THE DAY OF THE ANNUAL BALL:

The day of the charity ball was now here and in the air that day excitement was palpable.Ryu and Ru had been banished to a different corner of the house while Alicia was receiving a long over due pampering of a pedicure and manicure and bee venom facial and all the works.After their date,she had worked her self to the ground to finish the preparations for everything resting only when necessary..Finally,her dessert which has taken years to prepare was ready to be served.

Lance Inc was now on a break for three days and almost every employee was already in the process of preparing for the evening.

Mi Rae had also taken a day off and was currently standing in the middle of a designer's boutique where Neil had surprised her by choosing a dress for her.Actually she had a few gowns which she kept for official functions but Neil had already told her that he would be choosing her dress.How he had got the designer to design a dress for her on such short notice and told the designer her size she had no idea but the dress was a perfect fit.And for Mi Rae,it was a case of love at first sight.Never had she imagined that a dress could be so beautiful.The dress was a a light cream colored long gown  which cinched at the waist and flared a little from there to the feet.It had a s.h.i.+mmery effect so that when light fell on it,it gave the illusion that you were dressed in gold dust.But the best part were the shoes.They were made of gla.s.s!Actually according to the designer,they were made of yellow diamonds.She felt like Cinderella where the designer was the G.o.dmother.Though Neil had arranged all this,she could not think of him as her G.o.dmother!.After the nips and tucks were made,Mi Rae was instructed to be present there from the afternoon to prepare for that night's function. after the fittings,Neil whisked her away for a couple ma.s.sage and relaxation time.

Tonight was going to be stressful so they needed to be laid back.Actually Mi Rae did not need a ma.s.sage.But she agreed for Neil.He had told her that today Alicia was going to get her justice,but it was Neil who was wound tighter than a spring.He was worried for TRyu and Alicia.

The Royal Banquet was actually a big building with the capacity to fit more than ten thousand people.It was used only for grand b.a.l.l.s meant of the royalty or those who could afford it. The entrance for the Annual Ball was like a red carpet with VIP barriers and press on both sides.All the star employees would be escorted in big cars via this entrance and they would also be interviewed like celebrities.

It had two entrances and both were decorated with grecian columns on each side.The entrance gates was made of ice sculptures and a special method was being used that they maintained their shape and did not melt away.Once a person entered the ballroom,they wouldn't believe they were in a place of the living.Crystal garlands emulated to look like vines,decorated the entire length of the ballroom.Entwined with these were soft baby pink and peach roses.The tables each had centerpieces of similar flowers and crystal's but again in ice sculpted shapes of little angels.This gave the illusion that each table had an angel of it's own.The ballroom opened out to many outdoor terraces and each terrace was also decorated differently,so that if you used the south east gate to go out,you would be treated to a fairyland of spring blossoms and twinkling lights and misty fountains.And if one was to use the north east door to go out then they would be coming to a pool side with mini alcohol and all you can eat dessert bars.Similarly there was even a maze and other secrets on other sides.On the top most floor was the security room which was under scrutiny from carefully planted surveillance cameras in all sections of the venue.There were a more than a thousand cameras observing every angle of the place.This footage was being observed by a couple hundred elite soldiers which had been hired by Ryu Long.

Each female guest of the company would be gifted with a medium high quality jade bracelet designed by a famous designer and each male guest would be gifted with a jade tie pin.They were required to wear this piece throughout the ball and had a complicated lock and key which would be removed by a unique key which would be given only when the guests exit the ballrooms.And once you had taken it off you wouldn't be allowed to reenter.Just inside the entrance was the biggest opera which would play melodies from all over the world.In the center was a stage for those employees who would be receiving an award.Along one wall was a long winding staircase which opened into two section,"One was the dining room,which boasted of cuisine from all over the world.The other side opened to a casino which could rival any casino on the Vegas strip.

The VIP's who had gained the invitation by bidding would be brought to the venue in small chartered planes with special treatment for their benevolence. The media had always been barred from entering this event and ever since the beginning of the social media,live streaming was also a big no.Anybody discovered to not follow these rules would be at risk.

The paparazzi were waiting near the runways to click the pictures of the VIPs in all their splendor.People who had spent millions to acquire needed a way to show off their wealth and gain publicity.Hence the press was needed to boast and thus many celebrities made use of this opportunity to get their photos clicked.

The media which was stationed outside continued to show the opulence outsiders the they gave a running commentary of the guest list they had received from underhanded means.

