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I nod knowing there is no point arguing with a man who is just doing his job. Since Colt has vanished, I really have no other options besides the ones in my duffle bag which are not appropriate dinner outfits.
The driver takes my duffle and throws it in the boot of the sedan, then he pulls out two boxes and hands them to me.
I turn on my heel and head back inside the gym. Crossing my fingers not to come across Chester again, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that he has moved closer to a boxing bag with his back to me. I cross the space quickly and scurry into the changing rooms finding it empty. I strip down to my underwear, realising I’m going to have to go bra free, at least until I get back to the car and retrieve mine. I open the first box and pull out a dress. It's a beautiful forest green that will fall just above my knee. I shimmy my way into it and tie the belt off at the side. There’s no need for a bra in this dress and I’m relieved that I don’t have to ask the driver for my bag back.How awkward would that have been? Excuse me Sir, I need my bra. Cringe!I open the shoe box next and slip on the nude heels inside. I have to give it to Mr. Z; this is a nice outfit, though I’m sure his receptionist picked it out. The question remains though is why go through all of this for me?
Once I finish washing my face and using the hand dryer to dry the sweat from my hair I’m ready to go. I wouldn’t say I’m Australia's next top model without my makeup, which is also in Colt’s car in my bag, but I’ll do.
I head back outside and find the driver is still waiting by the car for me. I hand him the boxes and he places them back in the boot. He walks to the door and opens it up for me, motioning for me to take a seat and shutting it for me, then heads to the driver’s side and climbs in. Once we are both buckled up he takes off down the road. I watch out my window as we drive. The scenery blurs by as we head into the city. After about thirty minutes, we pull up to the curb of a restaurant.
The driver–whose name I forgot to get–gets out and comes around to open my door.
With a nod of thanks, I head up the walkway, taking in the building. Beautiful red and brown brick make up the outside, green foliage and flowers contrast the brick nicely, and the front has a lit up sign with the name of the restaurant.
This place seems super fancy, Matinii’s.Definitely not somewhere I would eat by myself.
I’m greeted at the door by the maître d’, “Welcome to Matinii’s.”
“Thank you, I’m meeting my um…Mr. Z.”
“Yes, right this way Miss Jolie.”
I follow the impeccably dressed man through the room to a two seat table in the back. Mr. Z stands upon our arrival and smiles. The maître d’ leaves us immediately and goes back to greet other guests.
Mr. Z comes around the table and pulls out my chair. “This place is nice,” I say as I take a seat.
“It is,” he agrees, fixing his suit jacket then returning to his own seat across from me.
Before we get a chance to continue our conversation, a waiter comes over to take our order. I pick up the menu and find the chicken selections because let’s face it you can never go wrong with a chicken dish.
Mr. Z lets the waiter know his order and he turns to me. “And for you Miss?”
“I’ll have the roasted chicken with asiago polenta and truffled mushrooms.”
“And to drink?”
“Just a Sprite for me please.” He nods and heads away from our table. I’m not exactly sure what polenta is but I like chicken and mushrooms so my choice should be safe and hopefully delicious.
I take a minute to look over Mr. Z. His dark brown hair is cut short on the sides and a little longer on top, perfectly styled, as it always seems to be. His blue-green eyes–exactly like mine–seem cold, like the man has no happiness in his life. The suit he’s wearing is most likely the best money can buy, and by how it fits him, I can hazard a guess that it was tailor made. Looking at him now, I don’t see how I missed us looking so much alike, especially now that my hair is dark.I’m definitely his daughter.
“I know you have questions.” Mr. Z says, breaking the silence. I look up at him and smile.
“I do. I’m fairly sure you know what’s at the top of my list. Like, why are they teachers and why Summer and Colt’s teams changed schools this late in their senior year.”
“A lot of investors now know that you’re back and would like to take preemptive measures, so your new team is there to protect you. It’s their job, plus considering they’re older and refused to pose as students, it was a last minute idea after the funeral. As for the other teams, they are just a backup precaution.”
“That many people in one place to protect me seems like overkill. There has to be more going on.” I counter immediately.
“Smart girl, just like your mother. It’s no secret that I've had some issues with my brother. I don’t trust him to not make a move against me or the company as a whole. I've suspected it for a few years and now with the evidence that Team Hades was in contact with him, it makes sense to be prepared. You’re my most valuable asset, so your protection is key.”
He is full of shit. Team Hades was not working with his brother; it was Team Zeus. My question is, how did they manage to throw him off–unless he’s just telling me what he wants me to hear. And his asset, really? Good to know that's how he views me. It’ll make taking him out easier and much more satisfying.
“So, what you’re saying is I have to suck it up because they’re staying.”
“Yes, they're staying. It wasn’t easy to get them into teaching positions and as for the other teams, they don’t care about education. Colt and Summer requested to be moved. School for them is just a means to an end, plus it’s a requirement that they have a somewhat normal teen experience. They’re all staying together, close to the Myers.”
I snort, I can imagine Summer's guys are not so fond of Colt. “That’s going to end badly.”
“They have separate wings, I’m sure they can make do. Kai tells me that you've spent a lot of time in bed.”
