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The Party And The Mysterious Handsome Man

Nora stepped into the grand ballroom, where the charity ball was being held.

The party was organized by a well-known online news magazine, as its public relations director had a wide network in the entertainment world.

She was instantly mesmerized by the grand and luxurious atmosphere that greeted her once she arrived inside.

The ballroom was decorated with chandeliers shimmering with golden light. The tables were covered in beautiful flower arrangements.

Waiters were going back and forth among the guests with trays of champagne and gourmet treats.

As expected, the guest list was a who’s who of the entertainment industry, with A-list celebrities, top socialites, and executives in various fields. They were all talking with each other.

Flashes of photographers’ cameras were commonplace for them. The cameras captured the glamorous moments of the guests.

Nora couldn’t help but tremble when she entered the crowd.

Her eyes wandered, and searched for a familiar face. She didn’t deny the appeal of the party, as it was a valuable opportunity for all of them to network in the competitive world of entertainment.

Nora took a deep breath, trying to smile confidently. “Come on, Nora,” she said to herself. “Get out there. Find someone. Remember what you came here for.”

As Nora began to collide among the guests, a familiar voice rang out.

When she turned around, she saw Sarah Lansing, the magazine’s public relations director, walking towards her.

She greeted Nora with a warm smile and a friendly hug. “Nora, darling, it’s been a long time,” Sarah said cheerfully. “How are you? You look so beautiful tonight!” Nora returned the smile, grateful for the familiar face in the confusing crowd.

"Oh, I've been very busy, Sarah. But I'm very happy to be here tonight. This event looks spectacular. You've always managed to organize these kinds of parties successfully."

“Oh, this is nothing compared to what's coming up," Sarah teased. “But enough of the pleasantries, it's not like I don't miss you. Listen, there's someone I need to say hello to. Please, enjoy the party, and don't leave before the charity auction opens!" With that, Sarah Lansing walked away from Nora and disappeared into the crowd of guests.

As Nora glanced around the room, she saw some familiar faces among the crowd of influencers.

Their glamorous style with their fancy designer dresses and shoes contrasted with her knowing that what she was wearing was fake.

She was hesitating to approach them. Afraid that they might see the envy in her eyes for the easy life they lead.

Soon she decided to go to the bar to get a drink. She hoped that a glass of good drink would bringd down the waves of envy and insecurity building inside her.

As she trudged through the crowd of guests, her ears caught the enthusiastic voice of Sarah Lansing, who was greeting a newly arrived guest.

Out of curiosity, Nora couldn’t resist turning her head to see who Sarah was talking to so happily.

”I’m glad you could come!” She heard Sarah. “I didn’t expect you to accept my invitation. You’re an important person and very busy with state duties.”

The person Sarah was talking to was a man. Nora couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could see that he was tall and well-built, clad in an expensive dark suit.

“Nonsense, Sarah,” snapped the man in a deep, calm voice. “There’s no way I’m not going, especially since you asked my mother to persuade me to clear my schedule for tonight. You’ve always been that clever.”

Even to Nora’s eavesdropping ears, the man’s voice exuded a certain authority.

‘What did Sarah say earlier? That man was busy with state duties?’ Nora still stood where she was, pretending to pay attention to the surroundings while straining her ears to eavesdrop again.

Sarah Lansing chuckled softly. "I was worried that you'd be flying to Abu Dhabi with the Foreign Minister, so I had to find a way to get ahead of your schedule."

“And you did it. Here I am now, although I don’t understand why I should be here with these celebrities? I’m an ordinary person.”

“Well, now you’re the one talking nonsense, dear. You know some of these celebrities, I know. I don’t know how you got into their social circle. But they respect you...”

“Because of my family.”

"More or less," Sarah replied. "But you're an interesting person yourself. Very intriguing. Don't you realize you're being ogled by the eyes of many women in this room right now?"

Nora seemed to see the man shrug. "Well, I don't care."

Is he really that intriguing? How attractive is that man? From where she stood, Nora could not see the man’s face. She circulated her eyes around the man standing and observed. She saw that some women were indeed stealing glances at him.

“Nora?” Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder from behind, making her startle and immediately turn her head.

A beautiful woman smiled broadly at her. “Oh, it’s you! How are you? We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Nora smiled back brightly.

