Chapter 7 A familiar face appears

• A cloud of white balloons hung above the head, and fairy lights sparkling in-between, resembled thousands of stars. On my left, on the spotlighted stage dwelled a large, three-storied cake with the numbers, ten thousand, written on it with decorative icing.
• Yes.
• It was a celebration day, for the Kingston Corporation had secured the first place in possessing the most number of hotels and resorts around the world.
• I still didn't understand the silence from the Montero division. If he really planned to take the Kingstons down, then why was he not taking any action? Why was he letting them win without a hard fight? It wasn't like my deft method of presentation won the deals at the table, no, but because there was no actual effort from the other side. It almost felt like the calm before a colossal storm hit the curbs of the Kingston fort.
• However, since I was the one in assistance of its creation, I'd also be the one shielding this company from it.
• Fingers crossed.
• I looked to my right. A huge cocktail bar took up the space with a hot barman who happened to dominate the center of many girls' attractions until the boss arrived, cladded in his expensive three-piece suit. One glance from him and three girls already fainted. I had to assign a medic to the party for any further inconvenience.
• "Ms Hazel Green," a deep, ponderous voice called from behind.
• I turned around to find the venerable embodiment of Dimitri Kingston approaching me, two glasses of wine in his hands. "Mr Rupert Kingston, congratulations, sir!" I smiled. This was mostly his doing, traveling around the world, establishing their hotel chain all over the continents.
• "Thank you!" He nodded and offered me a drink which I amiably refused.
• "I don't drink at work." Yup, work. Though the day was a celebration for the Kingston employees, it was the opposite for me because I couldn't resist the extra money offered. Imagine all the things I could buy for the senior home members. Then there was also the seventy-fifth birthday of Robear aka Robert.
• With a satisfied smile, he gazed around. "Beautiful arrangement. Might I say you have a good sense of professionalism."
• My heart tap danced in graciousness. Compliment from the eminent senior Kingston was something every employee within the company prayed for, and lucky of me to acquire it in my first month. Only if that day the laundry delivery guy didn't show up and confess his mistake, I'd be only God knows where. "Thank you very much, sir!"
• He sipped on his drink. "You remind me of someone I once knew. Thomas Green. Great man he was."
• I froze, my heart squeezing in my chest.
• "Pardon me, but are you somehow related to him?" he asked, a hint of hope dwelled in his voice.
• "You knew my father?" The words left me before I could stop myself.
• Surprisingly, his eyes softened, and smile broadened. "Knew, my child? He was my good friend."
• Fear, however, engulfed me, and I swallowed. "Friend?" Oh God... Then he must know who my mother married after his death and make out my deceitful purpose regarding his company.
• "Yes, we were friends," he confirmed, but then his eyes drooped, and smile vanished. "Forgive me, dear. I got so muddled with my own matters, I couldn't make time to look for your mother," he spoke with utmost lamentation in his tone.
• My breathing stopped, and I watched him with pure terror. Any moment now, and he'd realize the truth. But then astonishing me, he spoke again.
• "How is she now, Hazel? Is she still in her old home at Edison Park?"
• Wait...
• He didn't know?
• He still thought my mother was alive?
• I watched him, not being able to utter a word.
• "Darling, what's wrong?"
• I shook my head, getting myself together. "No. She doesn't live there anymore."
• "Where is she now then? I must pay her a visit and apologize for my ignorance."
• "No," I shouted a bit louder than appropriate, then cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, you can't see her now. She's ill and doesn't want anyone near her."
• "Why?" His brows knitted in bewilderment.
• "W-Well..." I raked my brain for an excuse. "She thinks this might be contagious."
• "Oh," His facial features downturned in clear sadness and regret. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do let her know about my utmost apology."
• "I will." Nodding, I looked around, avoiding eye contact to hide my burning eyes. My heart yearned to ask him all that he knew about my father, but my mind screamed to get away, to hide in the farthest corner from his pitiful gaze, or else I'd turn into a puddle of tears in this crowded hall.
• "I-I'm sorry, sir. Please, excuse me. I've to attend to the guest," saying that I took off in the other direction towards the washroom.
• As I shut the door lock, the tears rolled down. I watched in the mirror as every drop of guilt and melancholy stained my cheeks. Oh, how I missed my dad, his calls, his heartwarming smiles. If only I stopped him from going on that trip, the accident would never have happened, and he'd still be with me. But what could I do, I was only a little girl.
• The jingling of the doorknob brought me out of my misery, and I quickly fixed my makeup along with the blazer I wore. Apparently, there was no peace left in the world for me. On unlocking the door, Melody barged in, her knee-length pink gown soaked on the chest.
• "What happened to you?" I frowned.
• "What happened to you?" she counter questioned while patting her dress with a fistful of tissues.
• I looked away, biting my lip. "Nothing."
• She skittered towards the basin, turned the faucet on and cleaned herself. "The girls are pigs. They raced like hungry wolves to see the new accountant. What's so freaken special about him?"
• I chuckled, my mood lightening up a bit. "Well, I heard he's quite handsome.
• "Can't be more than our boss."
