Chapter 335

Tessa’s POV

It was moments like this that I wished Ruby could be here. I was also glad I wasn’t showing it yet because this dress would have looked awful with a baby bump. However, I was getting to know the girls in my coven a bit more, and some of them truly did know fashion.

It was because of them that I was able to find this gorgeous dress for a decent price in the city. It was a red dress with straps that went around my neck and fitted around my form perfectly. It even made my center look small and my waist wider, giving me a perfect hourglass figure. It brought out my cleavage and made my breasts look a bit bigger as well.

The girls did my makeup and my hair; both of which were my style and very tasteful. My hair was curled and danced around my features playfully and my makeup brought out all my best features.

By the time I was dressed for the evening, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. I was still me, but I was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Wow,” I heard Joseph saying from the doorway, making me turn and look at him with a faint smile on his lips. “You are gorgeous.”

My smile grew and I turned to face him, showing off my new dress.

“Yeah, he girls did good,” I praised.

He shook his head and closed the gap between us, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, he pulled me close to him.

I chuckled as he kissed me tenderly on the lips.

“Amy went through a lot of trouble doing my makeup,” I told him, swatting at his chest. “If you ruin it, she’s going to kill you.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief.

“She can try,” he said teasingly.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“They’ve been practicing a lot. They are a lot stronger than they had been when they first arrived,” I told him.

He smirked and smacked my behind as I walked past him.

“Are you coming or not?”

“I wish,” he teased.

“Joseph!” I scolded, but I laughed as he followed me out of the room.

“Oh, my God!” Amy squealed as I walked down the stairs. “Ladies, look how amazing we did!”

Laura and Hannah rushed over to me with big smiles on their faces. I was glad that they have been getting along since the fiasco yesterday. Hannah did the right thing and actually apologized to Laura. They talked things over and now they are as good as new. I heard Laura mentioning that Austin asked her on an official and they will be going out tonight while Joseph and I are attending this banquet.

“You look beautiful,” Laura breathed, her eyes big with wonder.

“You are going to be the ball of this banquet,” Hannah agreed giving me a once-over.

I blushed at their compliment; I was probably as red as my dress.

“We should get going if we don’t want to be late,” Joseph said, taking hold of my arm and holding me close. I beamed up at him and nodded.

“Yeah, we should go,” I echoed.

After saying goodbye, Joseph and I left and headed into the city. He had one of his drivers take us to the banquet so we didn’t have to fight with traffic; and also, so we could drink as much as we wanted without repercussions. Not that I’ll be doing a lot of drinking; this was a business event. My boss and coworkers would be here; not to mention I had to keep a clear head just in case I encountered Penny at this event.

The event was packed, and the venue was decorated beautifully. I felt a little out of place honestly, but Joseph looked as if he fit right in. Most of the guests looked as if they came from money, which didn’t surprise me. This event was invite only and I don’t think Megan would invite anyone who wasn’t profitable.

“Wow, you actually clean up nice,” Ashley said, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at me. “Gotta be honest, didn’t even think you owned a nice dress.”

“And I didn’t think Megan would have invited her receptionist,” I retorted before I could stop myself.

“I’m her assistant, dumbass,” she sneered. “Of course, I need to be here.”

I pressed my lips together.

“Right.”

Before any more words were exchanged, a waiter walked by with a platter of champagne flutes.

“Champaign,” he asked.

“I’ll just take one,” I told him, handing it to Joseph. “Is there somewhere I can grab some water?”

“The bar should have some water over there,” he said, pointing across the room.

I smiled my thanks to him and I stepped away from Josehp to grab some water. By the time I returned, Joseph was surrounded by people. Everybody recognized him from the magazine article I wrote, and they were asking him a ton of questions. It was strange because I knew he was uncomfortable with this amount of attention, but he looked to be in his element.

