Ava chewed the inside of her cheek as she fidgeted with the snack in her hand.
It was quite obvious from her point of view... anyone would be able to tell actually. The way he arrived at the party with policemen, it was plain as day that he was given information about their heist today, and he'd rushed in just to save Evie Alrosa.
Ava unconsciously fixed her gaze on him. 'Is she his girlfriend?'
"Is something wrong?" Eitan asked as he studied her carefully.
"It's nothing." Ava's gaze immediately fell as as a small smile graced her lips. "I just wanted to thank you. You're… nicer than you look."
Eitan raised a brow, amused. "...I've never heard that before."
"Then you're not being appreciated." Ava said, taking a bite out of another sandwich cookie. "What is this, by the way?"
"It's called a macaron. It's a french snack." Eitan answered. "This one in particular is rose flavoured."
"Macaron…" Ava echoed softly, then smiled. "I like it. I think I've found a new favourite snack."
"...Does that mean you'll change your mind if you try something better?" Eitan asked, his voice taking on an oddly curious tone.
"Of course." Ava answered without hesitation and he nodded, amused. "Isn't that how it's supposed to be?"
Eitan's lips twitched. "It is indeed... but a lot of people aren't wired that way."
"Well, I'm wired that way." Ava stated as she bit into another macaron.
"Of course you are…" Eitan said, taking two wine glasses from a passing waiter and handing one to her. "It doesn't have much alcohol."
"Thank you." Ava appreciated as she took a sip. "It's good."
"I see you're a fan of sweets." Eitan noted, taking a sip of his own wine.
"...Yes." Ava answered lost in thought as she traced the mouth of her wine glass with a fingertip. "But I don't get to eat them much…"
Just as Eitan was about to ask why, his phone buzzed. He took one look at it and shoved it back into his pocket.
"It seems our time ends here, Miss...?" He prompted.
"Ava. My name's Ava." She responded quickly.
"Eitan Berger… though I'm sure you already know." He said with an outstretched hand and Ava took it. "Hopefully we'll see each other again."
'We probably never will…' Ava thought as she gave a tight lipped smile. "Of course. Take care Mr. Berger."
'Well… time for work…' She decided inwardly as she watched Eitan walk away. She didn't even get time to breathe before another male voice came from behind her.
"Care for a drink?"
Ava's breath stopped first, then her heart sank and she turned to face the man behind her with a strained smile.
He was a tall man, almost as tall as Eitan with dark eyes and hair styled in a wolf cut. He looked roguish and out of place even in a clean black suit and tie.
Anyone who saw him would definitely be a little suspicious of his origins.
"Vince… you're here." She voiced.
"Where else will I be if not here?" Vince asked, peering at her through hooded eyes. "You seem to have been enjoying yourself with that guy earlier…"
Ava felt nauseous. She pursed her lips and held her wine glass tighter to keep her hands from shaking. "Don't be ridiculous… you said we should gather information."
Vince blinked once, then he burst out laughing, making Ava stiffen. "I did, didn't I?" He mused. "Well? Did you get anything?"
Ava shook her head slowly. "No… he's tight lipped."
"As expected of Berger… that one." Vince agreed. "I'm sure you did your best but speaking to talkative people will make the job easier, don't you think?"
An eerie tingle ran down Ava's spine. "Right."
"Ava... you seem a bit pale..." Vince stated, attempting to brush loose strands of hair behind her ears.
Ava unconsciously leaned away from his hands and he strained a smile. "But you look breathtaking as always."
Ava smiled stiffly. "...Thank you, Vince."
"Care for a dance?" Vince smirked, as he moved to caress the back of her gloved hand, making her shiver. "I still have some time before I get back to work."
Ava swallowed. "I'm… I'm sorry." She responded in a low voice. "My legs ache. I can't dance."
A shadow of a frown crossed Vince's face before he broke into a wide grin. "I understand. We'll just have to do it another time then."
The moment Vince left after he gave her one last meaningful look, Ava's legs grew weak and were about to give out but a strong grip caught her by the arm.
"Hey Cookie…" She heard a familiar voice from above her head. "You'll be fine."
"Kiera…" Ava called softly, letting out a breath.
"Tsk." Kiera grit her teeth as she rubbed Ava's back soothingly. "How shameless can a man be?"
Ava laughed nervously, wrapping her arm around Kiera's waist and resting her head against her shoulder fondly. "Well, it doesn't matter. After all, he can't do anything reckless as long as you're around."
Kiera snorted. "Wanna sit? You don't look so good."
Ava looked up at her with grateful eyes. "Yes, please. I'll be even happier if you carry me."
"Your jokes get sillier by the day." Kiera laughed. "Come on."
"Did you get anything good?" Ava asked on their way to the sitting area.
"Nothing." Kiera sighed. "I've eavesdropped on so many conversations and listened to over fifty rich people brag about themselves yet I didn't hear anything important."
Ava looked doubtful. "That has to be an exaggeration."
"Think what you want." Kiera shrugged. "But if we don't get something meaningful out of this party before it ends, we'll be in trouble."
Ava pursed her lips. "Right..."
"... and yet no one knows the organiser of this party." A female voice sounded from the area behind them just as they took their seats.
Kiera's eyes widened. "Oh? This seems like it'll be good."
"Shhh!" Ava hushed, pressing a slender index finger to her lips.
"What? The organiser is anonymous?" Another female voice asked. "I thought it was the Alrosa girl."
"She isn't the one. She just happened to end up as a target for assassination–"
"Oh, that wasn't a coincidence at all." A different, more refined lady's voice chimed in.
"Huh? Then do you know why she was wanted dead?"
"Certainly."
"Hah! She's bluffing."
"If she really knew she would have said it already. Her type doesn't know how to keep their mouths shut."
"Shall we make a bet then?" The woman's voice from earlier sounded forcefully, silencing the other ladies around her. "If what I'm about to tell you is true, you owe me a thousand dollars each."
"Haha. By all means."
"But what if what you're about to tell us isn't true then?"
"Then I will tell you the name and whereabouts of the jeweler who carved my jewelry." She responded promptly, a diamond necklace on her neck glittering invitingly.
"Hmph. That's such an unfair deal… you must be quite certain of your information then." Another woman's envious voice echoed.
"Fine… Tell us."
"You see…" The woman started slowly, her voice soothing. "I've heard that the Alrosa's and Berger have joined hands in a recent business deal."