Chapter 92

I was downstairs wearing a pastel green cocktail dress while I waited with Alex for Victor to arrive. I told Alex we needed to speak to him before we left for the ambassador’s party.

When Benson showed Victor into the living room, Alex greeted him warmly.

“How are you, Victor?” Alex asked. “Daisy tells me you have something you want to speak to me about.”

Victor sat next to me on the couch. “I’d like you to announce our engagement as soon as possible. There are some individuals among the Alpha males who are pursuing your daughter for her inheritance.”

Alex was quiet for a long moment. “I see,” he said. “Does this attention bother my daughter?”

“Yes, I hate it,” I told him. “One of them trapped me in a bathroom at the Phillips’ ball and tried to kiss me.”

Alex’s face grew pale. “And you think a formal announcement would help the situation?”

“Yes,” Victor replied. “Daisy would be safer from these encounters, and I would have more authority to protect her as her official fiancé.”

Alex rang for Benson.

The butler appeared almost instantly. “How can I be of assistance, Mr. Wilson?”

“We’re having a formal dinner party for fifty guests next weekend,” Alex informed him. “I want the invitations to go out tomorrow. I’ll make out the guest list before bed this evening.”

“Very good, sir,” Benson said. “May I inquire as to the occasion?”

“The dinner is to announce my daughter's engagement to Victor Klein,” Alex replied.

Benson’s usual stony expression softened into a smile. “Congratulations, Miss Wilson and Mr. Klein. The best of luck and happiness to you both.”

“Thank you, Benson,” Victor and I said in unison.

“Do you want me to speak to the happy couple to determine their preferences for the food?” Benson asked.

“I’m sure whatever you and the cook decide on will be fabulous,” I replied. Everything Alex’s cook prepared was delicious.

I was glad Alex agreed to our plan, but I grew sad while the men discussed the guest list and included William’s parents.

I couldn’t stop thinking about William and wondered how he was doing and where he was now.

I still feel guilty about him leaving the city.

“I’ll finish the list later,” Alex said. “Poor Daisy looks positively bored.”

Victor stood and offered me his hand, “It’s time for us to leave for the ambassador’s party. Are you ready, sweetheart?

I nodded and took his hand. “See you in the morning, Father,” I told Alex, and we left the mansion.

Once we were in the car and on our way to the party, I asked Victor, “Is there anything I should know about this party so I don’t make a fool of myself?”

“It will be much like other parties you’ve been to,” Victor replied.

We rode silently, enjoying the evening and watching the sunset.

Suddenly, Victor slapped his forehead. “Do you know how to curtsy?”

“Huh?” What was he talking about?

“When we greet the ambassador and his wife, protocol demands I bow, and you’ll curtsy.”

“That qualifies as something I needed to know,” I said. “But I think I can do it. I’ve seen it done in movies, and it doesn’t look difficult.”

“That should work,” he agreed. “Just watch the women ahead of us in the receiving line and copy them.”

Although that sounded easy, my hands shook when we approached the ambassador’s home.

We left the car with the valet and went inside. My heart pounded as we stood in line to greet the ambassador and his wife.

I watched all the women curtsy, and it looked pretty easy. When my turn came, Victor introduced me to the important couple, and I managed to behave appropriately and not make a fool of myself.

Yeah, me.

I spotted Lana and Harry waving at me from across the room.

“Hello, Daisy dear,” they said as Victor escorted me to them on his arm.

“You curtsy well,” Lana added. “And you look divine.”

Harry and Victor wandered off to talk business with a group of gentlemen in a corner.

“Victor told me you've been learning to take over your mother’s charity,” Lana said. “This is your chance to begin networking. It will help you raise money.”

I began to follow Lana around to different groups of people.

She introduced me to a dozen or so Alphas that she knew well.

“Elliot and Trisha, I’d like you to meet Daisy Wilson, Alex‘s daughter. She is taking over the operations at the Wilson Foundation, and she would appreciate your continued support.”

“The Wilson Foundation is our favorite charity,” Trisha informed me. “It looks like the foundation will be in good hands. I’ll send a check for a hundred thousand dollars tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much,” I said. “I promise you the money will be put to good use for the people in our community.”

I couldn’t believe I was speaking so smoothly to people I didn’t know. But I knew when I was with Lana, nobody would mess with me. She was as fierce as her son.

And those people were going to contribute a hundred thousand dollars! It was a great start to my charity career.

Lana leaned close to me and whispered in my ear. “Whenever you speak to anyone, try to say their names. It makes them feel more like your friend, and they contribute more.”

I stared at her for a moment, and she winked. I nodded and smiled at her. Lana knew her stuff.

When she introduced me to the next couple, I took her advice and received a promise for another fifty thousand dollars.

“Thank you for teaching me this, Lana,” I whispered as we were making our way to another group of people.

Networking, I didn’t realize what it meant until now or how to do it. I was learning new things constantly. When the next group of two couples promised another fifty thousand dollars each, my confidence was soaring.

“Now, we should just enjoy ourselves for a while,” Lana advised. “But you should try approaching people a few times at each event you attend.”

“Why are we stopping?”

“So we keep getting invited to events,” Lana replied. “We can’t spend our entire evening asking for money. Even rich people don’t like that.”

Lana and I spoke to other people, but we never mentioned the foundation. But I was meeting people and making connections for the future.

We had just spoken to the Ambassador’s wife when Victor approached us.

“How is everything?” he asked.

“Fine,” I replied. “Your mother taught me how to network.”

Victor grinned. “Wonderful. Mom is a champion networker.”

Harry walked up to us. “The ambassador is getting tired, so I think we should leave.”

“That sounds good to me,” Lana said. “But don’t forget you promised to stop for ice cream on the way home.”

I looked at Victor. “Am I getting ice cream?”

“Sure, why not?” he said.

After stopping for milkshakes, we returned to my home. I was yawning as I finished my chocolate shake.

“It looks like it’s your bedtime,” Victor said. “So, no run tonight.”

“There’s always tomorrow,” Diana said.

Victor escorted me inside before he left, and I went upstairs to my room. I got undressed and took a quick shower before climbing into my bed.

The Alpha girls at school were right. My social calendar rocks. And another event was being thrown for me and Victor.

A formal dinner to announce our engagement sounded great, even if the engagement wasn’t real.

I was planning what I was going to wear as I fell asleep.