Chapter 4: Chapter 4

SHAY

^THURSDAY, MAY 12^

Shay stared at the mirror in front of her.

She looked like perfection—hair and makeup done, wearing a nude and silver long-sleeve dress with a bare back that daringly started right above her butt. One wrong move and everyone would see her goods.

She’d bought the dress a few days ago, just for this event. It was simple, elegant, and not too flashy.

She checked her eyelashes one last time, ensuring they were glued on perfectly by blinking a few times. She hated wearing false lashes, but it was expected. Especially on a special occasion like this.

~Bzzz bzzz.~

“Dario, could you check who that is?” she asked as she adjusted her breasts in the dress.

She could hear shuffling behind her and knew Dario was in the room checking her phone for her. He’d been over her place since 7 a.m. since they had to decide on which photos to use before making a post.

Her deadlines were fast approaching, and she had to finalize things. So she was thankful he was over helping her get ready.

“Your brothers are here,” he announced.

She nodded. She knew they’d be on time. They were always punctual.

“How do I look?” she asked, turning around to face Dario.

He eyed her up and down. “~Bellissima~.”

Blushing, she smiled, then took her phone as he held it out. “Let’s go,” she said.

Getting up from her bed, Dario nodded and grabbed his things. Hearing his footsteps shuffling behind her, she knew he followed closely.

She picked up her key card and slipped it behind her phone cover before taking a look around the apartment one last time before leaving.

Dario held the door open for her, and she heard the door click behind her as she made her way to the elevator. Pressing the down arrow, she waited for the elevator while Dario made his way toward her.

Her dress was tight, and although she loved it, truthfully, it was starting to itch just a little.

~Ding.~

“Are you going to be okay?” Dario asked as they stepped in.

Sighing, she nodded, then closed her eyes as she leaned her head back just a little so she could rest her head on the elevator panel.

“I have to go,” she said as the elevator started to move. “We both know I don’t have a choice.”

“Do you want me to come with?”

“It’s okay. I’ll have my brothers with me.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “And don’t you have a date in like an hour?”

He’d mentioned his date to Karen yesterday, and she’d overheard their conversation by accident.

“How did you know?” A sly smile played on the corners of his lips.

“You and Karen need to watch how loud you guys can be.”

The lift came to a stop, and Dario helped her with the bottom of her dress as she stepped out.

“Who is she anyway?” Shay asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “Jealous, babe?”

Rolling her eyes, she huffed and walked faster to her brother’s car, which was parked right outside the apartment. Ignoring Dario’s question, she opened the car door, revealing her two older brothers.

They were deep in a heated conversation.

“Call me when you get home,” Dario said as Shay gathered the material of her dress.

“Not expecting a happy ending?” she said sarcastically as she got in.

Holding the door open, Dario leaned his forearm against the car and stared down at her, smirking. “If I can get a happy ending from you, I’d rather that. After all, you’ll always be my first choice, ~mi amor.~”

“I will gut you like a fish,” a stern voice interrupted, and when Shay’s head snapped to the front, she noticed her two brothers glaring at Dario.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed Dario away. She knew Dario wasn’t scared of them, but she also knew her brothers and their tempers toward their little sisters.

“I’ll text you later. I’m going to be late,” she insisted as she grabbed the door and closed it. As Dario waved goodbye, her brothers kept their eyes on him.

“~Guys~,” she whined.

“Did you sleep with him?” Ian asked, as Ivan started to drive.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” she huffed, crossing her arms against her chest. Her brothers were so annoying.

“Shay,” Ivan growled.

“No, he’s my personal photographer. We spend a lot of time together, and of course we joke with each other. God, chill already.”

Her brothers remained silent throughout the drive, and she stared at the back of their heads. They were twins too. Ivan was the older twin, then Ian came a few minutes after. With Shay and Sky, Sky was the older one.

When the car came to a halt in front of the familiar building, she could already see the paparazzi waiting.

