Chapter 1: Sierra

"How do I look?" Madelyn asked, blowing herself a kiss in the air as she admired her reflection in the standing mirror in front of her.

Her purple dress hugged her body, accentuating her figure as she stood elegantly on that pair of heels.

"Absolutely stunning," I replied, sitting on the edge of the bed, my eyes darting across her shape.

She radiated with elegance, and her perfume filled the air. Madelyn leaned closer to the mirror, smacking her glossed lips. With her hands on her waist, she switched poses like a runway model, whipping her shoulder-length blonde hair sideways.

Yeah, that was Madelyn Grace, my best friend—the fun one. She was confident, beautiful, and, well…graceful in all her ways. She had the height of a model, so a lot of people thought she was one whenever they first met her.

For Madelyn, growing up in an affluent family in Chicago had its perks, and a vibrant social life was definitely one of them. She was used to living life to the fullest, and for her, some things were just another Tuesday. For instance, hitting the club, which, by the way, was what she was all dressed up for right now.

Once again, she checked herself out in the mirror, smoothing down her knee-length gown, which shimmered in the lights, as she added a final swipe of lip gloss.

Madelyn was gorgeous, and she knew it, so she didn't care about unnecessary compliments, especially from flirts. She wasn't rude or anything; she'd just come to terms with her beauty.

And then there was me—Sierra Lane. I was twenty-one, Irish-American, and a cybersecurity expert. Unlike my best friend, I was basically a hermit.

I didn't roll well with crowds, which was why I never went to college for a degree. I was the type of girl who loved her own space—the type who would sit in a place for hours like a ghost, undetected. I liked to be invisible to people. It saved me a lot of drama most of the time.

I always dodged Madelyn's invites to party hard at a friend's or a nightclub, giving flimsy excuses no matter how ridiculous they sounded, and she would always respect my decision. However, tonight was different. Madelyn wouldn't take no for an answer.

She had just graduated college with flying colors and was hell-bent on celebrating this big win. When she told me about her clubbing plans, I honestly couldn't find it in me to let her down. This was a huge success for her and for me, too. So, despite my reservations, I would have to adjust…at least for her. But I was still skeptical about the whole thing.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" She glared in my direction, her blue eyes pinning on me like a hook to a fish.

"Uh…." I glanced at the gown neatly lying beside me on the comfy bed.

"Come on, Sierra, we talked about this. Don't tell me you're having cold feet now," she said, cocking her head to the side.

"No, I'm not. I'm…I'm just…." I let out a sharp exhale, stumbling on my words as I struggled to come to a conclusion.

"You're just what ?" Madelyn's eyes held a glint of warning against disappointing her, arms folded across her chest.

She could be so intimidating sometimes.

"I'm not used to these sorts of outings, you know, so it…it feels weird," I confessed, avoiding her eyes.

Madelyn pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed softly. "Listen, Mother Teresa." She stepped forward, her heels clicking against the floorboards. "I know this isn't the type of life that suits your personality; I do—I get it."

"Why do I sense a ‘but' coming?" I squinted at her.

"Because there is one," she replied keenly. "You're such a Rapunzel; for such a long freaking time, you have locked yourself in your stupid tower—and by tower, I mean your room. Your only companion has been the hum of computers and the clicking of keyboards. Being an understanding friend, I've tried—God knows I've tried."

I watched her with raised brows as she vented her bottled-up feelings in a stern but harmless manner.

She sat beside me and continued, "I have put up with your silly excuses; you're either too busy bypassing a framework or cracking a code or rushing home to feed your cat—and you do not fucking own a cat—"

I laughed at the cat excuse; it was a silly one, indeed.

"But I am done with all that bullshit, okay? I have tried to understand you. No more sleeping in while I party. You're coming with me, Aurora. End of discussion."

Okay, that wasn't a discussion; it was a monologue.

"Quick question," I began. "Which am I exactly: Mother Theresa, Rapunzel, or Aurora? I'm so confused right now."

"Oh, wow, you made a joke." The sarcasm in her reply couldn't be any more obvious. "Get dressed." Madelyn got back on her feet. "Tonight, you're Cinderella—wild, sexy Cinderella who's gonna lose a shoe at the club." Her physical demonstrations were rather theatrical, her hands swaying elegantly as she talked.

I loved Madelyn Grace so much. The girl had been more than a friend to me; she was like the sister I never had. My stepbrother Scott thought she was hot and had always had a thing for her, but she was way out of his league. Scott was still hopeful, though, poor thing.

"You know what? I'll dress you up myself." Madelyn walked back to me and picked the red dress up, placing it on the front side of my body. "Hmm." She stroked her chin, probably imagining how I'd look in the dress. "Strip."

"What?" My brows rose instinctively.

"You heard me, strip," she replied. "Or would you like me to help you with that too?"

"Oh, my God, you're such a pain in the ass. You know that, right?" I grumbled, taking off my sweatshirt.

"And you love me that way," she said, a pesky little grin spreading across her face.

Within the next few minutes, she forced me into the dress, leaving no room for resistance.

