The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived. People mingled easily holding a glass of champagne or wine, laughing delicately for the ladies or boisterously for the gents or talking shop for the business-minded.

Jeremy had taken her with him to mingle with a few people up the ladder that they had met before, but seeing how nervous she was, he had left her to retreat to her shell while he moved around on his own to talk to prospective clients.

While wandering about, she had noticed some of the waitress wore a pin that had the obvious logo of 'CAPPEL' inscribed on it. She had barely spared it a glance, telling herself that there was no way he would be back in town and she wouldn't know. He was far too important for people not to have said anything.

Now, she was standing in the company of four single ladies gossiping about the handsome men present at the party. Most had already been in relationships with half the men here so took their time dissecting each man's flaws. It beat her imagination why she was in their midst but they were the only group in the party that didn't look at her twice immediately she joined them.

"I'm not particularly fond of Charles. He's a big gambler and a chronic womanizer but he's good in bed if you're looking for fun," said one of the girls who was called Vivy, breaking into her thoughts.

The others, Bella, Ivory, and Shanelle laughed at her comment. It was obvious they belonged to some sort of clique. Vivy or Vivica, however, was Ivory's younger sister.

"I swear I thought he was serious when he asked me out but I soon realized it was all for fun. Despite it, I can honestly say it was worth it. Money wise obviously," Shanelle replied, causing a giggle to erupt from the group.

"Tayo isn't bad, even his cousin Lolu. They aren't good in bed, but Lolu can treat you like the queen you deserve to be," Ivory said, turning the tide of the discussion to two guys who resembled somewhat. Both tall, both handsome and definitely rich, Sara decided.

"Wait, you slept with the two?" quizzed Vivy in an incredulous tone. They all stared at Ivory, who blushed furiously and another giggle escaped their lips. Even Sara was shocked at the revelation.

Then they fell silent, scanning the crowd for their past conquests.

"Girls, I know you said it's quite impossible and I might be wasting my time, but I'm still stuck on Lucas Caspian-Asiegbu. I mean that guy is hot!" Bella exclaimed suddenly and the girls stared at her dreamily.

"He's gorgeous!"

"And stinking rich!"

"And super single!"

Stunned, Sara could only listen in shock as the girls discussed him.

"He isn't that unattainable. I mean if you can bribe your way into his schedule. Abuja girls has probably had their fill of him for five years. It's our turn now," Shanelle said.

"I heard he's staying for a long time in Lagos. My dad said this house is on a five year lease," Ivory, obviously the leader of the group stated.

"Which means more time to catch him. I wonder how good in bed he is?" asked Bella casting a glance around "Do you know Sara?"

Caught off-guard, Sara stumbled over her words. "H-he's good. He should be, I mean he's rich, right?"

They shrugged, mulling over her response.

"Well, not always but Lucas should be. You're right," Vivy replied, gracing her with a heartfelt smile.

"I should probably start this night once he gets here. He's being awfully late for someone who invited people to his house," Bella pouted, looking annoyed.

Sara choked on that. "His house?" The question came out as a whisper, her mind turning like the cogs of a machine, reminding her about the logo of the company she had seen earlier.

Shanelle heard it and replied. "Yeah, his house. It's his house warming party. Although I really have no idea why he was being all secretive and anonymous about it."

"My dad said it's CAPPELs protocol. Lucas suddenly isn't 'big' on being in the spotlight," Ivory added, scoffing.

The girls continued their tales, oblivious to Sara's pale face.

Suddenly, Sara knew why she had been nervous about coming to this party. It was a very bad idea from the get go. She didn't have it in her to meet him anytime soon, and definitely not at his party, not even for the sake of the business. She would let Jeremy handle it as he was good with human relations. With her mind made up, she excused herself to go find Jeremy. They had to leave, or at least she had to. She couldn't meet him, not today as she wasn't ready. She didn't even know if she would ever be ready.

Blindly, she cut through various groups to get to the other side of the massive room where Jeremy was, only to pause mid strides as a deep baritone she was familiar with chilled her to the bones with a laugh.

