Scarlett's smile deepened as she took a deep inhale, placing her hand on Killian's arms stretched out to her. She could feel the gaze of everyone that was there. Their hushed whispers and confused gazes on her. Only a few knew exactly who she was and that made almost everyone curious. They were dying to find out just who she was to Mr Blackford.
Scarlett ignored them all, her only focus was on Gabe. From the storm of emotions in his eyes, Scarlett could tell he'd been thinking of her. Slowly, her gaze traveled behind and rested on her stepsister's face. Emily was standing right there in the crowd, her face completely void of emotion, but the anger in her eyes was evident as she stared at Gabe.
She ignored them both, moving with Killian to say hello to guests who had honored her invitation. After a brief speech from her, everyone in the museum soon learned she was Killian's fiancee.
Scarlett had just moved on from speaking with one of the wealthy clients interested in her work, she glanced around the room for Killian only to find him in a conversation with some businessmen, but his attention was on her.
Their gaze locked, and she smiled, taking a step in his direction when suddenly she felt the presence behind her and got a whiff of his familiar cologne.
She turned around to meet Gabe's gaze.
“We meet again, Miss Scarlett Johnson,” Gabe said with a smile, one that she was definitely not returning. “If you remember, and I hope you do, I'm Gabe—”
“Peterson,” She finished taking a sip from her champagne but her cold gaze on him.
“It's Patterson,” Gabe's smile never faltered.
“And I remember telling you I do not care,” She held his gaze. “You weren't invited,”
“And that's surprising. My company—” Gabe started and Scarlett fought the urge not to roll her eyes. She couldn't believe Gabe's audacity in calling the company her father worked hard to build, her very own legacy his company. It was infuriating. “is one of the leading successful companies, and yet we weren't invited even though,”
“That tells you what?” She could barely keep her anger away from her voice.
“I'm not quite sure—”
“It means neither me nor Ford Empire Group wishes to do any business with you,”
Her words shocked him and he furrowed his brow, about to speak but she beat him to it.
“Isn't it one of the reasons you are here?” Scarlett raised a brow. “To meet my fiance, in hopes of talking to him regarding the Bardin project?”
Gabe wasn't really surprised how she knew that information. He'd called Richard and asked him to get everything he could on the woman before him. One of the pieces of information he'd learned was she held a high position at Empire group and was part of the board.
He was beyond happy to hear this. He had tried to get Killian Blackford to listen to his proposal in the last hour, but that proved impossible.
“You know about the project?” He knew it was a stupid question but he needed to know how much she knew and how he could play his card right. Maybe, just maybe Scarlett was what he needed to get the contract.
“Of course, I was the one who rejected it thrice in the past year,”
Gabe parted his lips to speak but was interrupted by the woman walking over to them.
“Gabe, I was wondering where you were,” Emily stopped right next to Gabe, her gaze shifting to Scarlett. And she did her best to hide her anger but Scarlett could see through her mask.
Emily was furious. Beyond furious. For the last hour, she'd watched Gabe unable to remove his eyes from this woman before her. She could recognize that look in her lover's eyes. That look of excitement. Gabe was interested in this woman.
Emily wasn't stupid, she had been well aware of Gabe's man whoring ways. With the help of the men she had always tailing him, she knew he still slept around with random whores, but she had let it slide. At least he didn't bring them to the Tate mansion. And Emily was certain once Gabe and she made their relationship official in a month, he'd stop his man whoring affairs. She'd make him. He'd only have eyes for her and only her. But now watching him pine publicly for another woman made her furious.
Emily carefully scanned the woman before her, before pulling her gaze to meet her, and involuntarily, she felt s familiar sickening feeling in her guts and she froze
Her entire body froze, her eyes unable to move away from those blue eyes of the woman before her. They felt so familiar. Too familiar. It was almost as if she was staring at someone else. Someone who’d been long dead and forgotten. Someone she shouldn't even be thinking about. But here she was thinking about the one and only woman she despised so much, Diana Tate.
“Emily?” Gabe cleared his throat, his gaze flickering from Scarlett to Emily. She was completely frozen, staring at Scarlett almost like she'd seen a ghost. “What the hell is wrong with you? You're staring,” He whispered stylishly in Emily's ear, nudging her slightly.
Emily recovered herself completely, but somehow her eyes couldn't leave Scarlett who stared back coldly.
“I'm sorry, have we met before?” Emily asked, gripping her fingers tightly around the stem of her champagne glass.
“I don't know, have we?” Do I somehow look familiar to you?”
Scarlett smiled coldly, and that alone caused Emily to shiver. She had no idea why she was feeling this way but there was something about this woman, something that reminded her of her stupid dead stepsister, Diana and this was bad. Emily had always been an intuitive woman, whenever she had a feeling about something, she was almost always right about it, and now something in her guts was telling her that Scarlett Johnson was someone they should definitely stay away from.
“Emily?” Gabe made another attempt to pull his partner out of her thoughts. “This is Scarlett Johnson, there's no way you could have possibly met her,” He smiled back at Scarlett.