Flashes started to go off as soon as Ivan opened the door, so she waited for either one of her brothers. She knew they would shield her.

Her door opened, and Ian helped her out of the car, placing one hand on her back as she looked down, keeping a neutral face. Ivan joined her other side, his hand on her back as well, and they both escorted her in.

The flashes were blinding, but she knew the paparazzi weren’t here for her—she wasn’t that famous—but because of her family. Her father was a Haze, and Haze was a household name.

The Haze family were known for one of the largest medical supply chains in the world, and her uncle was Holden Haze, the current CEO of Haze Industries.

Although her father was just a doctor, he had his own share of the family business, as did Shay and her siblings.

The walk up the carpet wasn’t far, and they quickly reached the door, which opened to reveal the party.

“They’re getting more and more annoying,” Ivan sighed. He wasn’t a big fan of the paparazzi or being in the limelight, and she couldn’t blame him.

But there were celebrities and important people in attendance at today’s event, so they had to deal with the publicity that came with the Haze name.

Looking around, she noticed that most of the people had already arrived. The tables and chairs were all placed perfectly, so she assumed the seating would be arranged too.

The entire place was filled with flowers, and there was already a line at the buffet table. Everyone was dressed in evening gowns and tuxes.

“Let’s go do this,” Ian said beside her.

Nodding her head, she held Ian’s arm as he led her down the steps. Ivan spotted his friends and decided to go say hi, leaving Shay with Ian.

They spoke to a few people along the way, and smiled at familiar guests.

She ran into a few people she grew up with and talked to them some, but she was uncomfortable. Many of them she hadn’t seen in years, and she hated small talk—that was more her sister’s thing.

Missing her twin, her face fell just a little.

Feeling a hand smack her butt, she yelped in surprise and wheeled around to see who dared to touch her.

A grin spread across her face. “Chanel!” she almost-screamed. She hadn’t seen her cousin in a few years and was surprised to see her here.

“What are you doing here?” Shay asked as she hugged her beautiful cousin. Chanel’s afro was bigger than the last time she saw it, and her warm brown skin glistened in the lights.

“Girl, your momma is here,” Chanel announced, and Shay’s eyes instantly widened, then glanced around the room, looking for her mother.

She hadn’t seen her mother in a long time. After her parents’ divorce, her mother went off to pursue another relationship.

Zola Haze was stunning in every way, but she was also schizophrenic. That was only one of the things that drove her parents to divorce, though. Her mom had wanted more kids, and her father didn’t.

He’d been very involved in her and her siblings’ lives. Alongside running his own practice, he took them to soccer games and dance recitals and debates.

But he wouldn’t have been able to cope with another child without help, and her mother had made it clear that he shouldn’t need help.

No one blamed her mother for her schizophrenia, but after the divorce, she’d surrendered custody of all the kids to Shay’s father and had gone missing for a few years, partying in Mexico.

Although her parents were on good terms now, her mother was unstable. Shay couldn’t even recall the last time she’d spoken to her—she’d spent the entire past year with Sky—but she knew that her mother needed help.

Help that she’d refused repeatedly over the years.

“What is she doing here?” Shay asked.

“Your dad invited her—and invited me too. She seems to be doing better…” Chanel leaned in closer. “~I’ve been crushing her pills~,” she whispered, just loud enough for Shay to hear.

Shay giggled, happy that her cousin was around, and held Chanel’s hand as they made their way to table number two.

Taking a quick glance at the place settings, she recognized some names. She knew she had to mingle, because although it was a family event, there were business discussions to be held as well.

Taking her seat, she noticed the place card to her left had an unfamiliar name on it. Ignoring it, she turned to her right to focus on her cousin.

“How’s everything?” she asked.

“It’s good. I got a job in a marketing firm, and things are going well,” Chanel updated her before taking a sip of her water. “Oh! I got the package you sent to me. I love the material!”

