"I Am Indeed. I Do Apologise For Not Sending A Letter Ahead Of My Arrival, But It Was All Rather Sudden."

"I am enjoying my free time right now. Summer is always my favorite time of the year. And I got a lot of new dresses recently so I am excited to wear them." In her mind the it was definitely worth mentioning. "You make a good point." She nods with a polite smile, lightly resting her hand in his, letting him take her to the dance floor.

"I know I could, Rita lives and dies by her adoring public, can't have a paper without readers after all, but enough about her, I'm sure you'll get to ask her anything you like, what's happening with you, anything worth mentioning?" He waved his hand at the mention of her escort's whereabouts. "I'm sure he'll find you when he's finished with your cousin, why not enjoy yourself in the meantime?" He smirked and held a hand out as if offering to take her from the drudgery of her lonely table.

"Those are two of my favorite words. Closely following diamonds and presents." She had never made an attempt in faking humility, she'd never be any good at it. Serra oozed privilege and high standards, spending money and never wondering if it would stop coming.

"You would assume so, but alas.." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "They have always liked him, but come on."

"You had me at champagne and shopping," Willa smiled warmly, lifting her cup of tea and taking a small sip. While her father did provide Willa and her mother, the difference between Willa and her peers was evident. She had enough to live a lavish life in London, but not quite Paris.

"Your birthday party seems very harsh," She stated, surprised. "And quite a public setting too, would it not have been smarter to organise something a bit more private?" Willa knew if it was her ex, she would much rather an intimate setting to reunite.

"I am very beautiful, that's true, but you should not sell yourself short. Of course I am the better looking one out of the two of us as I am a woman and naturally more beautiful but you are handsome as well. I would not show interest in you if I found you undeserving of my attention." Serra was very particular with who she paid attention to and who she didn't. She liked to pick and choose who she believed was worthy of her time. "Why not?" What reason would he be giving her, she wondered.

"I would never settle. If I choose the person I want to be with it is because I decide that is who I want. I deserve to have the best of the best, one that will shower me in gifts and in compliments. Just me. Not anyone else." Her voice turned sugary sweet as she focused her attention back on him. "If you want to continue seeing me, you will not be seeing other women. The choice is yours. If you are unsure and are interested in others, then your answer is made and this is where we say goodbye. I deserve undivided attention and focus. I am the best, but I will not compete with other women for your affection. While I do not want to get betrothed or married yet, I know my worth."

“Hmm.”  He moved a hand to stroke her cheek. “You are beautiful, effortless, beyond reproach, but I am, not.  I feel undeserving when I’m around you, you say you’re inexperienced, and I enjoy experiencing you, but I feel that as I am I can’t give you what you deserve even if I would like to.”  He stopped as if struggling with the words or how they might land.  “I worry that you will be done with me as you grow, become the perfect thing that I know you are, and regret settling. You shouldn’t be forced to settle, and I’m not in a position to be as serious with you as I would like to.”  He looked at her, deciding he should be as straightforward as she had been.  “I’m seeing other women.  I’m worried you might have heard something or gossip, or will and this is something you should hear from me.  I feel like it’s something I need to do before I get serious about anyone.  At least to the level everyone is rushing into betrothals and bringing other people into them.” He moved closer looking into her eyes and squeezing her shoulders.  “Breaking a betrothal or getting into a marriage that was a failure is not something I will do.  I couldn’t leave someone I cared about that much or betray them after making that kind of promise.”

She hid her face in his chest, embarrassment taking over. How could he find her attractive once he saw her like this? This was a disaster! Her life was supposed to be perfect and this was an absolute mess. "She's crazy stalker obsessed with you! She said you two hooked up...but you wouldn't cheat on me..." Serra was still half crying and hiding her face between her hands so he couldn't see the bloody nose, trying to rack her mind for a spell to get rid off blood but she'd never had to use that before so she came up empty. "Wait it's like you're crazy stalker obsessed with me! Did you do this to get back at me?" Serra let out a yelp of pain when Charity threw her on the floor. Gasping in shock when Charity hit Malcolm, not his face! It was his best feature! They had that in common, that was why they photographed so well together. The more time passed the less like a lie it seemed. Could it be true? Could he actually have cheated on her? With Charity of all people? She stood up, her head a little dizzy from the quick motion and she caught her stumble. "Shut up charity case!" Turning back to Malcolm, once again hiding the lower half of her face so he wouldn't look at her bloody nose, she continued. "Just tell me this is all a bad joke. That this-" she pointed between him and Charity. -didn't happen."

Malcolm was walking back from class with friends when a commotion erupted down the corridor. A surge of students rushed forward, forming a tight circle. He overheard someone shout, "Girls fighting!" and quickened his pace. This wasn't a common occurrence, and he wasn't about to miss it.

