CHAPTER 7

The crowd at the party was massive. There were flashes of paparazzi all over the red carpet. Many distinguished guests had arrived, and they were taken shots by the drooling paparazzi. The Troyes’ party seemed grand and something of a ball. It had been the talk of the town, and it had met its expectations with aplomb.

Amid the ruckus, a black Porsche pulled over. The door opened and a figure stepped out of it. It was Roman Lacroix. He was stunning tonight and it caught the attention of the onlookers. His jet-black hair was combed neatly and his silver eyes showed at the lights. His black suit had a floral design and a shawl that was wrapped in the middle of it. His white undershirt sparkled and highlighted his olive skin. He was gorgeous. Roman didn’t want to catch the attention of everybody, but Ben had picked out this hit perfectly for him and had helped him dress up. Tonight was his big entrance, and so he needed to stand out. Roman straightened his suit and tugged at his bow tie. Ben must have tightened it a bit too much. He looked around and a valet walked to him. Roman placed the key in his hand and walked towards the red carpets.

The eyes of the crowd followed him and the paparazzi flashed their cameras at him. It seemed he had successfully stolen the show for tonight, and it was just the beginning. The flashes from the paparazzi cameras were blinding, and Roman squinted as he headed towards the entrance. At the door were two huge men. When he approached the door, they uniformly came forward blocking his entrance. Roman was perplexed by this. It was so easy for him to take both of them down, but it would cause a scene. Hence, he played humble.

“This party is for designated guests only,” one of the men said.

Roman was silent.

“And we don’t recognize you,” the other man said.

Roman smiled and placed his hand in his pockets.

“I am Roman Lacroix,” he introduced.

The man on the right brought out a notepad which Roman guessed to be the guest list. It didn’t take more than a second for him to see his name. The guard’s eyes widened and he immediately stepped aside.

“My apologies, Mr. Lacroix,” he said. “You may go in.”

“Thank you,” Roman said and walked into the party.

There was a live jazz band playing at the podium and the crowd which were at the party was bigger than he expected. Since the party was based on invites, Roman didn’t expect more than thirty guests. There seemed to be just over a hundred guests in here. Roman was puzzled by this. He sauntered through the crowd taking in the crowd. A server passed him with a tray of champagne and he plucked out a glass. As he scanned the party, he took a sip of his wine. Roman never thought he would get to be at a party of such elegance. He had been working from nine to five under his ex-father-in-law. And now, he was the CEO himself. It had finally sunk in. After seven years of being a billionaire, he had been able to coordinate himself, especially in front of a crowd of this level. The party oozed our elegance and class, and luckily for Roman, he was at the very top of that list.

Roman took a sip of his champagne and watched the jazz band perform. Their music was soothing, and it made him feel relaxed. In a flash, Roman spun and caught a hand that attempted to touch him. It seemed to stun the woman who possessed it. It had been a reflex action that Roman couldn’t control. He was always cautious of his environment. The woman still seemed startled.

“Excuse me. Are you Mr. Lacroix?” The woman asked.

Roman stared at this woman in surprise. How did she know him? She had narrow blue eyes and her black dress complimented her tanned skin. Her cheekbones were glued to her skin and seemed to be bulging out. It reminded Roman of Amiri’s state in the hospital.

“Yes,” he replied. “Who’s asking?”

“Alex Greene,” she introduced, stretching out her hand.

Roman shook her hand gently. It left her beaming.

“Please, follow me,” she urged. “I’d like you to meet other distinguished guests.”

Roman nodded and walked behind her. They arrived at a crowd of men who seemed to be discussing. Roman cleared his throat and swirled the glass in his hand nervously.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” she said. “But I’d like you all to meet a special guest.”

The men all turned to him.

“Gentlemen. This is Roman Lacroix,” she announced.

Roman gave them a warm smile.

“Roman Lacroix?” One of the men said. He had brown hair and was dressed in a lavender suit. “This is the first time I’m seeing him.”

“I think this is the first time we are all seeing him,” a man in a navy blue suit concurred. All the men laughed at that.

“Pleased to meet you all,” Roman said.

“Welcome aboard, Roman,” the man in the lavender suit said.

“I can’t wait to see the look on Lincoln’s face when he realizes that Lacroix is a real person,” the navy blue suit man said.

The men burst out laughing. Roman was enthralled by this. He scanned the little crowd the men formed but couldn’t seem to find Lincoln.

“And where is Mr. Troyes?” Roman asked.

“Is this necessary, Dad?” Lilian asked as they walked through the crowd.

“Yes, Lilian. It’s time you get to meet the shareholders,” Lincoln replied as they walked through the crowd. “It’ll be necessary for future purposes.”

Lilian rolled her eyes.

“I'd rather let David handle the company,” Lilian blurted out.

Lincoln paused and turned to face his daughter. Lilian knew she was in trouble. Lincoln was giving her that stern look. She gulped hard.

“Don’t you ever say something like that,” Lincoln said. “You are the heir to Troyes Inc.”

Lilian sighed.

“I know, Dad. But can I find David first?”

Lincoln glared at her before letting go of her hand.

“Fine. But make sure you find me,” he said.

Lilian nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Lincoln shook his head and walked towards the group of stakeholders. They seemed to be discussing with Alex and another stranger. Lincoln was sure he had never seen the man before. But from his dressing, he looked like he was in the right place.

“Ahh! There it is!” Felix Blanc, who was dressed in a navy black suit called. Lincoln wasn’t a fan of Felix because of how lousy he could be. Especially in meetings.

The man in the black suit turned around and Lincoln halted in his footsteps. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Roman smiled and took a sip from his glass. Was this some kind of prank? What was Aaron doing here? And why didn’t he look so different? Lincoln strolled now to meet the men. He was speechless.

“Lincoln my man,” Felix said, holding his shoulder. “I’d like you to meet Roman Lacroix.”

Roman smiled and stretched out his hand for a shake.

“Hello, Mr. Troyes.”