953 No Formalities


    As Lucas steered the car up the winding driveway, the evening sun cast a golden glow over the sprawling estate and Amy looked in awe as the mansion came into view.


    She had seen her fair share of mansions but the one in front of her felt like something out of a fairy tale.


    "Wow," Amy whispered, her eyes wide with amazement as she took in the sight before her.


    Lucas nced at her with a smile. "Impressive, isn''t it?"


    "It''s… breathtaking. I''ve always known he was wealthy, I mean, he owns I-Global, after all. But I didn''t sort of expect this," she admitted, still trying to wrap her mind around the sheer size and beauty of the mansion.


    Lucas chuckled softly as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the grand entrance. "Wait until you see the inside."


    "I can''t wait to see inside," Amy said excitedly as they stepped out of the car.


    Just as they got to the front door, it opened, revealing Tom and Lucy.


    Tom was dressed casually in a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, while Lucy wore a simple summer dress. They both had warm smiles on their faces as they weed them.


    "I thought it was Bryan and Sonia," Lucy said before turning to Amy.


    "Wee, Amy!" Lucy said, her voice full of cheer.


    "You made it just in time," Tom said as he held the door open for them to enter. "Amy, wee!" Tom greeted her warmly, his eyes twinkling with friendliness, yet Amy couldn''t help but feel a slight twinge of awkwardness as she faced Tom.


    Despite the casual setting, it was hard to separate the image of Tom as her boss from the man standing in front of her now. Seeing him in such a rxed, personal setting felt… different.


    "Thank you for having me, Mr. Hank," Amy responded politely, a small, respectful smile on her lips.


    Tom''s smile broadened as he shook his head in amusement. "No need for the formalities, Amy. None of that ''Mr. Hank''s stuff here. We''re off the clock, so just Tom will do. Let''s leave work at the office. Otherwise, it''s going to be a long and awkward weekend for us all."


    Amy blushed, feeling a bit silly for her formality. She nced at Lucy for reassurance, and she gave her a nod.


    Lucas grinned, stepping beside Amy. "He''s right, Amy. This weekend is all about rxing and having fun," Lucas said, easing her nerves.


    "Alright. I''ll try," she said, knowing she would never refer to him as Tom. She would just avoid addressing him altogether.


    Lucy stepped forward, giving Amy a weing hug. "We''re so d you could join us, Amy. You should rx."


    Amy nodded, her difort slowly melting away as Lucy''s warmth enveloped her. "Your home is beautiful. Thank you for having me."


    "You''ve said that before," Lucy said with a smile, pulling back from the hug.


    "Why don''t I show you around while we wait for Bryan and Sonia to arrive?" Lucy suggested, her tone warm and inviting.


    "I''d love that," Amy replied too eagerly making Lucas chuckle knowingly.


    Tom pped Lucas on the back, gesturing towards the house. "Come on, Lucas. Let''s get your bags inside and grab a drink. The girls can join us when they''re done with the tour."


    As the men headed inside, Lucy linked her arm with Amy''s and began to lead her around the house.


    As they walked through the various recreational rooms, Amy found herself in awe of the space.


    "It''s all so beautiful," Amymented as they moved through the house.


    Lucy smiled. "Yeah. Sometimes I''m still awed by the sheer beauty of the ce and can''t believe I live here."


    "Well, you do," Amy said with a grin and Lucyughed softly.


    "Yeah, I do. So," she began, her tone bing a bit more conspiratorial, "have you gotten yourself a prom-worthy dress for the reunion?"


    Amy blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Prom-worthy?" she echoed, a slight frown creasing her brow. "What do you mean?"


    Lucy stopped walking and turned to face her, a yful grin on her face. "Didn''t Lucas tell you? The theme for the reunion is Prom Night."


    Amy''s eyes widened in surprise. "I can''t remember him mentioning anything like that," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.


    Lucyughed softly, shaking her head. "Trust a man to leave out such an important detail. Well, it''s a good thing you''re here then. Come with me. Let''s fix that." She motioned for Amy to follow her.


    Curious and a little apprehensive, Amy followed as Lucy led her down another hallway. They stopped in front of a set of double doors, which Lucy pushed open with a dramatic flourish. Amy''s mouth fell open as she stepped inside.


    Amy found herself standing in what could only be described as an indoor boutique. The room was filled with racks of clothing, shelves of shoes, and essories galore. It was as if a high-end fashion store had been magically transported into the mansion.


    Amy stood in stunned silence, her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her. "This… this is incredible," she murmured, almost afraid to step inside.


    "Tom likes to do incredible things," Lucy said with a grin, clearly enjoying Amy''s reaction. "And I''m more than happy to share the spoils. Go ahead, pick out something you like. We need to find you the perfect dress for the reunion."


    Amy hesitated, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices. "I don''t know, Lucy. This all seems a bit too much…"


    "Nonsense," Lucy said, waving off her concerns. "I insist. Besides, it''s not every day you get to attend a prom, right?"


    Amy smiled at that. "True. Thinking about prom, mine wasn''t anything special. I didn''t even stay for the whole thing."


    Lucy looked at her with genuine curiosity. "Really? Why not?"


    Amy shrugged, her fingers brushing against the fabric of a nearby dress. "It just wasn''t my scene back then. I wasn''t into the whole prom thing, so I left early."


    Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about your prom date? No high school sweetheart to dance the night away with?"Lucy asked, and Amy rolled her eyes.


    "Nope. I didn''t have one. I went to one of those prestigious high schools, thanks to Miley. None of the kids there wanted to ask the daughter of a housekeeper to prom," she said with a shrug.


