Laura opened the door, and standing there was a guy dressed all black."Here is the list, ma'am," Charlie said as he handed over the list to Laura and headed back to Jason's suite."Uhm, okay," Laura replied. She had not gotten a look at the guy's face.Walking back to the living room after shutting the door, Laura kept the list beside her, hoping to go through it before telling the kids."So, guys, I want to talk to you about school," Laura announced to them with a smile.The twins looked at themselves, exchanging a weird look.Laura watched them. Lisa had her mouth open in hesitation, while Liam had his brow raised as he shook his head at her."Okay, go on, spill; I can see what's going on there," Laura told them, folding her hands and resting her back on the couch.Whenever they had this twin psychic thing going on, Laura was usually left out of the loop."Mom..." Lisa drawled, giving Laura her puppy-looking expression."Yes…" Laura drawled right back, rolling her eyes at the funny

Laura stared at the name; she took a deep breath and muttered, "It's going to be a long night."Audrey, who was sitting beside her, turned and asked, "Did you say something?"Laura smiled. "Yes, I was just talking to myself. Yes, I know it's weird," she replied.Audrey chuckled. "No worries; we all have moments like that," she replied.A few minutes later, they were at the office, and in no time, Laura was walking into her office."What time do I have that meeting?" Laura asked as she took her seat."In the next one hour," Audrey replied."Okay, that's enough time. I should get some things done before then," Laura stated.Laura was still settling into her position, and she needed to understand the whole department that was under her. Although that did not mean she didn't have some clients who consulted her,."I'll let you know when it's time," Audrey offered."That'll be really appreciated," Laura replied, adding, "Can you please send another email so everyone is reminded of the meeti

"What request is that?" Laura asked skeptically. "Tobias White reached out to me a while ago and offered to go to the party with you. He wants to be your escort," Audrey explained. Laura looked amused. "And why would he want to do that? What changed?" she asked. "Would you like me to accept the offer on your behalf?" Audrey enquired. Laura thought about it for a while and said, "No, kindly reject it; tell him I'll see him at the party." "Okay, I'll do that," Audrey replied, leaving the office. Laura spent the better part of the morning in meetings and going over a few things she was working on for her clients while putting the finishing touches on the Hilltop holdings file. As she was closing the last file, Audrey came in and informed her, "It's time for you to get your dress, Laura." "Oh, humm, can I go to the hotel instead? Then I can go get the dress later and head over to the party from there." Laura asked. "Yes, you can; I'll call ahead to inform them you'll be coming in

As Laura walked into the hall, everyone turned to look at her. She walked with her shoulders held high, aware of the attention she was getting."Laura, over there is Mr. Jared Tuner," Audrey whispered beside her, nodding in the direction of the small group.Snatching a drink from one of the waiters, Laura said, "Let's go say our greetings."Soft gasps of surprise and awe could be heard among the crowd as they watched her walk towards Jared Tuner."Oh, my god, who the hell is that?" Pamela asked, her jaw dropping in surprise.Laura had on an emerald green night dress that had tiny glistering stones all over her. She had her hair swept up in a French twist, with some strands left hanging from each side of her face."My God, she looks so elegant," Jacob said, whistling silently.Grace laughed nervously and said, "Well, she looks good, but we don't even know her."Jared's face was frozen as he stared at the face that was approaching him."Hello, Mr. Jared, and good evening, everyone," Lau

~Thirty Minutes Earlier~Jason moved from the group to say hi to an acquaintance of his who was at the center of the room."Hello Jason, it's good to see you made it here tonight," Paul said to him.Paul Wright was a business partner in the food industry; his company produces some of the best spices in the country, and he works both with Jason and Jared."Hi Paul, it's good to see you too." Jason replied, adding, "How has it been with you? I hear you have some products up for distribution next week."Paul smiled and said, "Jason, I won't ask how you heard that; we all know you have your superior ways of finding these things out."Jason nodded his head with a smile, raising his glass to Paul as he said, "That's what keeps me in business, Paul.""I assume there's a reason why you brought up that topic here tonight," Paul stated."Yes, I'd like to get the North hotel on your list for deliveries for this batch," Jason said.Paul looked at Jason intently as he said, "Jason, your deliveries