Rena's PoV
"You are absolutely gorgeous," Lillian gushed as she stepped back away from me. I probably wouldn't need a blush by the time she's done.
When Jamie had promised that he would send someone, I didn't think that she would come with a whole team of people.
In the last seven hours, we had been able to choose three dresses, wash, trim, and style my hair, done a pedicure and manicure that Lillian forced on me, select accessories and fragrances before Lillian finally started on her makeup.
I had tried to go through the documents Jamie handed me amidst all of that.
"I think I might get a raise because of you," Lillian said as she grabbed a bottle of water from the pile of takeouts and lunch bags that Jamie had brought about an hour ago.
"You are exaggerating," I finally replied while holding back a smile.
Despite everything I was going through, Lillian had somehow gotten me to relax and feel better with her constant teasing and jokes.
She gulped down her water and then moved closer until she was squatting in front of me.
"You see, playing the modesty card when you look like this," she said, waving at my face.
"It just makes you appear very dishonest."
I rolled my eyes dramatically. "I haven't even seen myself."
Lillian grinned widely, but instead of pulling a mirror, she grabbed a takeout and a bottle of water.
"You should eat something first. I'll add the final touches after that."
I didn't refuse because I haven't eaten anything all day and I didn't want to go to the ball hungry."
Lillian grabbed a takeout pack, then settled on an empty couch space and started eating while scrolling through her phone.
I had nothing else to do, so I occupied my mind by looking around the room.
The room is stunning, and I noticed it had the same view of the city that Alpha Rhys' office had.
If he left rooms like this free every day, I wondered just how rich his pack was.
Well, he did want to invest ten billion dollars.
Once I was done eating, Lilian left her food and added the final touches.
She grinned mischievously as she stepped back from me.
"I'm tempted not to let you see what you look like, but I'll be nice today."
I gave her a warning glare, and she giggled loudly.
"There's a full-length mirror in the room."
I hurried to the room partly because I was so curious after all the fussing and partly because I was worried it would have been too much.
But when I stood in front of the mirror, I realized that all my worries had been for nothing.
Lillian had turned me into an actual doll.
I had never thought that red was a color I could pull off. Never dared to even try, but the red dress matched my hair so perfectly while hugging all of my curves.
I wondered if the slit wasn't too high and looked at it from all angles.
And the makeup, with all the time that she spent on it, I had worried about it being too much, but it turned out looking so simple while highlighting all of my features.
The thought of taking a picture crossed my mind, but I quickly remembered that I couldn't send it to Daisy. Vanessa had her phone, and the thought of her being isolated somewhere made me close my eyes.
That haunting ache that had settled in my chest and stomach since yesterday was back again, and I almost wanted to run back to Lillian.
Somehow, she had entered the room with a calming air and was able to make that ache temporarily hide.
I took three deep breaths and forced a smile back on my face before returning to the living room.
Lillian had an eager look on her face. "What do you think? Gorgeous, yeah?"
With that bright smile again, I noticed my shoulders relaxing slightly.
I nodded, unable to even tease her. "You are a magician."
Lillian burst into laughter and then waved her hands. "You are just so perfect. I didn't have to do a lot."
"Can you call me anytime you have any outing?"
I wanted to tell her this was a once-in-a-lifetime situation, but I ended up giving her my number.
"Okay, it's time!"
The best part about being in a Pack was not having to rely on a phone for nearby communications.
"That bully won't know what hit him now," Lillian mumbled, and I raised a brow.
"What bully?" She had her mischievous grin on again and shook her head.
"Don't bother about it."
I shrugged, grabbed the purse that held my phone and some cash, before finally leaving the room.
Outside the room, I was surprised to see Jamie standing there and it seemed like we had similar feelings because his eyes also widened for some seconds.
"Damn," Jamie muttered before finally turning around and pressing the elevator button.
Behind me, Lillian giggled, and I turned back to give her a smile.
She winked at me and gave me a thumbs up, which somehow made me feel a lot more confident.
Maybe I'll be able to get through this ball without any drama.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get Alpha Rhys' approval on starting the research.
Once he agreed, I was going to hit him with my own two conditions too.
I had expected us to go to the first floor, but the elevator took us down to the basement garage.
Jamie walked to the door of a black and sleek luxury car.
The metal logo in front of the car looked familiar, but I didn't know much about cars and couldn't tell what brand it was.
Jamie opened the back door for me and did a small, dramatic bow that had my cheeks heating up.
I entered the car and then almost screamed because I hadn't expected that Alpha Rhys was already inside.
I'm immediately hit with the dominant air of a strong Alpha and I cleared my throat gently before forcing a greeting.
With the light in the garage, the car wasn't so dark inside, and when he looked up from the tablet he was holding, I held my breath.
This man made the word gorgeous seem inadequate. I felt heat climbing up my neck when he fixed his gaze on me and when he broke eye contact, I felt his eyes trail down to the slit of my dress.
It wasn't until he looked away that I finally released the breath I had been holding.
Then I realized that there was also a touch of cologne in the air. A cologne that was most definitely formulated to knock the air out of girls.
I tried to place the different notes from his fragrance while I took subtle glances at him.
Did Lillian know that spending three hours on my makeup was not enough to compete with this man?
Rhys Carter looked effortlessly beautiful. His hair was still styled the same way, but I could tell he had spent some more time because not a single black strand was out of place.
He had a black tux with a red bow tie that matched my dress.
At a glance, it didn't seem like he had gone the extra mile, but he had a face that was doing all the weight lifting.
I stared a little too long, and he met my gaze again.
Alpha Rhys' lips pulled into a smile, revealing two subtle dimples I hadn't noticed before.
"I would have an exclusive picture sent to you by morning," Alpha Rhys said with a playful wink, and I responded by shooting him a glare before turning to look out the window.
The car started and I heard that low chuckle that made my stomach flip all over the place again.
I stayed quiet, but my mind was filled with questions about what the ball was going to be like.
After about half an hour, the car pulled to a stop in front of a large auditorium.
Through the window, I could see the elaborate red carpet, the aisle decorated with flowers, and the dozens of reporters who were already taking pictures of the car.
Then, my eyes landed on a small banner that was hanging down at the end of the red carpet.
125th Alumni Ball of the Shifter Academy.
Goddess. This couldn't be.
I'm suddenly regretting not asking him more questions about the ball.
The feeling of being caught off guard and knowing that I wouldn't be able to get this deal with Rhys crumbled my entire nervous system.
I couldn't tell if it was my entire body that was shaking, but my hands were waving at Alpha Rhys as I shook my head.
"I can't go inside," I finally managed to say.