The ceremony was brief with a concluding speech from the mayor of Delhi.
Tasha stayed by Edward and smiled during his speech.
"Not only will we be commissioning this place but creating job opportunities for brilliant fashion savvy people in India,"
Edward shook the mayor's hand and he took a pair of scissors snipping the ribbon in half and they applauded.
They proceeded to tour around the building and Tasha smiled. 'With that witch out of my view, I'll have my poor sweet Eddie to myself,' She brushed his chin and Edward brought down her hand.
"I thought you looked smashing with your stubble," She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
He chuckled "I'll do just fine without it,"
She grimaced in secret and smiled back while they escorted the locals to the floors.
She spoke a little Hindi to the locals and they put their hands together and looked pleased.
"We are glad to be working with you," One said and Edward shook hands with them.
Tasha said something else and they laughed.
"We understand, Mister Edward sir,"
"That even though we sell expensive clothes that charity is our top priority?" He had a dry look.
Tasha shrugged. "What can I say? Our people around here are very cheerful, they don't take anything to heart. I assure you, Edward, we will be the most hardworking people in this company,"
He grinned "Too bad, you would've made a great supervisor here, Tasha,"
Her smile wavered and she nodded brushing her hair out of her eyes and sighing at his brush-offs or maybe she wasn't making her intentions clear enough.
Edward glanced at the door and he brightened at Olivia coming toward them unawares.
She wore a white tunic with bishop sleeves and a black waist belt and a khaki skirt and open toed heels.
There was a bright reddish orange bouquet around her neck and his chest heaved as she came forward with Danica holding a shopping bag.
"I hope we didn't miss out too much?" She looked around, glancing at Edward in his suit again, she was half disappointed that he stopped wearing it.
"Not at all,"
Tasha looked from him to Olivia.
Her shoulder to his chest and at the way he took her in.
Such a dirty player. I must find a way to win his heart.
Olivia wiped her snout and looked distant scooching away. She may have been too unguarded on the runway.
"You ghosted me at the runway," He said and her hair swivelled when she turned sharply at his accusation.
"No, it's nothing like that, Eddie," She waved her bracelet hands and she flinched at her ring falling off and he caught it raising it to her finger.
Tasha's nostrils flared.
"Haha," She chuckled. "I'm such a clod," She brushed her hair back entertaining Edward again.
"This looks like a replica of Mode, I love the contemporary styled chandelier and the plaster of Paris ceiling, it looks like it's gonna hold, say ten years,"
"Give it twenty," His nose wrinkled and she braced her hands on her hips mocking him.
"It's a bet I'd wanna remember this," She snorted.
"Oh, if it means that much then we'll keep in touch. Maybe go on a voyage here sometime...and have a look at it," He drawled and Olivia beamed at him.
"I'll be waiting," She pointed.
Edward shrugged, "I suppose you went on a shopping spree without telling me,"
"Oh, you have no idea," She reddened.
Danica coughed "Clutch! Pull back,"
cough* cough*
Olivia sighed mentally taking note of her warning. "Well, we've had a pleasant day,"
"Yes, Eddie, now that our ceremony's over, why don't we go see the rest of Delhi, since you're new here," Tasha's voice was high pitched and her eyes glimmered in a way Edward couldn't say no to.
"Olivia, would you like to tag along?" His eyes followed Dante Martino.
He had raven black hair, dreamy brown eyes, a big nose and olive skin. He was wearing a brown shirt and cargo shorts, he held an iTouch and shook Edward's hand. He was the Graphic Designer and handled Marketing.
"You were amazing, Senorita Olivia...," He spoke in Spanish and Danica bit her finger nervous and Olivia beamed.
"Yes, sorry I'm a mess now..., I don't wanna ruin your shot," She waved.
"Nonsense," She gulped when he pulled her close with the others, took a selfie and saved it.
"Great,"
"Ugh!" Tasha shoved when Dante took her arm and they walked outside the building.
"Let's go,"
"Yeah, we'll catch up," Danica swung her arm and Edward grinned leaving with them and she sighed. "You're making a big mistake,"
Olivia brushed her forehead and thought about Jake in Durham. She clenched her chest and wondered why she was thinking about that kiss and she switched her heels for white sandals. "I will and I'm ready for some fun,"
Edward exchanged his suit for beach wear, he wore red Bermuda pants and a shirt with the buttons flailed open.
A few women at the beach raised their sunglasses at him and cupped their faces gushing at him in the sun. While he played beach volleyball with Dante Martino and a few colleagues.
Olivia was just bringing up her cover and pulling down her sunhat then settled down with her sketchbook.
"Don't expose so much skin, too," Danica warned.
Olivia glared at her from the lifeguard tower. "Hello, Baywatch!? Look at me, do you see any g-strings or boob tubes?!"
She wiggled her hands around her outfit and clamped her mouth shut at the others staring at her and she chuckled while they moved on.
"Grrr," She felt like wringing Caroline's neck. "You are unbelievable!"
"So are you,"
She turned and winced at the total stranger.
He grinned and threatened to grope her breasts and she smacked her sunhat against his face tottering back.
"G_get lost!" She kicked him hard in the groin and he stumbled in the sand groaning.
"Idiot!"
Her bodyguards shoved him upright and took him away.
"Thanks, guys," She huffed at a bodyguard patting his shoulder. He nodded and left to oversee the scumbag that was dealt with.
And she lost traction of her sunhat in the breeze, Edward gripped it and then he brushed the sand off of it.
"That guy gives you any more trouble?"
"I'm fine Ed, I had it under control," She ignored his abs and made eye contact only.
"Damnstraight you did," He asserted and his eyes crinkled under the sun, scanning her.
"No one messes with my girl and gets away with it," He snorted holding her shoulder and Olivia gripped his shirt keeping steady.
Olivia's legs felt like melted butter and she shrugged.
"Excuse me, sonny, I am not your...," She gasped at the tabloids and flipped them at a photo of her and Edward on the runway. She had looked smitten then and he was looking right at her like deer with his arm around her waist. She swallowed hard.
'A new power couple in the works'
"What have I gotten myself into?"