Minne POV
I take a deep breath and put on the final, breathtaking outfit: a dramatic black couture gown covered in golden sunburst, crescent-moon, and celestial embroidery, finished with a flowing sheer cape and intricate eclipse-inspired details. Standing beside me, my male partner wears a matching sophisticated black tailored suit complete with celestial embroidery, gold detailing, and its own flowing cape. We share an encouraging smile just as the host announces the grand secret finale.
The moment we step out, the entire room falls completely silent. A second later, everyone is stunned into awe, and the sharp flashes of cameras fill the dark room like lightning. I strike my final pose with absolute poise. The host steps up to the microphone, smiling brightly, and announces, "Let me introduce the mastermind behind all of these incredible costumes, Ms. Zoe!"
Zoe steps out to Thunderous applause, she talking about her design vision before catching my eye. We exchange a proud, knowing look that says, We did it.
When we turn and head back to the backstage area, the crew and our friends break into roaring cheers and applause. I am overflowing with pure satisfaction. "Guys, we actually did it!" I beam.
Luna grabs my hands, jumping up and down with excitement, and we start spinning around in a joyful circle until Sara laughs and scolds, "Hey, stop it before you trip and fall!"
Will flashes a proud, admiring smile before stepping up to the mic. "I'm going out to give the final speech," he says. We nod.
After changing back into my comfortable clothes, I sneak up to the wings to peek out at the stage as Will speaks. Suddenly, a swarm of aggressive reporters surrounds him with flashing cameras and shouting questions.
"Mr. Will, is the main lead model your girlfriend?" a reporter asks sharply.
Will nods calmly.
"Then where is Lucy?" another reporter presses. "She is the top lead model of this company! Did you bench her just to give the spot to your girlfriend?"
A flash of anger hits me. Before I can react, Will answers smoothly, "No. Actually, Lucy got into a minor accident today, which is why Minnie stepped in as the lead."
"Wait, Mr. Will," a reporter counters, shoving a phone forward, "Lucy just posted a photo of herself shopping at the mall an hour ago! Didn't you know that?"
My jaw drops. "What the hell? Why would she lie? I was genuinely worried about her!" I whisper, completely stunned.
"That sneaky witch did this completely on purpose," Zoe mutters, her eyes narrowing in fury.
Will's face hardens into ice as he looks at the reporters. "We were unaware of that, and we will look into the matter. Thank you for coming, everyone," he says coldly, turning on his heel and walking off the stage.
He storms backstage looking thoroughly frustrated. "Nova, who told you she had an accident?!"
Nova stammers, turning pale. "Her manager called me this afternoon, Mr. Will..."
"Find out who is behind this," Will orders grimly.
My mind races-why would Lucy ruin her own reputation with such a cheap trick? Seeing the dark cloud over the room, Zoe claps her hands together brightly. "Okay, everyone, that's enough drama about Lucy! Nova can handle it later. Right now, let's celebrate our massive success! All of our hard work finally paid off!"
I smile proudly, wrapping my arms around Will to ease his tension. "Yes, Zoe is completely right. Let's celebrate!"
Will POV
I sigh, shaking off Lucy's drama. Tonight is for celebration, not stress.
"Alright, everyone, I've booked a restaurant for our dinner. Let's go!" I announce. The team looks surprised and happy.
I take Minnie's hand and lace our fingers together. "Let's go, love." She nods with a smile.
As we step outside the hall, a man calls out, "Excuse me, Ms. Minnie!" We turn around. He hands her a business card and says, "I was really impressed by your runway walk. You aren't permanently signed with this agency, so I would love for you to join our modeling company."
I raise an eyebrow and smirk. What is he talking about? Minnie looks at me, silently asking what she should do.
I step forward and say in a confident tone, "Sorry, but Minnie is going to be model right here."
Minnie looks surprised. The man nods and leaves.
"Will, what are you saying? It's just a joke, right?" she asks.
I smile. "I'm not joking, love. You're going to be a model for his company, and you're going to achieve your dream."
"What about my current job?" she asks.
I sigh and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Nova can take care of that, and Luna will help him." She nods.
We head to the restaurant where all the staff are waiting. Luna calls our names, and we sit beside her. I pull out Minnie's chair so she can sit, and then I sit next to her.
The waiter starts pouring wine for everyone. I stop him.
Luna asks, "brother Why did you stop him?"
"Minnie doesn't like to drink," I say.
She nods, then asks, "Then what about you? You aren't drinking either?"
Before I can answer, Minnie says, "Because he has to drive."
I looked at her and smiled, placing my hand gently on her head. "Exactly. See? She knows me very well." Luna rolled her eyes. "You two are becoming unbearable." Everyone laughed, and I stood up with a glass of juice in my hand. "First, I want to thank everyone. Today wasn't easy, but every single person here worked hard to make this event successful." Everyone clapped, and I continued, "And I have one more surprise.
