“Which means this Mr. Smith should be from out of town,” Joyce said as she scratched her chin thoughtfully.
Natalie merely shrugged. “Who cares where he is from. It’s got nothing to do with us anyway. Let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s go find that b*tch Jasmine,” Joyce said as she helped Natalie to her feet.
As they passed the first row of seats, a man dressed as a bodyguard came up to them and stopped them in their tracks. “May I know if the two of you are in charge of Studio Nouveau?”
“And you are?” Joyce stepped up protectively to shield Natalie behind her as she regarded the man with wariness.
The man continued with a straight face. “I work for Mr. Smith. I’ve been sent to extend an invitation for you to meet with him.”
“Meet with us?” Joyce and Natalie exchanged looks.
Natalie furrowed. “May I ask what is the purpose of this meeting?”
“To discuss matters concerning the bidding exercise. This way please, ladies.” The man’s gesture and body language suggested that declining was not an option.
Joyce looked worriedly at Natalie. “What now, Nat? Should we go, or should we not?”
Her friend lowered her eyes and paused. “We’ll go. It doesn’t look like he is giving us a choice.”
“But what if this Mr. Smith means to do us harm?” Joyce said as she hugged her arms.
Natalie laughed, “This is a public place. I doubt he would be so bold as to try anything here.”
“You may be right about that. Let’s go then,” Joyce reluctantly agreed and assisted Natalie as they followed the bodyguard up to the second floor.
When they entered the private room, Natalie saw a young man seated on the couch. He was average-looking, dressed in an ordinary suit, and was unremarkable in every way imaginable. How could someone so distinctively average be the Mr. Smith that won the bidding exercise?
The young man smiled as he got to his feet. It was as though he had read Natalie’s thoughts. “Greetings, I’m Mr. Smith’s secretary. You may call me Plumlee.”
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