The four of them looked up to find a middle aged man in a gray suit wearing a sheepish smile as he approached them. The four had bewildered looks on as they stared at the man. Kris was more glad that the man had not overheard their argument.
"Anthony Stevens, C.E.O of Stevens and Co.", He produced his business card to which Logan received before he gestured for the empty seat beside him. "First of all, I'd like to extend my congratulations to you two", Anthony said as he sat down.
"Thank you, Mr. Stevens", Logan said.
"Mr. Stevens is too formal, Call me Anthony", he said with an amused chuckle.
"What brought you to our table Anthony?" Kris asked.
Anthony laughed as his face burned red with embarrassment. "Straight to the point. Alright, alright. Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Mr. Howell Junior, both of you. There's a project our company is working on that we thought we could ask for your assistance."
"You mean you're asking for an investment from our company?" Kris's eyes lit up.
"Of course! But first, I have to show you what we're working on. I can promise you that there won't be any regrets."
"Oh my! Are you sure about that Anthony?" A voice spoke from above them. "Mark Bailey, C.E.O of Bailey and Co. I won't bother with sugarcoating my approach but simply say, if you want a sure investment that won't have disappointing returns then invest with us."
"You've also come to seek for an investment in our company?" Kris could not help her shock.
As Mark was about to speak, two more people came to settle on empty seats on their table. The both took out their business cards at the same time and looked at each other awkwardly and feeling embarrassed. Kris giggled when she saw this.
"Let me guess, you're both here to as for an investment?" She giggled when she saw their embarrassment.
David and Logan both looked at her in clear disbelief. It seemed Kris's plan had pulled off as they saw more people try to sneak their way into their table. From Gwen's table, she could see and hear the happy laughter echo from Kris's table. Peter came back to sit next to and lean towards her.
"It's been taken care of", he whispered.
Gwen's face eased of worry as she sat up in her seat and refocused on her meal. Peter expected her to ask how he did it so quickly but seeing that she was simply pleased by the fact that the attention was drawn away from them, he too was satisfied.
A server came to Peter's side. They were so attentive of the guests that they aided them before they were even called upon. Peter could not help but muse at how his wife would be so impressed by them. His wife, he sighed. After what happened just now with his boss, guilt could not help but overwhelm him.
A plate of food was placed before him before a drink was poured for him.
"Thank you", he said to the server while he kept his head down.
He could feel a pair of eyes on him but he kept his head down. He didn't want to make his guilt obvious lest Gwen does those things to him again.
"Gwen, what happened to your wrist?" Esmeralda asked when she noticed her continually twisting it.
Pang!
Peter's fork fell on the marble floor. A server was quick to his side to replace it with a new one. Gwen was displeased by his reaction but willed an icy expression as she looked at the woman.
"I appreciate your concern at the same time, I don't need it", Gwen said.
Esmeralda chuckled as she brought a glass of wine to her red lips. Aldo didn't like the atmosphere on the table, he didn't even like being sent here in the first place, but who was he to turn down the King? He had sinned against him too many times. But he would rather be in the comfort of his home in Rome.
"Alright, let's get this deal finalized with", he said.
"We need an empty room. Peter, you don't happen to know of any empty room now, do you?" Esmeralda asked.
Pater choked when he heard the question. Gwen sent an icy glare towards the woman only to receive an innocent gaze. She also needed to get this deal over and done with so she won't spend another second in the company of Esmeralda.
"Do you have something to say?" Gwen was barely suppressing her annoyance at this point.
"Do you?" Esmeralda countered.
"Esmeralda", Aldo started in a tired voice.
"Yes, Sparrow. Do you have something to say to me?" She gave him a challenging gaze.
She watched his fist shake as he clenched it in pure frustration and she knew the reason why. She felt pleased by this sight. A vein popped on his temple as his jaw clenched when he grunted out a, "No."
Gwen was amused by the exchange. Something must have happened between the two. None of them wanted to be present at the table except for Esmeralda who looked like she was having fun but the exchange. If not for wanting to do things transparently according to The King's orders, they would have avoided this whole encounter. With Peter getting rid of the unwanted attention and distraction, they needed to get a move on. There was still that unknown rival who had sent someone to break into their lab and there was Amy to worry about.
"Let's go", Gwen threw her napkin on the table whilst still holding a glare towards Esmeralda who had on an amused smile.
The four stood up and followed after Gwen. Their steps were full of urgency and Peter didn't mind abandoning his meal. He understood the situation fully. They had two people to worry about but little did they know, they had gained the attention of a threat more serious.
"Target is on the move", a man's voice reported quietly as he pressed his earpiece against his ear.
"About time, move out."
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