Morgan's Point of View

The afternoon tea was held in the rooftop lounge of the Loveson mansion. The room wasn't really a lounge; it resembled a luxurious self-contained apartment. It was beautifully lit with golden lights strategically placed on the interior walls, giving it an ethereal feel. 

There were flowers in their pots, near the lights, and she lifted a veil over the apartment to let the golden lights shine in all their splendor. I found myself smiling inwardly. I should have turned it into an evening party if that was the effect I was going for. 

And in the center of the main room was a table for ten. I remembered being there last year for Mia's birthday, when she almost fell off the roof because she was drunk. Typical Mia.

But today was very different. Perhaps because it was morning, or perhaps because it was just an afternoon snack for the girls.

But I was wrong. There, among the eight women sitting at the table, was that bitch.

"You look beautiful." A husky female voice snapped me out of my anger.

"Thank you, Mia." I turned to her. "And you too." She was wearing a simple green, long-sleeved floral dress that reached her knees and matching green shoes, while I was wearing a similar outfit, but in white.

"Thank you." He smiled politely. "Shall we go to the table?" He took my arm and led me to the table, where he sat down.

I took a deep breath and headed to the only available seat, which happened to be next to the last person I wanted to sit with.

Mia, with a broad smile, stood up to welcome all the ladies at the table. "I welcome all of you, esteemed ladies of London, and I thank you for honoring my invitation. I want to give special thanks to one of us who is always a bee..."

This caused giggles around the table, and I immediately knew he was referring to me.

"But surprisingly," she continued, "she's here with us. Let's welcome the CEO of Rosewood Enterprise, Morgan Rosewood."

Thunderous applause erupted around the table, even from the person sitting next to me, whom I'd been ignoring the entire time. I was inwardly glad she'd decided to keep her mouth shut and not speak to me. Just as Mia finished her speech, the maids began to enter with cakes, cookies, snacks, and all sorts of teas.

"You never told me you had become the CEO of Rosewood Enterprise."

"Didn't I tell you?" I asked, sarcasm in my voice. "Oh."

"You're very funny."

I shrugged and took a bite of the piece of cake they had served me. "You taught me well."

"Of course. Tell me..."

"Morgan," Mia interrupted Nova. "After all these years, how's life treating you as CEO?"

"I'm sure it's going terribly for him," Nova said before I could even say a word.

"Excuse me?" Mia asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Let's not talk about boring things like work here, Mia, let's talk about something else. You know, like our love life."

There were murmurs of "yes" around the table.

"Of course," Mia replied with a bright smile on her face. These were the things that made her super happy. "Let's get juicy!"

Thelma Ducalion opened the discussion on romantic relationships, and one by one, the girls spoke about their love lives until it was Nova's turn.

"I have a boyfriend and he's the sweetest man in the world, and we're planning to get married soon."

The last part of the sentence caught me off guard, and I almost spit out the tea I had in my mouth. Nova looked at me with a mischievous smile. Dante and Nova? Getting married? I shouldn't have come to this party if I'd known.

"Now it's your turn, Morgan," Nova said.

"Nothing, there's no man in my life," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Don't lie, Morgan, I know that's not true," he said, touching my shoulder. "Is it better than the previous one, or was the previous one better?"

"She said there's no man in her life, Nova, so just drop it," Mia snapped.

"Relax, Mia, I've known Morgan longer than any of you. Tell me, is he good to you? Are you going to get married?"

My God! If I could have plunged the knife into her eye and gotten away with it, I would have done it the moment she started showing her true colors. I looked at her, not a trace of my smile left!

"What's your main point in all of this?"

"My main point?" he asked, playing with the remaining piece of cake on his plate. "I was just wondering if it was going to stay or leave like the other one."

"Okay, that's enough!" Mia ordered, banging her fist on the table. "Stop it, Nova."

"Why?" she asked with a mischievous smile. "It's the truth. Isn't it, Morgan? Aren't you going to tell him? Come on, Morgan, don't make me look like the bad guy here."

"You should leave my party," Mia said to Nova in a serious tone, while I stared at the fork in my hands, the same malicious thought nagging at me. The other girls glared at Nova with angry expressions.

"Tell me, Morgan," Nova continued, acting as if Mia hadn't said anything. "Are you going to try to hold him back this time?"

"I'm done here!" said Veronica, one of the girls, standing up. "Let's go, Vanya, I can't stand this nonsense anymore." She spat, glancing at Nova and then at Mia before leaving with Vanya.

"Really?" Nova repeated.

I scoffed and clicked my tongue twice before looking at her. "At least I'm not stealing it from you," I said with a smile.

All the emotion and joy that was on her face disappeared in an instant, and the next thing I felt was an extreme heat in my breasts.