He was really here! A few meters behind her but still too close for comfort. She could recognize that voice anywhere. Torn between her mission and her curiosity, Sara willed herself to stay where she was.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I've been gone for quite a while to forget what Lagos traffic is like. Abuja truly is better. No offence," Lucas joked as he explained to a group of people who were a few meters behind her.

"I must admit, we thought it rude that you would be late to your own party," A man said and a few murmurs agreed with him.

Lucas smiled tight lipped. "I had to drop off my son at his aunts' for the evening. He would have been bored out of his mind at this party," he replied in a tone that suggested he wanted to be in his son's shoes right now.

The group chuckled at his comment with the smile still plastered on his face. His eyes darted around the room, taking in faces of various famous people at the party.

"Forgive this ridiculous fool for keeping everyone waiting. I erroneously thought that since it is my house and my party, it should be my rules too!" His voice rang out loud and clear to all in the room. Laughter boomed all around at his sarcastic comment.

When the noise went down, he raised a glass in the air for toast.

"Please, everyone, Thank you for being here. CAPPEL and I appreciate this, trully. I am honored that the elites of this great city opened their welcoming hands to me."

"Hear, hear!" boomed the first man with a wide grin.

Sara accepted the glass of champagne as the waiter moved near her. Anxiously she drained the glass in one gulp, scanning the crowd for Jeremy and at the same time, making sure she stayed under Lucas's radar. With quick strides, she marched off towards the other end of the room where Jeremy was laughing so hard at a joke told by his companion. She didn't pay attention to where she was going until she bumped into a hard chest. She merely gave it a thought, mumbling an 'excuse me' and attempted to sidestep the obstacle until a vice grip stopped her march. Whirling around knocked out the breath in her as her eyes collided with a familiar pair of hazel brown eyes. She gulped and swallowed hard. His eyes narrowed instinctively at her presence.

For a second, the world paused on its axis, both of them breathing hard. He looked shocked to see her, she looked bewildered that he was standing right in front of her. Neither spoke a word, nor attempted to move away.

"Lucas!" called a shrill feminine voice from behind him, cutting through the frozen atmosphere like a whip. "You promised me a personal tour of the house," she reminded, walking up to him.

Sara's lips turned up in a derisive manner, obviously being knocked out of her daze by the sentence.

Lucas's streamlined black brows furrowed at her action and he let his grip loosen, momentarily distracted by the voice. He turned to address the woman, looking away from her.

Taking it as her cue, Sara slipped her arm from his grip and turned away to go find Jeremy. Jeremy saw her coming and excused himself from his group. They met each other halfway.

"We need to leave now, Jeremy," she blurted out, sounding worried.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean we have to leave now, Sara? We just got here. I've barely talked to three prospective clients and we need at least five. This would have gone so much easier if I had you to rely on," he stated with derision.

She didn't have a reply for that. Not at the moment at least. All she knew was that she had to get out of this house immediately.

Desperately she grabbed his arm. "I know you're angry with me, Jeremy and you have every right to be, but this is not the moment. We have to get out of this place right now!" She whispered fiercely.

Jeremy was unyielding. "I have a company depending on me and I won't let you ruin it for me!"

Sara realized immediately that she was on her own. Jeremy would not bulge and she would be toast once Lucas finds her again considering the nature of her invite her. Glancing quickly for the nearest exit, she made a dash for it.

"Going so soon, Miss Amadi? Why, the party just started." Lucas's deep baritone stilled her movements. For the second time that evening, she turned to look into his eyes. He was in a tux, the expensive material fitted to his muscular lean frame, and his curly afro hair was trimmed to its barest minimum. He looked handsome, sexy even. He had that same look as before and Sara foreknew it was not for a good reason.

"Yes, I don't feel so good," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. If there was one thing he was good at, it was catching her deadbeat in a lie just by holding her gaze.

"You don't?" He queried, sounding quite concerned. "I suppose it comes with the nature of your invite here."

"What?" Sara was clueless as to the point of his query.