The sight of Charity and Serra locked in a fight was the last thing Malcolm expected. He shoved through the crowd, muttering curses as they shouldered against him. This moment was torn from a nightmare. He'd justified his cheating, but never imagined this—a public confrontation. He'd planned to tell Serra on his own terms, when he was ready. That moment, that control, had been stolen from him. Then Serra was in his arms, and instinct took over. His eyes scanned her face, searching for injury. He spotted the smear of blood and his gaze snapped to Charity, a cold tension settling in. "What the fuck is happening?" he demanded, pulling Serra close. A sliver of denial flickered; maybe this wasn't about him at all. Now he didn't feel as excited about girls fighting when they were his girls-no, just Serra. Malcolm's chin raised to glare at the other onlookers. "Well, get fucking lost-nothing to see-"

Serra tilted her head sideways pursing her lips, thinking, treating it as an actual question instead of a rhetorical as she immediately spotted the present in his hands. "I could think of a few things. Ideally something sparkly.." Her eyes were drifting to the present, curious and impatient. "Well, as you know, I like being the center of attention every day, but I do suppose being celebrated like this is the best way." She was wearing a purposefully bold and excessive dress, further ensuring all eyes on her. "How have you been?" She heard rumors about him and Leta, but she was curious.

Who:@serraborgin Where: Serra's birthday bash When: Serra's birthday "What do you get for the woman who has everything and just returned from an extended shopping trip to Paris." Antonin knew what he had gotten her of course, but it was more fun if she recognized that he had labored over the gift so that she could ascribe the proper level of reservation to it. He had found long ago that gifts in small packages despite their actual size held a bit of underrated mystery. People assumed elegance and class something small must be doubly expensive than something large. He held the neatly wrapped present just far enough out of reach as to subtly demand Serra's attention. "It's been a while, good to know you haven't lost a step, birthdays are the perfect reason to be the center of attention aren't they?"

status: for @themalcolmparkinson

location: borgin manor, serra's birthday bash

Birthday party in full swing she went through the room, making rounds conversing with friends and acquaintances the like, politeness instilled into her when it came to hostess duties. It was something that came easily to her, she didn't mind being the center of attention. When her parents both came up onto the stage set up in the ballroom she hadn't thought anything of it at first, assuming they'd make some kind of big announcement about her birthday and compliment her, list her accomplishments perhaps.. That was how the speech had started but things quickly took a turn. 'We are extremely pleased to take this time to announce the engagement of our daughter Serra Borgin to the one and only Malcolm Parkinson!' Everyone's eyes turned towards her and while there was a polite smile seemingly frozen onto her face, she knew better than to openly show her shock and surprise. What the hell were her parents thinking?! Why hadn't they said anything to her. Wanting to go outside to get some air she quickly turned around, wanting to make her way outside, but stopping when she felt a hand on her forearm. Turning around in a swirl of pink she met Malcolm's eyes. He didn't look surprised. Why didn't he look surprised. She had explicitly disinvited him and yet, here he was. "Malcolm?" His name on her lips betrayed her surprise at his presence, but with all eyes on them she knew she had to be careful with her words.

status: for @thelionshrt location: Malfoy wedding

Finding Regulus in the masses of this wedding didn't provide to be as easy of a task as she had thought in the beginning. Of course it only made sense that the wedding of two prominent pureblood families would be a big celebration, it would be embarrassing if no one showed up. After about ten minutes of searching she'd been just about ready to abandon her task, when she finally spotted him, walking over to greet her friend. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

It was a scary thought for her, terrified her even, to consider breaking down the walls she had erected because of him. Giving the one person she had let hurt her in such a significant way the possibility to do so again. Still, it was easier to stay away from him when she didn't have to physically be in his presence. She could lie to herself and say she was not affected by him in the least. He was a man now, one that had gotten even more handsome with age. It was both a good thing and a bad thing that she still thought him to be extremely handsome, she was yet to decide which side she was leaning towards. "Well you better not give up. I do not plan on making anything easy for you." Serra informed him with a matter of fact tone. He liked the chase, she knew that. If she gave her heart fully now and he broke it again, she would be humiliated. "Do continue speaking about how beautiful I am, I will never tire of it." Serra was clearly pleased that he thought her beauty distracting, as was evident from her smile. Or at least she was trying to smile but something felt off. When he came closer to her she noticed that she started to feel quite dizzy all of a sudden, her skin tingling even where he didn't touch her. "I- I feel dizzy..." She wanted to say more but everything went black as she fainted right into his arms.

There were not enough words to describe how he felt around Serra in that moment. It felt like they were traveling back in time without moving at all. Malcolm had worked up years of how he would do things differently and not rely on his spontaneous and immature responses to their previous relationship. He had been nothing but a scared boy who thought he was bigger than the world. How naive he was to not see that Serra was the only one who mattered, who castrated the noises around them. That last year at school had bent him into a hellhound who only wanted to look after himself without weighing others' emotions. Now, he wasn't a boy, but a man with a tenured experience in giving Serra what she wants with lavish gifts from all over the world. They had a wedding to plan, and where he thought she would meet him with contempt, it felt like their story was given another chance; the greatest gift she could give back. "I will," Malcolm smiled. "And I doubt I will ever stop vying for your affections. You might get tired of me. I can only speak of my excitement for our futures and how your beauty is quite distracting. The other plans to prove my loyalty might have to wait when we leave, as I don't think it's appropriate here." Malcolm took a step closer, his hand meeting her hair that asked to be pushed behind her ear. As he was leaning down for a kiss, he paused only an inch away from her lips when he noticed something was wrong. "My love, are you alright?" Malcolm knew she arrived with the perfect shade of lipstick, but now they were nearly pale.