Chapter 13

Skai’s POV

The company hall falls on a large piece of land, it’s impossible to see the end of it. The hall stretches horizontally like a palace. There are even two towers on each side and the entire structure appears old. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a noble’s estate before. There must’ve been renovations, though, because all floors are filled with huge glass windows. Sometimes, glass takes more space than walls. It’s like a glasshouse. A fountain rests not far from the entrance. A sad angel ceramic statue pours water from a jar.

I was wearing a red bodycon glitter short gown with light makeup and black heels. Silver necklace and dangle earrings with a silver purse clutched to my armpit.

Loud music thumps from the walls even before I got in.

A waiter greeted me with a bow. He’s wearing a butler outfit all complete with white gloves and a white napkin dangling from his arm. I bowed back.

The tables are arranged in fours. The decoration is all white and gold,with vases with fresh flowers on each table.

There are so many workers, even people I've never come across. I guess this is to connect new employees and clients.

Men in expensive suits are all over the room giving hand shakes and getting to know each other. It's a networking event after all.

The waiters are all dressed in white and bow ties, the females packed their hair into ponytails.

I settled in a nearby chair, all eyes were on me as I walked through the carpet. I guess I look different.

There were two ladies on the table and I waved at them

“Hi, Sophia”, I'm only familiar with one.

The one on black introduced herself as “Mia”, the one on white introduced herself as “Bianca”. I've run into Bianca twice.

“Nice meeting you guys”, I smiled, taking a seat

Bianca is on black sequence dress and Mia is on a white dress with high suits. They both seem nice

From experience, it's only a matter of time. These faces that are laughing and smiling might say the most outrageous things but for now, I'll just go with it.

In the meantime, I just enjoyed them while they were all being nice, it was lively and I immersed myself in the conversation basking in the happiness emitted from the party.

The waiter came over to the table and served cocktails with small chops as appetisers.

Suddenly, everyone looked towards the door and I saw Carlo dressed in all black. He walked in confidently with his eyes focused on me.

“Have you ever wondered how Carlo Auder got this powerful?”, Bianca leans in, lowering her voice

“He refuses to join the mafia, like his father and he's a social elite”, Mia answered

“We know Giovanni’s power isn't through ‘hard work and dedication.’ The man runs this company like a kingdom, and we all know what happens to people who cross him”. Mia answers ignoring the topic about Carlo

“Keep your voice down! If the wrong person hears you, we’ll all be out of a job—or worse.”, Bianca said, looking at both sides

“Worse? What exactly?”, I raised an eyebrow trying to get information out of them.

“That Giovanni is more than just a businessman. He’s a mafia boss. Think about it—no one challenges him, no one questions his decisions, and the people who do? They just… disappear.”, Bianca said as she leans closer her voice barely above a whisper

“I heard that a former accountant tried exposing some ‘mismanaged funds.’ A week later, he quit suddenly and moved to another country. No warning, no goodbye, nothing. Let’s just say, if you value your life, you don’t get involved in Auder’s business. Just do your job, keep your head down, and don’t ask questions.”, these people know so much about the company.

“Oh, but it’s real. And if you’re smart, you’ll remember that.” I kept smiling, taking notes of the conversation.

“Amelia wishes she was you”, Bianca said and I looked confused

“Who is Amelia?"

“She likes Carlo and they're just fuck mates but I'm not sure if he's really attracted to her. She's his father's friend”, Bianca said

I never had so much contact with Bianca because we both keep to ourselves. I never thought she’s so much into gossip. Apparently, I’ve been missing out on half of what’s happening at work.

Ohh, maybe it was her, the lady glaring at me the other day. This is getting more difficult. I have more people to deal with.

I excused myself to visit the restroom entered

Is everything okay?, Mia asked”

“Yeah.” I force a smile. “I just need the restroom. I’ll be right back.

I found the restroom with the help of a waiter.

After smoothing my expression and cleaning my hands, I step out of the bathroom. I was busy checking my dress, looking downwards . Then, I looked up suddenly.

“Skai”, I looked at Tillard Collin, my uncle and looked at me in confusion when he snapped out of whatever trance he was in. He looked shaken,like he had seen a ghost.

“I'm sorry sir, you had me confused with someone else. My name is Sophia Brown. It's a pleasure”. He stretched his hand towards me.

I've been taught to always give firm handshakes. It was said that first impressions matter the most and in the business world, status and deals can be decided upon hand-shakes.

“I apologise that you just look like her. Let me introduce myself, I'm Tillard Collin , the CEO of this company and this is my partner, Giovanni Auder with him standing on his right side. I offered them a small smile and bowed.

“It was nice meeting you. I smile at them and turn to walk away.

“Wait, Sophia. I turned to face Tillard. I can't seem to shake this off my head. Where are you from?", he said still staring at me. My file would definitely confuse him.

“I'm from Venice, Italy”

“Skai is my cousin, she went missing after her father’s death. That was about ten years ago. People are created in multiples.”

And this is the first time he'll ever be partially truthful all his life.

“Whoever Skai is, I bet she's the sweetest cousin and I hope you find her soon.” And here she is,to ruin you.

I bowed slightly and left the sight. How many times will i bow tonight?

Almost missing the table, I stood at a corner trying to find Bianca's black sequence dress. I walked over to the table and sat

I got back to my table and then I saw Carlo walking towards me with measured steps. I blinked severally and I tried to read his expression if he was happy or upset.

He grabbed my hand and said “We need to talk” .