Chapter 140
Zara
Ronald, of course, it was Ronald. Lord, he never knocked, as if this office was his too.
“Ouch! Am I interrupting? I can always come back later if you two are busy,” he said without a trace of remorse. His mischievous smile widened.
“He’s just sleeping. He hasn’t slept in over a day,” I replied boredly, not wanting to disturb him. “How can I help you, Mr. Whittle p>
He came over and leaned lazily against the CEO’s desk.
“Yes, I came for him. We need to go over the guest list again. So many people are asking for invitations. I wanted to discuss it with him and see if we have room to invite any of them p>
Alpha Kane woke up at the sound of his voice. He was a light sleeper, never satisfied, and I felt bad that his slumber had been interrupted again.
His beautiful but tired eyes opened, and he looked straight at me for a few seconds. I smiled sadly at him and said softly, “Sorry, we woke you p>
“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have slept, there’s still so much to do.” He rose effortlessly from my lap and stood up straight. Rubbing his eyes, he sat with his legs spread and looked at Ronald.
“Good morning. I see Zara’s a pillow,” Ronald teased.
“Get to the point,” Alpha Kane snapped. Lack of sleep had made him irritable. I trembled next to him; this trait of his frightened me a little.
Ronald merely smiled meaningfully, shaking his head, his blond hair swaying left and right like spaghetti.
I left my seat and stood, straightening my dress. “I need to go downstairs; Halima told me to be there early p>
“Take Miranda with you,” Alpha Kane ordered, walking to his desk and getting a glass of water from the trash.
“Perhaps I should clear your desk first so you can work more easily?” I approached his desk. He nodded and walked away with Ronald. Both men sat on the sofa. Ronald pulled out his tablet, and they began discussing the guest list.
My hands quickly gathered up the scattered papers and lists, filing them into folders. Then I gathered up all the empty coffee cups and discarded the Styrofoam ones. There was no indication that he’d eaten anything. This irritated me; work didn’t mean he shouldn’t eat. Was he going to get sick?
“Did you even eat anything, or were you just surviving on coffee?” I asked irritably, turning to him. I frowned, my nostrils flaring.
The fatigue faded slightly from his face as his gaze found me. He replied calmly.
“Yes, Miranda took the boxes.” Alpha’s tone was completely different from how he’d spoken to Ronald earlier.
“Should I bring you breakfast?” I asked, secretly regretting not having brought something for him. If I’d known, I definitely would have.
“No, I have lunch at 12. Don’t worry, I already told Miranda.” He just shook his head and looked back at Ronald.
After cleaning and tidying his desk, I left his office and found Miranda with her.
“Good morning!” I greeted her enthusiastically when she looked up from her tablet. She seemed deeply immersed in her work.
“Good morning! Zara. It’s been a bit of a mess today p>
“Let’s go downstairs, Halima’s waiting for me. I’ll also need to change for the event soon.” Hearing me, Miranda stood up, grabbing her tablet.
“Yes, I need to make sure everything is ready for the CEO and your room p>
Confusion crossed my face.
“Our room?” I asked, leaving Miranda’s office.
“Yes,” she informed me, “He specifically ordered a room to be set up backstage where you two will prepare for the runway show,” and my heart fluttered like a small child’s.
This man and his concern. He set aside a room especially for both of us.
“We’ll have to deal with so many celebrity jerks. I’m sure you know,” she said.
Miranda muttered irritably as we approached the stairs.
“Of course I know.” Our descent began with a discussion of various aspects of today’s event.
Soon, we reached the majestic white and silver doors of the grand hall where today’s event was to take place. We pushed the doors open and stepped inside, as if we had entered a winter wonderland.
I watched in awe as my eyes swiveled in all directions, trying to take it all in.
The grand hall was completely transformed into a winter wonderland for the evening’s Winter Gala.
The high, vaulted ceilings were adorned with dark blue decor, interwoven with shimmering red threads that reflected the light from the sconces. Elegant white lanterns in the shape of snowflakes hung from above, each containing a blue and red flame. I noticed how artfully they were decorated to create a sense of… reality.
Fluffy cloud-like decorations hung beneath the majestic chandeliers, evoking a wintry atmosphere. Artificial snow machines were installed during the event. Scarlet ribbons intertwined with sprigs of holly and pine cones dusted with artificial snow added to the enchantment.
Crystal candlesticks holding white and red candles adorned the walls. Tall, frost-covered branches draped with shimmering blue garlands created the illusion of a frozen forest. Rich, deep blue velvet curtains framed the windows, and delicate cutout snowflakes in white and red adorned the glass panels.
Red and white velvet draped the hundreds of seats lining the hall.
“Look at the ramp,” Miranda nudged me, seeing how lost I was in the transformation of the place.
A large ramp had been set up in the middle of the hall for the evening’s entertainment. Huge flat screens projected falling snowflakes and winter landscapes. Blue and gold LED lights illuminated the models’ path as we later took the stage.
Elegant white and red floral arrangements, complemented by icy blue ornaments, added a splash of color along the edge of the stage.
The company logo flashed on the screen, followed by the Winter Gala slogan. Some assistants were still installing the final decorations, while others were attaching name badges to seats. The technical team was busy testing the sound system.
“Wow! This is absolutely epic!” I exclaimed to Miranda as we headed backstage.
“The CEO gives his all at events and leads from the start. He’s not lazy and doesn’t let others slack off p>