CHAPTER 9

In a room full of so much wealth and opulence, Keith would have felt very odd if not for Wills deep voice, reminding him of who he was.

  He stepped in confidently and immediately, all eyes in the room turned to face the door. Keith recognized a few faces and one particular one which Wills had constantly stressed, the senator’s. He was a man in his fifties that still possessed the body of an athlete. He looked great in his tailored suit and had a plastic smile plastered on his face as he approached Keith.

      “Can you read that smile?” Wills whispered to him.

  “Yeah,” Keith replied, holding his chin high. “Rather spurious if you ask me.”

The Senator offered his hand and Keith took it after a few seconds. “I am honored to have you in my humble abode, Mr. Keith Miller,” He said in a rich baritone, “The Zillion-dollar dynasty has kept its CEO incognito for a few years now. You can see the excitement to see you here.”

   Keith didn’t smile, he just nodded and said, “Sure. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

The senator cleared his throat and his eyes flickered with surprise, “Oh dear!” He glanced at Keith from side to side, “You do not have a date for the night?”

    Keith glanced at Wills in confusion, then back at the senator, “I had no idea I was supposed to bring a companion,” He replied flatly.

  “Oh dear, I must have forgotten to include it in the letter,” He slapped a hand to his forehead, then his face brightened with a smile, “I had a little problem on my hand before you arrived, Mr. Keith. Mrs. Flora also doesn’t have a companion and now…here you are, without a lady,” He grinned and Keith got the message instantly. 

   Despite Wills earlier warnings, he was curious to find out more about this lady Flora that he didn’t object to a dance with her. Wills frowned disapprovingly, but Keith urged him to be calm, saying he had everything under control. The lady approached him again with a smile, this time holding two glasses of champagne.

    “You are a man who attracts a lot of attention, Mr. Keith,” She commented and he took the glass she offered, “I’m honored to accept your invitation for the night.”

  Keith glared his throat and sipped his wine, just the way Wills had taught him too. “You seem to be enjoying all the attention,” He replied flatly, shoving one arm into his pockets.

    From a corner of the room, he noticed camera lights flashing in his direction and he gave his back to them. Despite how uncomfortable he felt by the eyes that fell on him and the cameras, there was an excitement brewing within him. He loved the scent of wealth and power in the air. Even in a dream, he had never imagined being welcomed by a senator nor being verbally seduced by such an attractive lady.

   “I am, but you do not seem to be,” She replied, “Would you like to go somewhere else?”

He arched an eyebrow at her, “Somewhere else like?”

  She shrugged, “The guest room balcony is hardly ever occupied, we could look at the stars from there and you can escape all the ruckus.”

It was a tempting offer and he knew Wills wouldn’t like that, but still he found himself nodding. They left the ballroom and she led him up a flight of stairs. Round a corridor and they walked into a bedroom. His eyes were glued to the way her hips swayed and when she turned around and noticed this, she just smiled. 

   They stood on the balcony and for a few minutes, they stared at the night sky and after a while, he felt the heat from her body and the scent of her expensive perfume. He looked at her, she was much closer to him now and their hips were almost touching now. She pushed her breasts against his chest. Her seductive eyes bore into his, but suddenly, an image flashed in Keith’s mind. He shuddered and pushed her away gently.

    She gasped and stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. “What’s the matter?”

He frowned, “Enjoy the rest of your night, Mrs. Flora,” He said huskily and walked out of the balcony. 

  He walked down the stairs briskly, wondering why that particular image that had flashed in his mind. He shook his head and walked into the ballroom again, but suddenly, he bumped into someone. A glass shattered on the floor, but spilled on his expensive suit in the process. In his annoyance, he glanced at who it was and his heart skipped a beat.

      She was standing right in front of him, her face had flashed in his mind a few minutes ago. The moment he saw her in his mind, his lust for Mrs. Flora had drained out of him instantly.

      “Annie?”

Her startled eyes fell on him, then her face went white for a split second. “Oh, my goodness! Keith? What the hell is a low life like you doing here?” She looked at the purple stain on his suit, “Oh dear, whoever you burrowed this suit from must be furious right now. You’re so unfortunate, Keith. And who let an idiot like you in here anyway?”

    Keith was about to reply, when someone appeared behind Annie. It was Greg, her new lover. He grinned mocking at Keith and said, “You always find a way to be a loser, buddy.” He laughed, “What the fuck are you doing here anyway?”

 Keith’s eyes blazed with fury when the both of them locked their lips together in front of him, but something suddenly happened. Greg’s face lost its color and he quickly took his arm off Annie’s shoulders and bowed. That was when Keith realized that Wills was standing by his side.

    “Good evening sir!” He said sharply.

Wills nodded, “Mr. Greg,” He acknowledged, then looked at Keith and noticed the frown on his face, “Is anything the matter, sir?”

  Greg’s jaw dropped instantly and his wide eyes glanced from Wills to Keith.

Keith shoved his hands in his pockets and asked Wills calmly, without taking his eyes off Greg, “What is he doing here?” 

      “He is the company’s New York branch representative for this dinner party, sir,” Wills replied, “The branch manager is on a business trip and Mr. Greg here had to fill in.” He looked at Greg and said, “Meet your new boss, Mr. Greg, and the CEO of the zillion-dollar dynasty, Mr. Keith Miller.”

  Keith enjoyed the look of shock on their faces. A wicked grin stretched across his lips and his cold heart buzzed with excitement.

   This was the beginning of their downfall, everyone who had treated him wrongly, they were going to feel his wrath now.