Episode 15

Episode 15.
My ringing tone blared across the room,destroying my eardrums. It rang with such powerful intensity, my first intention was to yell at whoever the caller was and ask them if they didn't have time. It's barely day break! But the moment I glanced at my phone's screen and saw the caller,I quickly rephrased my former intentions in my mind.
As I jolted into a sitting position, I realized I was still made at him for the stunts he pulled at the lunch meeting yesterday in front of his Spanish lady. Of course I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind one of these days. Wait till his bucket fulls.
Just as I picked it up and placed it over my ear,my eyes glanced past the laptop bag sitting untouched on my dresser table. Just as my eyes went past it,they came right back to it again. And my eyes grew wide. Shit! Shit,shit,shit! I quickly jumped off the bed just as Mr Marcello's voice came in.
"I assume you're up already" he spat into the phone.
"Uh...yeah,thank you," shit I haven't done a single thing on this laptop "how was your night too?" My breathing was loud enough for him to hear. I didn't even check out what's in the laptop.
I could feel a bit of hesitance before he spoke again. Please don't ask of the work. Fingers crossed "why do I have this feeling you're still sleeping,Ashley?" I tried to reply but he wouldn't give me any chance "Ashley I want you to understand that I cannot work with women who are sloppy and grumpy and don't take my work seriously"
"I'm sorry sir..." I muttered more to myself but he heard anyways.
"Get your ass over here right now,we haven't much time"
If I wasn't surprised that Mr Marcello is suddenly time conscious then I must've been on something.
But standing at his office desk now,I finally understood why he's time conscious today.
"We're going for a party,Shawn" he announced with a big smile,the one that reminded me of the actor Nicklaus Michaelson from the originals whenever he's excited over an upcoming war.
"What party?" I asked with a bit of distress. It's mostly essential that I'm aware of where he's planning to take me. Wouldn't want yesterday to repeat itself.
"An old friend of mine is throwing a welcome party for his wife."
Well....doesn't track well. I mean....how does that have to do with work which also leads to how does that have to do with me?
He must've read the thoughts cause he suddenly said "oh don't worry,I won't make you feel all bad tonight"
"Tonight?"
"Yes. Seven O'Clock. Got a problem with that?"
"Yeah. ..I mean,if this party isn't work related then why do you need me to go with you?" You should pick one of your hookers. But I don't say that.
"Because I want you to be my eyes while we're there,Ashley," his smile was long and broad "besides,who told you it isn't work related?"
I continued to watch him,my gut feeling telling me there's more to this than just a welcoming party.
"Tell me what you need my eyes for?" I didn't know know where the sudden confidence came From but I liked it,especially when he wasn't being stubborn.
"To look like you always do of course"
**
I watched the long entrance of the golden plastered building,slowly advanced towards it with my hands to the side,one clutching a flat purse. I glanced at my dress again. Mr Marcello had forced me to shop for something nice. He didn't trust that I had something fitting in my closet to attend a party with him. He made sure he was in the shopping moll to approve the dress he liked and in the end I went with an electric blue maxi top,a white tapered cotton trousers and matching white pumps. I wore hoop earnings with colored stones hanging off it,my cinnamon hair brushed down in spirals across my back. I had a little bit make up session before grabbing the enormous blue purse and walking out with Marcello. And here I was staring down at my put fit again. The side of my stomach was in full display, not that it bothered me. While Mr Marcello was in a tidy Deep blue tailored suits,I thought my outfit was outrageous. I felt like a girl who got kidnapped as a child by some cannibalistic psychopath family who forced me to dress up like a clown for them. Not that I'm implying that I looked like a clown.
When we stepped into the large room,it was already filled up with people. Sophisticated people. Then men dressed in well fitted suits while the women wore brilliant colors of gowns like LDBs,bodycon,chocker dresses,empire,midi dresses,sheaths and so on. I was the only one on a maxi top though.
"Keep your eyes out for a man" Mr Marcello whispered into my ears before walking ahead,joining a group of men and women who instantly started calling him the moment he approached them. My face dropped as I watched him walk away,his idiotic smile refusing to get off my face.
I stood there for a while and like I wasn't even standing there,nobody acknowledged me. My eyes more over to where Mr Marcello was standing around a high table,a glass of red wine on his one hand,the other circling a woman's shoulder. The woman is laughing over a discussion with the other woman who stood across to her and jax. The other men talked and laughed while jax listened and laughed every now and then.
Okay! I'm just gonna try and blend in and....do what jax wants..... Whatever that means. I searched for a perfect place to fit myself into. My eyes stopped at the stage above where a stripper danced on a pole and men whistled and twisted to her magic. Nope,definitely not.
I continued my sweep across the room over to the bar. Two blond women sat talking and drinking endlessly. Not them either. Bunch of wannabes.
