4. Another Party
It had been a month since the incident, and Cathy attended Bella, Via's older sister's wedding, which was held at a luxury hotel, Four Season - Las Vegas.
Cathy looked at her beautiful form in front of a giant mirror. Then she placed a belt between the curves of her body. That's clothed in a sheath dress below the knee. She also wore net stockings to cover the gunshot wounds.
Cathy wears a diamond-covered hairpin. Then polish her sexy lips with fiery red lipstick as usual.
Her coming to Las Vegas also to have fun before continuing the mission. At least she needed to clear her head. Again, Via was expecting her.
Cathy then walked out of the room after putting on her red high heels. She walked gracefully down the stairs. The classy decorations and the beautiful music accompanied her every step with the presence of other elite guests.
"Woah! You're so fabulous!" Via clapped her hands in praise of her friend.
"I think that's an exaggeration." Cathy's eyes fell on the net stockings on her feet.
Via laughed. "That's tacky. What's a look if it's not backed up by a good body visual? Aren't you the perfect sculpture?"
Cathy and Via laughed together. The sound was crisp.
"That's more annoying," Cathy said amidst the laughter.
Then Via invited her friend to find a quiet spot before the blessing ceremony began. The music stopped, and everyone who was talking fell silent to watch a princess in a dazzling luxurious gown walk down the red carpet accompanied by an aged man who was confirmed to be Via's father.
Bella is like a queen from a fairy tale. She was so beautiful. The dress also suited her perfectly. She did not stop spreading smiles as she walked towards the groom standing on the altar.
"He's Varel Marini, and we're related," Via explained.
"Ah, I see."
"And that's my older brother, Alexander Andrea. You can call by Alex."
"Cathy's eyes widened. "You have a brother? I thought you were just two sisters, you and Bella."
"Sorry. I didn't tell you about them because they're boys."
"What's wrong?"
Before I could answer, the priest had already started the blessing. The guests were watching the sacred moment. Then all applauded after the ceremony was over, and the bride and groom kissed warmly to show their love.
"Our family is indigenous. Then, many of them were eyeing my brother. So, I don't want to talk anything about them," Via explained, shaking the drink in her glass.
"Why?"
"There seem to be a lot of people who want to get rid of my brother. Maybe it's out of fear or because they want to break up our bloodline."
Cathy frowned. "What did you guys do to make them want to do that?"
"Crime," Via replied flatly, and then she laughed. "But we wouldn't do that if there was no trigger."
"Yes, I agree with that. Too good is not good."
"So that is exactly why I hid my brothers because I wanted to be cautious. I was afraid of people taking advantage of me," she continued more clearly. "Then, you don't want to tell me things I don't know about your family.
Cathy squinted to sort out what needed to be told and only ended up shaking her head. "Nothing special."
Via laughed. Cathy was always like that. She was a friend who preferred to listen. Then they raised their wine glasses and cheered.
"Oh?! Who's that?" Suddenly Alex approached in the middle of their conversation.
"Oh, Hi, Alex! She's Cathy, Catharina Sophie, my friend."
"Hi." Cathy shook the hand of Via's sister whose face looked familiar to her. She had seen it before, but she didn't know, she couldn't guess.
"And this is Alex's girlfriend, Agnes," Via added.
Then Cathy enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake to break the awkward atmosphere. Cathy was not good at socializing.
"Ah, and you know what? I have one more older brother."
"Another?"
"Yes."
"How many siblings are you, anyway?"
"Hm. Four," Via laughed innocently. "So Jonathan is my oldest brother. He's cold but quite considerate of his younger siblings."
"How lucky."
"This cake is delicious," said Cathy.
"But I prefer the cheese one." Via took a slice of the cheesecake. "She's so festive!"
Hearing Via's abstract babble made Cathy laugh. It was enough to color up her gloomy day. In friendship, they will complement each other. And that was fun.
They resumed their meal.
But the atmosphere was suddenly festive when someone else in a tuxedo stood in the middle of the guests. His good looks mesmerized the crowd. Cathy even admitted that his charm was alluring.
Cathy, who was sipping wine, suddenly spit it out. So, his name was Jonathan?
"Cathy? Are you okay?" Via confirmed.
"Ah, yes." Nervous reply. The wine she spurted out soaked her dress.
"I'll get you a dress." Immediately, Via stood up to find a dressing gown for her friend.
Cathy didn't hear anything her best friend said. She just tried to pull over, and hide her face, until she unconsciously drew closer to Alex and the other siblings.
"Did you know Jonathan got shot?"
"Yes, I heard about it."
"I heard from Jayden that it was a woman."
Cathy's eyes widened. Her body froze in a violent tremor. She didn't want her end to come to an embarrassing end at this big party. After all, she had no idea that Jonathan, the target, was her best friend's older brother. Even gulping down his saliva was difficult. It was so dry.
"Woah?! That's horrible. Maybe she's not an ordinary woman. A spy?"
Jonathan's emerging presence sparked a lot of attention. Some people whispered incoherently. He shook the hands of several colleagues with a straight face. There was no meaningful smile. He was like a king who ruled everything.
"Oh?! Where's Cathy?" shocked Via when she returned, but did not find her best friend. "Where did she go?"
"I don't know." Alex shrugged his shoulders.
Her eyes accidentally found that Jonathan wasn't where he stood again. "Huh, where did the two of them go. I wanted to set them up," muttered Via regretting the situation.