The clanging of utensils on the dining table was the only sound heard until Jose decided to break the air.

"I hear you've been getting acquainted with the VP. How's that going for you? You know, I thought with any luck you'll still be in office," he demonstrated with his knife in one hand.

George Hobart relaxed on his back and took in his guests. Theodore seemed too concentrated on his food to care about eye contact.

"Well," the elderly man with streaks of white hair said. "For the past few months I've had to pull all the strings I have—I thought I had. Turns out that woman is a snake, after I had lobbied for her and brought her team to power she suddenly thinks I'm too old to be chief of staff at the White House!" He hissed, banging his cutlery on the table.

"I had warned you about Kiera May, she isn't like the people we used to work for," Theo said out of the blue.

"Daddy never listens," Regina rasped, dabbing gently at her red lips. "You should've listened to Theo when he told you not to invest with those damn democrats, you cross carpeted."

George frowned at his daughter for calling him out like that but already he knew she wasn't lying. Regina wasn't like the rest of the women who cowered beneath powerful men, rather she dined and wined with them daily.

"It was a bad election though, if things had played out the way we wanted it to, you wouldn't be in this mess anyways," Jose said to soothe the old man's nerves. He wasn't too enthusiastic about politics but since it involved their business then he had no choice.

Regina turned to Theo and gave a charming look his way, one that could send great men like Alexander the Great into unwarranted warfare. She was gorgeous, she stood like a tall glass of wine with her rare platinum hair.

"How was your trip to Moscow? You'll have to tell me all about it over some kush," she said, her eyes sparkled and she placed a hand on his and whispered. "By the way, I received your gift with warmth, Jose was specific,"

Theo's dreadful eyes flew to his friend across the table and Jose swallowed hard, he offered a tight smile wondering why he was being given such a skin-crawling look.

Theo managed to detach her hand from his before offering her a quick response. "There was nothing special about Russia, just work and rest. And for the gift_" she cut in before he could finish.

"Don't mention," She gave a lopsided smile as she stood and went over to the anteroom for some more wine, she was a heavy drinker.

"Mr. Hobart, can I have a word with you after dinner?" Theo said with a straight face while they silently dug into their food.

"Sure, as long as I get to eat all my chicken and pasta," he laughed and Jose joined. "How is that old cranky cousin of yours? Is she still as tough as a nut or has old age gotten to her like me?" George asked in between sipping a glass of wine.

"Madame Evana?" Jose exclaimed in surprise. "She'd have your head on a spike if she heard you say that. That woman still gives me the scare whenever I'm around her, yikes." Jose said.

Regina joined them with a jug of red wine. "Daddy, did you hide your beer or what? I just can't seem to find it. I need something stronger, urgh!" She dropped to her chair in frustration.

"Darling, not in front of our guests." George cautioned a grunt of disapproval emanating from his throat.

She rolled her beautiful blue orbs like he'd made a silly remark. "It's Theo, Dad,"

"What about me?" Jose interjected pointing at himself.

"Oh, you're a nut job. Nothing relevant." She squinted at a gobsmacked Jose.
Jose held his chest like he felt hurt by her chiding remarks which made George and his daughter laugh. Theo sat still, and in thought, he seemed to be doing more of that since dinner started.

The two men stood by the patio after dinner, Theo held a cigar in between his fingers while George kept a glass of wine by the coffee table close to him. They gazed silently at the night sky, listening to the wind whisper secrets of life to whomever was attentive.

"I got your letter," Theo started.

"And I got your presumed response. Quite disappointing I may say." George turned to the man by his left who stood stout with one hand in his pocket.

"I'll say it reeked of desperation George, it's not a feature I see in you regularly." Theo finally came face to face with him.

George shrugged and took a deep breath. "I guess difficult times call for difficult measures. I took the next step to salvage my crumbling ship, Theo."

"By asking me to marry your daughter?"

"By asking you to protect my assets under the umbrella of the Newman legacy. Not even the government can harm you or anyone close to you. I'm in dire need of such power and the only person I thought would help disappointed me!" he hissed. "Damn making acquaintances all your life and having them turn their backs on you when things get messy," George muttered to himself, streaks of stress lines appearing at the corners of his eyes as he glared harder at Theo.

Theo bent over to set the remnant of his cigar on the plate on the coffee table. He stared impassively at George Hobart, they used to be comrades with the previous govt when he was in office but power had changed hands and the old man needed an escape. Someone who would help him clear his dirty records.

Theo knew what implications it held to agree to George's request but he wasn't going to play into the hands of trouble, yet.

"I do not have to make myself clear again about my stance with having a companion Mr. Hobart, I hope I made myself clear on such subject matter?"

"My daughter is a great fit for you, a dazzling beauty and you are the only man she's ever had interest in. Can't you see the brighter side of things?"

His jaws tightened, hands flexed but Theo chose to hide them inside his pocket to avoid flipping at the man before him. "I'll let it pass for today, but I promise it may not be this peaceful the next time." he grabbed his coat on the hanger and signaled to Jose that he was leaving.

"If only I wasn't married, I wouldn't hesitate to take Regina to the altar, that woman is Cleopatra in the flesh!" Jose fawned as they drove home.

"Good thing you're then," Theo said.

Jose hissed and threw his face out of the window. The night was cold but he loved the scent of it. "Edna is getting on my nerves these days, I live in the clubhouse these days. Can't have peace of mind in my own home." A dark frown marked his smooth face. His black hair danced with the night breeze.

"I don't know how I ended up with such a bitter wench, I mean, we used to be so lovey-dovey until we had Lily. Suddenly she just switched."

"I can't relate mate, issues like this sound strange to me," Theo said, startling his friend.

"I'm surprised you gave an input at all, usually you'd ignore my rants." Jose sighed. "How did I get here? Stuck in a loveless marriage and with a friend who abhors the idea of marriage and romance." Jose tsked, he was indeed alone in his predicaments.

"Before I forget, Jose, the next time you'll pull that stunt with Ms. Hobart I'll have your teeth ripped out while you're awake."

His friend chuckled and threw his hands in surrender. "I was only rattling you a bit, she seemed to love it though."

"Only because she thought it came from me," Theo replied with a difficult look on his face. He wasn't in any way interested in Regina in all her beauty and grace. He just wanted things to go back to how they were. "I'll drop you off at the next stop, find your way home I've got other things to take care of."

Jose flipped from his position, a look of terror marked on his face. "There you go again Theo, I thought we'd drive to your place and have a chat over a few good wines. It's been ages since I've been to the Brick mansion."

Theo hit the brakes at the red lights and then waited patiently while ignoring his friend.

Jose huffed, drumming his fingers on the console by his left. "This... thing that you cannot talk about is it in any way connected to the reason why you don't want to settle down? If you're keeping it from me then it's no_"

He couldn't finish the sentence because Theo swerved the car to the roadside and let the locks open. "That's your cue, Jose,"

Jose watched the red Maserati drive away with speed, he knew his friend was a tough one.

**********

"She's been missing for months now, some say she was involved in the bomb blast at St. Petersburg."

"How certain are you of that?"

The PI, Dean Abbot handed him a brown envelope, Theo tore through it and carefully read the evidential DNA information. It conveyed much of his doubts about the whereabouts of Adelaide Stone, the mother to his son.

"I guess I'll have to wrap it up here," he said with a sigh, this wasn't the result he had hoped for. Somehow his guts tell him she was still alive and that she was playing tricks on him, goading him to frustration to see what he was like, but this right here said otherwise.
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