“How’s the color on your skin?”

Chanel’s eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh. Let. Me. Tell. You.” She paused for dramatic effect. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you had my skin on a fan deck. The color matches me so perfectly, it almost looks like my skin!”

Shay giggled like a schoolgirl, loving that she’d made something so special. And it could be worn by people of any skin color.

“I’m glad you like it,” she replied, smiling.

“How’re things with Pete?”

Shay gave Chanel a tight smile. “I mean, I do miss him, but it’s best that we ended things.”

“Any other guys I should know about?” Chanel asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Chuckling in response, Shay shook her head at her cousin’s cheekiness.

“We need to get you laid. It’s time you lost your V-card,” Chanel remarked, giggling.

Laughing along with her, Shay shook her head.

She felt a hand on her bare back and noticed Chanel’s eyes dart to the person behind her, then widen. Feeling goosebumps rise on her skin, Shay turned around to see who it was.

~Him.~

“Shay Haze…” Her name rolled off his tongue. Taking the seat beside her, he removed his hand from her back as he stared at her.

“What…what… What are you doing here?”

“I’m Ethan Ramsay,” he said, picking up his place card.

She internally smacked herself in the head. This was unbelievable.

Chanel cleared her throat.

Ethan held out his hand for Chanel to shake, right in front of Shay. “Hello there, I’m Ethan, and you are?”

Shay watched as her cousin placed her hand in his.

He looked so different—yet somehow the same—than he did at the restaurant. He was wearing a suit, his collar unbuttoned, and she could see his Adam’s apple. She noticed for the first time that he had tattoos.

His frame was even bigger than she remembered, with broad shoulders, and she felt more petite than usual sitting beside him.

And she could tell he was someone important. The way he carried himself, the way he moved… It wasn’t like a typical Millennial. He meant business.

“Chanel, Shay’s cousin.”

“What are you doing here?” Shay asked him again. As surprised as she was to see him at her family event, she was even more surprised that he was seated next to her.

“I was invited, just like everyone else,” he explained, his eyes on hers.

She crossed her legs, revealing the slit, allowing him to see her bare legs. The front of her dress had a lot of coverage, but for some reason, she wanted him to see her skin.

“Oh,” was all she said.

“You sound sad,” he said, but she couldn’t read his face—it was a mystery to her. “Were you expecting someone else?”

As she shook her head, she felt movement to her right. Chanel was getting up. Shay resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she watched Chanel walk away, leaving her and this handsome man she met just a few days ago by themselves.

“Nope…” But before Shay could say any more, she looked up at the stage and spotted her ex. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat.

“Thank you everyone for coming tonight.” Pete’s voice echoed throughout the entire hall.

Keeping her face neutral, Shay kept her eyes on the stage, then let them drift to the side, where she spotted her father in his tux, adjusting it slightly.

“Thank you for coming,” Pete said as he raised a glass. “I would like to start the night with a toast.” His eyes sought hers. “Some of you may know me and some of you may not. I’m Pete.” He looked around, smiling handsomely.

“I’m so happy to be a part of this celebration tonight. Everything happens for a reason…” He paused, and she knew what he meant—they’d said the exact same thing to each other the last time they spoke.

He looked over at her father. “I met Mr. Haze a long time ago. He always gave me advice and he was a pillar of strength. Growing up, I didn’t have a father of my own, and Mr. Haze filled in for me.

“I was inspired to be a doctor because of him. And I made it this far because of him.

“With that being said, I’m glad we’re able to celebrate with him tonight. And of course, my beautiful mother, Billie Johnson. I’m glad they met, and I’m glad to become an official part of the Haze family.

“I’m gaining a father and four siblings, and I’ve never been prouder. Congratulations, Mom. I can’t wait to walk you down the aisle.” He concluded by raising his champagne glass.

She felt Ethan come nearer to her, then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Are you okay?”