The group stepped out of the living room and boarded their fleet of cars, already waiting with engines purring—though this time, there was a slight change in the usual boarding arrangement.
Jessica and Davis had Anna take the front seat, a position usually reserved for Ethan, while Ethan and Bella boarded another vehicle. Naturally, Becky joined Alex in a different car.
As their vehicles slowly pulled away from the Davis residence, a team of security followed closely behind.
A convoy of sleek, black, powerful cars cruised through the highway, drawing envious stares from onlookers who wondered where such a prestigious entourage was headed.
A large billboard outside the hotel proudly displayed the Angels Wear advertisement in vivid, rotating colors against elegant backdrops.
Though Angels Wear hadn’t booked the entire hotel, the opulence of the setup made it seem as if they had. The front entrance had been exquisitely decorated, leaving visitors breathless.
Sleek black cars continued to pull up. It looked as though the entire elite and power players of Country Y were arriving for the launch. In pairs and groups they alight the car.
Tricia and Sonia had arrived earlier. Their car was parked at a strategic and convenient spot offering a clear view of the entrance and arriving guests and possibly to gauge the sort of dignitaries they are.
Tricia’s fist clenched tightly on her laps as she watched the unfolding scene and her other phone gripped her phone tightly.
"What the f**k is going on?" she muttered. Everything she was witnessing was far beyond her expectations.
She kept dialing a number, but each attempt yielded the same mechanical response of the operator: "The number you are calling is out of coverage," followed by the frustrating beep of disconnection.
Her frustration grew, Tricia felt her blood boiling over but more infuriating was Sonia’s indifference.
The fact that Sonia had her head buried in her phone and deeply engrossed, completely unbothered by the situation or even surprised at how smoothly the event was proceeding when by now, chaos should’ve erupted.
When they should be apologizing to the guest giving one reason or another for the sudden pause.
Tricia had accompanied Sonia on this trip expecting to witness a scandalous collapse and Lady Bright’s catastrophic failure.
"Sonia, don’t you think something is wrong?" She asked, her voice tinged with wariness.
"What is wrong?" Sonia asked casually. Her gaze never left her phone for a minute as she continuously scrolled through it.
"Can you look up?" Tricia demanded, her voice nearly breaking with bottled up frustration that she almost screamed at her with anger.
Noticing the slight edge of her voice, Sonia looked up from her phone meeting her gaze. Her brow furrowed with irritation for her disturbance as she asked, "what is it now?"
Tricia took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She was nearly at her breaking point, at her limits. Jessica had always been a thorn in her side, a pain in the ass and she —Tricia had made one decision. She must pull it out.
She must see her fall and only then will she let go.
"Haven’t you noticed? Everything’s going smoothly. There’s no sign of sabotage. There’s no trace of the young man or the hotel manager. Doesn’t that seem off to you?"
Sonia shrugged "Maybe they are busy or it might as well be that their phone was off." She muttered, her gaze falling back to her phone.
Her detached response and action left Tricia dumbfounded. She couldn’t help but wonder what could be so serious that got her engrossed in her phone.
"Sonia,..."she called again, more hesitantly.
"Yes...what is it?" She asked yet she did not lift her gaze from her phone.
"Why are you glued to your phone even at this moment?"
"I am checking the news feed, Davis Allen just released a statement congratulating Angels Wear and promising further cooperation with them and their other partners.
"Meaning?" Tricia asked, her thoughts swirling as she stared at her friend dumbfounded.
A flurry of questions assaulted her mind:
"How is this connected to the matter at hand?"
"Weren’t we here to destroy Angels Wear?"
"Angels’ wear and Allen Group?"
Hasn’t she promised to help her sabotage their effort?"
"Didn’t Sonia say just an hour ago she planned to accuse Lady Bright of plagiarism?"
"Why does it seem like she is now singing a different tune, cheering for the same person we came to ruin ?"
Tricia couldn’t get it. She couldn’t shake the suspicion.
"Was Sonia no longer on her side?"
"Is Sonia no longer ready to help me?"
"But come to think of it? Her actions seem to have been off after she did a brief stop at the Cafe before they came over."
Tricia tried to piece it together. She searched through her memories for the recollection of the events.
Yet it didn’t make sense, because Sonia had only said to get a contract signed at the Cafe and had asked her to wait for her in the car or go shopping at the mall beside the cafe. She had even dropped a card on her lap with a sweet charming smile.
Her exact words "My treat for keeping you waiting."
At that time, she had actually preferred going shopping besides a free shopping spree was always welcome besides it doesn’t come alway by.
Picking the card, she twirled it in her hand, a thought flashing through her mind "An unlimited card to shop for just a brief, it’s really worth it."
Glancing to the back seat of the car, several shopping bags lined up. Each from top class designers. Though it had been for a few minutes, she had made judicious use of her time.
But now, looking back, it seems Sonia’s attitude towards the game had changed right after she came out from the cafe.
Because rather than drive straight to this place, she had complained of feeling hungry and then they drove to a five star restaurant for a quick brunch before they drove down here.
Sonia’s next words brought her crashing back to the present.
"It means that being a business partner with Angels Wear now means direct affiliation with the Allen Group. An Allen Group. business. Partner."
Tricia stared at her, stunned. "How does that even connect?"
"Very simple. Now that Davis has taken full control of the group, getting a contract with them isn’t easy. He has high standards, and I doubt that’s changed. But if you’re aligned with Angels Wear, you’re basically in. It’s a clean, streamlined deal." Sonia gave a sly wink.
"And you’re saying?" Tricia asked further for clarification.
"Angels Wear becomes the ticket and link towards the Allen Group collaboration. A clean deal. Don’t you think so?"
Tricia’s eyes narrowed, trying to digest the implications. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but she had to ask the question nagging at her.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, her voice low and strained, "Are you planning to sign a contract with Angels Wear just to secure a deal with the Allen Group?"