Chapter Seven

Richard Stone was an enigma to most people around him; though many people regarded him as their friend just to enjoy the merits that came with being associated with such a force, very few people could boldly say they were his friends.

Although he was born into a family of four- a sister and his parents, he was raised in a really large family environment; his extended family always came together to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Thanksgiving, Christmas.....basically anything that involved a celebration.

Melinda Stone, his mother was a beauty to behold with Italian roots - the major source of their large extended family that loved to stick together. Even at her age, she was toned with a shapely figure, glossy skin, midnight black hair that flowed over her shoulders, a pair of arched eyebrows looking on long eyelashes..and a set of angel-white teeth that glistened whenever she smiled.

She was a genuinely happy woman that loved her children and husband a lot, though so many people thought she could have done better with her choice of a life partner; she had a variety of well-to-do suitors being the only daughter of a popular business mogul, and they had assumed she would go for a wealthier man

Stone William, Richard's father was a handsome man- it was almost as if he got more handsome as he aged. He had such a bright air around him and could make anyone laugh, even in the worst situations- a trait that attracted Melissa to him. He was from an average family but was very intelligent..always the one to top his class in school

Melissa and William were high school sweethearts- they were so in love that their financial differences didn't matter to Melissa. They had fought against Melissa's family to get to where they were. It was during the early years of their marriage that Melissa's father became fond of William and left everyone shocked when he named William the CEO of his company. William had since expanded the business and had built a chain of other businesses, one of which was the marketing firm that Richard now oversaw.

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"Girl! You mean you got to see the mysterious Richard Stone and now you're going to a conference with him?" Lizzy squealed. Ivy had texted Lizzie immediately after she got back to her office. She met Ivy right there in their office complex when they were both just interns at the company. They had stuck together since then and had become friends; she was the only person Ivy felt safe telling her business in the office

"Yes?" Ivy hesitated, unsure of what to say. Although she trusted Ivy, she didn't think it was wise to tell her about her encounter with Richard in Vegas

"Do you know how many people would kill for that? Heck, I would kill to be you right now" Lizzie stressed

"You're crazy," Ivy said with a chuckle

"Oh yes! Crazy about Richard Stone" Lizzie replied imitating a singing voice

"I give up on you," Ivy said, shaking her head as both ladies broke into a fit of giggles

"There was this beautiful cocktail dress that caught my attention in a store down the road," Lizzie said almost immediately

"You need a dress? We could check it out later"Ivy said, excited by the thought of visiting a clothing store

"The dress is for you. Duh!" Lizzie said like she couldn't believe Ivy didn't understand why she needed a dress.

"I don't remember saying anything about needing a dress," Ivy said, confusion evident in her voice

"I can't believe you're so clueless" Lizzie finally said out loud "There's always a cocktail event on the last day of every conference", she added

"Okay, so?"

"So you need a pretty dress to have the men at your feet," Lizzie said with a smile on her face like she had just made a new scientific discovery.

"We should get back," Ivy said, shaking her head at her friend

"Shoot.....it's past our lunch break already," Lizzie said as they both got up to return to their offices

The ladies made small talk until they got to the office building

"So how does it feel to have your own office space?" Lizzie asked Ivy just as they stepped onto the elevator

"Girl! I really can't explain how it feels. It's-

She paused mid-sentence when a hand that looked masculine stopped the elevator from shutting, so he could step in

"Is it me or did it just get hotter in here? I mean who is this handsome bloke standing in this elevator with us" Lizzie whispered to Ivy

"Lizzy! Tha-"

"Hello handsome, I think you look handsome and my friend here doesn't think otherwise either" Lizzie drawled, not bothering to listen to Ivy's response

"Really? her face says she doesn't agree with you" the stranger chuckled

"Oh, she's just shy" Lizzie replied

"I would love to hear it from her" he insisted

"Well, go on" Lizzie nudged Ivy forward

The elevator suddenly became hot and Ivy felt like she was going to fall if she made the slightest move, it was as if her life was a movie and she was just watching it play out in front of her.

"Ivy?" Lizzie prompted

"Yy-yes, she's right. I think you're handsome" Ivy finally managed to say

Ivy could not be more thankful when the elevator came to a stop on her floor

"See you around, handsome?" Lizzie said, waving at the man and laughing at the same time as Ivy dragged her out of the elevator

"That was fun," Lizzie said giggling

"That was Richard Stone," Ivy said, almost screaming

"What do you mean Richard Stone?" Lizzie replied in a surprised whisper as they both looked back to see the stranger staring at them directly, with the beginnings of a smile forming on his lips just before the elevator doors shut again. "Why didn't you say anything?" she added, groaning in frustration

"It's not like you stopped to listen to me" Ivy replied her

"I already spent more than my lunch break, then there's the incident in the elevator. I just hope I have a job to get back to tomorrow" Lizzie said as she hurriedly made her way back to her office

"Serves you right" Ivy replied, laughing at her friend's misery as she made her way in the opposite direction to her office