-Athena-

''Are freaking kidding me? I can't wear this!'' I shout, when Mila shows me the gown. ''This is too much.'' We have already done our make up and hair, Mila thought a sleek look would look good on me so she straightened my hair to perfection and did a perfect middle part then set it.

''It isn't Athena. It's a gala remember, everyone is going to be dressed in their fancy gowns and suits,'' Mila tries to explain.

''I know, I know but, this- this is too much, too much glitter,'' I heave a sigh.

''There is nothing like too much glitter, Athena. Besides, you will stand out,'' she winks at me, then runs a hand on the fabric of my sparkling white gown. How the hell did Theo manage to get his hands on this gown?

The gown itself is spectacular. It's snow white and the material is all sparkly and glittery. It's a one shoulder piece with a side cut and a thigh high slit. All in all, it's a breath-taking gown, anyone who wears this would feel like royalty.

''Well what are you waiting for? Christmas? Go on, put it on,'' Mila says as she grabs the gown and gives it to me.

''Fine,'' I give up. ''Help me, will you?''

She comes up to me and helps me put the gown on. Once I'm zipped up, Mila takes a few steps back and squeals excitedly. ''Ohhh you look so amazing. I can't wait to see Theo's reaction.''

''Oh shut up! Now come on, let me help you with yours,'' I dismiss her antics and remove hers from the garment bag. It's a black strapless mermaid gown with a sweetheart neckline. The bottom part of it is sheer and it fits her perfectly.

''Oh goddess, Mila, you look so pretty,'' I tell her as she walks up to the mirror and admires herself.

''Oh wow, Athena, this is so amazing, we're going to have so much fun tonight!''

I join in her excitement and  we start giggling like school girls when a knock interrupts us. ''How much longer are you two going to take? We need to leave soon, the car is on its way,'' Charles asks.

''Oh umm, not long. Like about ten more minutes, okay? give us ten more minutes,'' I shout back.

''Okay. Ten minutes Athena, nothing more than that,'' he replies. I hear him walk back to the living room then turn to Mila. ''We're almost done here, I just need to put on my shoes-''

''And jewelry,'' Mila adds.

''No, no, no jewelry. This, this dress speaks for itself,'' I say to her.

''Well, yes it does, but you can't just go completely jewelry free. At least wear some earrings then.''

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, ''Hmmm, maybe you're right. I do have this pair that I think will go perfectly with this gown.'' I walk to my dresser and pull out the box with the teardrop diamond earrings. ''I still don't remember buying these,'' I whisper to myself but then quickly diminish the thought out of my mind, before my head starts hurting.

''Are you done?'' I ask Mila, who is fastening a necklace around her neck.

''Yup, almost,'' she replies. I grab my pair of silver heels and with a little difficulty, put them on.

''Come on ladies, the limo is here,'' Charles shouts from the living room.

''We're coming!!'' Mila yells back. ''One last check?'' she asks me. I nod and we look at ourselves, then at each other. 

''Perfect. Now come on.''

As soon as we walk out, the room is engulfed in silence. Theo and Charles who were engrossed in a conversation have now stopped and their jaws are quite literally on the floor.

My gaze meets Theo's, whose eyes are boring into mine. I suddenly start to feel conscious and nervous. 'What if I don't look good? what if the dress doesn't fit me well? Is my make-up too much? Should I have worn more jewelry? What if he doesn't like the way I look in this gown? Ughh wait, why should I be bothered what he thinks of me, I know that I look good, don't I? Oh Athena, don't kid yourself, you know deep down that his opinion matters to you.'

All these thoughts were running through my mind and I didn't even realize that Theo had closed the distance between us and was standing inches apart from me. One more step forward from either of us and our noses would touch.

He raises his hand and pushes the lose strand of hair behind my left ear. His fingers graze the earring before he flicks it lightly, then stares at it for a few seconds before his eyes meet mine. ''So beautiful,'' he whispers lowly.

He then runs his fingers slowly down my cheek, his eyes not leaving mine. For a second I thought he would kiss me but he surprises me by dropping his hand and taking a few steps back. ''We need to leave,'' he says huskily. ''Come on.''

''I should have kept my camera ready,'' I hear Mila grumble behind me as we all walk out of the penthouse.

