Ava’s POV
The next morning, I got up earlier than usual.
Adrian had booked a styling team for me, and I planned to grab something simple to eat in the restaurant before heading out.
I definitely didn’t expect to run into Sylvia right at the staircase, already dressed to kill.
She was wrapped in a brand-new gown, champagne satin glowing softly under the morning light.
The tailored fit hugged every curve she loved showing off.
You could tell she was thoroughly pleased with her battle gear.
The moment she saw me, that smug, “I win” smile popped up instantly.
“Good morning, Ava.” She did a dramatic spin, clearly for my benefit.
“Well? Gorgeous, right? Damon picked this out just for me. He said only this color is worthy of me.”
I almost snorted.
Damon?
The man who couldn’t remember which drawer his socks were in suddenly had refined opinions on evening gowns?
“Damon also said I should stay by his side tonight. We’ll be meeting some very important people.” She lifted her chin like she was already floating above everyone else.
“As for you, well… you can just stay in your lab. Banquets aren’t for nerds.”
She lifted her sleeve to admire the fabric, like she was touching some priceless artifact.
I looked at her show-off expression and honestly couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Did Damon really not tell you,” I said slowly, letting a hint of mild surprise color my voice, “that I have the exact same dress as the one you’re wearing?”
Sylvia’s smile froze on her face.
I made a soft, exaggerated “oh,” covering my mouth while amusement sparkled in my eyes.
“Wait…
don’t tell me the one you’re wearing is actually mine?”
“Impossible!” Sylvia shrieked, her voice shooting up an octave.
“You’re lying! Damon picked this for me! It’s brand new!”
She puffed up like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, every bit of her bristling with panic and indignation.
Just as my sarcasm hit its peak, a maid came rushing down the corridor with a tray of coffee.
She saw the tension between us and went pale.
“Luna…
Miss Sylvia…”
“Speak!” Sylvia snapped, jabbing a finger at her.
“Tell her! Tell her where this dress came from!”
The maid flinched so hard the tray almost slipped from her hands.
With a thud, she dropped to her knees and looked up at me with tearful panic.
“I’m sorry, Luna! I’m really sorry! It was my mistake! Yesterday, Alpha instructed me to prepare a gown for Miss Sylvia, but it was too last-minute. None of the stores could get anything shipped in time. I… I panicked and made a bad call. I took this dress from the manor’s shared wardrobe and… and gave it to her…”
Inside the manor, aside from the private dressing room inside my bedroom, there was also a massive shared wardrobe.
Everything in there was either sent over by different brands as gifts, or were outfits I wore once to events and decided didn’t suit me, so they were waiting to be donated or kept as backups.
The maid was still kneeling on the floor, bowing over and over, crying so hard her shoulders shook.
I knew perfectly well she hadn’t done it on purpose.
He never bothered to think about how the staff were supposed to carry them out.
And this poor maid, desperate to complete her Alpha’s task, had no choice but to resort to this.
Looking at Sylvia’s darkened expression, the tiny irritation I’d felt earlier had already vanished.
“It’s fine,” I said quietly.
My voice wasn’t loud, but it dropped into the room like a pin, instantly silencing everything.
I looked down at the maid kneeling on the ground, then shifted my gaze to the woman beside her who looked like she was about to explode.
With a calm, almost breezy tone, I added, “Those clothes in the public wardrobe were things I filtered out on purpose. I wasn’t planning to keep them. If Sylvia likes them so much, she can have them.”
What you’re treating like treasure…
was stuff I didn’t even bother to want.
I didn’t say the words out loud, but I knew Sylvia heard them anyway.
Her whole body trembled from pure rage, her usually beautiful eyes burning with humiliation and venom, like she wanted to tear me apart with her stare alone.
I didn’t give her another glance.
I turned around, walking past her with slow, controlled elegance, and left that suffocating manor without looking back.
Behind me, I could faintly hear Sylvia losing it completely, shouting in fury.
About forty minutes later, I arrived at the styling venue Adrian Thorne had arranged for me.
It wasn’t some regular salon or studio.
It was a private club perched at the very top of the city.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one entire wall, giving a perfect view of the entire skyline.
Inside, an entire row of uniformed professionals stood waiting, hairstylists, makeup artists, nail technicians, wardrobe specialists…
each one a big name in their own field.
The whole setup was honestly insane.
I took out my phone and dialed Adrian.
“I don’t think this is necessary,” I said the moment the call connected.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, before his low, commanding voice came through.
“You’re my partner tonight. You deserve the best.”
Just one sentence, simple, blunt, but with a force that brooked no argument.
For no reason at all, my heart skipped a beat.
I didn’t refuse again.
In the next few hours, I basically felt like some porcelain doll they were polishing to perfection.
They gave me a deep skin treatment, shaped my nails, and fixed up a hairstyle that matched the gown almost too well.
And when I finally slipped into that “Starry River” dress and stood in front of the mirror, even I froze for a second.
The woman staring back at me had smooth, tight skin and long, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders.
The deep blue skirt flowed like a piece of night sky, studded with sparkling crystals that caught the light.
Her eyes…
They were cool, distant, like she didn’t care about anything, and somehow that only made her even harder to look away from.
“Oh, sweetheart, you are absolutely the star of the night,” the head makeup artist breathed, genuinely impressed.
Everyone around stared at me, genuinely awestruck.
I had thought Adrian would show up after the styling, pick me up, and we’d go to the banquet together.
After all, I was supposed to be his date.
Instead, he sent someone to tell me that something last-minute came up, he’d be running late, and I should head over alone.
It caught me off guard, sure, but I didn’t overthink it.
When the waiter guided me into that glittering, gold-drenched banquet hall, I became the center of attention almost instantly.
Countless eyes snapped toward me, followed by sharp breaths and hushed whispers.
The cameras in the media section went wild, their flashes popping nonstop like they were trying to burn my image into eternity.
I could faintly hear the comments drifting around.
“Oh my god, who is she?
She’s stunning!”
“I thought the brightest one tonight would be the Boulder Pack’s princess, Vivian, but…”
“She looks unfamiliar.
Definitely not from any East Coast pack I know.”
Just then, a wolf woman in a purple haute couture gown cut through the crowd.
Her vibe screamed superiority.
She looked about my age, gorgeous for sure, but the way her eyes scanned me, up and down, slow and sharp, was full of undisguised hostility.
“Hello.” She lifted her chin, voice dripping arrogance.
“I’m Vivian from the Boulder Pack. And you are? I don’t recall seeing you in any East Coast elite circles.”
Her gaze practically accused me of stealing her spotlight, like the universe had wronged her on purpose.
Moon Goddess knows, I didn’t mean to cause any drama.
But how was I supposed to introduce myself?
Damon’s Luna?
No way.
That title was already halfway out the door, and I wanted nothing to do with him anymore.
The Crawford heir?
It wasn’t time.
I had no intention of throwing my cards on the table this early.
Adrian’s date?
With him nowhere in sight?
Saying that now would just make me look delusional.