Page 71 of Queen’s Gambit

“That is wishful thinking,” I said, unable to mask my annoyance.

Lawrence looked in my direction, and we glared at one another. Fuck I hated him. I’d been looking forward to tonight, but now I didn’t know if I could hold my shit together if either of those pricks said something to me about Ana.

An elderly gentleman stepped up to me, and I blinked as I realized that he was talking.

“I’m sorry?”

“Edmundo, my name is Seamus. I’m an old friend of your father’s, but I haven’t seen him in a dog’s age. He said I should come and introduce myself.”

I shook his hand and turned just enough so that I could talk to him and keep an eye on Ana. If Lawrence went anywhere near her, blood would be spilled tonight.

“Nice to meet you, Seamus. How do you know my father?”

“My company makes planes.”

My brow lifted. “Are we talking commercial planes?”

“All kinds of planes.” There was a deviousness in his eyes, and I could tell that he would’ve been fun to negotiate with when he was younger.

“I see, and are these planes equipped with more than just the usual wings and engines?”

“They sure are. We also happen to be the largest artillery manufacturer anywhere in the world.”

I crossed my arms and stared at him. “Why is this the first I’ve heard of you?”

“We like to keep a low profile.”

“Understandable. I have to ask…are you approaching me because you’d like to…do business…possibly partner, or is this truly a social introduction?”

Reaching into his suit jacket, Seamus pulled out a business card. I noticed a golden helmet, similar to the Wayward school logo, was on one side as he handed it over.

“Right now, it’s social. But I’ve always liked your father and I’ve seen what you’ve accomplished so far…consider me impressed. I think we could be more than simply social if you’re interested in the future.” Seamus winked as I took the card. “Have a good evening, Edmundo.”

“You as well,” I said as he slowly wandered away.

“Well, this night just keeps getting stranger by the second,” Marcus said.

“Now that is something we can agree on.”

Turning back to the dance floor, I watched as Ana walked toward her friend Frida before the pair slipped into the crowd. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight.

Yulianna

“What was that BS with Christov,” Frida asked as I reached her.

“I don’t know. I barely knew of him at Wayward, and if you remember, he was here for dinner with his family a few months back. But, now that my father has arranged for me to marry Eddie, I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Yes, I remember he kept asking you to leave the dining room,” Frida said, and I nodded.

“I refused, of course. After what Christov did to me and Eddie, why would I want to be in the same room with him, let alone go for a walk? I don’t understand why my father even let him through the door.”

“Politics. To insult Christov is to insult his family, and they have ties all the way to the top.”

“But…he said something so strange on the dance floor. He made it sound like I needed to learn my place. Who the hell does he think he is?”

“I don’t know the answer to that. I have heard some gossip about Christov, though. Do you want to know? Knowledge is power. If you think something strange is going on, maybe you can use the information.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt.”