Under the Veil of Night

The next day, Kanae made sure that she was dressed neatly. Even though her clothes were simple and obviously came from a middle-tier store, she didn't look too bad.

She wore a white blouse with long sleeves, paired with a long black skirt. Under her skirt, she wore her training pants, but it was hidden quite well. As for her hair, she tied the two braids into one down her back before securing it with a ribbon.

This made her look rather childish, but she wanted them to underestimate her and think of her as a child for now. According to the law, she was indeed still a young kid.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Kanae nodded in satisfaction. "This is already good enough. At least, the others won't know about my poor condition."

Even though she wanted to get out of the family, purposely shaming them was out of the question. It would only invite numerous troubles for her because they valued their faces more than anything. She still dressed quite well and was polite. Of course, if they wanted to push her around, they should be ready for her retaliation.

The location of the party was quite far away, but it didn't really matter to her. Using Black Street as a shortcut, she made her way towards the venue. There were a lot of cars waiting to get in. It seemed the Nali Family was hell-bent on making sure they regained their dignity as one of the biggest families in this city.

The incident in the cruise because of the letter from the government had caused massive disturbance in business. This time, they were adamant on making sure that they would not lose any face.

"Please show me your invitation."

Kanae took out her invitation and gave it to the guard. The man was shocked to see the piece of paper as he knew that this was only given to the members of the four families, yet Kanae's appearance was not one of extravagances. Still, it was not his place to pry into the families' business. If he wanted to keep his job, he better keep his mouth shut.

"You may go in."

Taking back the invitation, Kanae walked into the hall. It was a large hall with hundreds of people inside, walking and talking with those around them. There were several tables with appetizers and drinks, but most guests didn't pay much attention. Many of them were chatting around here and there with their acquaintances or friends. They were dressed lavishly, and she was sure that many of their clothes belonged to famous brands' latest season. Kanae was pretty sure that they were worth weeks of meals for her.

Her eyes swept across the hall as she noticed the stairs and the rooms on the second floor. Those were the rooms of the VIP guests and the core members of the Aida and the Nali Families. Ordinary people couldn't go up as there were guards who guarded the area.

At this time, she also saw Tommy busy serving drinks to the guests. Tommy was dressed as a waiter and he brushed his hair neatly to maintain a refined appearance. With his polite gestures and normal subservient attitude waiters usually have, he blended in very well.

"Is that Kanae?" a familiar voice rang in her ear.

Kanae looked towards the flashy girl before her. Even during this kind of party, that girl still wore a short dress that was quite revealing. Her pale and smooth skin caused the males to eye her body suggestively and secretly have inappropriate thoughts about her in their minds. Some males even faced the wrath of their partners who caught them red-handed.

"Miss Sheila, what a surprise," Kanae smiled back politely. She still remembered this girl as the one who bothered Kevin continuously in the past. Of course, the detail was something that she no longer remembered the details as she had barely paid any attention to the girl.

Sheila looked towards Kanae's appearance as a sneer appeared at the corner of her lips. "With that kind of appearance, are you a guest or a waitress? You're just eyesore."

Comparing their clothes, it was obvious that Sheila's clothes were far more expensive and trendy. However, Kanae was not one to be provoked.

"Miss Sheila is really sharp. Thank you for your compliment," Kanae answered with a smile.

Sheila sneered. "I'm not complimenting you. Someone like you doesn't deserve any kind of compliment. I'll just waste words talking with you."

Kanae acted surprised. "My, I never knew that Miss Sheila has that high of position in the Nali Family. My Uncle has never told me about this matter."

Hearing the word 'uncle', Sheila's face darkened considerably. Who among them didn't know about the special relationship that Kanae had with Nali Family Head? Even though Kanae was considered as one of the branch families, she was only below the main Family and above the other branch families. This was something she painfully learned after she came into contact with the Nali Family more frequently.

Kanae watched the change in Sheila's face with a tranquil expression. Even though she hated calling that man as her 'uncle,' she didn't mind using that word to teach a bit of a lesson to this shameless woman.

Acting calm, Sheila handed her glass forward. "Water, Waitress."

"You should get it yourself as I'm not a waitress, Miss. It seems, your eyes need a checkup," Kanae shook her head with an expression of pity. It looked as if she were truly treating Sheila as someone who couldn't see very well.

"You!" Sheila's anger rose up another level. How dare this cheap girl say that her eyes have problems!

"Excuse me, I'm going to enjoy the party," Kanae excused herself and walked away. She couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with Sheila. That one warning was already more than enough.

Sheila wanted to yell, but she reined herself. Her father had warned her countless times that she was not allowed to create any trouble during this party. If she went on to make a fuss, her father would certainly be criticized. With vexed feelings, she stomped her feet and moved to her fiancée's side.

On the other hand, Kanae tried her best to blend into the background. Her eyes noticed Amanda standing not far from her. The girl was looking towards the guests with fiery eyes as if she wanted to devour them.

Amanda also saw Kanae from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't try to create trouble this time. Sakura had warned her continuously that she was not allowed to touch the latter's prey. This made her rather annoyed because Sakura was the one who asked her to harm the girl, but this time she was not allowed to touch the girl.

"Amanda, bring me more drinks," Sakura ordered from behind.

"Yes."

Amanda moved towards the rows of drinks and took one of the glasses. Her movements were rather forced, as if she were suffering a big humiliation, but she kept it inside. As the daughter of a company owner, she could not accept this kind of treatment.

Because Kanae was standing without moving near the edge of the hall where there was barely anyone, Sakura's eyes caught her and her lips turned into a sneer.

"I thought you wouldn't come, my dear cousin," she walked towards Kanae. Her pink dress fluttered along with her steps. The beautiful embroidery around the hem of the dress along with the faint layers of gold tulle made the dress extremely beautiful. It matched Sakura perfectly as she was the main star of today's event.

At the same time, Sakura was also wearing a thick layer of makeup. The makeup made her look like a princess. She was wearing a light pink eyeshadow on her eyes, paired with pink lipstick. Her cheeks were glowing with a rosy color. This stunning appearance caused the girls in the hall to feel down, as if they could not compare.

Kanae smiled mirthlessly when she saw Sakura. "Congratulations Cousin. You're truly lucky to get your perfect partner at such a young age."

Sakura smiled smugly. "Of course, I am. Do you have anything else you want to say to me?"

"I don't think there's anything else someone as beautiful as you needs," Kanae answered calmly. Her expression didn't change the entire time.

Facing the relaxed Kanae, Sakura felt rather irritated. She wanted to show off and make Kanae feel jealous or anything. Yet this girl didn't seem to have any inkling that she dressed too poorly for this kind of party.

"You should be careful, my cousin. I can't have you tarnish our family's name and reputation, right?" Sakura eyed Kanae from top to bottom, scrutinizing the girl's clothes thoroughly. "You're just bringing shame for showing up in this kind of appearance. Can you stay in the shadows in the back to ease our eyes?"

Truthfully, Kanae's appearance was not that bad as she still dressed rather neatly. There were many others from the branch families who wore a simple dress like her. It was plainly obvious that Sakura was creating trouble for her specifically.

Towards this kind of treatment, she didn't mind. Since this was Sakura's party, she simply nodded her head. "I'll stay in the back. Enjoy your party, Cousin."

Sakura looked towards Kanae's back with a satisfied expression. On her side, Amanda also smiled slightly.. Even though she had begun to hate Sakura, seeing Kanae suffer also made her feel rather happy.