Chapter 540: How A Crazy Night Ends (2)

Once Damien and Katherine returned to the function hall twenty minutes later, she had already cleaned her wound and put a bandage on it. There wasn't much she could do with the tear on her sleeve, so she just used a tiny safety pin to close it from the inside. Thankfully, the long sleeves weren't tight, so unless someone would examine it, no one would know that it got damaged.

Damien tried to convince her to change into a new dress, but she declined and told him that she loved the dress too much, and she would want to keep wearing it throughout the event as the damage was small enough to be ignored anyway. Like he always did, he told her that he would ask Mr. West to fix it for her, so she could still keep the dress.

The gala in the hall went on as if nothing happened outside of its walls. The guests pretty much remained in a celebratory mood. The live auction was still ongoing and when Katherine and Damien entered the venue, they looked for Jeffrey and joined him and William as they watched Alianna and Caleb on stage, modeling for pieces of jewelry that were auctioned.

The raffle draw followed after the auction—the most awaited portion of the night, and it only commenced at ten in the evening. It was the last event, and everyone was excited to win the prizes. The guests were all from wealthy families in Esmea, and for sure, they could afford a trip to the Maldives or pay for accommodation to any of Damien's resorts, but who doesn't want an all-expenses-paid vacation?

Apart from the prizes, the winners would also be allocated a certain percentage from the total amount that the gala had raised that night, which would be given to their choice of charity and donated under their name. And for the guests who were in need of this 'charitable action', they could use this to boost their reputation.

The world of the rich in Esmea was fascinating.

...

The gala ended, and the guests began to disperse. Some of them drove home while the others chose to stay in the resort for the night. And because Katherine and Damien decided to stay, they headed towards the elevators in the lobby.

Leaving the hall, they met Daniel and Samantha Cho. Daniel then introduced his wife to Katherine, and the two women shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you. No wonder this guy has been quiet in the tabloids these years…" said Samantha. "I just met you, and I can already tell that he's lucky..."

Katherine smiled, taking what she said as a compliment. There was something about her that made Katherine feel as if she didn't have to put her guard up. This feeling was rare, and it intrigued her. Samantha was beautiful—a total head-turner. She had this air around her that one would notice immediately that she belonged in the upper class, yet she didn't look pretentious at all. She heard from Damien that she was already a mother of two, and Katherine wondered if that was the reason why she had a friendly yet mature vibe.

"I am luckier," Katherine beamed. "And I just met you… but I can already tell we're gonna be good friends."

She surprised herself when she said that, and even Damien didn't expect to see the two click so fast. The men exchanged puzzled looks, both of them thinking the same thing—that it was quite interesting and also a bit worrisome that Katherine and Samantha became friends in a snap.

Only the two of them could understand how the love of their lives were the only ones capable of bringing them to their knees.

They were whipped. Absolutely whipped.

"Thanks for the villa. We'll see you at breakfast tomorrow," Daniel told Damien as they parted.

"Have fun." Katherine smiled at Samantha and the latter winked in response as she left with her husband.

…

Villa Blanc

As soon as they entered their room, Damien pulled Katherine into his arms and squeezed her tight, burying his face into the crook of her neck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling her scent that he loved the most, and it instantly eased his worries. He had been feeling uneasy since the incident earlier. It wasn't until the event had finished, and they had entered the suite that he finally felt a total sense of relief.

She could feel that he was tensed as she slid her arms around his torso and returned his embrace. Then she felt him relax.

"You have no idea how scared I was earlier." His voice was muffled when he spoke against her skin.

"Nothing happened. And I won't allow myself to get hurt. I could have ended it right away but I didn't want to use force on her," she answered.

Damien straightened up but kept his arms encircled around her, locking his gaze with hers. "To be honest, I wouldn't care if you did. She hurt you, and you could retaliate."

"I could, yeah. But I don't bully the weak. And she's at a disadvantage already. It wouldn't be a fair fight."

He threw his head back laughing, amused at her confident tone. He didn't doubt her at all. Kissing her forehead, he brushed his hands up and down her side and told her, "I'm just glad that you're safe… Well, apart from that wound on your arm."

"It's just a tiny one—doesn't even hurt. It will heal up tomorrow… You'll see!" she reassured.

"So… you're okay to move?" Damien slid a hand down to her hip, dangerously inching southward.

A smile slowly formed on Katherine's face at the apparent invitation—which she answered with the same desire, gliding her hands up to his chest and loosening his tie. "Oh, I can move… and dance… and grind…" She captured his bottom lip and sucked on it while she began unbuttoning his shirt. "I told you I haven't quenched my thirst yet."

"And I told you, I am not done with you yet." Damien responded to her kisses. She took steps backward as he kept advancing towards her, carefully maneuvering her towards the bathroom.

His shirt was off faster than he unzipped her dress. And his pants fell to the floor just as her dress dropped.

Oh, yeah. Tonight was definitely going to be one hell of a night.