This weekend, l've booked a villa for the entire team for one day. There will be food, games, fun activities, and absolutely no work. I want everyone to relax after all the hard work." The entire table immediately erupted into cheers.
"Thank you, Mr. Will!" everyone shouted. I sat back down, and Minnie leaned closer to my ear. "I like this surprise too, Love." She gave me a playful wink before returning to her food. I swallowed and tried to control my smile. She knows exactly what she's doing. I picked up a spoonful of tomato soup and gently held it toward her. "Here." Her eyes widened as she looked around the table. "Will!" she whispered, her cheeks turning red. "Just eat, Love." She looks around took the spoonful while everyone pretended not to notice. Luna covered her mouth to hide her laughter, and I couldn't stop smiling at Minnie's embarrassed expression.
After dinner, I pay the bill and we walk outside. I look at Luna to arrange her ride home, but I feel Minnie's hand slip into mine.
"Will, let's go to the Eiffel Tower," she says.
I check the time and say, "Okay, but love, it's already 10:00. I don't think it's open."
She immediately gave me the cutest expression I had ever seen. "I know... but I really want to go. Please and I have a surprise for you!"
I raise my eyebrows. "A surprise for me? Okay, my dear love," I say, pinching her nose.
I ask Nova to drop Luna off, and Minnie lets Sara know we are heading out. My car pulls up to the restaurant entrance. I open the passenger door for her, close it, and jump into the driver's seat. ?" I raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you learn to act this cute?" She smiled innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about." I laughed and shook my head and I closed the door before getting into the driver's seat.
Ten minutes later, we reach the Eiffel Tower. Minnie unbuckles her seatbelt, gets out of the car, and runs ahead looking so excited. I laugh at her cuteness.
She stops, turns around, and says, "Will, look at the moon!"
I look where she is pointing, and I freeze. The moon tonight is a glowing red! I am amazed by its beauty, but then I look back at my own moon-Minnie-who is staring right at me.
I walked closer to her and gently lifted her into my arms. She immediately placed both hands on my shoulders, her eyes widening in surprise. I smiled at her and whispered, "This is the best surprise I've ever received, Love." For a few quiet moments, we simply stared into each other's eyes, surrounded by the soft glow of the red moon and the Eiffel Tower behind us.
There was so much love in that silence that neither of us needed to say anything. She slowly leaned closer and gave me a soft kiss. I froze for a second, surprised that she had taken the initiative, but then I smiled and kissed her back. She wrapped her arms around me, and I held her closer as our kiss became deeper and more passionate. When we finally pulled apart, we rested our foreheads together and laughed softly while catching our breath. She looked into my eyes and whispered, "I love you, Will." I smiled, brushed my thumb gently across her cheek, gave her another sweet kiss, and whispered, "I love you too, Love." Under the red moon, with the Eiffel Tower glowing behind us, I held her close and wished I could keep that moment forever.
Minnie POV
We sit together in the side chairs, holding hands and looking up at the glowing red moon. He looks at me and asks, "How did you know the red moon would show up tonight?"
I smile. "I saw the news, Will. I knew you never have time to check the news, so I used this chance to surprise you." He nods and smiles.
I continue, "I think tomorrow's hot topic in the news is going to be me," and I laugh.
He looks confused for a second before realizing what I mean about the media chaos with Lucy. "It's not your fault, love, it's Lucy's. But honestly, she made a huge mistake because, because of her, you finally achieved your dream."
I sigh happily and rest my head on his shoulder.
After a moment, he says, "Love, let's go meet my grandparents tomorrow."
I gasp, sitting straight up and staring at him in shock. "What? You have grandparents...?"
He reaches out and pinches my cheek playfully. "Why wouldn't I have grandparents?"
"Not like that, Will! You never talk about them," I say hesitantly.
"My grandparents raised me because my mom and dad were always busy with work," he explains softly. "And don't worry, they aren't going to eat you! Honestly, because of them, I even realized I was in love with you," he adds with a laugh.
I nod, understanding. Then I remember something else, and my stomach twists nervously. "Will, I want to tell you something, and please don't get angry."
He raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you aren't ready to meet them."
I gently slap his chest. "No! Actually... I want to give Pranav a chance to talk to me. He's tried talking to me a lot lately, and he seems to have changed. He isn't like his father, and since he'll be my superior for modeling work, I don't want to feel uncomfortable because of our past. So tomorrow, I'm going to meet him at a coffee shop." I bite my lower lip, bracing myself. "Please don't be angry. You were busy with work, and I didn't want to bother you with this. I'm sorry."
Will lets out a long sigh, but then he reaches out and gently holds my hand. "Love, first of all, you don't need my permission to meet anyone or do anything-you just need to keep me informed. Second, if you want to give him a chance to talk, go ahead. I trust you and I'm with you."
A wave of relief washes over me. I smile brightly and hug him tightly.
"After you meet him, let's go straight to my grandparents' house," he says.
I pull back from the hug and ask, "Are you going to come with me to meet Pranav?"
