The Leroys' little girl (2)

Five minutes into the banquet and it was already something out of a nightmare. She was facing Farren and a man she didn't recognize but who didn't mean any good either. They were making her lose her mind, which was probably what happened when one poked ghosts that were better off being left to rest.

She shouldn't have come here.

"Did you sneak in here?" Farren probed. As a host, he was quite "friendly" to his guests.

"Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't blame you. You were once engaged to my grandson after all. I just need to know how many guests I really have, and you did have a tendency of crawling into places you shouldn't."

She took a step back and bumped into a wall. Or at least it felt like a wall.

She turned to meet Carlos's worried frown. "Kara?"

She looked down at her dress that had thankfully escaped being spilled by champagne.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Aubert." She flashed a smile. "I have an invitation but it was nice of you to check on me. You have a heart of gold." She emphasized on "heart", making the elderly man go pale.

She didn't stop, lowering her voice to whisper only for the two men to hear. "I don't know what stunt you are trying to pull by bringing up my past but in case you have forgotten, I'm not the one who would lose my license and go to prison if the past were to be discussed in detail."

She left with Carlos after delivering her threat.

"What happened back there?" He asked in a murmur, trying not to attract any attention.

"Your beloved grandfather knew who I am before I came here. He has been waiting for me." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I don't have the time to entertain him, though. I'm waiting for someone else."

"Is their surname Aubert?" He asked beside her ear.

"Maybe." She continued watching the guests filter in through the door, then Farren gave the opening speech.

"Coward." She muttered under her breath. It was one thing to readily destroy a life but running away like a wounded animal, what a disappointment.

Carlos led her to their table and they sat down beside each other. He couldn't help casting glances at her face. She had a smile on her beautiful face but he knew her too well to be deceived. She was exploding deep inside and wanted nothing more than to stab someone.

Knowing her, she must be armed. Maybe she knew her way around getting detected for it but there she would never be in the same space as her enemies without being armed. And the Aubert family was top on her list. They had ruined her life.

"So, will you tell us about your girlfriend?" Farren asked.

Kara shifted uncomfortably. He reached under the table and held her hand.

"Kara is my boss."

His parents frowned in disapproval but Farren was the one who spoke up.

"You left your family's business to work under a woman like her?"

He nodded. "If you mean a capable woman with enough skills to land herself the title of a hospital CEO at such a young age, then why the hell not? It's much better than working with people who only own what they have because it was passed down to them."

Kara chuckled under her breath at the subtle jab.

She then smiled. "I forgot to tell you. Happy birthday, Farren."

"Right." He was already on the limit of his patience and all Kara wanted to do was rile him up.

"Happy birthday, grandfather." He chimed along, making Kara smile and Farren look like he had swallowed a fly.

"We brought presents." She took out a pair of tickets from her purse and placed them on the table. "Vacation tickets to Ville Colorée! You can spend the nights at whatever location of L'Hôtel Luxe La Rive you want. And the best part is, you get to take whoever you want with you. That could be your wife, or…" She paused with a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up. May her soul rest in peace. She had a heart of gold just like you do."

Everyone at the table was getting uncomfortable and other guests were starting to look over.

Carlos lowered his voice to whisper to her, "That's probably enough."

"If you say so." She was clearly not done.

Farren was embarrassed by the so-called gift before him, which Kara had not even bothered to wrap. Even so, he was not going to lose his cool before her.

"Thank you, young lady." He picked up the tickets and wanted to tear them up right on the spot. Alas, that would not look good on him so he slid them into the pockets he would probably never check for the rest of his short life.

"I want you home after this banquet." He said to Carlos and stood to leave the table. "No excuses."

Kara snuck a side glance at him. Did she go too far? Was he going to take the blame for her actions?

She may have gone a little far but she had to admit that it felt good. The family who hurt her deserved no peace and to see them squirm in a banquet hall full of distinguished guests felt surprisingly great.

They indulged in a conversation she didn't want to be part of and she pretended to listen in, until she caught sight of a suspicious figure. He was speaking to a man whose name she couldn't remember but who she knew was a member of the Aubert family. Then he turned and she saw his face.

Mark?

Blood drained from her face as she studied his black suit. Mark worked for the Aubert family!