Chapter 616 - Exposed (7) - Oliver’s POV

"Nooooo, I don't want to wear this dress," Rika tried to kick Alex.

"Stay still. I can't have you attend the next event in tatters," Alex became more annoyed.

I watched Alex trying to put Rika's current ragged dress off her, avoiding her legs. The new dress prepared for Rika was stunning, dripping with mana crystals instead of the usual jewels. The silky fabric shimmered in the sunlight, slightly changing from white to different shades of pink. My eyes widened from how small the size was, more suited for young children. Meanwhile, Alex began wrestling with Rika, trying to change her into the dress. The hover car faintly shook as Rika attempted to run away from him.

"Why couldn't you choose something more comfortable? This is worse than the previous one!" Rika placed a barrier around herself.

"You shouldn't have ruined your dress, you knew what would be coming," Alex instantly made her barrier shatter, muttering a counter spell.

Alex took this chance to grip Rika's wrists together with one of his hands. Rika gritted her teeth, finding Alex was winning, able to pull the destroyed dress off her. She twisted and turned, making him more aggressive, pushing her down on the car seats. I never could have imagined this was what went behind the scenes. My partner couldn't close her mouth, watching everything unfold.

Alex pulled out many wet wipes, erasing traces of smoke and chars tainting her skin. He wiped her body with one hand, the other one busy from preventing Rika from moving. His legs were strategically placed to make sure Rika couldn't attack him with her legs. When he checked the location on the map, he started to work quicker, moving onto restoring her brilliant glimmering skin by placing lotions everywhere.

The trickiest part was changing her into the new dress, his eyes reflecting the uncooperative Rika that was glaring at him. I was stunned by Alex's strength, switching her position by pulling her up while maintaining his grip on her. The dress was special, unravelling as all its buŧŧons and ribbons opened. It made it easier for Alex to dress her, only having to focus on tying the clothes together again.

"If you attempt to put this dress off, I'm going to tell Luke everything that happened at the first event," Alex warned her.

"You won't tell him?" Rika stopped fighting.

"I'll see. If I don't finish getting you ready by the time the hover car lands, I'll go more into the details when I tell him," he pulled out the new accessories.

Alex's hands didn't stop moving, trying to take advantage of Rika listening to him more. I could spot signs of exhaustion on his face by the time he started to work on her face. My partner pitied him, offering, "I can help with her make-up."

"I apologize for the ruckus. It's fine. We don't put any make-up on her," Alex pulled out some cream.

"I always wanted that cream. It's really expensive, but it bȧrėly makes any difference on her. She's so pretty. I can't believe she naturally looks like this," my partner whispered into my ear.

When Alex pulled out Rika's shoes, trying to match it with her current outfit, my partner's eyes began to glitter. She admired the practicality behind the beautiful design, stamped with lovely ribbons. Alex didn't trust Rika to put on the shoes with her own hands, doing everything for her from the start to finish. After he finished taking care of Rika, he quickly changed into his new outfit to match hers at an abnormal speed.

Although Rika was my friend, I realized there were still many things I didn't know about her. Alex made us sign a contract since he didn't want this to get revealed. He didn't have the chance to take a break as he made Rika memorize new scripted answers, trying to go over every possible question. It resembled the study session in the club room, making the people listening impressed with the tips.

"Remember not to speak until the guests directly ask you a question. No sleeping on the ground or climbing the walls, you have to let me know if you feel like you're in danger. Since we're going to be eating lunch there, I want you to finish at least half of your plate. If any of these are broken, we're leaving the event and going straight to Luke," Alex repeated more than ten times.

"I get it," Rika ġrȯȧnėd.

"You know I didn't destroy his mansion on purpose. Why would I look like I'm escaping from something?" She mumbled.

"I want a full explanation after the event," Alex didn't want to have the conversation with us here.

Alex seemed to be very loyal to Luke, more than the bond coming from being friends or cousins. Everyone knew they were close, always seeing them together since elementary school. He wasn't the same with Jules, who was also his cousin. In fact, Jules appeared to be busy running away from them lately.

"Can I call Micah here? It's related to the previous incident," Rika seemed hesitant, slightly glancing at us.

"I can get us a spare room after we enter the event," Alex began to write a message to Ethan.

They stopped talking when the hover car started to drift towards the ground, a whole crowd of guests staring at the Monete family crest. When its doors opened, Alex gestured to us that we could step out first, showing his hospitality. My ears were filled with chattering and gossip as my partner stiffened from the same scene.. Meanwhile, Rika seemed to be unaffected, perfectly following Alex's instructions, ignoring the attention.