I looked over to the tables at the right side of the room, beside Marcello's table. Filled up. Oh come on!!
My eyes glances to the opposite side and there were at least ten people around the four tables. I decided to hang around the table with just one man standing and minding his business. As I walked towards the table,I had an eerie feeling that this wasn't some ordinary party.
When I stopped at the table,a waiter carrying a trey of wine stops before me and offered me a glass. I took one with a thank you before slowly sitting on the high stool,my eyes still glued to the other people around the tables ahead.
With another sip,I took another and then another till I almost emptied the glass. I couldn't stop thinking and looking around. What did Marcello mean when he said I should be his eyes? That douche should learn to explain stuffs with much clarity!
My eyes moved from faces to faces,from men to women and I didn't exactly know what Marcello wanted me to see.
Soon I noticed a man,who stood out very well,in golden colored suits, a red rose protruding from his breast pocket,his black hair stylishly jelled on his head,giving his long and broad face a more highlight.
He stops at Mr Marcello's table and they exchanged a handshake before whispering something into his ear that caused him to laugh heartily. Maybe he's our guy for the night. The host of this magnificent party.
"Nice dress" somebody says from beside me and I looked to find the man from earlier smiling at me,his sparkly blue suits saying everything that needed to be known about him. He's rich,young and handsome. The mafian kind of handsome.
"Thanks," I replied,drinking the last content from the second glass I'd picked from a waiter who had walked by a few minutes ago "I never expected to be getting such compliment from a man"
"Well I see all the women hear only have the same sense of fashion except you and they won't like you to know that" his smile is smooth and contagious. He was an easy going man.
"I see" I replied,clearing my throat.
"You waiting for your date?" He asked,sipping at his wine.
"No,why do you ask that?"
"Because you've been looking around all night"
"You've been watching me?" My lips move into a friendly smile.
"I think everyone's been staring at you."
My smile widens but honestly it doesn't reach my heart. I know his type of men. Trying to impress women desperately. Wait till he starts talking about the companies his family owns around the world.
Back during my early teenage,I accompanied my father to his 'rich people' party once in a while and I must say,I never really enjoyed being at anyone. And men like this one,oh I've had a lot of them say the same things he's gonna start saying now.
"Where's your date?"
I turn a blank look at him,a doll smile plastered on my lips before I looked forward yo Marcello "there he is"
"No way. Mr Marcello himself"
"Sounds like you know him"
"Who doesn't? He's the man of the night"
I watched as Marcello continued to talk endlessly with the other men at the table. The previous man with a rose flower to his chest was nowhere in sight anymore. I wanted to ask him what he meant by Marcello being the man of the night but I decided against it. I don't even know this man,I can't give him the pleasure of having me right where he wants me:curious.
I turn back to him,a big smile fixed on my dark painted lips and asked "so what's the name?"
"I never pictured you for the type to ask for a Man's name first"
"I don't see a law that kicks against that" I replied firmly,careful not to stir any form of annoyance.
He held a long smile,his eyes scanning me for a while before replying "I'm Lightfeather. Christopher Lightfeather" he points out his open palm and I took it.
"Ashley Shawn"
"Pretty. So what do you do?"
"Ah....I .....assist Marcello"
"Really? You two work together? While together?"
"Ironic isn't it?" My smile is unchanging.
"Romantic" he said,holding up his glass in front of me before drinking from it. Okay this is really getting tougher than I can handle. Who the hell is this man?
"Well what about you? What do you do?"
"Mines," he replied curtly "my company mines stones. You know,the real stones," he winks at me "and I also deal with fabrics"
"As in latex?"
He laughs before replying "of course not! I mean wears"
"Hahaha ha.....well just that I didn't picture you for a man who ran such business but thinking about it now,I think I can understand seeing as you recognized my vibrant sense of fashion over the other women sitting in this room"
"I'm glad you acknowledge that. But my sister is the mastermind behind it"
"Really?"
"She's here tonight"
He starts looking around and I followed his gaze to a woman at the far side of the room. This side is shadowed but it's easy to see the structure of the woman sitting at a low arm chair,her face darkened with make up. She chucking down wine from a funnel glass,her eyes devoid of any possible emotion,like she had a poker face or something. It was almost like I knew her from somewhere but I quickly disregarded the thought. I've met a lot of women in the past weeks and it's only natural to think that I know her face. I turned back to Christopher "she's hot"
"You can say that again"
"So I was wondering if Mr Riccardo Marcello was actually cheating on my sister when when you said he's your boyfriend"
"What?"
My eyes grew wide and I turned to look back at the woman who looked like a deadly cobra from a natgeo wild show.
I felt my chest clench.
This show's about to go down the road.