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Chapter 16

The long–awaited moment finally arrived. Rebecca stepped into the museum where the Met Gala was being held.

“Shall we?” said Nicholas, offering his arm for Rebecca to link hers through.

Brushing off her suspicions, Rebecca took his arm and walked the red carpet with two members of the Arnault Saverio glam team following closely behind, ensuring her dress looked perfect.

“You don’t have any idea how beautiful you are,” Nicholas whispered close to Rebecca’s ear, causing some journalists to capture the intimate moment.

As they entered the main area where celebrities posed for photos, Rebecca began to feel a wave of panic. She felt a tightness in her chest and her stomach churned.

“Becky? Are you okay?” Nicholas turned to her, frowning in concern.

Rebecca took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “I’m not sure I can do this, I mean, look at them!” she whispered, glancing at Kate Winslet who was posing gracefully.

“Becky, you belong here, that’s why you’re here, okay? And you’ve got me! All you need to do is walk the red carpet, climb the stairs, and pose, that’s it!” Nicholas reassured her.

Rebecca closed her eyes, reminding herself why she was there. She took another deep breath and opened her eyes to see Nicholas smiling at her.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she murmured honestly, her suspicions fading. Among all the Arnault Saverio staff at the hotel, how could she suspect Nicholas?

Nicholas smiled,

“This is your turn, come on!” he nodded, encouraging Rebecca to continue.

“Over here! Becky, over here!” a female journalist shouted, making Rebecca feel pleased to be recognized as Becky Blush–Off. As Rebecca posed with Nicholas standing next to her, she suddenly saw Alicia entering in a red dress that matched her personality, and shortly after-

“Isn’t that Harvey Specter? Wait, isn’t Becky Blush–Off, I mean Rebecca Harper, his ex- wife? Wow, this is going to be big news even though they’re not the main stars tonight!”

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“Becky! Did you know your ex–husband would be here? Turn around! He’s right there! What do you think?” à male journalist shouted obnoxiously.

Rebecca felt her face heat up, she looked down at her stilettos,

“Lift your head, Becky! Are you giving them a free show of a wounded ex–wife?” Nicholas whispered, startling Rebecca. The last thing she wanted was to look weak in front of Harvey and Alicia. She lifted her head, straightened her back, and continued posing as some journalists kept taking their pictures.

As she was about to turn around, her eyes locked with Harvey’s, standing not far from her and Nicholas. The world seemed to stop. Rebecca felt weightless, experiencing an indescribable floating sensation. For a few moments, she and Harvey just stared at each other, even though it was only a fraction of a second, she could see the amazement in Harvey’s eyes as he looked at her. No matter how bad their relationship was, they had spent three years together.

“Rebecca! I didn’t expect to see you here,” greeted Alicia with a broad smile and eyes filled with hatred.

Rebecca just scoffed, not responding. She nodded to Nicholas, signaling him to take her away from Alicia and Harvey.

Nicholas nodded, briefly glancing at Alicia and Harvey before leading Rebecca into the museum where hundreds of famous people were mingling.

“Is your heart still racing after seeing that bastard?” Nicholas asked once they were far enough from Alicia and Harvey. Rebecca turned, surprised, “Really?” she replied, annoyed. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Becky, I think we need a little touch–up, could you come with me for a moment?” asked one of the Arnault Saverio staff who had been following her. Rebecca nodded, “I’ll back,” she said to Nicholas. She followed the staff member down a hallway to a restroom and stood there while the staff member finished their work.

“Okay, perfect!” exclaimed the staff member after applying lip cream to Rebecca’s lips. Looking more perfect, she returned to the party area and found Nicholas was not where he had been.

She looked around and everyone seemed busy chatting with each other, as if she were the only one who didn’t know anyone at this cool event. She took a white wine from a passing waiter and sipped it slowly, needing the alcohol to regain her confidence.

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‘Where’s that snake woman?‘ she wondered, looking for Alicia but failing to find her.

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“You’re Becky Blush–Off, right?” Suddenly, a young actress named Emily Peterson, who was rising to fame, greeted her, leaving her stunned. She nodded slowly, “Yeah, you know me?” she asked incredulously.

Emily waved her hand, “Are you kidding? You’re amazing with your makeup challenges. I even asked my makeup artist to do my look like the one you did last week for my birthday! I think we should take a photo together!” she chirped, signaling her assistant to help take the picture.

“God…” Rebecca still couldn’t believe that Emily Peterson, a top actress with sixteen million followers, had just asked to take a photo with her.

The party continued, she still didn’t know where Nicholas was but began to feel relaxed as some people genuinely chatted with her. Suddenly, she felt the need to go to the toilet after finishing three glasses of white wine. “I’ll help you,” said the Arnault staff member when she mentioned needing to pee.

“No need, I can do it myself, this dress is comfortable enough! Don’t worry, I promise I won’t ruin it!” Rebecca said, feeling sorry because the staff looked exhausted.

She walked lightly down the hallway to the restroom, but suddenly a hand grabbed her, pulling her into a narrow nook just big enough for two people. Rebecca looked up and froze when she found Harvey standing close in front of her, looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

“What the fuck are you doing? Let go of me!” Rebecca snapped coldly, but Harvey refused to release his grip. For a few moments, they just stared at each other in silence, until Rebecca tried to leave the nook but Harvey held her back.

“Becky! Where have you been? I’ve missed you so much…”

Rebecca glared, unable to believe what she was hearing.