''I already have a mental picture of you in that dress sweetheart, I don't need a camera,'' Charles whispers in her ear, but we all hear him.

''Not for us, you idiot,'' she slaps his arm. I purse my lips to hide a smile and walk into the elevator.

The limo is parked outside waiting for us, the four of us file into it, me and Mila taking a few extra minutes, because of our gowns. Theo sits next to me, our thighs almost touching. There is so much space in the car and yet he chose to sit so close to me. I'm about to ask him when a familiar scent reaches me.

''Ethan?'' I call out. The car light switches on and there he is, my brother, seated right opposite us, dressed in a white tux and beside him, his mate, Michelle, who looks beautiful in an emerald green gown.

''I expected you to notice us the moment you got in. But you looked so pre-occupied with your thoughts,'' he chuckles.

''Ethan. Oh goddess, It's so great to see you. How? I – uh w-when?'' I sputter.

''Theo called us. Actually, he forced us,'' Michelle replies. ''He thought it would be great for the both of us too be here. I hope you don't mind?''

''What, no. Of course not. I'm so glad you guys are here. How could I not have thought of this?'' I slap a hand on my forehead.

''Well, that's because you were busy worrying about the damage Amunet caused you,'' Ethan replies, ''Oh and also, ya stupid!'' he then kicks me lightly.

''Heyyy!!'' I kick him back, ''I ain't stupid okay!''

''Yeah right,'' he snorts. He was about to say something more but Michelle stopped him. So he turned his attention to the beta couple and started bothering them. I chuckle and shake my head at him. ''Idiot.''

I turn to look at Theo, who is surprisingly already looking at me. ''What?'' I whisper.

''Nothing,'' he replies, ''I'm just admiring what's mine.''

A sudden blush creeps up my cheeks causing me to look away from him. ''You look cute then you blush love,'' he whispers in my ear. My spine tingles from his warm breath and my heart rate quickens. I try regain composure of myself by doing some quick breathing exercises, before I turn to look at him again.

''I- uhh- I- I,'' I stutter. Oh come Athena, get a grip. ''Ahemmm, I just want to thank you for calling Ethan here. It means a lot to me. So yeah, thank you.''

He releases a deep sigh, ''How many, how many times do I have to tell you not to thank me, love? I'm thinking I should wear a t-shirt or something that reads, 'Athena should not be thanking me.' What do you think?''

''I think that is stupid. And also, I have been raised to say thank you to anyone who does something nice for me. So whether you like it or not, I will keep saying it,'' I huff and cross my arms stubbornly.

''Well, then you better have a lot of 'thank yous' in store because I'm just getting started baby,'' he winks at me.

''You don't give up, do you?'' I raise an eyebrow in question.

''Not this time, I won't,'' he smiles down at me.

''We're here you guys. Gear up, the paparazzi is all over the place,'' Charles announces as the limo comes to a stop. Charles and Mila get out first, followed by Ethan and Michelle. I catch a glimpse of the crowd and almost choke on my saliva. There are so many people! They could be over 300 people just outside there, including the paparazzi.

''Ready, love?'' Theo extends his hand towards me.

''Uh huh. Let's go,'' I place my hand in his and he gives it a soft squeeze. I step out of the car as he helps me and am momentarily blinded the camera flashes. We walk to a designated spot for the photographs and pose there for a few minutes.

My eyes however, keep on searching for the one person who has been causing me trouble ever since. ''Don't worry love, she is not coming,'' Theo whispers into my hair, knowing that I'm looking for Amunet.

''What do you mean she is not coming? I thought you did invite her?'' I question him as we now walk towards the ball room. People have started arriving and I manage to spot a few known celebrities in the crowd.

''I did invite her, out of common courtesy of course, but her office responded that she won't be able to attend since she is out of country,'' he replies, while placing his hand on my lower back and guiding me to some very important looking people, who I later learned are his business partners.

We mingle a little with the crowd of people that have now gathered in the ballroom. I notice Leo standing a few meters away and acknowledge him by nodding in his direction. He does the same before walking off in the opposite direction. ''I hope everything is to your liking,'' Theo whispers in my ear.

