The grand entrance to the ballroom was heavily guarded by four masked guards in standard black suits.
After having their invitations verified for authenticity, masks of different designs and colors were given out to each guest, earning a mixed response of interest and displeasure.
"I didn't know it's supposed to be a masquerade ball."
Donning her pink-feathered mask, Ruby couldn't hold back her grumble. After all, she had spent the entire afternoon experimenting on her face, covering all traces of her true features to perfectly create an entirely new face as her disguise.
"Neither do I." The man beside her chimed in. He couldn't help but glance at her masterpiece for one last time, before shaking his head in pity.
"If I hadn't been watching by the side, my eyes would've mistaken you for another woman with equally bewitching features."
Sly as always, his words worked like magic every time.
"Thank you for the compliment." Ruby finally revealed a grin.
"I'll be taking my leave then, Mr Young. Take care." She patted his arm, before she lifted her dress and left him for the nearest restroom.
Aaron nodded, watching silently as she disappeared into the crowd. As a servant passed, he grabbed himself a glass of fruit wine and sipped on it, the look in his eyes hard to decipher.
After entering the restroom, Ruby waited for the other guests to leave before locking the door twice.
She was naturally there not for anything else, but to retrieve her weapon. After making sure no one was around, she went to the furthest cubicle and uncovered the water tank, scooping up a sealed zip-lock from the bottom of the tank.
Half a minute later, a pistol was successfully assembled. Ruby hid the handy weapon under her dress and unlocked the door, proceeding to swagger out of the room as if nothing had happened.
The pink feather on her mask swayed with the gentle air of the night as her eyes searched for the familiar figure amongst the crowd.
She remembered reminding her dear client, Mr Young, not to stray too far lest she missed his figure. Where did the man go?
As she dived deeper, her breath went still when her sight bumped onto the figure of her dreams. That red blindfold of his was especially eye-catching, impossible to be missed nor mistaken.
Her pupils dilated out of fright. Her instincts urged her to leave, to escape, but her rationality pulled her back, forcing her to think.
That man. He shouldn't be here.
With that big of a crowd, lively and chattering, he couldn't possibly show up amongst them.
Ruby convinced herself otherwise, color returning to her pale lips when she looked out for the second time and no longer found the blindfolded man in sight.
"Yes, it must've been an illusion. Nothing more, and nothing less."
She repeatedly assured herself with the brain-washing mantra. And yet, even after all the effort, she still returned to Aaron's side with a distraught mind.
Being the subtle man he was, her anxiety naturally didn't go unnoticed. However, before he could confront Ruby about what had happened, another woman of wealth and status strode towards him, initiating another round of superficial talks and laughter.
Once in a while, the woman's gaze would naturally veer to her, 3 points curious, 7 points disdain.
Such similar scenes–the same aggression, the same mockery–kept repeating with different women until she had lost count of the exact number. Ruby's eyes couldn't help but twinkle with mirth.
"I didn't know you were this popular, Mr Young."
They had only got the chance to talk after escaping out of the relentless chase and hiding themselves in the furthest corner of the ballroom.
Ruby used the rare chance to tease him a little.
"Now you know." Aaron cheekily grinned at her.
He was unlike his usual humble self, his demeanour suddenly exuding something ambiguous, something heart-racing.
Ruby received the signal from miles away. However, just as the atmosphere between them was about to change, her eyes suddenly caught sight of someone stumbling over.
Her lips were promptly pulled into a frown.
Her boss, Jeremy Dyson. The very owner of Dyson Securities, the giant company where she worked.
At the moment, he was hopelessly drunk, swaying here and there as he flaunted his wealth and status in front of the noble ladies who hadn't even bothered to spare him a look.
The man who possessed a natural charm that didn't match his sloppy personality, he was being such an embarrassment that Ruby was embarrassed herself.
And yet…
Ruby skimmed at the faces of contempt surrounding her boss. These ignorant fools… they seemed to have forgotten who the man was connected with.
As one of the leading companies in the field, it wasn't surprising for half of security roles needed for the night to be monopolized by the Dysons.
Alas, little did they know that once the mission went astray and the signal was flared, every single Dyson personnel in the room would abandon their clients and head for their number one priority, and that was to aid the three agents with tonight's secret mission.
"Aren't you going to do anything with him?"
Her eyes snapped back to Aaron, who had kindly reminded her when Jeremy nearly slipped over his own feet, stumbling forward only to regain his balance on his own.
"He wouldn't appreciate me for that," Ruby shook her head.
"He was dying for me to stay as far away as I can be so as to not associate my future actions with the company. Just now, he even went as far as bumping onto me and pretending that he never knew me, swaggering away after a half-hearted apology."
"Hmm? Wouldn't that mean I would be the one held responsible instead if you were to be caught in action?" Aaron seemed to have only realized the fact by now, to which Ruby reacted with pity.
"That was why, I've initially been adamant to refuse your help."
And yet, Aaron didn't seem the least dampened as his smile had instead turned brighter. "It doesn't matter. The risk isn't worth considering if it meant having such a beautiful lady by my side to accompany me for the night."
"Mr Young, look at you. Those lovelorn ladies must have planted a love bug in your mind, turning you into such a romantic."
Aaron laughed, "Or maybe, it's just because you're the one standing by my side…"
The sound of fireworks burst out in the air, gaining everyone's attention except for Aaron's, whose eyes had never strayed from her for even a fraction of a second.
Ruby, on the other hand, failed to decipher the later half of his words as she shifted herself closer to the man. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you."
Aaron helplessly smiled, repeating one more time with equal sincerity, "I said, maybe, it's just because it's you–"
His heartfelt confession never landed as a shrill cry pierced the air.
"Aahh! Murder!!!"