The Mysterious Beauty

~~Three Months before~~

Life is a masquerade. Everywhere you look are people hiding behind the masks. Stripped of all their masquerades , their fears are quite identical : the fear of loneliness, rejection,  inferiority, unmanageable anger, illness and death. Hiding behind every masks of angel is a devil with dark secrets and ugly lies. Their appearance in reality is a hidden masquerade.

This masquerade ball is no exception. It has its own mysterious atmosphere hiding behind the luxuries and glamour.  In the dim lightings of the beautiful halls, were people dancing in their masks and sparkling dresses. It looks as if the stars are shining too brightly in the dark night today. Behind their masks of beautiful smiles and money , hid a person with harsh and bitter reality.

The charming man smiled lightly, comparing the similarities between the masquerade and real life. He took a sip of champagne from his flute as he drank in the enticing but at the same time enigmatic scene of the ball.

“Max, what are doing here ? Are you not going to dance ?” his best friend asked behind him. He smiled at him and shook his head lightly.

“Not today Adam, I’m not in a mood of dancing.”

“Your wish” Adam shrugged and went away to continue the dance with his lady of the night.

He turned again to continue his inspection. Maxwell Harrison very well knew how people’s mind works. It is not for nothing that he is the sole ruler of the Harrison empire. After years of experience he knew that if the world is full of precious souls wearing masks to hide the pain, then the world is also full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars. He smiled at the familiar faces who may or may not have ill feelings for him.

Everyone is same here. His handsome face suddenly astonished as his eyes fell on the strikingly beautiful lady standing few feet away from him. Her personality was nothing like the other beautiful ladies present in this masquerade. If they were the divas then she is the goddess among them. She looked like a full moon shining brightly among the sparkling stars. The fact that she was directly gazing at him, suddenly made him feel conscious.  He cannot help but walk towards her direction. Her face had a mysterious Mona Lisa smile as he advanced near her.

Without speaking a single word, he forwarded his hands towards her and she, very elegantly placed her hands in his without any question. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to his body. Her statuesque body seemed to perfectly fit in his rock hard built. As he inhaled her sweet citrus fragrance, he felt captivated under her magic spell. Her waist length curly raven black hair swayed gently as they began moving their bodies together with the rhythm. No one dared to speak a single word as if it will break the enchanting dream. Her crystal like green eyes twinkled behind her black laced venetian mask as he immersed himself in drinking her charisma.

Though he was holding her captive in his arms but then also she felt distant to him. So he tightened his hold on her small waist and brought her more closer to his chest. The way she was looking in his eyes felt the most intimate thing he had ever experienced. They danced for what felt like eternity and as if they were the sole couple present in the ball. She was like an enigma to him, which he wanted to solve desperately but was unable to solve it. A strong desire to know more and more about her erupted in his mind and without knowing, the words suddenly escaped from his mouth.

“Who is the person hidden behind this mask ?”

“The mask in which you chose to disguise yourself uncovers who you subconsciously are. The mask reveal in the eyes, the face that lies hidden as if the mask is a dark glass mirroring your soul”

He felt confused by her reply. Her beautiful voice left him astonished. He opened his mouth to ask the meaning of her words but he was disturbed by a hand tapping his shoulder. He reluctantly let go her waist and turned around.

“And you said that you’re not in mood of dancing” Adam grinned like Cheshire cat.

“Yeah, I was not, but not now. I met someone”. His eyes twinkled by just a mere mention of hers.

“Who is the lucky lady who captured Mr. Harrison’s attention ?” Adam shoved him playfully.

“Her name is….” He suddenly realized that he hasn’t asked her name. He turned around to ask her but she was nowhere to be found.

“Where is she ?” he suddenly felt disappointed.

“Who?”

“That girl. The gorgeous black haired girl who was dancing with me” he tried hard not to sound desperate.

“Hmm, she must be someone exquisitely beautiful that made the great Maxwell Harrison sound desperate” Adam scratched his chin pretending to think.

“Shut the hell up! And yeah she is unique. Infact she  is the most stunning lady present in this ball”

“Are you talking about Miss Scarlett”

“Is her name Scarlett ? I don’t know. Where is she ?”  he started growing more impatient.

“There. Your darling is standing there” Adam pointed towards a black head dancing behind a man.

Without wasting any further second, he walked impatiently towards her. “Excuse me” he tapped on the man’s shoulder.

“Yes” the couple turned around to face him. His face fell, realizing that the lady standing in front of him is not her. Though she is beautiful but she is nothing compared to the one who danced with him.

“Ah, Mr. Harrison, we are honored to have your company” the man said smiling proudly.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Smolders. I was looking for someone else”  he replied in his professional voice.

“No problem” Mr. Smolders smiled and turned around to continue dancing with Miss Scarlett.

His eyes searched everywhere in the hall. Where can she go ? He double checked at every black head women but no one was as gorgeous as her. He wished to hold her again in his arms. That felt so good. He suddenly remembered her words

The mask reveals the eyes, the face that lies hidden  as if the mask is a dark glass mirroring your soul………

He pondered at her words. He wanted to know what she meant by that. He wanted to see her. Maxwell Harrison never felt this desperate in his whole life.

“I never saw you like this. So impatient for a mere girl”. Adam said behind him in a surprised tone.

“She is not a mere girl Adam. You don’t know her. If only you had seen her, you would have felt the same”

“Was she so beautiful?”

“Yes she is. She is the goddess. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever met”

“Hmm, by listening to you I can tell that she is elegant enough to be noticed”

“Elegance is not when you’re noticed, Adam. Elegance is when you are remembered”

“Oh” was all the Adam could say. He is with Max since his teenage. He has seen him through his thicks and thins, his ups and downs, through every phase of his life but he has never seen his best friend looking lost like that.  He felt an urge to meet the girl who has made his pal impatient.

Maxwell’s eyes kept scanning through the hall. Now, this masquerade ball seemed to lost its charm and enigma. He can smell her sweet citrus fragrance still lingering in the air. He wondered, If she was so beautiful behind the mask, how will she look without the mask.......

She will hide….

All you wish to see

About her sweet soul

Like breathing and living

In a masquerade ball

You will fall in love

With who she is

Beneath her mask

And somewhere in the night

Be her escape

And watch her soul

Because even with a mask

Her eyes give her away……….