Reyona's heart skipped a bit, and she bit her lips as she realised that she had not really thought of what she would say when he picked. In fact, she had been unconsciously wishing that she wouldn't pick so that...
"Hello," the voice repeated, and she chided herself for acting like a kid with this man.
"Hello," she answered tentatively, "I am... this is…Mrs Lanoth"
"I know," he said simply.
She was momentarily befuddled. He knows? What did he mean by he…
Of course, he knows! The bastard must have gotten her number through some illegal means. That shouldn't be a problem for a man like him!
*********
"Of course, he had to choose a place like this!" Reyona thought in anger as she got out of her car and trudged through the fake sea sand to the retro Seashore Restaurant, acclaimed for catering to only seafood and their lovers.
Well, Reyona was no lover of foods that wiggled like they were going to pop out of her throat and dance the samba. She was even less of a fan of the bastard that had made her come to such a place at that time of the night.
Would it have been too much to ask that the idiot let them fix their meeting for the next day, during the day, away from everything seafood? Of course not!
Reyona was certain that he had deliberately done this to pay her back and maybe also to see just how well she was willing to fight for the contract.
"Bastard," she muttered under her breath as more sand entered her wedges. "What am I even doing?" she thought to herself in annoyance. "It was not as if the bastard was the CEO of the company. Even if he was a major shareholder, so what?"
She knew the answer to that question even as she spat it out in self-anger. Major shareholders hold views on the board. She knew that it wouldn't take much for him to sway other small shareholders to his side if he wanted to.
The CEO might be a formidable man for all his carefree ways, but he still couldn't take the sole decision when it comes to something as huge as entrusting their finances to a company. Since the bastard was a friend to the CEO anyway, Reyona knew whose side the man was likely to take.
So she sighed to herself as she trudged ahead through the part that led to the well-listed restaurant designed in the form of a seashell. The cone opened up to an entrance, where a doorman dressed in a crab outfit welcomed Reyona. She stepped inside, and it felt as if she had just stepped into a world that only those who loved snorkelling and deep diving could imagine so well.
The eerie green ambience was not as gothic as one would expect; instead, it had a calming essence for the senses. Reyona averted her eyes from a man sitting at a table close to the entrance as he slurped at a sort of jelly-like sh that he sucked out of shells. The clinking sound as he dropped it noisily on the tray close to him was enough to grate on Reyona's nerves.
The waiters-about three of them-were dressed in one sea creature costume or another. An octopus moved toward Reyona with intent as she stood close to the entrance like a fish out of water. She was about to fish out her phone to call him when she saw him seated in one corner. His table was a bit set apart from others; it was as if he had deliberately requested it.
Reyona was almost grateful for his forward thinking when she saw that the last table before him contained girls that were probably out on their girls' night out. One of them seemed to be getting initiated to the joys of seafood as she oohed and ahead as she tried out the delicacies.
"If one could call it that," she said as she struggled not to shiver in revulsion as she headed to his table after telling the exuberant waiter that she had seen who she was looking for.
A gentleman would have looked away. She thought as she became self-conscious of the intent look that he gave her as she moved towards him. The bastard had seen her looking around for him when she entered. She thought that he probably wouldn't have said anything or called out to her if she had not spotted him.
"Ah, you are welcome, my dear Mrs. Lanoth," he said in a drawl without making any attempt to sit up from his slouching position, not to mention pulling out her chair.
Reyona firmly pulled out her chair and sat as she mentally cautioned herself from responding to the taunting manner in which he emphasized Lanoth. "Thank you," she answered and launched right into what she intended "About…"
"You see, being a gentleman, which you wouldn't agree with, of course," he added as he smiled as if he could read her thoughts. He continued as he motioned to another waiter. This one is dressed in a dolphin costume. "May I interest you in the most succulent, delicious escargot you can ever find anywhere, Mrs. Lanoth? I can assure you that you would be a convert, just as I am now, if you tried it."
"No, thank you. I'm not a fan of things that crawl slowly. Or things that crawl at all," she said primly.
He gave her an assessing look with his head tilted. "Because you are so fast yourself, CEO Lanoth?"
"You can say that, Mr. Rohan. Now as to the reason..."
"I can't help but ask myself a question, you know," he said as if in contemplation.
"What question?" Reyona asked automatically.
"You know, it beats me. I wonder why it took a woman so sharp and not as slow as you so long to figure out that she was being taken for a fool."
"Excuse me?" Reyona asked in a high tone that had heads turning in their direction.
"You know what I am talking about, Reyona," he answered with an infuriating smile. "And you are causing a scene."
Author's Note
Hello, Dear Reader,
Thank you for turning the pages.
This story has more to offer in terms of intrigue, suspense, and interesting plots.
I appreciate your reading, voting, and reviews.
Thank you.