He pursed his lips, studying her. "I mean, sneaking into parties and events such as this must really take a toll on your health, doesn't it?"

A gasp escaped her lips but she kept mum.

"You know, I took out my time to invite the elite of this city but to my utmost shock, your name didn't come up anywhere. No one knew who you were or that you exist and I didn't bother to invite anyone not on that list." He informed, his eyes locked on her.

He cleared his throat and directed his gaze to a few people behind her. "Do you not find it disrespectful for a guest to sneak out of your party without informing you," he paused deliberately when he realized the small crowd around them was tuned in on their discussion.

With a smirk, he continued. "Especially when said guest was not invited. I'd say you make me look like a fool for printing out invites in the first place."

A loud gasp went around her and Sara felt like the ground should open and swallow her up right now. It was unfair that after everything, he still had the upper hand.

Willing herself to stay strong against the insult, she replied. "I'm sorry for showing up here uninvited. I assure you I have good intentions."

He scoffed at that. "Good intentions? Please. If you wanted to come, all you had to do was give me a call but then again it doesn't mean I'll still invite you. Truthfully your money should get you into anywhere you like without the hassle of sneaking in."

Sara willed herself not to get angry at him. He was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I believe I already apologized for that. Now, if you don't mind, I'll like to leave or do I need your permission for that too?"

She watched as his eyes narrowed dangerously, an indication that he found her words insulting.

"Oh no. Not at all. You found your way in without my help, I'm positive you don't need it on your way out," he replied, adjusting his cuffs, still smirking at her.

Sara nodded, happy the whole embarrassing situation was over. She walked past him towards the door only to hear him say to her back.

"You mentioned you were not feeling too well. I couldn't help but wonder, is it the champagne or the caviar? To the best of my knowledge, people from the slums don't know what it is and are not used to them. Perhaps that's why you're feeling unwell."

Sara paused in between strides, not bothering to look at him. She knew this insult stemmed from that case from five years ago that caused her to lose an important part of her life. A lone tear slid down her face at the memory but she quickly wiped it away. It was a low jab, she reflected but she supposed he had enough reason to hate her.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Miss Amadi, was the purpose of this 'childish' behavior to humiliate me because we have a history?" He quizzed, scowling at her back.

He was taunting her, seeking ways to humiliate her further. It meant old wounds still ran deep, unhealed. She turned to stare at him.

"You're wrong if you think this is a personal vendetta. It would be most cruel of me to welcome you to this city with evil intentions," she replied, challenging him with her glare. He had already disgraced her, there wasn't anything more he could do to her.

She was proven wrong instantly.

"I find it hard to believe judging by the simple fact that the Amadi's are the 'gold-diggers' of the Lagos society just so they can continue to live like kings. Your family has the reputation of unparrelled success in swindling the elites of this lovely city. Should I mention your sister, Tonya or perhaps your mother? I heard she's made herself the Dame of the club by being friends with the Senator."

A gasp went around again, this time more people had tuned in on the exchange. Suddenly, murmurs started to rise as people tried to verify the news.

A sob choked Sara and she swung her palm and landed it on his cheek. She stared at him in incredulity, as foolish tears slid down her face. Despite his words, his face was blank, not mocking but more of disbelief over what he might have heard about her and her family.

"You know nothing about my family!" She blurted out and whirled around, running out of the house.

Lucas closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh to calm his blood down before he adjusted his collar. Turning to face the crowd, he addressed them.

"I believe my manners are ludicrous and I blame it on the champagne. Good stuff, I tell 'ya'," he mimicked the Texan accent, causing a loud laugh around the room. "So be careful of the champagne. Don't drink too much of it as we don't want a repeat of what just happened."

The crowd laughed gaily again as he gingerly excused himself, allowing his right-hand man, James Duran, to take over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love drama! (Squeals) Seriously, they could have had that reunion on a different note and occasion but I couldn't avoid the temptation.

Fact: CAPPEL is the name of Lucas's company. It's an acronym, actually. Don't worry, you'll find out what it means later.

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