Chapter Fifteen

"I hear you're the star of the moment," Dre said to Ivy as they made their way to the bar to get drinks

"What do you mean star?" Ivy asked him with a tinge of curiosity in her voice, as she turned to face him

"News about how you stole hearts with your presentation has spread like wildfire" He replied to her with a sly smile

"Saying I stole hearts would be overrating it now," She said with a modest smile on her face. Ivy didn't know that news spread that quickly amongst the elite; she didn't even realize that her presentation had been so good to warrant gossip

"Oh! Don't be so modest. Accept your accolades. From what I hear, you deserve it"

"Thank you. I'm humbled" She replied to him with a smile and a light blush creeping up her neck

"I'm not sure your boss values you enough, whoever that is. You should come work with me...you'll be made a partner" Richard said with a smirk on his face

"My boss-"

"There you are, I've been trying to locate you," Richard said, as he appeared beside Ivy. Richard knew he shouldn't interfere in their discussion but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't stand by watching Dre say whatever sweet nothings he was known for to Ivy. He didn't think she was strong enough to resist him

"That took you so long," Ivy said turning around to reply to him

"Oh! I see this is your boss. The more reason for you to think about my offer" Dre said to Ivy as he handed his complimentary card to her "You should call me" he said, then went on to add "Good to see you, man" as he turned towards Richard, patting him on the shoulder

"Hmmm" Richard grunted in response

"I see there's some bad blood there," Ivy said as she faced Richard

"I don't know what you mean" Richard replied to her in a tone that said the topic wasn't up for further discussion

"Whatever you say," Ivy said raising her hands in surrender as she took a sip from her glass of wine

Richard was conflicted about asking her about the offer Dre talked about. He knew he shouldn't interfere with her matters; apart from the fact that it wasn't professional, Richard knew that interfering with her matters would only stir up the emotions he was trying to place a lid on, but on the other hand, he knew that Dre could not be trusted

"What did Dre mean when he asked you to consider his offer," Richard asked her finally

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Please have your seats. The event is about to begin" a voice boomed through the speakers

For a moment, Ivy had forgotten that they were there to attend an event. She had been so engrossed in her talk with Dre that she failed to take note of her environment. As Richard led her toward the table that had been reserved for them, she took her time to look around the room and she was impressed by what she saw; men were dressed in perfectly tailored tuxedos she knew were designers, and the women were dressed in different lovely evening dresses. The room was beautifully decorated and awe-inspiring chandeliers hung low from the ceiling. There were beautiful stations for deserts that Ivy felt like reaching out her hand to have a taste of.

Finally, as they settled down in their seats, Ivy allowed her roaming eyes to rest on Richard; the light from the chandeliers above them cast a glow on his face that made him look even more handsome. His hair looked like he just got a new haircut and was flawlessly styled....if only I met him before Luke, she thought

"He said I should come work with him," She said out of nowhere

"What?" Richard asked her confused

"Dre. He asked me to come work with him and offered me a partnership" she replied to him

Richard could feel his blood boil as he clenched his fist underneath the table. "How dare he" he thought. He could see Dre smirking in his direction from across the room and it took all he had in him to control his anger; not because he cared about what anyone would say about hum punching someon in public but because he couldt risk exposing the secureeet he had spent years trying to keep- something he knew Dre wouldn't hesitate to spill. They had been best friends so he knew a lot about him; more than Richard was comfortable with

"Are you okay?" Ivy asked him, concerned

"Yes, yes. I'm just wondering why that son of a bitch would do that"

"Because he knows talent when he sees one," Ivy said with a chuckle but Richard didn't answer her; he seemed to be in a world of his own

"Don't worry, I didn't even consider it?" She said to him as she placed her hand on his thigh in a bid to reassure him

Richard could feel his heart beat faster as he looked at the hand she had placed on his thigh. He knew it was an innocent act but he couldn't help but think otherwise

"S-sorry" Ivy stuttered and blushed a deep shade of red as she quickly pulled her hand away

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the final stage of the event" The voice from the speaker boomed again, making Ivy wonder why she had been so oblivious to the event happening around her.

There was excited chatter in the room that left Ivy curious

"We're moving to the best part of the event; the auction," Richard said to her as if noticing her curiosity

"Oh, okay," She said simply

The auction started and Ivy watched in wonder as people bought insignificant items at ridiculously high prices

"The money is given to charity," Richard said as if he could read her mind

"Oh I love that" Ivy squealed at the next item up for an auction; it was a stuffed animal

"What would you do with that?" Richard asked her in surprise

"I just love it" She shrugged

"Stuffed animal up for sale. Starting price is one thousand dollars" The anchor said

"One thousand, five hundred dollars" Ivy said, raising her tag

"Three thousand dollars," A middle-aged lady behind her said

"What does she need it for" Ivy sulked "There is no way I can top that", she continued

"Stuffed animal going for three thousand dollars" The anchor announced

There was a collective gasp in the room when a voice said "Ten thousand dollars"

"No one is ever going to beat that" Ivy was saying until she realised that the bid was made by Richard

"Why did you do that?" She gasped

"That's the same question I'm asking myself," Richard thought