One of the media persons could be heard speaking into her microphone, "This year's annual ball of Lance Inc is the most antic.i.p.ated ball in the country or the world.This business magnate who is also known as "The Typhoon" in the business and financial world hosts the party each year to celebrate the company's success.During the last couple of years,this ball was hosted by the financial prodigy and Ryu Long's younger brother Matt Long.After a hiatus,Ryu Long is now back as the host and this time with his wife and business a.s.sociate,Alicia Long.This couple was last in the spotlight for their wedding which has yet to fade from our memories.The exclusive guest list consists of many big names and businessmen.Let is first mention the heart throb Attorney Neil Long is also going to be here with his new girlfriend,Zheng Mi Rae.The celebrities who were invited without having to spent millions include,Country A's ex heiress Onita Dew and Qi Cheng of Qi industries,President An and his right hand man,Alan Xu,Lord Stemming of London who has only returned to his mother country C recently,the rising queen of the society An Jui,celebrity Fang Fang who won the the award for his hollywood action movie.Also among the businessmen is the most popular bachelor,Hou Ge and we also have the General Zhou representing the country's army.The red carpet entries are about to begin and we will soon take you to the guests.Stay tuned."

The Red Carpet:

One of the first people to be interviewed on the red carpet was Neil Long and his girlfriend.Most of the media persons who were used to seeing Neil alone tried to ask him some questions which were ignored.He was going to be answering only the emcees who were standing half way up the red carpet stairs.Once Mi Rae and Neil reached ther,the emcees first complimented the beautiful Attorney Zheng as the male emcee pretended to faint from seeing a G.o.ddess.Neil looked at the emcee at whose antics Mi Rae was laughing and thought to get his name blacklisted.Luckily the emcee caught himself in the nick of time and complimented that the two of them made a beautiful couple,making Neil calm down a bit..The next person to come before these two departed was unfortunately The rising socialite An Jui.

The emcee(maybe he did not love himself?) decided to compliment her along with Mi Rae.

n.o.body but Mi Rae realized that the temperature had already dropped with the new arrival but when the emcee said,"And we have here with us the socialite princess and another beautiful woman An Jui who just returned to the country six months ago after studying at an ivy league college.She has already made a name for herself in the high society..Two beauties with brains.So Attorney Long,who do you think is the most beautiful?"

Neil Long in his way gave a scathing but diplomatic reply,"Mr Emcee,I am blind.My Mi rae is my suns.h.i.+ne and with her s.h.i.+ning next to me,I cannot see any dark...objects."

Naturally everyone but the two women thought that he was referring to Ms An wearing a dark wine colored gown.

Mi Rae looked at Neil,puzzled at his sudden icy image.Before the emcee could get himself killed,she murmured gracious "thank you." and subtly pulled him along leaving behind a slightly puzzled An Jui.She was wondering why that man would insult her like that.Her research mentioned that Neil Long was Alicia's brother in law..He Reyes lit up..obviously,it seemed Alicia had made the same mistake as last time befriending her brother in law.So..kind of her to help An Jui's plans.What her research did not tell her was that Neil and Alicia were friends before relatives and he was the one who had brought together Ryu and Al.

Once out of earshot of the microphones,Neil explained,"An Jui happens to be the VVIP for today.And we had the misfortune to see her."

By now they had entered the main ballroom and many employees were eager to meet and greet.Neil introduced her to many and everyone was amazed at the way Neil held her hand throughout the ball.

Finally the ball was in full swing and only Ryu and Alicia were left to make an entry.Finally the moment everyone was waiting for arrived and the CEO of Lance Inc arrived with his family together.Ryu Long was dressed in an Alexander Amosu Vanquish II Bespoke suit which was made of expensive wool and had gold and diamond b.u.t.tons.Next to him was Ru who was dressed similarly.On Ryu's other side was the breathtaking Alicia Long.

No one dared to breathe once they had seen her and all the women who were dressed to the nines and hoped to catch the eye of the many bachelors were fuming.The only woman smiling was Mi Rae who was actually rooting for Alicia.

Dressed in a floor length,jewel green gown,Alicia's beauty glowed throughout the hall.Her long hair was set in a  Victorian smile and the most expensive jewelley glittered on her hands and neck and ears.But what brought attention the most was the little b.u.mp which was clearly visible.Lance Inc. Was going to get a young prince or princess!The family slowly entered the ball and n.o.body wanted to be left behind in congratulating the couple.

But they were suddenly stopped by Ru Long's penetrating stare.Yes Ru Long,the typhoon's son.Worried that his mother would be jostled,he moved to stand on her other side and since he had recently had a growth streak and was now almost as tall as Alicia,he made a good bodyguard.n.o.body dared to jostle the young master and everyone only bowed from distance. With Ryu Long's entrance,the ball moved to the next ceremony which was the distribution of awards and soon the people in the ball room were seated.Most of the guests who were not directly involved in the prize distribution were busy exploring the other sections.

On the round table,in one of the middle rows,An Jui's gaze was boring into Alicia's back.She hated seeing the woman happy.She had specifically chosen this gowm from the designer because he had told her that this had been chosen by Alicia.But she could see that though their styles were similar hers looked like a cheap copy.An jui was infuriated. 

She dug her nails in the palms of her hands leaving crescent marks in the palms of her hands.

After this it was time for everyone to mingle.The first person to approach them was President An.