"It's too tight," I said, struggling with the gown as it clung to my body like a second skin.

"No, it's not. It's perfect," she replied, beaming with pride. "Turn around."

I did, and just then, I felt her hand pulling up the zipper I'd been fighting with.

Madelyn grabbed me by the arm, and we both halted in front of the mirror with her standing behind me. "Don't you like the girl in the mirror?" She smoothed my hair backward, her lips curling up into a grin.

A faint smile lined a corner of my face as I admired my reflection. It was like looking at an entirely different person. The gown somehow transformed me into a much hotter woman than I actually was, accentuating my features.

"This is what you've been hiding, Sierra. Not cool," she said, her eyes roaming my body in wonder and admiration. "I've always known you're beautiful…but this is sexy!" She shrieked on the last statement. "Look at you, my goodness! You're fucking glowing!"

"Okay, stop, you're making me blush." I giggled, stealing hidden glances at the sexy girl in the mirror.

"Oh, you're lucky I'm straight because your body is the definition of perfect—goddamn!" She wouldn't stop gushing, and I couldn't stop blushing.

"Flattery will get you anywhere, Maddie." I chuckled softly.

"Seriously, Sierra. You look amazing—and I haven't even made you up just yet," she replied.

"Wait, you're gonna have to make me up?" I turned to face her, brows knitting in confusion.

"Of course," she answered, heading over to the drawer to fetch the makeup kit.

I shook my head. "I did not sign up for this, Maddie."

She approached me. "You talk too much, Sierra."

"You do realize that's ironic coming from you, right?"

"Sit." She forced me into a chair in front of the mirror.

"I don't know about this," I grumbled, but I knew better than to resist.

"You're pretty, Sierra; the makeup will only enhance it. Don't worry, it's not gonna be heavy. Just something light."

It was as though she'd read my mind; I didn't want anything that would make me sweat in the long run, and this dress was already killing me. I could barely breathe, considering how tight the gown was.

"You know, I wouldn't really pester you into coming along if it wasn't important to me," she said, gently glossing my lips.

"I know," came my reply.

"This outing is to celebrate my graduation, which is huge, and I want you, my best friend, to be there. Besides, my college buddies will be present, as well—and trust me, they all can't wait to see the cyber security expert who didn't go to college but is working wonders from a course she took online." She bent over and whispered into my ears, her soft tone hinting at her guilt. "I may or may not have told them that you're so good, you once hacked a speeding train and brought it to a halt in order to save a stray cat."

My breath seized for a moment, and my jaw dropped, mirroring my shock. "What?" I burst out laughing. "I'm sure no one believed that."

"Oh, trust me, they did—hook, line, and sinker," she replied, applying powder to my face.

"Are you kidding me? They're that gullible?"

"They watch way too many action movies, so they bought it."

"You really didn't have to lie, you know," I said, although deep down, I was glad she was proud to show me off.

"I didn't lie," she replied, piling up my dark hair and clipping it atop my head. "I only exaggerated a little bit." She gestured with her index finger and thumb, the former barely an inch above the latter.

"A little bit?" I chuckled. "You painted me as a hacker straight out of a Hollywood movie— that's an overexaggeration."

"Okay, sue me," she said unapologetically.

It was amazing how, with such little time, Madelyn had transformed this introverted, innocent girl into the goddess looking back at me in the mirror.

"By the way, I've told Chris a lot about you—and don't worry, I didn't overexaggerate with him. He's really looking forward to finally meeting you tonight," she added.

Chris was her new boyfriend, the one she wouldn't shut up about, but I'd never actually seen him before.

"And…done," she said, looking in the mirror as her hands left my face. "Don't you like what you see?"

I did. I really loved what she'd done with my face, and my smile wouldn't vanish.

She'd managed to bring out my natural features without being too heavy-handed with the makeup. Her expert touch cleared up my skin, and minimal dark eyeshadow made my green eyes pop.

"Wow," the word escaped my lips. "Thank you." I looked up at her, my smile softening. "And you're right; going out will be good for me."

She grinned widely. "Finally, you get my point. Why wouldn't you after I made you look like this?" Madelyn teased and gestured at my whole body.

We both laughed.

I got out of the chair, drawing in a deep breath. "I'd like to meet Chris, too. I need to see the guy who's putting up with you. He deserves a medal."

"Haha, very funny," she said. "At least I have a guy who's putting up with me—but worry not, princess, for tonight, you will find your prince charming." In her last statement, she mimicked the British accent remarkably well while swaying her hands in demonstration.

"You're such a drama queen." I shook my head, wondering how I'd bump into my prince charming at a nightclub, of all places.

I'd never been in a relationship before, never really experienced love, and that was because I was always so picky with guys. I wasn't looking for someone to fool around with, someone to have fun with. No.

Some even called me old-fashioned, and maybe they were right because I wasn't searching for a boyfriend. I was looking for a man with commitment who was ready to go long-term. In other words, I was looking for a husband.

I didn't go out much, and I had never visited a club before, but I knew for sure that it wasn't a place where I'd find the man I was looking for.