SWNOVELXO Chapter 6: A Burden On You
Alessia's eyes widened, her gaze shifting to meet Kiera's own beside her. 'Huh?' She thought. 'Isn't that… really big news?'
She almost couldn't believe that they had hit quite the jackpot. Kiera gently placed a hand over hers and shook her head gently. Silently telling her that she wasn't to do anything that would attract the ladies' attention.
Alessia nodded.
"What?!" One of the women gasped. "How sure are you of this information?"
"I have my many sources." The first lady responded elegantly, taking out a hand fan and covering the part of her face that was unmasked. "But like I said, you can do research on your own and come collect what is due from me if you find out that I'm wrong~"
The gathering of ladies suddenly burst into a wave of mutters and whispers, all of them hardly believing their ears.
"Doesn't that mean that the Alrosa's have hit a goldmine?" Someone suggested. "Nothing could be better than striking a partnership deal with Salviati!"
"Tsk! They're about to become even richer."
"I'm jealous..."
"If what you say really is true, then this is a huge deal." Another lady chimed in. "The other big companies are not going to be very happy about this."
"Probably why it's… was a secret." Someone whispered.
"No wonder someone tried to assassinate her…"
"...I wonder how she got her hands on that information."
"Do you have an idea of what this business deal is?" A calm voice asked from the small crowd.
Alessia and Kiera's ears perked up instantly at that question, eager to hear what the mysterious woman was going to say.
"That is information…" The lady started, "you will have to pay a heavy price for."
"Oh dear!" The lady who the question came from laughed. "Now you've got all of us gathered here quite curious."
Alessia and Kiera both swallowed the urge to groan in frustration. Why wasn't she just going to say it? Didn't she have plenty of money already?!
Alessia sighed. 'These rich people are always trying to get richer…'
The women behind them continued to discuss the shocking topic for a while longer before they started to disperse.
At the end of it all, the pair couldn't get any more reasonable information from the gathering.
When the area behind them had become considerably quiet, Alessia turned her head to look behind her and found a woman in a dark dinner gown with sparkling gems embedded at the bottom. She was also wearing a big black fascinator and a mask.
Alessia couldn't make out her face or tell who she was, but the most striking thing about her were her lips that were as red as cherry... it was almost unnatural.
Somehow, Alessia felt that this was the lady who gave out that priceless information to a bunch of loose-lipped women.
Something didn't seem right about the way the lady spilled the news, but it wasn't like it was any of her business. To process information wasn't her job, all she had to do was deliver it.
When the woman stood up from her seat to leave, their eyes met for a brief moment and Alessia glimpsed the slight smile the woman shot at her before she turned around to leave.
'That was not a polite smile...' Alessia thought. 'It's a bit strange...'
"Come on, Lessie." Kiera called as she stood up and reached a hand out to her. "We've gotten a lot from this. Though it wasn't as important as I was expecting it to be."
Alessia took her hand. "At least our efforts at eavesdropping weren't completely wasted."
Kiera chuckled. "The party is about to end, so let's enjoy it for a little longer before we leave."
Alessia nodded and followed her friend toward a table that had an assortment of drinks.
...
After having a couple drinks with Kiera, Alessia walked around the party venue to see if there was other information she could find. She froze when she spotted a familiar figure a distance away from her.
His hair was a very light shade of blond and the top of the formal suit he wore was buttoned down a little to reveal a toned chest as he sat leisurely on one of the red lounges in the sitting area alone and sipped on a glass of red wine.
Alessia's brows furrowed as her fists clenched unknowingly. 'What is he doing here?'
Without wasting another second, she marched toward him and came to stand beside his seat.
The man's piercing grey eyes moved away from the sparkling wine in his hand toward her. There was a small smirk on his lip as he opened his mouth, but Alessia spoke up first.
"What are you doing here?"
The man raised an amused brow at her before he let out what was supposed to be a dejected sigh. "Is that how you greet someone who you haven't seen in months?"
Alessia nearly let out a scoff but she held herself. "You've come here to look for more women to sleep with, haven't you?" She asked, ignoring his earlier statement.
The man gave her a brief glance before sipping on his wine. "Maybe I have."
Alessia bit the inside of her bottom lip, there was a certain metallic taste on her tongue. "Vince tried to harass me again today." She suddenly blurted.
The man chuckled. "And so? What do you want me to do about it?"
Alessia let out a scoff, a spiteful smile on her face. "I knew you would say this. A man who is supposed to be beneath you lays a hand on your fiance and you can't even do anything about it. You're as useless as ever, Sebastian."
Sebastian's expression instantly darkened. Suddenly, he poured the contents of his glass to the ground and looked up at Alessia. "My glass is empty, Lessia darling. Get me a refill, will you?"
Alessia flinched and her frown deepened. "Why are men so stubborn? I've told you not to call me that!"
Sebastian put on a lazy grin. "I'll call you whatever I want, now go and do as I say."
Alessia glared at him for a long time before she turned around. "I'm leaving. Get a refill yourself."
"Don't you think it will be a burden on you if you don't listen to me?" Sebastian suddenly asked, stopping her in her tracks. "If I remember right, your father doesn't like disobedience. I don't think he will be happy to hear that you didn't do as I said."
Alessia turned toward him sharply. "Shut up!"
Sebastian smirked, his eyes glinting in amusement. "If you're done being stubborn, get me that refill." He said, dangling the glass cup in his hand. "My arms are getting tired already."