"On the occasion of the 28th birthday of my Son, I've decided to announce to you all that I, Valentin Zavrazin will give over my position as the CEO of Zavrazin to my Son, Zoran Valentin Zavrazin and I hope that no one will ever think that that I've given such a big responsibility to my son as a gift but because he have proved his credibility to the Zavrazins over and over again from the last few years.", the elder Zavrazin announced to the ball room full of people with an amiable smile on his aging face which contain a few wrinkles around his aged yet sharp deep grey eyes.
"To the new generation and nonetheless our birthday boy, Zoran", Igor, the right hand man of Valentin and also his only confidant stated raising his glass full of champagne to the guests for the toast of the evening .Even if he was just a right hand man of Valentin in status , there's an unmistakenable aura around him that no one can overlook. Even with his warm olive skin color and soft facial features no one can ever mistook him as an agreeable and harmless gentlemen.
Then comes the man of the evening, sitting in the center table of the grand ballroom, right under the old-fashioned rock crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceilings of the grand ballroom. The golden light emitting from the chandelier was reflecting on his perfectly carved high cheekbones that can put even those Male Supermodels faces to shame and those stunning almond shaped brown eyes that were scrutinizing the surroundings as if it was filled with peasants who were bowing down to his majesty.After the announcement and the toast he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to his father and Igor who is almost like a second father to him or you can say the better father to him.
As the minutes turned into hours, all the so-called Socialite guests went over to congratulate the poker faced man who was turning 28th this evening with a smile on their face and a motive up the sleeves their perfectly ironed expensive suits.
He was never a big fan of his birthdays but as it's good for the PR so he had to attend it.
He was talking to a member of board , wait scratch that cause it was more like the bald man in front of him was going on and on about something and Zoran couldn't care less about what the man in front of him was saying and that was when he heard her voice, talking to someone, he didn't turned around to take a look at her instead faked interest in what the man in front of him was saying . "Happy birthday Zee" she bend down slightly to whispered in his ear from behind then left a small kiss on his earlobe which was anything but friendly.
"Seriously? ", he turned his head to look at her and was about to give her a brief lecture on punctuality but closed his mouth when he really took a look at her. She was wearing a deep grey silk gown which had a deep V-neck cut from the front which highlighted her slender frame. His eyes trailed down to her high nude colored stiletto then back up to her signature red hairs with a scorching gaze that left chills down her body. She was hot and he had known that for the last 6 years but he had never felt anything other than admiration for her and above all those things she is his best friend and his confidant and even though she had always been the one who never spoke much, he had always felt surprisingly more comfortable & relaxed in her company than anyone else's, two things which are not usually easy to be felt in the world he lived.
"Am I forgiven now? ", she said with a little smile on her face, when she saw the look of pure admiration and awe in his eyes. It's easy for her to read his eyes and movements , it's always had been. He kept his gaurds up around the whole world except her, and she don't know why but the thought of her being the only one who sees the real him or what the real version she thinks of him, somehow satisfy her in some twisted way.
"And here I thought, our pretty little redhead wasn't coming ", Valentin said in his loud voice when he spotted Natalia from afar talking with Zoran.
Just as she heard the voice of Elder Zavrazin her smile disappeared, and her permanent bitch faced mask felt right back into place. She turned to nod her head as a sign of respect in Elder Zavrazin's direction but didn't spoke a word. She knew the man from many years and she doesn't need any other proof to know that the man is dangerous
She was known in the Bussiness World as the young girl with the bad attitude and she wanted it to stay that way. It helped in building reputation and in her case it obviously did and she had learned this lesson from the best AKA her best friend, Zoran Valentin Zavrazin.
Valentin approached the center table and sat right opposite to his son which was just to rile up the young lady and make her realize once again that she can never be a part of the center table or in particular can never be a member of the Zavrazins. To became a part of the Zavrazins , you ought to prove your credibility and loyality which will take a lot more than the mere 6 years or you ought to have a Blood-related member in the Clan who think you are credible enough to join the clan.
Zoran knew exactly what his father's actions had tried to convey , but he also knew the consequences of him leaving the table and supporting Natalia. He won't and more importantly he can't stood up for her because she isn't Family and the most important law of his family is 'Stand by & Stand for thy family forever' and he can't afford to break those rules now or atleast not yet. Zoran stood up from his seat and turned towards Natalia, "I'll see you later, " he said with his usual authorotive voice then leaned down to gave her a side hug. She hugged him back , after she pulled back from him she gave him a silent nod.
Valentin watched the exchange between them with amusement unaware of the secret message passed between them through eyes.
Natalia clench then unclenched her jaw as she looked at Elder Zavrazin, it was for a brief moment but Valentin had seen that very brief moment of her losing her posture. He flashed a melacious smile which only appear when his carefully planned plan fell into place, he was definitely entertaining himself with his own sick tricks.