I jump a little from the tickling sensation his warm breath causes on my neck. ''Umm, yeah, yeah, it's all so perfect. I should- I should go and check on the models backstage,'' I mumble and point towards a random area.

He laughs at my silliness and grab my shoulders. ''The backstage is there,'' he turns me around and points towards it.

''Right,'' I chuckle. ''I knew that. I knew where it was. No, seriously, I did,'' I say when he starts laughing.

''All the best, love, can't wait to see you up there,'' he winks then walks away. I stare at his retreating back, a smile playing on my lips.

''Umm, excuse me?'' someone interrupts my thoughts. ''I think the lady over there is calling you.''

I turn to see Nancy frantically waving in my direction, beckoning me towards her. ''Oh yes, thank you. I hope you're enjoying the evening,'' I tell the woman and walk towards Nancy.

Her jaw drops as soon as I get closer. ''First of all, wow! That dress is gorgeous and those earrings, ohh Athena, you look so beautiful,'' she squeals.

''Thank you. You too. You look amazing,'' I reply and hug her lightly.

''Okay, now enough of that, come on,'' she ushers me towards the changing area. ''So, what do you think?'' she asks me when we come to a stop.

I look around the dressing area, the models are almost ready and they all look good for the first set. My eyes find Mila who is seated on her chair, looking nervous. ''Great work Nancy. Everyone looks fantastic. Give me a minute, will you?''

I walk up to Mila and softly pat her on the back. ''Oh hi, Athena, I didn't see you coming in,'' she says while fidgeting.

''How could you even? You look so nervous,'' I tell her.

She starts fidgeting more and I can see a thin layer of sweat building up on her forehead. ''What if I can't do it? what if I trip and fall? What if my dress falls off?''

''Okay, the last one is definitely not going happen,'' I laugh. ''You can do this Mila; I know you can. I believe in you,'' I hug her. ''Also, if it gets too bad, look for Charles in the crowd,'' I wink at her. ''Now I need to go check on the other models, we'll be going out in a few minutes. Will you be okay?''

''Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you, Athena,'' she shoots me a grateful smile.

''Mention not,'' I reply. ''Also, try to calm down,'' I signal to the nearest make-up artist to finish the final touches on Mila.

''Athena Robinson advising me to calm down? that's a first,'' she chuckles.

''Don't get used to it,'' I smirk. 

The rest of the models are almost ready; we will be going on stage in the next twenty minutes. ''Athena, take this.'' Nancy hands me a paper.

''What's this?''

''Your speech. You're going first right? You have to introduce the company and the models before they all come out,'' she explains.

''Oh shit! I'd forgotten about that, let me go through it real quick.'' I walk to a corner and start going through the speech which, I'm sure one of the interns might have written. 

''Athena, come over here right now, you've got to see this,'' Nancy suddenly comes into my view and grabs me towards the opening from where we can see the whole crowd, the stage and Theo, who is now addressing the audience.

''-and tonight is a very special night for very special person. So let's not waste any more time and call upon the very lovely and the beautiful, Athena Robinson, CEO of Nightshade. Let's hope that after witnessing the amazing outfits that Nightshade will showcase to us tonight, their sales will sky rocket.''

''I have never seen Theo do this kind of thing,'' Mila says from beside me, her eyes wide in shock.

''Really? Never?'' I turn to face her.

''Yes, never. He is a very private person; he usually doesn't do these kind of things. Normally Charles or the manager takes care of it all,'' she explains.

''Ohh, I see,'' I mumble.

''Athena, what are you waiting for? Go!'' Nancy shouts while throwing wild gestures in my direction.

''What? Oh! Ohhh, right, yeah, I'm going. Keep everyone ready, Nancy,'' I straighten my back, pat my hair down and walk out on the stage. ''

The whole room is engulfed in silence when I walk out. Theo, who is standing by the microphone, takes a few steps forward and extends his hand towards me. I take it and choose to ignore the sparks lighting up my whole body. He shoots me an encouraging smile.

I place my free hand on the microphone and look at the audience in front me. So many important people, all looking up at me, waiting for me to talk. I can do this; I have done this, it's not any different than before. I feel Theo squeeze my hand in reassurance before he lets go of it and leaves the stage.

''Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for showing up in great numbers for tonight's event, we really appreciate it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Argent Group of companies for their tremendous support. Thank you very much. And now without further ado, we can start the show. I'll hand over the mic to the emcee for the night and she'll take it away. I hope you all enjoy the show and like our designs. Thank you all once again,'' I finish my speech and with the help of Theo who was standing right by the stage, walk down the steps.

''You did good love,'' he whispers and places a hand on my waist. Now come on, let's sit, the show's about to start.'' We take our seats in the front row next to Michelle and Ethan, who couldn't look proud enough. 

Soon enough, Mila, being the showstopper walks out, closely followed by the rest of the models. I tune in my ear piece so that I can converse better with Nancy. ''All good?'' I ask her. I bend my head low and cover my mouth so that I can hear her clearly over the noise.

''Yes all good. We're getting ready for the second set, Mila will be out soon,'' she replies. I lean back and sigh.

''You don't need to worry love, see? Everything is going well,'' Theo speaks up from beside me.

''I don't think I'll be convinced until we end this night without any bloodshed,'' I reply.

''I wouldn't worry about that. The security detail is tight. Nothing is going to ruin tonight,'' he smiles down at me.

And true to his word, nothing did.

The evening progressed blissfully, everyone loved the outfits that were displayed. The thunderous claps after the show ended was proof of it. We started getting orders then and there, a lot of celebrities, big shot lawyers and business men and women crowded me to get in their requests first. We then had to set up a separate table so that everyone could get their names down. Rebecca and Simone, our head of sales were managing that.

''You did good Ena. Mom and Dad would be so proud of you,'' Ethan walks up to me and leans in for a hug. ''Congratulations,'' Michelle hugs me too. ''We're both proud of you.''

''Thank you guys. It means a lot for me that you both are here,'' I smile at them graciously before they leave to join the party. Amongst all the chaos, Theo had disappeared from my side and I hadn't even realized that until now. I sweep my gaze across the ballroom, looking for him, when my gaze meets his. He is standing on the far end of the hall, one hand in his pants pocket and the other holding a glass of champagne.

I smile at him awkwardly, while he sends me an amused smirk. Just as I was about to take a step towards him, a towering figure comes to a stop in front of me. ''Ms. Robinson, I'm so glad I caught up to you. I've been trying to talk to you, but either you're occupied or someone has cornered you before I could,'' a man, who, now I that look at him properly, Theo had introduced me too when we walked in. Umm, what was him name though? Damn it, I can't for the life of me remember it.

''Yes. Hello, Mr- uhh, Sir, I hope you're enjoying the evening?'' I take in a deep breath and reply. I guess Theo will have to wait.

''Oh yes, of course. Everything is beautifully organized,'' he waves his free hand around. ''Why, pray tell, don't you have a glass in your hand. It isn't fair is it?'' he chuckles and gestures to one of the servers.

''Oh no, no please, I've had quite a few. I was actually going-'' I randomly point to a space behind me, and of all the places, it had to be the dance floor. Why does this always happen to me?!

''Oh, that is such a pleasant idea Ms. Robinson, why, let's go,'' The man, who is old enough to my father, grabs my hand, puts his glass down and leads to me the dance floor.

''Uhh, Mr- sorry, sir, umm, I don't think that is what I meant,'' I try to wiggle out of his grip. He pulls me forward and puts his fairly large, wrinkly hand on my waist. I shudder unpleasantly from his touch as we begin dancing.

''Lovely evening, Ms. Robinson,'' he looks down at me and smiles, his mustache twitching. I grimace and force a chuckle. ''Please, call me Athena.''

''Okay, Athena,'' he drawls. ''And you can call me, Roger.''

Roger! Oh yes, of course, Roger Kowalski, one of Theo's business partners. ''Well, Mr. Roger, I don't see your wife around, is she here?'' I ask and look at him innocently.

The smile falls off his face as soon as I mention his wife, but he immediately replaces it with a smirk. ''Oh come on, Athena. Look around, do you think I would bring my wife to a place like this?'' he gestures to all the young female models and other women in the room.