“Could I have a word with you, alone, Gabe?” Emily shifted a brief glance at Gabe whose gaze was stuck on Scarlett.
“Not now, Emily. Guess what? Miss Scarlett is also part of the board at Ford Empire and she is the one in charge of overseeing our project,”
Scarlett chuckled. “That's the wrong way of putting it. I'm the one that has been rejecting the project. Ford Empire Group has high standards and unfortunately, your project lacks some creativity and originality,”
Emily almost scoffed. “We've been working on that project for years. And every time it is submitted, we always make adjustments to it, the Bardin project has a lot of potential—”
“Who is she again?” Scarlett cut her off, her eyes on Gabe.
“She's my company vice president and—”
“I'm Emily Saunders Tate, daughter of the late Mr Tate and yes, also Co partner to the project on question,”
Scarlett's eyes narrowed on the woman. “That's interesting because I was told the real Miss Tate died not too long ago and—”
“That woman was a criminal—” Emily started, cutting Scarlett off.
“First rule, Saunder, you don't cut me off. When I'm concerned, you only speak when spoken to,” Scarlett said.
Gabe almost shivered from the iciness in her voice as he could feel the literal power radiating off her. This woman definitely has the icy reputation he was told about, and in some twisted way, it turned him on.
Before either of them could speak, Scarlett did. “You wanted me to give another chance to Tate Group, fine, I will. I am leaving for a business trip tomorrow morning by ten, meet me at Royale by 9:30. You'll have just ten minutes to convince me this project is worth giving it a shot,” Scarlett glanced at Emily. “I don't want to see her, just you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other guests to attend to,” She turned and left.
“Gabe, are you stupid or what? We worked on that project together, why didn't you say anything? I should be there,” Emily said.
“For what Emily? Can't you see you pissed her off?” Gabe was angry. “Remember, we need that project between our company and the Ford Empire Group and Scarlett Johnson is the only one who can make that happen,”
“Just because she's Mr Blackford's fiancee and part of the board, doesn't make the bitch god,”
“Precisely because she's Mr. Blackford's fiancee and literally has control over the company, that alone among many others make her a fucking god. I'm going alone,”
“I don't trust her, Gabe. There's something about her that gives me the creeps. Tell me, those blue eyes of hers, don't they feel familiar?”
“What the hell are you mumbling about?”
Emily sighed, shifting her gaze to where Scarlett was now in the midst of Killian and some wealthy politician who had attended. “She reminds me of her. That stupid woman, Diana Tate,”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? We promised we wouldn't speak about that bitch again. She's fucking dead, Emily. And it's insulting to compare that useless thing to Scarlett Johnson. You seem drunk, I think you should head back home, and rest. I'll stay behind to expand our network,” He walked away without letting her respond.
Even still Emily couldn't take her eyes off the woman in the red dress, and Scarlett felt the heat of her stepsister's gaze follow her throughout the party.
A smile touched Scarlett's lips as she remembered her encounter with Emily. She had always imagined how their first meeting would be and this was by far her best imagination. Emily already hated her and Gabe surprisingly was more smitten by her than the last time they'd met. This was good. Very good.
The party soon ended, and Scarlett and Killian were walking through the underground parking lot to Mercedes while the security team followed behind.
“A penny for the beautiful woman's thoughts,” Killian whispered against her ear, his lips slightly grazing the skin of her ears, sending an electrifying sensation down her spine.
She shivered.
“Cold?” He asked, taking off his jacket and draping it on her, and soon his scent which was always enchanting consumed her.
“Also excited,” She tilted her head sideways, but he was standing so close to her that there was now not a single space between them. They were only a breath apart.
This wasn't the first time they'd been this close standing next to each other. Over the past year, they'd had to appear most times like this in public and had even shared a few brief kisses that were nothing more than pecks on the lips just to keep up the romantic facade. But having him standing so close to her like this tonight where no cameras or eyes were watching felt so different. And somewhere deep inside her cold, uncaring heart with which she vowed she'd never fall in love with, it felt good. Maybe because he was too handsome for his own good.
Scarlett wasn't blind, and she definitely was still a woman who appreciated fine gifts of nature, and she knew probably more than half of the women population in the world would have been heartbroken tonight considering Killian had exposed to the world that he was engaged to her. He was more popular than even celebrities with the largest fan base and more handsome too.
“Scar?” He brushed back loose strands of her hair behind her ear, leaving a trail of goosebumps. “What are you thinking about?”
You.
She almost wanted to say, but she stopped herself, shaking her head to clear off the Killian spell his scent had cast on her. “Gabe,” She saw a strange flicker of emotion in his eyes before but it faded quickly. “And Emily,”
Killian's hands pulled up to cup my cheeks. “Don't. Because in my books, tonight was a success. And with the way Gabe Patterson couldn't take his eyes off you tonight, I know it's only a matter of time before they turn on each other, and we'll be here. Watching,”
