That evening, the prosecution office was abuzz with excitent as employees prepared for the annual dinner party. Jane, ever the optimist, lingered by Rain’s desk, her expression had a mix of concern and anticipation.
"Are you sure you’re going to attend tonight, Prosecutor Lancaster?" Jane asked, clutching her bag.
Rain glanced up from her paperwork with a reassuring smile. "I’m sure, Jane. Don’t worry about ."
Jane hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Well... it’s just that, with Miss Carla’s interview and all the gossip, so people might..."
"Might what?" Rain raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing! It’s just... If you show up tonight, everyone will see how confident you are. And if Mr. Lancaster cos with you, oh, they’ll have to eat their words!" Jane exclaid, her enthusiasm bubbling over.
Rain’s smile faltered briefly before she composed herself. "Alexander won’t be joining ," she said firmly. "He needs to avoid stress right now, and besides, I don’t plan on staying long. Just long enough to say hello, have dinner, and leave. Eat and run."
Jane frowned. "But won’t it be better if-"
"Jane," Rain interrupted gently. "I don’t need Alexander by my side to handle a few gossipmongers. Let them think whatever they want. It doesn’t change the truth."
Jane nodded reluctantly, though her expression remained uncertain. "Well, if anyone can handle it, it’s you. But just know that we all have your back. We’ll make sure that if we ever hear any gossip, we’ll correct it imdiately!"
"Thank you," Rain said with a small laugh, standing and gathering her things. "Now, go ho and get ready. I’ll see you there."
As Jane left, Rain took a mont to steady herself. She wasn’t worried about facing her colleagues or their whispers. But the thought of Carla’s na being on everyone’s lips left a bitter taste.
Tonight wasn’t about proving anything to her colleagues. It was about showing herself that she could stand tall, no matter the storm.
Rain leaned back in her chair after sending the ssage to Alexander:
"I’ll be at the dinner party briefly. Head ho first and rest, I’ll join you later. I won’t take long and be back ho early..."
She didn’t wait long before his reply ca through.
My Husband: "Are you sure you’re okay? Call if you need ."
A smile tugged at her lips as she read the ssage. Alexander’s concern ward her, even if she wished to spare him the stress of her colleagues’ gossip.
Instead of heading ho to change, she glanced at her watch and made a decision. Zaldy’s boutique was just a few blocks from the office, and she knew she’d have sothing perfect for the occasion.
At Zaldy’s boutique, Rain pushed open the door to the familiar sight of glimring gowns and racks of elegant attire. Zaldy, as flamboyant and intuitive as ever, greeted her with a dramatic gasp.
"Darling! A surprise visit from my favorite prosecutor! To what do I owe this honor?" she exclaid, rushing over to her with a beaming smile.
"I need sothing elegant but understated. The annual office dinner party," Rain explained.
"Ah, say no more." Zaldy snapped his fingers, signaling his assistants. "You need sothing that says, ’I’m unbothered by your petty gossip but still the star of the evening.’"
Rain laughed, shaking her head. "That will be perfect."
"Of course, darling," Zaldy said with a wink, holding up a sleek, midnight-blue gown adorned with subtle silver accents. "Try this. It’s power and grace combined... just like you."
She stepped into the dressing room and erged monts later, the gown hugging her figure perfectly. Zaldy clapped her hands in approval.
"Perfection! You’re going to make jaws drop, Rain," she declared.
Rain smirked at her reflection. "That’s not the goal, but thank you."
*****
anwhile, Alexander frowned as he read Rain’s ssage. "Dinner party?" he muttered, puzzled. After a mont’s thought, he decided to text Matt. From William’s reports, he found out that he gave Matt an extra assignnt to coordinate Rain’s security alongside his brother, Karl, inside the prosecution office.
Alexander: "Are you at the dinner party as well? What’s it for?"
His phone buzzed almost imdiately with Matt’s reply.
Matt: "It’s the annual dinner party for the prosecution office, Sir. Aren’t you attending as Mrs. Lancaster’s escort?"
Alexander tilted his head, surprised. Rain hadn’t ntioned it was a formal event. She’d only told him to go ho first.
"Why didn’t she ask to go with her?" he wondered aloud, frustration bubbling up.
Lost in thought, his frown deepened just as William strolled into the office.
"Bro, what’s with the long face?" William asked, noticing his expression.
Alexander sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It’s Rain’s annual dinner party tonight, but she didn’t ask to go with her. She just told to head ho. Do you think she’s upset? Maybe she saw Carla’s interview," he speculated, a worried crease forming on his brow.
William chuckled and replied, "You’re overthinking this. Look, sister-in-law isn’t the type to let sothing like that bother her. I’m guessing she didn’t ask you to go because she didn’t want to stress you out. The prosecution office is probably as bad as our company when it cos to gossip. With Carla’s fans stirring things up, people will talk behind her back, and you might end up hearing it directly. Freedom of speech, after all."
Alexander’s frown deepened, his expression growing more resolute...
"So..." William humd curiously, leaning against the desk. "What’s it going to be, Big Brother? Are you heading straight ho like she told you, or are you crashing the dinner party?"
Alexander exhaled deeply, his gaze distant as he weighed his options. "I’m still thinking about it..." he muttered, his jaw tightening.
"I wonder how Sis will look tonight. I’m sure she’ll nail it with another stunning gown, and all those n will be ogling her. They’ll probably think she’ll be free from the marriage soon, considering the contract leak. After all, it’s almost four months, right? A lot of n will-"
William stopped mid-sentence when Alexander suddenly stood up, his expression darkening.
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