I watched from a short distance, sipping on my water while Joseph wiggled his way through the crowd, successfully answering most of their questions in the process. He finally returned to me, and he looked a little awkward.

“Are you okay?” I asked him, unable to contain my smile.

“I should have known that was going to happen,” he muttered, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. “Maybe don’t leave my side again?” He was teasing, but I also knew he was serious.

I sighed and lifted my glass to clink it against his champaign flute; we both took a sip of our drinks and I sighed.

“Unfortunately, nobody can know we are together, remember?” I reminded him. “We have to keep the roos.”

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and muttering something I couldn’t hear.

“I’m just going to pretend you told me you love me,” I teased, winking at him.

“Which I do,” he replied smugly. “Any sign of Penny?” He then asked, changing the subject.

I looked around the place; smiling and nodding at those I made eye contact with. Some of the guests I recognized from our features section in the magazines. But there was no Penny.

“Nope,” I told him. “But I don’t see Amelia either.”

Megan appeared on the stage and my mouth nearly dropped when I saw her. She was wearing a gorgeous black dress that made her look so much thinner than usual and yet it really amplified her breasts. Her dress left no mystery of what lay beneath her body because it was half cut at her bell, showing off her belly button and the entire side of her body. It went up the other side of her body and cupped her breasts, but it was strapless so I’m not sure how it was holding up.

It hugged her figure tightly and expanded around her lower calves, reminding me of a mermaid's tail. The entire dress was shimmering in sparkles and made her look like a disco ball. Her hair was down and curly, crowning her vibrant features.

She had a large smile on her face while she introduced the band, and everybody clapped in unison.

The band walked onto the stage and introduced their first song before they started playing. Some people who recognized the song, sang along. Some grabbed their dates and partners and danced on the dance floor. Others just resumed their conversation, giving the band no attention.

I swayed with Joseph by my side, his arm wrapped around my waistline and keeping me close to his side.

We were heading towards the back now so nobody could see us; I still didn’t want Megan and those I work with to know that I was here with Joseph as my date because then they would think the article I wrote was fabricated. I hated hiding our relationship, but there wasn’t much I could do right now. I didn’t want my coworkers or boss to think I was fake.

“I should probably mingle with the room,” I told him, taking another sip of my champagne. “It’ll be better if we aren’t seen together. “

“Joseph Evergreen!” I heard the familiar voice of Morgana behind me.

I blanched at the flirty tone she used. I turned to see her walking toward us with a wide smile on her lips and her eyes fixed on Joseph like he was a piece of meat. I took a protective stance in front of him, not wanting her near him. Joseph was my fiancé, and I would be damned if I was going to watch another woman flirt with him.

Her eyes narrowed at me, and her lips turned upward in a snarl.

“Why are you crowding around Mr. Evergreen?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “He looks uncomfortable with you standing right there. Get out of my way.”

“She’s been crowding around him since he arrived,” Ashely chimed in, rolling her eyes. “She thinks he’s interested in anything she has to say. It’s quite ridiculous.”

Morgana shoved me out of the way, almost making me spill my glass in the process and then she stepped beside Joseph, taking his arm. He was too stunned to stop her, but his eyes flickered to me, silently asking me for help. The best I could do was offer him a small shrug.

I started to walk around the banquet, joining in on some of the conversations as I passed by. Megan was speaking to a woman with her back towards me. Megan saw me approaching and her smile grew.

“Oh good, Tess. You are here,” she said, motioning for me to join her.

I plastered a smile on my lips and walked towards her.

“I wanted you to meet a dear friend of mine,” she said, motioning for the woman in front of her.

The woman turned around, and I paused in my tracks; my heart sunk deep into my stomach, and I thought I was going to pass out.

“This is Evelyn McClain,” Megan introduced. “Evelyn, this is one of my newest, and best writers, Tessa Campbell.”

Evelyn's smile grew wide as she stared daggers at me and outstretched her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tessa,” she said politely. “And please, call me Eevee.”