Belle hesitated to step inside, and she planned to return to her car, which was parked not far from where she was standing. But before her legs could move backwards, her annoying friend grabbed her arm and forced her into the noisy club.
"What are you doing? You wanted to run away once we got here, huh?"
"Miranda please, I think I've changed my mind."
"You are weird. You yourself asked me to come to Fleura's birthday party, but now you want to back out. You have to come in, Belle. Fleura must have been expecting you to come."
"I feel this is not my place. She will be surrounded by her actress friends."
"Exactly. This is a great opportunity for you to find a handsome man who is rich. If I didn't have Mark, I would date an actor."
Belle snorted in disgust looking at Miranda. She didn't expect her best friend to be so greedy.
"You're terrible, Miranda."
"Oh look, that's Simmon Hurtling. He won an Oscar for his film The Great Lover."
"Really? I don't care," Belle replied indifferently.
"I'm sure you've never seen any of his films."
"Oh my God, it's so crowded here. I want to go home. This is too much for my introverted soul."
Belle was a bit dizzy seeing the sea of people on the dance floor. The club was full tonight. And the stomping music around her exacerbated her emotional state, which was not okay.
"Fleura invited all the actors and singers to her birthday party. Look, there are top singers Shania Lewis, Taylor Swift, Adelle. Geez, I'd love to ask for their autograph," Miranda screamed excitedly over the sound of loud music that almost drowned out her voice.
"I want to hurry home. After we meet with Fleura, we will go home."
"Tsk, what's the rush? At least, have two shots of booze and hit the dance floor before you go home."
Belle ignored Miranda's whining and walked straight towards the stage. She saw Fleura standing on the stage in a long red off-shoulder dress that hugged her sexy body. Her long hair was tied in a vintage ponytail with a silver floral headband to complete her costume. Her appearance that night was hotter than the sweet image she showed at the hospital. Belle warned herself not to be surprised by Fleura's lifestyle because she was an actress.
"Happy birthday, Fleura."
"Belle! You come."
Fleura walked over to Belle and hugged her tightly like Belle was an old friend.
"Thank you for coming. I thought you wouldn't come because you were busy."
"I promised you. I brought a present, by the way."
Even though she didn't really like the party, Belle was still sane enough to bring a gift to Fleura's birthday party. But she wasn't sure Fleura would like her gift of cheap perfume.
"You don't need to bother. But I really appreciate it. Thank you very much."
Belle's gifts were stacked with other gifts on a large wooden table. Belle winced at how small her gift was compared to the other bigger gifts. The gifts were also wrapped in luxurious wrapping paper and ribbons that looked as if they were made from a single piece of silk.
"You're welcome, I hope you like it. By the way, I came with Doctor Miranda."
Miranda enthusiastically moved forward and gave Fleura a warm hug. She secretly coded Belle to take a picture of her when she was still hugging Fleura.
"Ah Miranda, can you let me go?"
"Oh wait a second," Miranda glared at Belle.
Belle just took a random photo of them, then shoved the cellphone into Miranda's hand.
"Please enjoy the party. You can order whatever you like. For tonight everything is free."
"Whoa that's great. We'll go to the bar counter to order drinks," Miranda clapped her hands excitedly and looked very happy.
Meanwhile, Belle just smiled a little in response to the generosity of the party owner. She wasn't really impressed. But she tried to appreciate Fleura.
"My darlin' Fleura."
Belle thought the man who had just come up and kissed Fleura on the cheek was Gabrielle, but it wasn't. The man had a handsome face with an alluring smile. He was definitely not as cynical as Gabrielle and gave her a gentle smile when he stood beside Fleura.
"Millo, thanks for coming."
"Did I interrupt you with your new friend?"
"Oh, they are wonderful doctors from the central hospital. This afternoon, I celebrated a birthday party with children with cancer there. They are the doctors who help cure those poor children."
"Yes, I read the news on the internet. Everyone is praising your kindness."
Fleura didn't really respond to the compliment. She introduced Belle and Miranda to Millo.
"Ladies, he is Millo Stuart, one of the actors I worked with on a film."
"Hi, I'm Miranda, and this is my friend, Belle."
Miranda was most enthusiastic about shaking Millo's hand. She grabbed it quickly and held Millo's hand for so long that Millo had to clear his throat to make Miranda let go of her grip.
"Hi Belle, nice to meet you."
"Hai."
Belle shook Millo's hand briefly, then quickly withdrew her palm.
"Guys, enjoy the party. I have to find my husband. He's a bit sulky tonight."
"Wow, hope you find your husband soon. Be careful Fleu, your husband is a hot guy. Lots of women want him."
"Tsk, don't scare me like that."
Fleura pretended to be angry and hit Millo on the arm. But then they both laughed loudly together.
Belle confirmed Millo's words in her heart. Fleura should have paid more attention to her husband and focused less on herself.
"Okay, I will go now. Enjoy the party you all. Bye."
Only the three of them remained after Fleura left. Belle repeatedly gave Miranda a code to immediately leave the stage because she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the gazes of the people around her. Miranda pretended to be deaf and was busy admiring Millo's handsome face.
"Would you like to go to the bar and order some drinks?"
"Yeah. It just so happened that Belle wanted to order a martini. She doesn't like being stuck in a noisy place."
"Is that true, Belle?" Millo's gaze softened and was spiced up with a sweet smile when he looked at Belle.
"I want to go to a quieter place," she replied flatly.
"Great. We can chat around the quieter bar table. Besides, I'm interested in your profession and I want to get to know you better."
Millo's gaze fell on Belle. He had been paying attention to that beautiful woman in a gold dress who was very quiet. Compared to her overly talkative friend, the golden-dressed woman was far more attractive.
He then moved aside, gesturing to Belle and Miranda to walk to the bar first.
"After you, ladies."
