Jay's PovLuxury. Standards and style were enough to add the glamour that was showcased by the media, but there was more beyond those little props of glamour. My eyes watched my reflection against the glass of the car that I sat in, the black tinted glass faintly displayed my body structure but was visible enough for me to look at.
After 2 years, it was the first time I attended a grand event. Before it was always with Amy, who would drag me at times to such events and would threaten the media houses, not to publish anything about our relationship. I decided to shrug off my nostalgic brain because I was here for a reason.
My brain strained to awareness when the car's engine was killed, I had reached the venue. The door was opened by the bodyguard who accompanied me. I climbed out of the car and all I saw was white. The cameras flashed at me, and it almost blinded my eyes. My glasses were missing, this time I had been wearing lenses, my body wrapped in a formal black suit. I climbed the stairs ahead ignoring the cameras.
The venue was grand, it was a palace. I entered the premises, my eyes catching the brightness of the huge chandelier that hung right at the centre of the ballroom. It looked magnificent. The room erupted with lowkey murmurs, conversations that were meant for business and money. Geez it felt awkward, I chose to move towards the bar in the corner and get myself something to drink.
As I moved past manoeuvring the crowd, I saw women who had been ogling at me as if I were some piece of meat. I mentally rolled my eyes. Finally settling myself on the vintage bar chair, I smiled at the barista, politely asking her for a glass of coke, she had turned beet red, her cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling. By the time she was serving me, I felt a tap on my back. I glanced behind me.
"I see you are enjoying the attention in here. You should be charged for displaying such sexy muscles out in public."
It was Laura. Her blonde hair made her stand out but also her attire made her blend within the crowd. A dark blue gown that wrapped her curves around her body perfectly. But I couldn't praise her and sound extremely wrong. Because I was quite observant when it came to my surroundings. She was the first one I came across to be this flirty and bold after Amy. But no one could bring that bursting butterflies in the stomach after Amy.
To her words, all I did was smile. Soon Fedrick joined in, his tall militant figure flexing out of the black suit that he wore, his dusky skin tone and sharp features made him look like a beautiful creature sculpted by God himself. He stalked nearer as his arm wrapped to Laura's waist, creating a safe distance between me and her. He was possessive. I wasn't sure if they both were exclusive but I didn't want to be a third wheel between them, not when Emma had been clinging to me all day because I was on a break.
Fedrick: Well, she flirts with every guy she sees. So do not flatter yourself.
He emphasized his words with a death glare while I threw my hands in the air.
Jay: No offence. Consider me invisible.
Fedrick: well we are here for business, so let's stick to it.
Fedrick passed me a look while I shared the same.
It was a mission.
FLASHBACK:
I was stunned. My legs felt jammed to the place. I was tempted to believe those strangers. Their eyes were something that made me assured that they weren't lying. Their eyes held truth, and determination.
But..
To Hell With The Truth!
They were suspecting me to be a human trafficker.
And why were they back again? To screw over my efforts?!
I was not in the mood for their nostalgic emotional talk. I scratched my brow with my index finger.
Jay: Okay, so you guys were in the orphanage before and now you are here to ruin my name. For what?
Laura: Because this namesake orphanage had led us to our downfall. We were sold.
She looked raged. She huffed, her breaths turning heavy in frustration.
My eyebrows twitched.
Jay: So you mean to say, it was the orphanage that sold you?
Fedrick: Dumbhead.
He muttered.
My brain bugged until I remembered Alex's words.
" The kids were sold by Amy's stepmother."
I looked at them, and my eyes twinkled with sympathy or you could call it pity. 2 years had changed me in many ways. I wasn't the moral monk or emotional being today that I was before who would go by the rules that I had chained myself in. I was now relating more to Amy and her perspective of things.
Jay: I am sorry about what happened to you guys because of that witch. But I am not the same.
Fedrick: How do I believe if you are not like Mrs. Lily Park?
My ears perked up.
Jay: Look Mrs. Lily Park was innocent and the one who sold you is my late stepmother-in-law. She is dead.
I explained, wanting to avoid causing any misunderstandings. I didn't want them to hate the wrong person.
Laura watched me with her mouth agape while Fredrick's eyes were blank, he was looking into nothing. They looked like lost kids, realization coursing their veins.
Laura: Amy was your wife.
She led an audible whisper.
I cock a brow at the sudden mention of Amy. Even though my family avoided taking her name, not to bring back my bad memories. Their curious eyes longingly waited for me to reply.
Jay: Amy was my wife.
Laura gasped in shock while Fredrick tried his best to hold his reaction. They didn't speak any further, maybe they knew she was dead. It was all over the news.
