"Sophia Mondrego, I never thought I would see you here tonight," Mr. Tony the Waveman said, his voice laced with thinly veiled hostility as he strode towards her.
"I must say, you've impressed us all tonight with your bold bid. You caught me off guard with it. But let's not forget the true master of this game," he chuckled weightily as he spoke.
"Indeed, Mr. Tony the Waveman. How can I forget the true game players if they're no longer a match? True mastery isn't measured by empty boasts," she replied, her words hanging in the air.
"I hope you stick to your Gametech and not get overly confident to move to the business world. You know what that means, right?" he said with a mischievous grin, fury underlying his words.
"I can't promise you that," Sophia said with a slight bow. "I have to take my leave." As she brought her head up to walk away, her gaze fell on Mr. Salvador across the room. Their eyes met, as he stared deeply into her eyes and Sophia immediately averted her eyes and turned to leave.
"Let's get out of here," Mr. Salvador said as he stormed out of the gala with his men.
"I love this girl," Mr. Tony exclaimed, laughing as his face lit up. But within a second, his expression fell, turning furiously with clenched fists as he watched her leave.
"Who is she?" Mr. Salvador E.V. questioned as they sat in his Maruti Dzire car.
"Oh, that was Sophia Mondrego. She's known for ruling the Game world, and also for her beauty," Mr. Bravo said as he brought his phone out to google her.
"I am so glad you put a stop to the bidding without going too far and let her have it. She can make twice that money in a week so it was no challenge for her," Mr. Bravo said, smiling.
"How come I am just hearing about her?" Mr. Salvador asked.
"Well, mainly because she lives a private life. She isn't seen where she doesn't want to be seen.
She's just a gamer, nothing more, nothing less. Now, get this phone off my face," Mr. Salvador said sharply.
…....…
As he stormed through the entrance of his palatial estate, his footsteps were heard from afar, echoing off the marble floors and signaling his mood before he could even utter a word.
"S-Sir, Sir you are home," Mariana, one of his maids, said as she rushed to him from the main entrance. He bypassed her without saying anything.
"Mr. Vanguard, Mr. Vanguard, hear me out," she said, quickening her pace to keep up with him. "Sir, there is an urgent matter that—" Before she could finish her statement, Mr. Vanguard was already in his elevator, its doors shut right in her face.
She sighed heavily as she watched the elevator ascend. Looking up at the third floor, she hurriedly took the steps, running with full strength to catch him as he emerged from the other end where the elevator stopped.
"Sir, please hear me out, it's important, that you listen to this," she said as she rushed to meet him.
"The local people are complaining about your House of Farm company taking over their lands and water. They are pressing charges against you," she said hastily, without catching a breath, as she walked hastily to meet him.
"Call my lawyer," he barked, his voice sharp and cutting. "I don't have time for this right now," he said as he strode off and slammed his door closed behind him.
Mariana stood there trying to catch her breath. The next thing she heard was the sound of a broken glass being in Mr. Vanguard's room.
"Let him be," Mr. Bravo shouted from downstairs. "I will speak with the lawyer," he added.
"How can this be possible?" Mr. Salvador uttered in annoyance as he breathed heavily in his room, his eyes filled with fury as he gazed into the darkness of his backyard.
"Let him come down first. He got defeated today," Mr. Bravo said.
"Huh, defeated?" Mariana said in shock as her eyes widened.
"And by a woman too," Mr. Bravo said slowly, looking away.
"Oh my, who could that be?" Mariana added, her heart still racing.
"Sophia Mondrego," Mr. Bravo said.
"Sophia Mondrego," Mr. Salvador also said in his room, his hands gripping his phone tightly as he stared at a picture of her taken on a red carpet show.
"Oh my, oh my, I see a rising fire starting. I hope he doesn't let her pay for it," Mariana said, her eyes still wide open.
With a heavy sigh, Mr. Salvador looked at her one last time and then threw his phone, smashing it on the floor.
…....…..
"Who are we still waiting for? Can't we just start the meeting and get it over with already?" one billionaire with an oval head grumbled, his irritation boiling over as he adjusted himself in his chair in the room of the board meeting.
"I am sorry, sir, but we can't start the meeting without her," the secretary said, his tone firm, waving off Mr. White's gaze.
"A woman? You mean we are here waiting for a woman? How stupid can that be? Is she of the same status as us?" the oval-headed billionaire Mr.White said as he rose from his chair and slammed his hand down on the table.
"Mr. White, calm down. She is almost here," another billionaire said, seated at the right side of the table. "The secretary said she is almost here. Let's give her a chance before we make any judgments," he added.
"Don't tell me you are okay with us waiting for a lady. Do you know what that means for my name? What a mockery!"Mr. White exclaimed, sinking back into his chair and folding his hands. His anger simmered beneath the surface as he cast a disdainful glance at the empty chair at the far end of the table.