"If you want me with you, I will be. Or else, I can just wait in the car," he replies warmly.
I smile, feeling completely supported. A little while later, Will drives me home. I step out of the car, wave goodbye, and head up to my apartment. I punch in my password, swing the door open, and instantly freeze, my eyes going wide.
Sara and Akil are standing right there, kissing.
I slap my hand against my forehead. "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"
Akil pulls back, looking thoroughly embarrassed, though he manages a small smile. "It's ok, Minnie, welcome home. I was just about to leave anyway. You guys take rest."
Before I can even apologize properly, he rushes out the door. I stand in the entryway, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "Sara... did I interrupt?"
She sighs and shakes her head, though a faint blush dusts her cheeks. "Come sit here, girl."
I drop my bag, walk over, and wrap her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, I know how you must be feeling right now!"
"It's okay," she laughs softly. "Now tell me everything that happened after you left with Will!"
As we settle in, I tell her all about our night under the red moon, Will's offer for me to model professionally, and my plan to meet Pranav and Will's grandparents tomorrow. At first, Sara crosses her arms and strongly objects to the meeting with Pranav, but after I explain my reasons, she finally agrees. We talk for hours before I finally freshen up and head to sleep, knowing tomorrow is going to be a very long, life-changing day.
The morning came earlier than I expected. I got ready for the day, and after breakfast, I went downstairs. The moment I stepped outside, I saw Will waiting for me. A smile immediately appeared on my face as I walked toward him.
"When did you come? You could have just called me," I said.
He smiled softly. "I can wait for you, Love."
I smiled and got into the car. As we started driving, I turned toward him. "Did you see the news?"
He glanced at me with a small smile. "Of course. It's all about us after yesterday's event."
I nodded. "I know. I still can't believe everything happened so quickly."
He reached for my hand and gently held it. "And did you see the consumer sales? They've increased a lot because of yesterday's event."
"Yes, I saw that," I said with a proud smile.
After about ten minutes, we reached the coffee shop. I looked at Will and took a deep breath.
"You wait here, okay? I'll be back soon."
He looked at me for a moment but didn't question me. "Take your time, Love."
I nodded, got out of the car, and walked inside.
My heart started beating faster the moment I entered the coffee shop. I looked around until I noticed a man raising his hand toward me.I keep a straight, emotionless face and walk over
"Hi, Minnie," Pranav says.
"Hi," I reply, sitting down. He says, "I ordered coffee for you."
I sigh and say, "So, Mr. Pranav, I am not going to waste your time or mine, so please come to the point"
He sighs and nods. "So Minnie, I am really sorry for what I did that day. I know I might not be a person you can forgive, but I regret my mistake every day. I was so childish back then. After I got to know you, I really started to like you. But that night, a friend of mine mixed drugs in my drink. They targeted me and made me angry by talking badly about you, and that is why I did those things."
I bite my lower lip, breathe out, and say, "Pranav, it is hard to believe all of this now. And like you said, I am not ready to forgive you just like that."
I see his expression change. He looks like he is about to cry and is trying hard to hold back his tears. I look away. Part of me believes he is telling the truth.
"But looking at you today, you are not the same guy I met in college. You have changed, and I can see that. Day before yesterday, Zoe talked to me and told me you still haven't moved on from that incident. I won't forget what happened, but I accept your explanation. You took that drink because of your friend, so it wasn't really your fault. I forgive you. It's time to move on," I say with a small smile.
I take a sip of my coffee and look at his relieved face. He puts his hands over his face, rubs them, and lets out a cry.
"Pranav, lower your voice," I say.
He holds my hand and says, "Thank you so much, Minnie." A tear drops onto my hand. My eyes go wide-he is actually crying!
"Hey," I pull my hand away.
He wipes his tears and says, "I feel so relieved, Minnie. Thank you so much." Then he asks, "Can we at least be friends?"
I thought for a moment before shaking my head gently.
"Pranav, I don't think friendship is a good idea. We can keep things professional. You're the CEO, and I'm a model working with your company. That's enough. We can respect each other and move forward without bringing the past into our lives again."
He sighed and nodded.
I took one last sip of my coffee before standing up.
"Is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave."
Before I could take another step, he stopped me."Why don't we have lunch? You can ask Sara to join us too."
I smiled politely, ready to answer, when suddenly I heard a familiar voice behind me
I turn around and see Will walking up to us. Pranav quickly says, "Don't misunderstand anything, Minnie and I just talked."
Will says calmly, "I know, Mr. Pranav. Minnie already told me she was going to meet you."
"Okay," I say. "Mr. Pranav, we are going now. It's good that we cleared up the misunderstanding."
I smile, hold Will's hand, and we leave the coffee shop. Will starts the car engine, and as we drive toward his grandparents' house, I tell him everything that happened in the coffee shop.
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Author Note
Hello my dear readers đź‘‹ Hope you like this chapter please don't forget to vote and support đź’“ đź’ś