The moment of dead silence was held for a long until I released a sigh.
Jay: I hope your suspicions are clear, you could gladly get off my back or if you want to be one of the volunteers I would be delighted to welcome you guys into my organisation.
I turned my heels walking away from them.
Fredrick: Can you do us a favour? We need....your help.
My steps halted while I slightly tilted my head to the left, listening to them.
FLASHBACK OVER
I continued sipping the sugary Coke, which calmed my nerves and made me feel at peace because I could feel stares at me. We were on a mission to bring down an illegal organization that was involved in human trafficking.
My eyes secretly glanced at Laura who was somewhere far in the hall, talking to businessmen and after a few minutes I found her climbing the stairs with one of them, and it was obvious that the intentions were not so pure.
My eyes darted at Fedrick who followed behind them, his predatory steps dictated his intentions that he was surely gonna kill that man.
I didn't move. My job was done here. They wanted to use my connections and get an invitation card from the event which was only meant for elites. But my relationship with the host and his humble persona had helped me get them the invite. Even though I had rejected it for two years, this time I accepted the invite.
I had no plans of getting into this mess. I would rather be a bridge for those who want to get things right than step into a puddle of mud by myself. I couldn't risk my orphanage at this point.
I looked around in search of an anonymous person who had sent me the letter before. The host of this event was a philanthropist, a businessman, and a very old but humble man who gladly informed me about the soldier who was going to attend. The same soldier who had donated for my orphanage was the main reason I joined in.
And since I didn't know anything about the person's identity, all I could do was wait. Meanwhile, I found a female staff walking towards me with a tray that had different decorated eye masks. What the hell was going on? When did grand events like these become so creative?
I anticipated for a while staring at the masks and maybe my confusion was visible on my face and the staff gladly lifted one of the masks and handed it to me. I smiled with a polite gesture, mumbling a small 'thank you' while she smiled back with the same politeness.
It felt so awkward wearing a mask, but it kind of helped me to mask my awkward self. So it was a win-win situation. I glanced around at the blooming music that started to stir in the air, there were famous musicians invited to play instruments. The lights began to dim and the only source of light became the glowing chandelier that dangled from the ceiling. I glanced around and found a few couples getting to the centre with their partners for dancing.
My gaze had suddenly stuck to one of the women in the crowd. She was the only woman who had a glittery black bodycon dress while others wore plain gowns with designs of fabric rather than glitter or shimmer that would stand out. The dim lights played well with the black shimmering dress that made her curves and sharp features stand out. She looked charming.
She was backacing me, while I stared at her far from a distance. Her slender feminine figure had attracted many men around, her body language screamed flirty. She looked like a devil disguised as an angel, her body covered in black shiny fabric with puffy textures and a classy design from the latest fashion week. Her arm casually laid on a man's shoulder, her fingers traced gentle circles on his back while she sipped her wine from the other hand. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear, making him cackle. Her wavy black hair freely swayed to her waist. She had the height of a model. And her composture spelt etique and excellence. Her sparkly black heels turned back in a swift motion. And the next moment all I knew was that she was staring at my face.
It wasn't wrong when research said that women had a strong sixth sense. She was staring right through my soul. I couldn't see her face because of the mask neither could she see mine. I was safe. Thanks to the mask.
But she was sure that I was staring at her all this while.
I had asked for death, her feet had started walking towards me, and her elegant walk felt predatory. Within a few steps, she was standing a few inches away from me.
She stared at my lips, her eyes felt as if they were tracing my features, desperately trying to sink in my image, even though I wasn't able to see her upper face or her expressions.
Her eyes finally met mine. I fell into a dilemma, my brain malfunctioning, bugging me with the fact that these eyes belonged to her. A glint of desire that was always there whenever they stared at me. Maybe the dim lights made me assume shits. There was a moment of silence and I couldn't sense my surroundings nor the music that played in the background. She threw a charming smile and god she was so beautiful up close.
" I felt you staring at me from afar, I thought how about you enjoy my beauty up close."
Her deep voice. The same voice. That same narcissistic attitude.
No this can't be. I needed to throw this shitty thought out of the window, This was absurd. I shook my brain finally drawing out a reaction to my face.
A gentle smile.
Jay: I wasn't staring.
I spoke with utter defence which both of us knew was a lie.
Her red-tinted lips smirked at my antics. She continued to stare at me in the eyes while her finger traced my chest trying to reach for my jaw. Before she could raise her hand further I gently withdrew them without breaking our eye contact. She sipped the last few drops of the drink from the glass.
" Is that so?"