Standing in front of her was the one who had been on her jealousy list.

Gwen Nelson stood in front of her with her beautiful face and slim body shaped by her membership to a fitness club frequented by Hollywood celebrities.

Her brilliant smile was thanks to dental work at an expensive dentist’s office on Madison Avenue. Meanwhile, Nora is pretty sure the sleek black dress Gwen is wearing is the latest design from the Prada.

“I’m glad to see you here,” Nora said. “I knew Sarah wouldn’t forget to invite you. By the way, you’re very beautiful. I love your dress.”

“Thank you. You’re beautiful too. Hey, I stopped by your Instagram and saw that you have a gorgeous new bag. Why don’t you wear it tonight? It’ll go perfectly with your red dress.”

"Oh, well. I decided not to wear it." Nora tried not to sound nervous. "I want to use this clutch instead. It was a gift from a friend. It's not too expensive, but I want to honor someone else’s generosity."

The real reason why she did not wear the bag to the party was because there were too many eyes that were experts in judging the authenticity of things.

Soon, someone would realize that the bag was fake. That would be a dangerous rumor for her.

At that moment, she heard Sarah laughing. Nora turned her head and saw Sarah introducing the man to a group of people. Gwen followed her gaze.

“Ah, it seems Sarah also invited Leon Carusso,” she commented.

“Who is he?” Nora asked.

“You don’t know?” Gwen looked at Nora in surprise. “You’ve never heard of the Carusso family?”

Hesitantly, Nora shook her head.

“No way. You must know. Carusso Enterprise, which controls almost 40 percent of the real estate business in America and Canada. Isn’t your family also businessmen?” Gwen observed her in surprise.

Nora soon realized her foolishness, which almost aroused suspicion and unmasked her. All this time she had been pretending to be the heiress to her parents’ wealthy mining business in Africa.

“Oh, that Carusso.” Nora quickly chimed. “Yes, of course I know. But I didn’t think he was a member of their family.”

Gwen grinned. “He does not look like a son of the Carusso family. His two siblings are known to be conquerors of women. Leon’s younger brother, Diego... he was always the life of the party because of his warm and jovial nature. As for Leon... well, you’ll see. He looks stiff in that formal suit. It’s a good thing he’s handsome.”

Nora tried to re-observe the figure of Leon Carusso standing with Sarah and a group of people. His face was still unclear, but like Gwen said, the man did look stiff in the middle of the group. He only nodded or spoke a little.

“Well then, why didn’t Sarah invite Diego Carusso instead?”

Gwen smiled, as if she knew everything. “I guess because Leon’s position could boost Sarah’s prestige in this event.”

“Sarah said he had state duties.”

“My dear, Leon Carusso is one of the officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I forget his exact position. Anyway, he’s a diplomat.”

Nora was stunned.

“And....you probably don’t know why someone as important as Leon Carusso would come to this charity party.” Gwen paused to savor the curiosity on Nora’s face. “Because Sarah is his aunt. She’s the sister of Angela Carusso, Leon’s mother.”

Gwen chuckled.

And Nora now remembered hearing about the Carussso family. She also recalled that Gwen was nicknamed The Beauty Library by fellow influencers because of her extensive social circle, which meant she was well informed.

“Well, darling, I have to say hello to a few more people. I heard Sarah also invited Leonardo diCaprio. That Leon guy is more interesting to me.” Gwen giggled.

She waved to Nora and disappeared into the crowd. Meanwhile, Nora remembered her intention to get a drink at the bar. Her throat was starting to feel dry.

..

The bar seats were full, but she managed to find one empty seat and quickly occupied it. A bartender approached her.

“Hello, what can I get you?”

“Anything that’s good.”

The bartender smiled. “Of course,” he said. “Mojito?”

Nora nodded with a smile. “Yes, please. A mojito sounds perfect.”

Then, suddenly, there was a voice next to Nora. “I’ll have a Macallan 18, neat. Please.”

Nora turned and saw the man, Leon Carusso, standing beside her.

The bartender placed a glass of Mojito in front of Nora. He smiled at Leon. “Excellent choice, sir. Coming right up.”

Now, Nora could see the man’s face clearly. He was incredibly…

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