• "Yeah," I replied, my mind wandering to the said boss until I realized my inadvertent answer. Both our heads whipped towards each other, eyes broadened: one embarrassed and another amused. "No, no, I didn't say anything."
• "You said yes!" she chirped, smile as expanded as her eyes.
• "You heard wrong. Wrackspurts! Your ear's full of them," yelling that, I ran out, giggling. I loved using a good Harry Potter reference on any given chance.
• Walking back to the party hall, I double-checked every little detail and noticed there was a shortage of meatballs in the buffet table. Quickly calling the waiters, I fixed the problem and continued my endeavor when Mr Cortez hurried out of the crowd. "Ms Green, what're you doing here? Boss will be giving his speech soon. Go, assist him."
• "Okay, ok. I'm going." And I ran again. Like I said, no peace for me.
• As planned, Mr Rupert Kingston and Dimitri Kingston appeared on the stage, and streaks of confetti graced their presence. The guests cheered with a round of loud applause, and the paparazzi got busy, flashing lights and clicking their desired shots.
• I watched the respective pair with admiration until my eyes caught the glittering piece of tiny paper stuck on the CEO's hair, flawing his perfect image by fraction.
• "Sir," I whisper-yelled, thinking he wouldn't hear me over all the noise.
• "I'm standing right beside you, Ms Green." He side-glanced at me.
• "Oh." I bit my lip.
• "What is it?" he asked, posing back at the camera.
• "Um, there's something on your hair."
• A tiny frown took over his features, and he fully turned towards me. "Get it out."
• I nodded and lifted my hand. But could one touch a giraffe's head from the ground? Nope. So couldn't I. Putting more effort, I was about to stand on my tippy-toes when the giraffe decided to cooperate, leaning down to meet my height. I gasped from the sudden proximity of our faces, coagulating in my spot.
• "Hurry up, Ms Green. Everyone's watching."
• My eyes widened. I nodded, plucking the paper off his soft, smooth hair, and he went back to his business. Only if I could run my fingers there for a bit longer...
• Ah, stop it, Haze.
• Shaking my head from all the distracting thoughts, I stood by the boss as the honorary businessmen began to proceed one by one, congratulating them with a bunch of bouquets. While the senior Kingston let three of his guards handle the flowery affair, his bloody-generous son decided to dump his share on his small, flimsy secretary.
• Me.
• Bouquet after bouquet kept dropping on my stretched arms, and my height shortened from their weight. A couple more posy, and my grave would officially be a bed of flowers.
• But as expected, they kept coming, and before I could call for help, my legs gave out, and like a house of cards we tumbled backwards, my eyes closing in anticipation of an immense pain. Howsoever, nothing came, not even a sting as a strong arm wrapped around my waist.
• Oh my! Did Dimitri Kingston save me?
• Slowly my eyes opened and met a known pair of dark brown ones instead of gray. A tremor ran through my heart. Instinctively, my body shot out of his grasp, taking several steps away and colliding into another hard one, but my mind was too occupied to care enough to take a glance behind.
• It couldn't be.
• He couldn't be here.
• He couldn't have followed behind his path.
• No. No. No.
• A smile, all-too-familiar, graced his lips. "Thought you would need a hand, Ms Green."
• Ms Green? Since when did he call me that?
• "Mr Evans." Someone rushed forward. "Thank you for saving Ms Green! That'd be a nasty fall." Rupert Kingston looked at me with pitiful eyes and then to the person behind me. "Son, let the guards handle it, why don't you?" He gestured somewhere and in a matter of seconds, the flowery mess was cleaned from the floor by a group of guards in black.
• Soon the party went back to normal, only my mind didn't for several questions echoed throughout: what the hell was he doing here, and how did Mr Kingston know him?
• Relax, Haze. He must be just a guest. He's not here to fulfill that bastard's wish. I tried to calm myself, but when two girls passed, my ears perked at their conversation.
• "Did you see the secretary on the new accountant's arms?"
• "Yeah! They looked so cute."
• Gross. A cringe ran down my spine until two particular words sank in my head.
• New accountant.
• No. He didn't. He didn't assemble with Montero. He couldn't betray me like that after all these years. My hands shook from panic, and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. I couldn't bear seeing another of my acquaintances falling prey to Montero's corruption. That only meant Montero was on the move, and he had sent him to do what I was struggling to finish or something even worse.
• The rest of the evening went by as the Kingston family gave out their speeches for the crowd. Then a video representing the corporation and its achievement prepared by our creative department was played on the huge screen, drawing out a series of jovial claps from the guests. Afterwards the cake was cut, and everyone feasted at their delights.
• I kept myself busy, far away from the new employee yet keeping an eye out for any particular threat. He could try, sending an entire army, but I would not let him harm good people. Never.
• At the end of the party, after sending all the guests off, it was time to finally take my leave. The senior Kingston was kind enough to grant me a day off to rest, and I couldn't be more thankful to him. Today had been a torture, not only on my physique but also on my soul, and both craved the leisure.
• Just when I stepped near my car, I felt a presence behind me.
• "Smurfette."