531 What She Didn't Expec

December 1 — Saturday at Crown Resort

The gala that Frederick Park and the rest of the family members were hosting was held at one of Damien's resorts that opened several months ago. It was the best location to host the event as it was away from the city proper but not too far that everyone could still attend and then go home after if they wished to.

Katherine and Damien arrived at the resort's lobby where the staff immediately lined up and greeted them as they entered and walked towards the function hall. Because this was an exclusive event, only hired photographers and videographers were allowed in the premises, so as to control their privacy.

With her arm hooked with Damien's, Katherine held her chin up as she strode with confidence. She looked glamorous in her black long-sleeved and floor-length evening dress—a simple yet elegant look that gave her the right amount of sexy. The dress had a top made of velvet with a deep V neckline that stopped at her midriff, showcasing her ample cleavage while the A-line skirt had her signature high slit—her leg with the Onyx tattoo was visible whenever she moved, and the skirt swayed with her hips.

While Katherine had a soft smokey eye and a bold choco plum lip color, she chose to keep her hair down and styled the ends with large waves. It gave her a perfectly effortless look, making her appear even more attractive.

"You look irresistible," Damien whispered to her ear so that only she could hear just before they entered the function hall.

"Thank you, President Park," she responded. She curled her lips upward and faced him, gently brushing the side of his hair with her fingers. "You look... beddable."

A suppressed smile threatened to form on his face, trying his best not to laugh at her bold response. Katherine just flirted with him in front of hundreds of guests looking their way as they stood by the double doors, and she didn't even look bothered. Now, all he could think about was to get this party over and done with so he could 'bed' her already.

"Well, then… Mis. Young, I'm afraid you'd have to wait until this party ends. Or are you going to start stripping your underwear again?" he asked with his brow slightly cocking.

The radiant smile on her face went even brighter upon hearing his question. Ever so slowly, she leaned towards him, her lips softly brushing the lobe of his ear as she breathed, "Who says I'm wearing any?"

Dear heavens. Damien's sleeping soldier woke up from its slumber and abruptly saluted to his commander.

Clearing his throat, he rolled his neck from side to side and clenched his jaw. He was a second away from dragging Katherine out of the hall and into an empty closet somewhere.

But before he could even respond to her, she had already stepped away from him and greeted Nana who had just arrived. If he thought he was way better in teasing Katherine, he should rethink it.

Looking from side to side, Katherine scanned the room, trying to see if she recognized the others who were present. There were many guests whom she didn't recognize—the rest were either politicians or businessmen.

Subconsciously, her eyes shifted between her aunt and Frederick. And then she started to observe the two. When her aunt arrived, Frederick casually greeted her before moving on to the next guests. It didn't seem like they had anything special going on, which was why the picture they found from her aunt's office didn't make sense to her. Perhaps the two were old lovers? Perhaps it was just something that happened in the past and they had since moved on? But if that were the case, why did Deborah keep that picture in her locked drawer?

Just as Katherine was busy calculating things in her head, the emcee of tonight's gala got up on stage and called everyone's attention. She turned her head and watched as the event was opened with a speech by Frederick Park, welcoming the guests for the annual gala. Then, her eyes darted towards Deborah whose attention was focused on him. Well, everyone's attention was on Frederick, so there was nothing odd about that. But Katherine still kept her eyes on the two.

Frederick finished his speech and got off the stage. Then he casually glanced at Deborah before leaving the function hall through the side door. Katherine, who was too focused on the two, saw Deborah whisper something to Caroline before getting up and going out of the hall too.

"Huh… Interesting," Katherine muttered under her breath.

"What's interesting?" Damien probed.

She then whispered to him what she saw, and he agreed that it was indeed worth looking into. "Excuse me while I go to the ladies' room," she told him.

Damien wanted to go with her, knowing that she was most definitely about to check what was going on with Frederick and Deborah. However, just as he stood up, a business partner came and held him up. 

"Be careful," Damien told Katherine. She nodded and left through the side door.

Casually looking left and right, she caught sight of one of Frederick Park's bodyguards in the middle of the hallway that led to the restrooms. Katherine headed straight there in the hopes of seeing Frederick and her aunt, unsure of what she would find if she would see them together.

However, when she got closer, the security stopped her.

"What do you mean I can't? I need to go to the restroom," insisted Katherine, her voice toneless and her stare firm.

The bodyguard kept his hand extended in front of him, halting her from going further. "I'm sorry, Miss. Please go to another restroom. This one is occupied."

"Are you serious? You want me to go to another one when there's clearly a restroom behind you? There are ten stalls in there. I don't believe all of them are occupied." She folded her arms in front of her chest. It was to keep herself from punching this guy who was stopping her. She could easily take him down if she really wanted to, but she obviously couldn't do that here. One thing that Katherine hated was anyone that would get in her way. Now, her hand was itching to strike him.

The man opened his mouth to reply, but the clacking of heels made him turn his head back. Deborah walked out of the restroom ever so casually and saw Katherine.

"Katherine, is everything okay?" asked Deborah.

"Oh, I was actually looking for you. The event started, and I wasn't able to greet you earlier when you arrived," Katherine lied smoothly, her eyes quickly examining her aunt but not a hair was out of place.

Deborah smiled as Katherine leaned to kiss her on the cheek. "You look lovely, Darling. Where's Damien?"

"Thank you, Aunt Deb. You look great," she replied, subtly glancing at the restroom behind her aunt, but no one else came out. "Damien's inside. Shall we head back together?"

"Let's go." Deborah nodded, and they walked back to the function hall.

Katherine didn't see anything new with her aunt, so it made her wonder if she was just overthinking things. Could it be possible that it was merely coincidental that Deborah got out of the hall right after Frederick did?

Soon, the two women entered the hall again, and her Aunt dropped by to say hello to Damien and his family before going back to her seat again.

"What happened?" Damien wondered.

Katherine told him that she was stopped before she even had the chance to go near the restroom, so she didn't see anything.

Seeing that she was still bothered by it, he held her hand and told her, "Don't let it bother you anymore. Maybe it was nothing."

"Maybe…" She bit her bottom lip and stared at nothing in particular as if she was still in deep thoughts.

Letting out a sigh, Damien got up and brought her to her feet. "Come with me. There's something I want to tell you."

Katherine's train of thoughts was interrupted as she began to follow him out of the hall. His grasp was firm as he led her towards a secluded area of the resort. They walked through the garden path until they reached an elevated platform. It was made of solid wood and with colorful flowers and lights surrounding the edges.

He assisted her as they got on it, and her eyes were immediately drawn towards the soft waves of the water. She could see the beach from where she stood, and the moon cast its light so beautifully, making everything else magical.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

When Damien didn't respond, Katherine turned around, and a gasp escaped her lips when she saw him bend down on one knee.