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"Was there a need for you to prepare our drinks by yourself?", Emma asked while glancing at servers who are walking with trays filled with a variety of wine and champagne glasses.

Before they took their seats, Charlie went to the table with drinks and poured two. One for Emma and one for himself.

"On these events… never trust premade or already open drinks. Especially if someone is giving you one.", Charlie said while handing a glass of white wine to Emma.

Emma nodded in understanding. She heard from JoAnna stories about people putting drugs into drinks at the events. Emma sighed at the thought how these rich people don\'t have better things to do than to backstab each other. For them, everything is a competition: who is better dressed, who has more money, who has the more influential partner? Really… Instead of enjoying the good fortune given to them by being born in riches, they spend their days scheming against each other. Emma is confident that if they had to work for a living, they would have less time to think about these useless things like spiking drinks.

"Is that why you picked our food?", Emma noticed that Charlie took his time to get food instead of just getting the closest ones.

"No. For food I wanted the best looking ones.", he smiled. "But drinks are different. It\'s easy to tamper with glasses and to tell a specific waiter to walk close to someone."

Emma looked at the light yellow beverage in her glass. "And how do I know that you didn\'t tamper with this one?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn\'t expect that. "You should trust in my capabilities to get you to do what I want without additional stimulants."

Emma raised an eyebrow while sensing that there is a lot hiding behind Charlie\'s words. She gathered her courage to ask: "And… what do you want me to do?"

He closed his eyes and hummed for a second before looking at her and responding. "So many things… but I want you to do them willingly."

As much as she was ready for a verbal showdown few seconds ago, Emma found herself unable to answer. Charlie was too intense, and she could not stop herself from remembering his kiss… Emma peeled her eyes off from him with difficulty and took a sip of her drink. It tasted like Charlie. Tonight, everything tastes like Charlie.

Charlie smiled in satisfaction. Emma drank the drink he got for her. She trusts him.

There was a commotion that spread among guests and everyone\'s gazes were directed toward the main entry door.

"Eh, only they can cause such a stir…", Charlie exhaled when he confirmed that the change in the atmosphere was caused by the newly arrived couple: Mr. and Mrs. White (Jeff and JoAnna).

Emma\'s eyes lit up. Finally, a friendly face (other than Charlie).

JoAnna and Jeff made their way through the hall slowly, looking like royalty. Everyone was making way for them.

"You didn\'t tell me you are coming.", Emma told JoAnna when they took their seats next to Charlie and Emma.

"You can say that it was a last minute decision.", JoAnna responded to Emma and looked at Charlie. "You don\'t mind if I borrow your date for few minutes, do you?"

JoAnna tugged Emma up and whisked her away before Charlie had a chance to respond.

"You decided about Emma?", Jeff asked after his wife and Emma left.

"Yes.", Charlie responded.

"Good." Jeff\'s opinion of Charlie improved, a little bit. He does not like indecisive men. "I hear that you are back to work. How is that going?"

…

Jarred observed that Charlie is sitting with Jeff and that they are talking. He approves. Definitely approves. All these people are also seeing Charlie and Jeff being together, and that means a lot for Charlie\'s image.

Jarred is aware that Charlie is intelligent and business-savvy, but for people around them, they always see the two of them together and the overall impression is that Charlie is only following his uncle around. Charlie\'s kind and warm personality is not helping him in this case.

By getting close to Jeff, Jarred has a feeling that Charlie is getting out of his shadow. And he knows how that would not happen if Charlie is not with Emma.

…

JoAnna and Emma walked slowly through the ballroom.

"Is anyone giving you a hard time here?", JoAnna asked. She spoke with Emma in last few days and Emma mentioned more than once that she is anxious about this party.

Emma understood that JoAnna is doing this slow-walk on purpose, so that people see the two of them together. She wondered if JoAnna came only because of this: to support her. Emma was touched by that possibility, but she didn\'t want to ask for clarification. It does not matter. 

"Charlie is not leaving my side, so no one has a chance to approach me at all. And after this walk, even if I\'m by myself, no one will dare to come close. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It\'s the least I can do for a friend. If my position as Mrs. White can intimidate few people into not causing you trouble, then so be it.", JoAnna responded and offered an advice: "Remember that even if Charlie leaves your side, no one will do anything if there is an audience. All these people are very concerned about their image. Don\'t stray into places without a crowd by yourself, and you will be fine…"

…

JoAnna\'s and Emma\'s walk was noticed by many, as expected.

People whispered that young lady who is Charlie\'s date must be someone influential. How else would she be familiar with Mrs. White? And it\'s obvious that the two of them are close.

…

Few minutes after Emma and JoAnna returned to the table, Jeff and JoAnna went to meet with other people and they left Charlie and Emma by themselves again.

"Another drink?", Charlie asked.

"Sure." Emma responded and saw that Charlie is reluctant to leave. The table with drinks is on the opposite side of the ballroom, but in visual range. "I will be fine here."

"I will be back in a minute."

Charlie was halfway across the ballroom when a man\'s voice came behind Emma: "I don\'t think I had a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

The voice belongs to Dylan Davis. His parents host the party and he is the young man about whom Charlie spoke in an unfriendly tone.

Dylan sat next to Emma into Charlie\'s chair. He was holding two glasses of champagne and placed one in front of Emma.

Emma glanced at the drink and observed the man without responding. She knows that Dylan saw her with Charlie, everyone present did. And based on his timing, he was waiting for Charlie to leave so that he can make an entrance.

Emma can guess that the man is up to no good. At best, he is curious about her as the new face in the crowd, and at worst… who knows?

Emma glanced toward where Charlie left, and she can see that two young ladies joined him and are talking something. She recognized those two as Miss Sparks and Miss Lenihan. It seems that it\'s not just Dylan, but others watched them as well while waiting for the opportunity to approach them when they are separated.

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