Oh Goddess! This man is disgusting! If it weren't for the reputation I had to uphold, I would have slapped this old coot. I quickly mask my anger and throw him a wry smile. ''I think we've danced enough, Mr. Kowalski, I need to check if everything is going well at the order table,'' I tell him, while dropping my hand from his shoulder, but he is quick to grab it back.

''Oh come on, Athena, just one more dance,'' he says and pulls me closer to him. The urge to kick him in the balls was getting stronger by the second but I could not afford to create a scene, not after we've come this far into the evening. And so, I used my free hand to grab his and put a little pressure on it.

''Oh, ouch, Athena, you've got a really strong grip now, haven't you?'' he winces in pain and drops my hand. But then, his expression turns to a playful one, I could see the lust in his eyes and took two steps back. ''Then again, I like my women strong and rebellious,'' he whispers and takes one step toward me.

Anger flares in me at his repulsive remark, I ball my fists, ready to punch the life out of him. ''You know what-'' I start but someone, walks up to us and interrupts me.

''Ahh Mr. Kowalski!! here, why don't you take this glass of champagne and enjoy the party? I bet all that dancing has made you thirsty ehh?'' Charles says and hands him a glass. ''In fact, why don't you take two. That should keep your hands busy. Now, if you'll excuse us,'' he then takes my fisted hand and  guides me away from him.

''Ohh thank you, Charles! If you would have come even a second later, I would have punched him so hard,'' I tell him as we now start waltzing on the dance floor. ''Ugghh, the things he was saying, so revolting, I felt like ripping his tongue out and strangling him with it, '' I growl out.

''Easy there, Van Helsing, someone could hear you,'' Charles whispers. ''Besides, look at him, he looks busy with this two champagne glasses.''

''Yeah right, busy trying to give it to any young girl who makes eye contact with him. Goddess! Do you have a knife? Can you like hit him with it?''

''I believe the technical term is 'stab', Athena. And no, I'm not going to do it. What makes you think, I carried a knife at a gala?''

''I'm starting to think we should, if we need to protect ourselves from sexual predators like him,'' I grumble.

''Okay that's it, cookie. Can you please enjoy the song and the dance? And don't worry about it, I'm sure Theo is already cooking up a plan to get rid of him,'' Charles says.

''He is? '' I raise an eyebrow, ''where is he by the way?''

''Right behind you,'' Charles smirks. Suddenly, I'm being swirled in another direction, only to be stopped by a pair of strong arms, grabbing me by my waist.

''Hello, love,'' he whispers.

''All yours, my good man,'' Charles pats Theo's shoulders and walks away. But not before suggestively winking at me.

''Hi, where have you been this whole time? You disappeared as soon as the show got over,'' I scold him.

''You were surrounded by all this people and got busy, so I quietly slipped away and let you do your thing,'' he explains.

''Oh, I see.''

We continue slow dancing; I could feel his gaze on me the entire time. My cheeks, heating up from the intensity of his stare. ''Ahem,'' I clear my throat, ''So that Mr. Kowalski, your business partner, tried to make a move on me earlier,'' I start.

''I know, I heard it all. And before you tell me why I didn't interrupt, it's because I know you wouldn't have liked it. It's only when it started to get too intense and I could smell your anger intensifying that I decided to march over, but Charles beat me to it,'' he explains.

''Ohhh. So you're not angry at his behavior?''

''Of course I am angry, love. Why wouldn't I be?''

''Well, you don't look it,'' I squint my eyes and tilt my head at him.

''That's because, that's not how I play,'' he simply smirks. 

''Oh is it? and how exactly do you play?'' I chuckle.

''For starters, I already have someone looking into all the girls he has harassed. Once we have the list, we involve his wife. Of course, it will be up to her whether to expose him to the world. And after that, I fire him.''

''You thought of all of that in thirty minutes!'' I gasp.

''Well, what can I say, except that, I'm a planner,'' he smirks.

''You're something else, Theo Argent,'' I laugh and place my head on his chest.

''Says the alpha female,'' he chuckles and places a soft kiss on my head as we continue swaying to the music.

***

So what do you guys think?

I  loved, loved, loved writing this chapter. It's just something else, at least according to me.

Thoughts on #THEONA'S chemistry? and where do you think Amunet is?

Let me know in the comments as usual.

-Jessica.S