Come with me," Marion said, leading her toward a secluded corner.


    There, a makeup artist was waiting.


    Debra sat down in front of the mirror, watching as Marion, already in exaggerated makeup, examined his reflection. She chuckled, "Even without a mask, I wouldn''t recognize you like this." Marion calmly replied, "Even if you wore a mask and even more dramatic makeup, I''d still recognize you."


    Debra blushed at his words, her heart fluttering slightly. The makeup artist quickly touched up her makeup and brought out her costume-a clown outfit, just as Debra had requested. As the artist worked, Debra asked, "Has Juan arrived?"


    Marion''s expression soured at the mention of Juan. He replied nonchntly, "I don''t know."


    Debra turned to him, surprise etched on her face. "Don''t know? If he doesn''te today, then all this acting will be for nothing."


    Marion shrugged, a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Whether hees or not doesn''t matter. Just knowing that the masquerade is fully booked is enough."


    "That''s one way to put it."


    "You want to provoke him, don''t you?"


    Debra hesitated, unable to deny it outright. She had her reasons, and they weren''t as childish as Marion might think.


    "If he sees me dressed like this, he won''t suspect me anymore," she managed.


    -


    She had put a lot of effort into creating the persona of Tracy. If she appeared in front of Juan in t shoes and a clown''s coat, his doubts. would be dispelled once and for all. A soft knock at the doo


    interrupted their conversation. Erica''s whisper


    came from the other side. "Debra, are you ready?"


    Debra finished changing into her clown outfit and opened the door to reveal Erica in a Lolita dress. She nodded and replied, "I''m ready."Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Juan is here. You should go out now," Erica urged.


    Juan had indeed arrived. Debra stepped out in her clown attire. The spotlight focused solely on her, making her stand out in the crowd. She yfully tossed some dolls into the air, causing excitement andughter among the guests. "Hello, everyone!" she called out, her voice amplified by a microphone. " I''m your clown tonight and also the owner of McKinney Group, Tracy McKinney."


    The room fell silent for a moment as the guests realized that the person who had been entertaining them was the enigmatic boss behind the McKinney Group.


    Juan, dressed in gothic attire, quickly noticed themotion. He


    wanted to take a photo, but his phone had been handed in at the


    entrance earlier. Clearly, Tracy had maintained strict secrecy about this ball, including its contents.


    On the sidelines, Joe observed. "Sir, that''s Tracy. He looks short and nothing remarkable."


    Juan asked, "Does he look familiar to you?"


    ''He looks like a new face. I have never heard of him before," Joe replied.


    Juan left Joe''s side and made his way towards the center of the stage.


    "Sir!" Joe eximed in astonishment, trying to stop him, but Juan was already gone, swallowed by the crowd.