    Lucy winced, "That must have hurt."


    Amy shook her head with a softugh. Amy grinned, "No, it didn''t. My mother didn''t raise us to be timid or embarrassed by our social status. And I really didn''t mind going alone with Miley. I wasn''t really into dating back then. I just wanted to get through high school and move on to college."


    "That''s nice then," Lucy said, her tone brightening, "but consider this reunion as your chance to have a do-over. And with Lucas by your side, I''m sure it''ll be a night to remember. Let''s find you something that makes you feel like the queen of the prom."


    "Didn''t Tom arrange for the reunion so you can be prom queen?" Sonia asked as she stepped into the room.


    "He did?" Amy asked, looking at Lucy with awe.


    Lucy giggled, but before she could speak, Sonia did, "He did. He''s sponsoring the reunion with the prom theme so that Lucy can attend prom."


    "How do you sleep knowing you''re one of the luckiest women on earth?" Amy asked, and Lucy giggled.


    "With my two eyes closed and snuggled against the most doting man on earth," Lucy said and they allughed.


    Sonia walked further into the room, her gaze sweeping over the elegant dresses with a fond smile ying on her lips. "I have to say, no matter how many times I see this room, I''m always in awe of Tom''s extravagance," she said, a touch of admiration in her voice as she gestured to thevish disy of gowns and essories that surrounded them.


    Lucy turned, augh bubbling up from her chest. "He does like to go all out."


    Sonia''s attention shifted again to Amy, her expression warm and weing. "It''s always nice to see you, Amy. We''ve met several times, but it feels good to have you here," she said as she embraced her, the hug gentle but sincere.


    Amy returned the hug, feeling a genuine warmth from Sonia''s embrace and touched by the group''s eptance. "Thank you. It''s nice to see you too," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips as they pulled back from the hug. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "We are trying to find Amy a dress. Lucas failed to tell her the theme," Lucy exined.


    "It''s a good thing you have a room full of untouched clothes," Sonia said and the room was suddenly filled with the simultaneous chime of two phones receiving messages.


    Both Lucy and Sonia exchanged a curious nce before reaching for their phones, the screen lighting up with notifications. They opened the message which Jade had sent into the girls'' group chat, and a wave ofughter rippled through them, leaving Amy confused.


    "Oh, you''ve got to see this," Lucy said between giggles, turning her phone to Amy.


    Amy leaned in, curious, and her eyes widened as she saw the image on the screen. It was a candid shot of Lucas, standing outside I-Global, a mischievous grin on his face and a single red rose mped between his teeth. The absurdity of the pose made it impossible not tough.


    Jade had captioned it with ''Guess who just won the Prince Charming award?''


    Amy covered her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles that were bubbling up. "Oh my God, he''s going to be so embarrassed when he finds out about this."


    Lucy nodded, herughter subsiding into an amused smile. "He sure will. But I''m sure he will be fine. You got him good, Amy," Lucy said andughed when Amy blushed.


    Sonia chuckled, still amused by the photo. "Jade really knows how to capture the perfect moment," she said, shaking her head in amusement.


    Still smiling, Lucy nced back at the racks of dresses. "Well, I think we should pick out something before we end up getting too distracted."


    "Good idea," Sonia agreed, regaining herposure. "Let''s find Amy something stunning, shall we?"


    With that, the three women turned their focus back to the task at hand. Lucy and Sonia moved around the room with practiced ease, pulling dresses off the racks and holding them up to Amy for her opinion. The fabric of each dress was as luxurious as the next— silk, satin, chiffon, all in an array of colors that would make any fashionista swoon.


    Amy ran her fingers over the soft material of a deep emerald gown, its design catching her eye. But before she could dwell on it too long, Sonia had already pulled out another option, a flowing, midnight blue gown.


    "This one would look amazing on you," Sonia said, holding it up against Amy''s frame.


    Amy hesitated, looking between the dresses and the twodies who were clearly enjoying the process. "I''m not sure," she admitted softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.


    Lucy, noticing her hesitation, stepped closer and ced a reassuring hand on her arm. "You can try out the clothes and choose whichever you feel morefortable in."


    Amy smiled, her words helping to ease the doubt that had crept in. "Okay," she said, her resolve strengthening. "Let''s do it."


    After several rounds of trying on dresses, they finally settled on one that made Amy''s breath catch when she saw herself in the mirror. It was a rich burgundy gown, fitted at the waist and ring out into a soft, flowing skirt. The off-the-shoulder neckline and delicatece detailing gave it an air of understated elegance.


    "Wow," Amy breathed as she turned slowly, taking in the full effect of the dress. The colorplemented herplexion perfectly, and the cut entuated her figure in a way that made her feel both confident and beautiful.


    "That''s the one," Lucy dered with a satisfied grin, clearly pleased with the oue.


    Sonia nodded in agreement, beaming at Amy, "You look stunning, Amy. The dress bes you."


    Amy smiled, a mixture of excitement and nerves fluttering in her stomach. "Thank you both, really. I don''t know how to repay you for this."


    Lucy waved her hand dismissively. "No repayment necessary."


    As they gathered the dress and essories, Lucy took the lead in packing everything away. "Let''s keep this a surprise for Lucas," she said with a mischievous smile.


    Amy nodded, feeling a thrill at the thought of the surprise. "I like that idea."


    Amy could already tell this weekend was going to be one to remember.


    ******


    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.


    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the story and my writing style.


    I want y''all to choose the name.


    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress


    Or


    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.


    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?