The guestâs black shirt was tucked into his black pants, revealing his slim body lines. He leaned ahead, holding a glass of red wine in his hand. And the glass reflected his beautiful, handsome face.
âLeo?â Toby took a while to recognize the man. He put his glass down and approached him. âWhen did you come here? Last night? This morning? What are you doing here anyway?â
Leo stared straight into Tobyâs eyes.
And Toby shivered. âJust tell me what you want. Donât give me that look. Youâre scaring me.â
Toby had a slightly feminine look and spoke softer than most men. And he was in white pajamas, a stark contrast to Leo, who was in black. He looked like a beautiful man, while Leo had the air of a medieval vampire, and the look in his eyes was as sharp as a falconâs. In novels of a certain genre, a man like Leo barging into the house of a guy like Toby would develop into some⦠extreme scenes.
Toby was straight, of course, but he wondered if Leo would do anything unbelievable, especially when he was staring at him.
Leo put his glass down and stood up, his hands in his pockets. He approached Toby, but his eyes were staring into the great distance. âI need you to look into Elaine Perezâs case. And her mother.â
âElaine Perez?â Toby wondered who that was.
And Leo told him the gist of things.
Oh, so thatâs how it is. âSo, she was the donor?â
Leo nodded. âSo far, yes.â
âSo far? Are you suspecting something? Did they do a sloppy job?â
âNo.â
âNo? So, youâreâ¦.â Suspecting Elyse? He didnât finish that sentence. He knew Elyse was a lying wench, but saying it out loud would hurt their friendship, and he didnât want that.
âThey didnât do a sloppy job, and the files were comprehensive. Too comprehensive. And that was their flaw.â Everything looked retro and backed all other files up perfectly, but that was the exact reason why he suspected that someone had doctored everything. And he wanted to find the truth. âJust look into it for me.â He patted Tobyâs shoulder.
This time, Toby nodded. âSure thing.â
gleaming in her eyes.
Amelie stopped checking her clothes out, and she smiled at Julia. âYeah, I know. We still have two hours.â
Julia almost screamed. âWhich is not enough for a total makeover! I specifically told you that you have to look like a goddess during dinner!â
Amelie held a dress before her. âIâm hot. I look like a goddess no matter what I wear.â
I canât believe her. Right, no talking, or sheâs going to say something stupid again.
A moment later, Amelie picked a light-colored dress.
Julia checked it out. âNope. Too basic.â She wanted Amelie to wear dresses of the most striking colors so that she could attract everyoneâs attention the moment she showed up.
Amelie saw through her, and she patted Juliaâs shoulder. âLooks donât determine my worth. Whatâs inside my soul does. And a shimmering soul always attracts everyoneâs attention no matter where they go.â
Before Julia could say anything, someone blurted, âGood quote, Miss Dillon.â
The ladies turned around and saw Elyse standing behind them, smiling. But Julia felt like puking just from seeing Elyse. Her face fell, but Amelie remained calm.
Elyse approached Amelie and looked at her dress. And her smile got bigger. âI applaud your courage.
Miss Dillon. Trying to attract everyoneâs attention with nothing but your personality is hundreds of times harder than just using the best clothes money can buy.â
An indignant Julia hissed, âWhat is that supposed to mean? You think Amelie isnât good enough?â
Elyse pursed her lips and looked at Julia. âYou have an attractive personality, Ms. White.â
So, sheâs saying I donât? Man, sheâs so childish. And even if I canât attract anyone with my personality, itâs none of her business. She took the dress to the counter. âPack this up for me.â
Sheâs ignoring me? Elyse clenched her fists, but she remained smiling. And she followed Amelie.
âCongratulations on your marriage, Miss Dillon. Or should I say the wife of Starlightâs boss?â
Amelie marrying Starlightâs boss was Elyseâs best outcome, and she knew that. But she was jealous that Starlightâs boss had accepted Amelie, while Leo still refused her. And she wanted to take Amelie down a peg or two.
âYouâre not someone with an attractive personality, but at least youâve won in life. You married the richest man around in your first marriage, and now youâre married to yet another wealthy man. Yes, your first marriage wasnât happy, but your second proves otherwise.â
about any rich man. Amelie got the implication, but she only smiled and brushed the comment aside.
Sheâs still not affected? Elyse gnashed her teeth in fury.
Unlike her friend, Julia wouldnât take the comment quietly. Someoneâs getting it from yours truly. She snickered. âYouâre not bad yourself, Miss Clayton. Four years ago, you were the love of Mr. Alstonâs life.
And now he divorced his wife for you. Thereâs no comparison at all. He had someone who loved him with all her heart, and yet he still went for a cheating wench who would sleep with just about anyone.â
Julia covered her mouth. âOh, I wasnât talking about you, but if the shoe fitsâ¦â
Elyse went pale with anger, and then her cheeks turned red with fury. She gnashed her teeth, cursing Julia silently.
The staff members werenât the kind to gossip, but they were curious. And they were undoubtedly coming up with theories about the story between these women.
Elyse spent all these years working overseas so everyone would forget about her cheating past, but now Julia dragged it back up, and she felt embarrassed. She turned her attention to Amelie, but she was still not looking at them. Obviously, she was ignoring Elyse, and that fact hurt Elyseâs ego more than what Julia said to her. She clenched her fists in fury. Damn you, Amelie! But then she smiled.