She uttered playfully. Her steps inched nearer, she was just a few centimetres away from me, basically entering my personal space and she dared to lean even further while I strained my back to make a safe space but it was restrained by the bar counter that was supporting my back.
She placed the glass on the counter behind me, her lips slightly touching my earlobe making me flinch. If I wanted I could have pushed her away but I was frozen on the spot. I didn't move.
" Maybe a dance won't hurt much."
She whispered in my ear making it tickle. Her calm breaths hit my neck, her scent lingering in my nostrils. Her voice was seductive yet deep. Why did it resemble so much with Amy? It can't be.
Jay: I don't dance.
I stuttered, my brain throwing warnings at me to stay away from this woman. She smelled danger. Her intense gaze had taken my breath away. There was a heavy tension in the air.
" I can teach you."
Before I could even react I was standing in the middle of the ballroom with a lady who resembled my late wife, she gracefully made me place my hands on her waist while hers rested on my shoulders and intertwined on my nape.
I couldn't focus on anything but her eyes that stared at me through the dim lights. She didn't know me neither I knew who she was. My heart fastened by seconds, she lightly chuckled at my body's tiny reaction.
" Calm down, I don't bite."
She purred.
We continued to mingle with the music, our feet matching the pace of the others in the room. Each second made me hypnotized. But I couldn't live in this delusional trance for long. This woman wasn't mine. It cannot be her. My brain alarmed me again.
The music came to a stop, I heard claps and followed the same actions after withdrawing my hands from her waist. She smiled at me. Her eyes suddenly stuck in a direction for too long. I followed her gaze only to find a guy signalling something by his hands to her. And the odd part is that he didn't wear anything related to the aesthetics of this event. He was in a black T-shirt, his eyes cold.
Something was fishy. I glanced back at the lady who now was looking at me and figured out that I was suspecting her for something. She kissed two of her fingers and placed them on my lips. An indirect kiss!
The audacity of this lady!
" You better zip your mouth and be in my good books. Or else I got better ways to shut it."
She blared darkly, her voice imposing a threat.
I didn't react to her words and she wordlessly winked an eye at me and disappeared into the crowd. I finally spot her rushing upstairs, pretending as if she had stained her dress, which was black in colour. Dumb.
My mind wondered what Laura and Fedrick were even doing. It had been so long. Couldn't they find any information? It struck me like a ton of bricks. That Lady! She went upstairs.
What if she is a part of the syndicate and maybe she is going to cause trouble for Laura and Fedrick? Shit! Within a minute I was rushing upstairs. My panicking self looked out for rooms that were occupied, and damn the promise that I made to myself to never get involved in such risky situations. These guys could have weapons for all I know. I heard screams from one of the rooms.
I ran, my instincts heightening. And without any warning, I barged into the room. The first thing in sight was Laura struggling against the lady that met me before, on the bed. Both of them saw me at once. God, I didn't have any weapon to defend myself. On the other corner of the room, I spotted Fedrick fighting against the man in a black T-shirt.
And another old man was lying on the floor, unconscious. What the hell was going on?
The lady that had overpowered Laura rose back to her feet. She swayed the draped slit of her dress and fished out a small gun from her stockings, stalking towards me, she pushed the gun digging right beneath my chin, her other free hand gripping my collar.
"Tell me where the girls are, or I'll blow your brains!"
She barked, her mood sour with rage, she was suspecting me.
Jay: I don't know.
I fumbled throwing my hands in the air, surrendering myself.
Laura: Leave him, we came here to rescue the girls, we are the ones.
Laura interrupted.
The woman craned her neck listening to what Laura had to say. Her pupils beneath the eye mask rolled back to me as if reacting annoyed.
"I see, we got some unregistered volunteers to help."
She deadpanned.
Fedrick: We are in the same team.
He spoke cautiously eyeing the gun beneath my chin.
The next moment I sucked in a deep breath that I had stopped all this while as the lady retreated her gun. Her mask successfully hides her intentions.
"So did you guys get any information about those girls, they are minors between the ages of 10 and 18. We need to put up precautions."
The lady spoke scratching the gun's muzzle to her chin.
"This old man said they are going to be sold in for auction today."
Laura spoke, her tone boiling with anger. It was more of a personal sentiment.
"We need a plan."
The guy in black spoke who was standing in silence all this while.
Laura: We shall know each other's name. I'm Laura.
She introduced.
"Fedrick"
"Call me Drake."
The guy in black spoke.
"Maria."
The lady blurted looking at both of them until her eyes peered onto me.
"You pretty boy? What's your name?"
She playfully uttered.
