Chapter 537
I went with Nan out of the room and towards the front parlor, where Irene was just finishing getting ready. When she turned around to face me, my jaw was on the ground. She was stunning in her off white gown that brought out the colors in her natural features and highlighted her blonde hair. The dress fit her body like a glove and made all her curves noticeable.
Chuck would be on the ground if he saw her.
“Irene, you look beautiful,” I told her.
She beamed at the compliment before looking at the clock.
“Erik will be here soon to pick us up,” she told me. “Are you ready for this?”
I thought about it for a moment, my fingers nervously fiddling together as I nibbled on my lower lip.
“Maybe,” I told her, not wanting to admit how nervous I truly was, though it seemed she could see right through me because she gave me a soft and compassionate smile.
“It’s going to be okay,” she assured me. “We are going to a charity event, one we’ve both been to on countless occasions, and we are going to have a good time. No pressure… no boys… It’s a girls’ night.”
I relaxed at her words and nodded in agreement.
“A girl’s night,” I repeated, letting my body relax.
There was a knock on the door, and my entire body tensed again. Irene chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s just Erik,” she assured me. “He’s taking us to the charity event.”
She grabbed her purse off the chair, and I shouldered mine, my entire body trembling as we walked towards the front door. Irene opened the door to see Erik’s smiling face back at us.
“Hey ladies,” he said, his eyes scanning each of us. He lingered on me a bit longer, his eyes dilated. “Wow, Judy. You look gorgeous.”
Erik always spoke to me informally because we had become friends over the years we’ve known each other. I blushed at the compliment and gave a small bow in response.
“Thanks,” I say to him, making him laugh.
“Shall we go?” He asked, offering us each an arm. We both took one of his arms, looping it with ours. I turned to look at Nan, who watched from the doorway with a bright smile. I waved at her and she waved back.
Erik unhooked our arms once we reached his car and opened the back door for us, helping us into the car without ruining our hair, makeup, or dresses.
“Thanks,” Irene said to him just before he shut the door and ran around to the other side to sit in the driver’s seat.
As we sat in the backseat, watching as the mansion grew smaller in the distance,
Irene hooked her arm with mine and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“Tonight is going to go fine,” she assured me. “Stop worrying so much.”
I bit my lip and nodded, wanting to believe her.
Just then, her phone chimed; she frowned as she reached into her purse to grab
her phone. She glanced at the screen, her frown deepening even more.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“It’s a link to a live feed,” she told me
as she clicked on the link and
brought up the live feed. She smiled when she saw what it was. “It’s a charit event. Someone I’m
following is there and is live feeding the entrances.”
I looked over her shoulder as important high-ranking individuals walked through the crowd of onlookers to get to the charity event. Everyone looked gorgeous and very important.
I pointed when I saw my parents making their way through the crowd, ignoring the paparazzi as they often did at these types of events.
Then something else caught my eye, and my heart stopped in my chest.
“Hey, it’s my dad and Rachel,” Irene pointed out what I had already noticed.
It seemed the paparazzi were already eating up his date, trying to figure out who
she was and her importance to Gavin Landry.
“Gavin, is this your new girlfriend?”
“What happened with you and Miss Judy?”
“Who is your date this evening?”
Gavin didn’t bother responding to any of them, but he didn’t have to. His body language was enough.
draped a protective arm around t
Rache’s waist and pulled her close to him, making the crowd gush in their favor. He held onto her tightly as he guided her through the crowd.
Just before trene shut off the live feed, I heard someone in the background saying, “That must be his girlfriend… she’s way more suitable and stunning in his arms than Judy ever was.”