The family of three walked into the museum. It had been beautifully decorated with round tables and chairs that had numbers on them. The three were led to their seat. As they sat down, George appeared right behind them.
"Good evening Aunt Victoria", he kissed her cheek in greeting before going to take his seat beside Zach.
Her eyes lit up. "Good evening! You look handsome! I must be the luckiest woman surrounded by three flower boys!"
Xavier pulled up a smirk, George let out an awkward chuckle as he felt embarrassed, while Zach scowled in displeasure. Victoria chuckled in amusement.
"You're a pretty boy, Zach, whether you like it or not", she teased. But she was soon distracted by her surroundings. "My gosh! I love what they have done to this place! It amazes me every time!"
While she chatted away as she marveled at the beautiful decorations, little did she know that someone had their eyes on her. They had been watching her from the moment she stepped into the red carpet. Meanwhile, something had just caught George's attention and he leaned in to whisper to his boss.
"Sir, twelve o'clock."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtZach casually glanced in that direction before he directed his gaze elsewhere. It all happened in a split second but from what he saw, a black evening gown decorated in silver designs, matching sandal heels and her red hair nicely done. The face of the woman was stoic like he usually had his as she gracefully walked to her table. Behind her was the man whose face many knew, he was wearing a black suit and looking far more handsome than usual. He walked a step back behind the woman. They were not the pair Zach had seen earlier, but they were:
"Gwen Cancino, C.E.O of Greco Pharmaceuticals and her P.A, Peter Wright", George whispered.
The two mentioned were having a conversation of their own as they were being directed to their table. Gwen's face showed no emotion as her red lips moved.
"Results?" She asked.
"We will have them before the night ends. Our technicians are still working on it", he said in an apologetic tone.
"Our enemies don't have until the night ends. The deal has to pass tonight, how many times do I have to say we can't afford any slip ups?" Even in her calm voice, Peter could detect the anger and frustration.
"I'm sorry boss", is all he could say.
She didn't bother faking a smile towards the attendant as she sat down. Peter settled besides her even when he could have preferred another option knowing what her current mood is.
"If anything goes wrong tonight, well you know what happens", she said quietly as she leaned back in her seat.
Her tone was casual, but Peter knew better than to take her words lightly. He swallowed a hard lump and forced himself to calm down. A couple walking arm in arm settled on their table. Gwen's eyes lit up in recognition when she saw the man but a small frown formed on her face when she saw the woman.
"Sparrow, I'm sure you know that this is not aome vacation for you to bring a whore along", she spat with less than amusement in her tone.
"Whore?" The woman chuckled in amusement as Aldo helped her into her seat.
"I'd watch what I say in her presence if I were you Gwen", Aldo as he sat into his own seat.
"Well, I was only told about your arrival and no one else. Who is she? Who are you?" She looked the woman dead in the eye.
Esmeralda squared her shoulders as she looked her back in the eye in silent mockery. The corner of her lips lifted before she said, "I'm disappointed. This is the person handling things here."
"I apologise on her behalf", Aldo slightly bowed even in his seat.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEsmeralda dismissed him with a wave. Peter was shocked when he witnessed Aldo being submissive. It only meant Esmeralda was an important figure.
"You haven't answered my question. Who are you?" Gwen gave her a challenging gaze.
"Who am I?" Esmeralda chuckled. It seemed Gwen hadn't got the clue. She looked at Peter, "At least your little toy was quick to understand. Who am I? You should be more focused on ensuring that the deal passes, and that too can't happen without me."
Gwen's expressionless face had a reaction as she raised her brows in surprise. She looked at Aldo who nodded in agreement. Did she just offend someone she shouldn't? She could have sworn the woman was Aldo's mistress especially from the way Aldo looked at and treated the woman. And the woman, it was now Gwen saw that Esmeralda didn't look at him the same way. She had on an air of arrogance but she didn't make it too obvious.
As she looked at Esmeralda, her eyes fell on a distant table where she made eye contact with a pair of brown eyes. Her eyes and face were blank as she locked her eyes on theirs. The person looked away and her brow arched.
George's heart almost leapt out of his chest but he managed to keep his calm after locking eyes with Gwen.
He was about to relax when he saw her whisper something to Peter Wright from his peripheral view. Peter responded with taking out his phone out of his pocket. He showed something to her as he whispered. Both of them looked in his direction. He found himself looking in her direction and she was staring at him.
Her face was blank, he got an eery feeling from the way she stared at him. Her expression didn't give anything away, he didn't understand what the look meant. Although he wanted to dismiss the thought in doubt, he still feared it had something to do with his break in. Then, the unexpected happened. She stood up with Peter following behind and was now making way to their table.
"Shit!" He hissed.
Zach heard him and also saw them from his peripheral view. His face gave nothing away as he silently mused, 'It can't be.....'