2 The Book Club

Maybe it was the walls that evoked the feeling but going in through the gate was like wandering into a separate world. Describing it as a broad complex was already a huge understatement, it contained various buildings that catered to every want of the members. There were restaurants, shops, leisure spots and even a residential area all over the place built after a majority vote from the members. Some of the establishments were owned by the members themselves. There were also roads to accommodate the cars for the convenience of the members going from place to place.

We were in front of the plaza where the maiden statue from the zodiac was surrounded with water spouting from the ground in a large circle. It took up most of the attention from the flower beds that splashed the scene with blues, pinks and violets designed to dazzle the onlookers.

However, the most vital part of the club and our destination was the business area where The Library was located. It was located farther inside and we'd have to catch a ride with the passing golf cart to reach it since the car was still sitting outside.

We rode one and passed the multitude of establishments along the way. Noticeably, women of all ages were everywhere. It was the most distinguished feature of the club. You need to have money, prestige or notability to be able to enter the club subject to approval. One of them can be missing but the one iron-clad rule that cannot be broken is that one must be a woman to join. Of course, the club isn't the Amazons to bar males from entering. They're welcomed inside as guests of the members.

The Library, unlike what the name suggested, was a skyscraper that was hard to miss. Sunlight bounced off its shiny exterior as a reflection of its surroundings inundated its surface. It was the headquarters for the club and where the meeting would take place.

We went in and headed for the 30th floor where the conference room for the meeting is located. On the outside, it was just one of the many meeting room members could use but no one but us knew that it was where important decisions took place. It was a private office where the Approving Committee for the club filtered out the applications for aspiring members. We weren't allowed to divulge our roles to maintain fairness and at the same time, we also didn't know who appointed us. We just received an invitation from the club one day and ever since then, we've been doing it regularly. We all thought that it came from the founding members but no one really knew their identities so it was all speculation until now.

I had to tap my ID to the sensor beside the door before we heard a click that meant it was already unlocked. We entered the room and found someone already inside. She was seated on one of those single seater high-backed sofas artly placed around the room, facing the curved glass wall that overlooked a part of the beach. She glanced toward us and nodded in greeting to acknowledge our presence but it was accompanied as usual by her detached face.

"Hey Lila, where are the others?" Elaine asked as she plopped herself to one of the stylish ergonomic chairs that surrounded the circular meeting table in the middle of the room, unfazed by Lila's cold reception.

Lila Martinez was an international model and her appearance further emphasized that fact. Her mahogany waves were put up in a messy updo paired with a red long coat that flared around the waist like a dress, black tights and velvet black boots and an aloof gaze befitting of an ice cold beauty. Whenever I see her on magazine spreads or fashion shows flashing animated expressions, I always wonder if it's the same dull Lila that I know. In the committee, she was the one in charge of scheduling the meetings.

"Quinn should be arriving any minute now but the others aren't coming today," Lila murmured quietly.

I moved towards the table and flipped through the thick file of applications piled on it. "There's a lot to go through again."

"Doesn't matter, most of them would be rejected anyway," a bright voice commented.

I looked up and saw Quinn breezily walked into the room. Her smiling face was accented by her pink lips. She warded off the winter cold with a beige trench coat, a simple blouse and skinny jeans outfit and wrapped it off with brown ankle boots. The ensemble was toned down and acted as an accessory to Quinn's physical appearance. It looked plain at first glance but a closer look would show that every piece belonged to famous brands befitting the status of a socialite from the family owned leading media giant, HBS. She was a literal media darling.

"It's been a while everyone. We're due for a catch up but let's tackle this application first," she took a handful of applications to review while wrinkling her face at the amount.

Everyone gathered around the table and evaluated the papers seriously. We have to go through thick files for each one containing not just the application but also background checks that involve family generations, business relations and assets, net worth and all the sordid details the club could unearth. Everything was evaluated. Members might carry problematic baggage and they need to make sure that the club could handle it without issues.

The club can be a private leisure spot, a highly sought business network or a social connection depending on how it's employed. The place was brimming with benefits for a member and our job was to make sure that the club also benefited from the connection.

"Oh. Ashley applied again. Are we accepting her this year?" Elaine mused after a while.

"Which Ashley?" I asked, trying to sift through all the rejects.

"That Ashley from construction," Quinn snapped her fingers in remembrance.

Upon hearing construction, I glanced meaningfully at Elaine, "Did you reject your rival company?"

Elaine's family, The Wheelers, had their finger in all sorts of pie but their biggest share was in construction where they remain uncontested.

And here sat their heiress, sticking her tongue out at me like a kid, "It was a unanimous decision for your information." Her eyes turned speculative, "Maybe we should accept her this time. She'll definitely cause trouble for my family."

"She's too much of an attention grabber," Lila shook her head in disagreement.

"Agreed. She's always on the news these days for all sorts of stuff. She doesn't discriminate between good or bad as long as she's in the limelight. She's a favorite of the tabloids. Not including the information blocked by her family," Quinn wagged her finger playfully.

"Reject it is," Elaine nodded and put her file on the growing pile of vetoed applications.

It wasn't that the club frowned upon controversial applicants but they should have the capability to solve their problems if they had the guts to cause trouble in the first place.

"I'm thinking of accepting this one," I mentioned, passing the file to them for cross-check.

"Marinette from that IT company. I heard good things about her. No problems on her file as well so I agree," Elaine said.

After a moment of checking, Lila nodded in agreement as well.

"I've no problems with her as well but she might've a problem with me," Quinn muttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"I'm not really sure myself but she always found reasons to clash with me but don't worry about it. I know how to handle her," Quinn confidently assured them.

"Got a dirty secret on her?" I knowingly stared at her.

"Something like that" she winked.

I didn't doubt her one bit. Her connection with the media gave her access to a myriad of information that she took advantage without hesitation.

"Miranda has a dirty secret though." Elaine excitedly revealed which spectacularly derailed the topic to my direction.

I already felt a headache coming on.

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