice came from behind them.

Rosamond turned around to see Shirley, her face immediately lit up as if she saw her saviour. "Shirley."

Shirley walked over. She was shocked to see Selena with bloodshot eyes. "What's going on?"