The Opera

“Fuck!” Mayeli Wess cursed as the hot coffee spilt over her hands, ruining the hand of her black, wool skirt Chanel suit.

“Sorry girl”, her best friend, Diora Waters, said, handing her a handkerchief. “Where was your mind?”

Diora was a Twenty-Six-year-old, short, chubby, and charming lady. She had been by Mayeli’s side since she relocated to England.

Mayeli had fled England when she was just sixteen, after her father's death. Her father had been one the richest and dirtiest politicians in London, and after his death, her mom, elder sister, and she had to flee due to his numerous enemies.

Mayeli had only moved back two years ago, a hungry twenty-three-year-old woman who had been prepared to stay.

She had worked her ass off, climbing up the corporate ladder until she was one with the elite family—the best of the best.

She was now a wonderful, renowned, and influential twenty-five-year-old hot-shot lawyer who could proudly say she had won.

Her mind was on the screen of the firm’s coffee room television.

The newscaster announced the recent partnership between two renowned billionaire companies, Soter Group and Octavia Limited. They would celebrate the successful partnership at The Mines of Sulphur, one of England’s most popular operas at 9 pm. this evening.

The screen displayed the smiling faces of the new handsome partners, but her eyes were fixed on the stunning face of only one person, Killian Rylas.

“I've found you after all these years”, she breathed, a wave of nostalgia threatening to knock her out. She had thought she would never see him again, she had thought she had lost him, but here he was smiling brightly at the camera, looking as perfect as always.

She turned and headed to her office, her black Zara heels making an echoing click sound as they hit the smooth, polished hallway floor. She was mostly done with her work for the day, so she decided to head home.

She could hear her intern, Kreed, running after her, but she ignored him until he entered her office.

Kreed was her Junior, personal assistant, and her biggest fan. He had recently joined the firm and had chosen, more like begged to work under her. He was twenty-three, cheerful, and hardworking, so she didn't mind. He took off most of her workload anyway.

“What do we have for today, Kreed?” She asked, barely glancing at the tall, pretty, young man.

“A case with Linde, a lawsuit against Stanford, and umm…I guess that's all for today”.

“Get me the details and present them on my table before 6 am tomorrow”, she said, dismissing him.

“Drive safely May”, he mumbled, running his hands through his curly brown hair as he walked out of her office.

She checked her silver Rolex. It was 44 pm already, and she needed to leave now if she wanted to make it to the Opera tonight. She packed her things in her black Zara handbag and headed for the door.

She was a senior partner at JCK Law Firm, the top law firm in England, and so she had the privilege of leaving at any time she wanted.

When she got to her packed car, she unlocked it and headed straight for the mall. She would have to get something nice to wear if she were to be meeting Killian after all these years, not that she was willing to stick though. All she wanted to do was satisfy her curiosity.

It was 9 pm on the dot when she got to the huge doors of The Mines of Sulphur waving an invitation, and giving the well-built bouncer a coquettish smile.

His hard face crumbled into an enamoured smile as he waved her inside, his eyes not leaving her.

She chuckled, choosing to sit in the middle rolls, not too far or close to her prey, she was used to stares from men, and she had turned that into a formidable weapon. She had her charms and she knew just when, and how to use it.

***

“It's an honour to do business with you”, Killian Rylas said, smiling at Tyse Grey, the CEO of Octavia, as he adjusted his beige Brioni suit.

“The pleasure is mine”.

The two CEOs had just signed a partnership deal, unifying two great companies.

At twenty-eight, Killian was a handsome, successful multi-billionaire. He had taken over Soter Group after his father, Soter Rylas, retired when he was only twenty-three.

He had singlehandedly grown the company into what it is today, the leading steel group in the whole of England.

He had trained himself to be a dynamic young man, and he viewed his business as he viewed his own life. Though he had a lot of friends, he was single and not searching. He saw women as a distraction and used them only when necessary. To him, a lover was a hassle and his mistress could perform her task just fine.

“Let's head for the Opera house now?” Truce Theodore, his best friend asked.

Truce was his childhood best friend. He was a tall, well-built, good-looking twenty-eight-year-old. He had been by Killian's side since he could remember. He was the CEO of Rayted, a renowned real estate company, he took over from his father, Theodore.

“Sure”, Tyse replied.

When they got to the large lavishly decorated Opera House, they were directed to a front roll filled with dignitaries.

Killian sat down, observing the crowd around him. He wanted the night to be over quickly so he could return to his warm room and wrap himself with a blanket, read a book or bury himself in one of his mistresses. He wasn't a fan of social gatherings.

His eyes came to rest on a lovely lady with curly blonde hair, sitting in the middle row. Their eyes locked for a second, and he felt something familiar stir within him. He was considering going over, when Truce called his attention, and the show began.

After the show, his eyes searched for the beautiful blonde as people headed for the exit, but she was nowhere to be found. He felt slightly drunk from all the wine he had drank during the Opera, and so he decided to head straight home instead of following the others to the club.

He bade Truce and Tyse good night, heading for his car, his bodyguards surrounding him.

He was about to enter his black Rolls-Royce Phantom when he caught sight of the blonde leaning on what seemed to be her car. A black 2023 Audi Q5.

“Impressive”, he mumbled to himself.

She was wearing a gorgeous, low-cut, body-hug red dress that accentuated her slim, curvy figure, and complemented her glowing, pale skin. Her long, thick, blonde hair fell in wavy curls down her back, and her green eyes bored into his soul. For a strange reason, they looked familiar.

He was contemplating whether or not to walk up to her, when she got into her Audi, driving off.

“Follow her”, he said to his driver.

Her car stopped in front of a hotel room, and she stepped down, gracefully walking into the large lit-up building, her hips swaying seductively.

Without thinking, he came down from his car, and walked towards the entrance of the building, instructing his guards to wait for him.

When he got in, she was seated at the bar, ordering a glass of vodka, a warm smile on her dimpled, heart-shaped face. He couldn't recall the last time he had seen anyone so beautiful. From the look of things, he wasn't the only one with that opinion. The bartender smiled sheepishly as he took her order, clearly smitten by her beauty.

Zayn felt a pang of jealousy, and he wondered why. He barely knew the lady.

Without hesitating, he joined her at the bar, ordering a glass for himself too, though he felt lightheaded.

She threw him an assessing glance, her dark green eyes calm, not looking a bit surprised or angry that he had followed her.

“I'm Killian, what's your name?” He asked after his third glass of vodka.

“What’s a renowned multi-billionaire doing in front of me, in a random hotel, without any guards?”

“Smittened by you I guess”.

“I thought you were smarter than that”.

“You know me?”

“Who doesn't know Killian?”

“I didn't realize I was that popular”.

“The more reason you shouldn't have followed some unknown random girl”.

He sipped his vodka, observing her. He felt his groins harden as he watched her run her tongue over her full, pink, lower lips, her dark-green eyes distant.

“You don't look quite random to me, do you have any plans on killing me?”

“Maybe not tonight”.

“Good, we can start by booking a room then”, he said, earning a blush from her. He was already falling in love with her dimpled smile.

“Sure”.

He hadn't expected her to agree, and for some reason, he felt very comfortable following this beautiful stranger into a warm hotel room, alone. Was he lost in her spell?