Chapter 107

• FORMAL, on this occasion, meant dressing up, Monica conceded, aware she’d almost reached the end of her evening wear selection as she selected a red gown in silk chiffon with a ruched bodice held by spaghetti straps and a skirt that fell from the waist in layers to her feet. Her only jewellery was a small diamond pendant on a delicate gold chain with matching ear-studs gifted by her parents for her twenty-first birthday.
• The auction fundraiser drew invitation-only attendance by the city’s social elite, given the number of guests milling outside the hotel’s function room.
• The nominated charity for tonight’s event was in aid of children stricken with leukaemia, while the auction itself featured a selection of donated antique furniture and valuable objets d’art.