After about an hour of following, the man called again.
"We'll leave the main road soon. After you pass the yellow farm, make sure to keep enough distance between us so you can't read our license plate. The car after you will keep the same distance from you. If you get too close, you won't be allowed in, and you can say goodbye to your money."
Every time Chiaya talked to this man, she got more and more nervous. She put on her mask. Karan turned to look at her. Even though she was wearing a mask and the only visible part of her face was her lips, it was clear she was tense.
Karan turned on the radio and looked at Chiaya.
"Sing."
Chiaya laughed. "Aren't you going to regret this?"
Karan repeated, "Sing."
Chiaya had felt at ease the moment she started singing.
How had Karan managed to know her so well in just a few days?
Chiaya and Karan did everything the man told them. As they entered through a large garden gate, there were men in suits waiting for them. Chiaya got very excited.
"Oh my god, the movies were right! They really do have earpieces in their ears!"
As they followed the garden path, they arrived in front of a huge mansion. When they reached the big white building, Chiaya's excitement grew even more.
"Oh my god, the movies were right! There really is a decorative pool and a rose garden in front of the mansion!"
Chiaya was so excited that she forgot what they were getting into. When she stopped the car, valets in suits with earpieces opened their doors. As she handed over the keys, Chiaya told the man, "If the dashboard lights don't come on, just smack it. It'll fix itself." She thought this might be the oldest and dustiest car these valets had ever handled.
As they entered, they were searched by hand and metal detectors. Chiaya had never been searched this thoroughly, even at the highest-security concerts. She handed Karan the gold card with the number 121 on it. She had no bag, and if he carried it in her hand, she was sure to lose it.
If the card was really gold, it would be hard to get reimbursed. Karan asked, "What do we do now?"
"My guess is we'll walk around the allowed areas and have some drinks until the auction starts."
When they stepped into the main hall, Chiaya was speechless!
The women's outfits looked like they were made by famous designers. Chiaya almost reached out to touch the skirt of a woman standing in front of her to feel the fabric.
No one looked at anyone else for more than two seconds. Chiaya knew she had to stop staring at people as well.
She took two glasses from a tray a waiter was holding out and gave one to Karan.
"Holt said, 'Blend in' " shrugging her shoulders as if to say, "We have no other choice but drink."
The main hall had very high ceilings and was a large space with columns carved with ivy patterns. Everyone, including the waiters, wore masks.
Now Chiaya understood why Holt said they could be creative with their masks. There were all kinds of masks, from intimidating ones to sexy ones, and they looked like they were specially designed for this event.
Chiaya's mask, which she thought was sexy, seemed like a goodie girl's mask next to them.
Chiaya wanted to explore the mansion a bit, but seeing several guards with guns at their waists made her too scared. She couldn't guess what might happen if she entered the wrong room.
But her curiosity was killing her! When she saw people going in a door left slightly open, she gathered her courage. She grabbed Karan's arm and pulled him toward the room.
This room wasn't as huge as the main hall but was about the size of four Chiaya's apartments.
Some of the paintings hanging on the walls, closely resembled the style of famous painters known worldwide. Chiaya thought there was a very high chance they were originals.
She let go of Karan's arm and went to examine the paintings. Now everyone would realize it was her first time here, but she didn't care anymore. She just wanted to look.
She lost track of how much time she spent in front of the paintings. When she turned around, she saw Karan talking with two women. The women were laughing and touching Karan's shoulder! .
One of the women had blonde hair styled in waves falling over her left shoulder, reminding of old Hollywood stars.
She wore a mask made of the same fabric that covered part of her eyes and some of her hair and neck.
Her dress was red, form-fitting, decorated with delicate beadwork, and featured a deep thigh-high slit. Her figure was stunning. The mask hid her age, but Chiaya guessed she was no older than thirty.
The other woman had black hair elegantly pulled back into a bun. She wore a tight, green dress with an open back and a half-mask made of colorful feathers and fabric.
Chiaya slowly approached them.
The blonde woman noticed Chiaya approaching. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered something into Karan's ear, her lips brushing against his skin. The women giggled and walked away.
Chiaya came over and whispered angrily, "Karan, what are you doing? Holt said we shouldn't talk to anyone!"
"First of all, I didn't talk—they did. And secondly, Holt advised us not to talk, he didn't say it was forbidden," Karan replied.
"Anyway, let's go to the auction hall," Chiaya said.
As Karan noticed, whenever Chiaya wanted to change the subject, she would start the sentence with "anyway."
When Chiaya went to the bar in the main hall to get her second drink, she noticed an elegantly written phrase on the wall behind the bar: Treasures Shine More in the Shadows.
"So that's what TSMS stands for," Chiaya thought. It had to be a code for the underground auction. Or maybe for a club where the rich people can join for their weird hobbies.
At the end of the hall, in front of a long wall carved with strange mythological gods, a stage had been set up. The area was crowded with guards. Someone would need an army to steal anything from here. Movements began slowly on the stand.
Chiaya said, "I think it's about to start. I'm really curious to see when your pauldrons will come out."
Karan's face was hidden behind his mask, but there was urgency in his voice—a tone Chiaya had never heard before.
"I sense something, Chiaya. I have to check."