Serendipity - A Chance Encounter 28 Masquerade 1

Daniel glared at his brother, and Liam met his brother's deadly stare; it made his hair stand on end.

Although Daniel already knew about the incident at Liam's club, Samantha didn't tell him about it. He didn't want Samantha to feel the pressure that's why he glared at his brother as if to tell him to shut up about it. Liam understood his brother's warning so he quickly clarified, "Yes, we met a couple of weeks ago at the company when my brother arrived from j.a.pan. He-He", he said before he tried to smile.

Samantha remembered that day. He was there? "Oh, right...". Samantha felt somehow relieved that Liam didn't mention or maybe he didn't remember about that night with Hannah, 'Whew!'.

When dinner was served, the four of them sat at the dining table with so many delicious foods. Daniel kept serving dishes to Samantha, he filled her plate quickly. Samantha was overwhelmed by this, she tried to politely complain to Daniel, "Um... I'm okay. I.. I think that's enough... I can't finish them all.". Though Samantha really liked to eat, the amount of food that Daniel placed on her plate became a mountain. She felt embarra.s.sed by the sight of it.

Daniel looked at it and realized that he was a bit excessive, "Oh... Eat. When you're full, I'll finish your leftovers."

This made Samantha all the more embarra.s.sed. Why does he have to be this affectionate in front of his parents?? Is he not ashamed?

Seeing their son like this, Mr. and Mrs. Cho had a smile on their faces. They're used to seeing their son being strict and having an aloof personality, and the scene in front of them warmed their hearts.

"Tch, If only you show even just 10% of your sweetness to me. I'd be really happy!" Liam said while he eyed his brother.

"Son, how's the new project going?" Mr. Cho asked.

"Hey, no talking about work on the table. This is family time." Mrs. Cho said and then turned to Samantha, "Sorry about that dear, they like to talk about work even after office hours."

Samantha smiled, "It's okay. My dad and brother do the same thing, so mom always scolds them too.", she chuckled.

"Really?", Mrs. Cho snickered, "How's your mother by the way?", she asked before she took a sip of her red wine.

"She's doing well. She tends to her plants and flowers when she can or else she'll get bored. You should visit her sometimes, Auntie."

"Yes, I'm planning to see her soon."

Mr. Cho asked Daniel, "You've been seeing each other for a while, right? Aren't you going to make it public?"

"Dad, Samantha and I agreed to keep it from the public. We don't really want the attention. It will just attract gossips."

"Wouldn't that be too hard? Can you keep dating without being seen by the public?", Mrs. Cho was concerned about Samantha. A lot of women would want to make relations.h.i.+ps public. Wouldn't she feel insecure that they're keeping it a secret?

"They wouldn't dare to make problems if ever they saw us, at least those who want to keep their jobs and survive in City M."

Indeed, those who are smart would naturally avoid crossing Daniel Cho. If they have a death wish, they're welcome to try his wrath.

Because of this, Samantha feels secure with Daniel. She knew that he respects her condition of keeping it private. Daniel's parents, on the other hand, although they understand Daniel and Samantha's wish to be private, they simply think that it's impossible especially with their family backgrounds. Nevertheless, both Mr. and Mrs. Cho support their relations.h.i.+p.

The dinner went smoothly and Samantha's worries became less. She still feels shy towards his parents but Daniel made sure that she wasn't alone.

--

Days flew by so quickly that it was already Friday.

Samantha was busy getting ready with Hannah. They felt like high school students all over again, going to prom and being picked up by their dates. While Samantha was going with Daniel, Hannah and Seo Joon are going together. Both of them didn't have dates originally, so they agreed to go together instead.

The party isn't going to start until 7 in the evening; their dates will pick them up at 6. It was 1 in the afternoon and Hannah is already all over the place doing G.o.d-knows-what and is yelling at Samantha, "S! What are you doing? Why aren't you getting ready yet?".

"Will you calm down? It's still very early. There are still 5 hours left until 6. Plenty of time to prepare."

"Don't you argue with me on this one, young lady! You always do this! The last time we went to the gala, we were almost late because you decided to 'get ready' an hour before."

"Almost--Almost."

"Tch." Hannah sneered. "C'mon get your a.s.s in the bath!".

"All right! All right! I'm going, mom! Geez!", Samantha giggled as she was being pushed by Hannah to the bathroom.

After taking a bath, Samantha and Hannah put hydrating face masks on while they get their power nap. Next, they did their skincare routine and started to do their hair and makeup. When they were satisfied, they put on their outfit. It was already 6 o'clock and the boys were right on time.

Hannah, donning a black and silver mermaid gown, came out first. Seo Joon was very gentlemanly in his black suit.

"Woah, Han... I didn't know you look this nice."

"Oh shut up. It's not like it's the first time you saw me dressed up like this.", she rolled her eyes.

Seo Joon chuckled, "I'm giving you a compliment, why are you so aggressive?"

"Tch."

"After you milady.", he said as he extended his hand on the side

"Why thank you, dear sir.", Hannah replied with a curtsy before the two boarded the car.

As Samantha came down the stairs, Daniel's heart fluttered. Although it wasn't the first time that he saw Samantha in a gown, seeing her all dolled up and beautiful coming towards him made him feel all kinds of happy.

"You look beautiful.", Daniel whispered in Samantha's ear when he pulled her into his arms. He trailed small kisses from her ear down to her neck. And Samantha felt hot and bothered with his sudden intimacy. "And you smell nice.", he said before he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Mr. Cho, did you come here just to do this?", she smiled. "We can't miss the party or your guests will be disappointed."

"I don't really care what they think, they can have the party by themselves for all I care. I'd rather stay here with you like this. "

Samantha chuckled, "You don't mean that.". She pulled away from Daniel gently and gave him a gift box. "Here, I'd like you to wear it."

Samantha opened the box for him to see. Inside was a bowtie that matched the color of her gown, and a pair of white gold cufflinks. The cufflinks were initial letters, one D and one S.

The corners of Daniel's mouth lifted upwards, he smiled radiantly and he looked very handsome. His gaze turned to Samantha, he cupped her jaw as he pulled her towards him. "I love them, thank you.", he murmured before he kissed her lips.