Chapter 3

Mila’s POV

Peter Orlando was a sixty-something-year-old man with a double chin and thinning hair who didn’t look at me the whole journey over. He had picked me up from my building by six pm in a blacked-out SUV. As soon as I had joined him in the backseat, he had glanced at me before looking away. For the entire hour-plus duration of the journey, he had been carefully avoiding looking my way.

When Ma had said he was her acquaintance, I hadn’t thought much of it, but now I wondered what dirty secret my parents were dangling over his head to make him do this.

The car finally pulled up to a gate and a man in an all-black outfit stepped up to the car. The glasses were rolled down and his small, beady eyes scanned the interior of the car.

“Who is she?” he asked, eyes pinned on me. My expression remained carefully blank as I held his gaze.

“Mila, my date.”

“Did she sign the NDA?” I blinked in mild surprise. I hadn’t heard about a non-disclosure agreement.

“Of course.” The car slid through the gates a moment later. I turned to Peter. “you didn’t say anything about an NDA. I never signed an NDA.” I hissed at him.

“What matters is that you’re in. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Before I could say anything else, the car pulled over and Peter jumped out. I glared at his hurriedly retreating. I was grateful when the driver came around and helped me alight from the vehicle.

The dress I had on was a long, red, simple piece. It swept down the ground and would have been otherwise plain if not for the plunging neckline and the silver stones embellishing the neckline. I had done my hair up with just two tendrils framing my face. My makeup was dark and smoky. All in all, I looked positively decadent.

The building before me was large, stretching out endlessly on both sides. It looked more like a high court or bank building, with Corinthian orders in front and all. It was minimally lit on the outside, leaving a first-timer to wonder what the inside could possibly look like.

My expectations weren’t all that high. Until I stepped in through the large oak doors. My breath caught in my throat. The inside looked like a palace or something like that. Chandeliers, high ceilings, motifs on the ceiling, tasteful paintings on the walls. People milled about in formal wear and on first impression, I concluded that the place was more of an environment for relaxation and leisure than anything else.

I got some looks as I made my way deeper into the building. In a sea of mostly black and dark outfits, I stood out in my red dress.

Good.

Fitting in was boring anyway.

“Now this is a face I haven’t seen around this part.” Somebody said. I turned to see a blond man staring at me curiously.

“Jay Sands.” He held out his hand. I took him in. Tall, fit, late twenties, wealthy, cocky, thought he was the best thing that had ever happened to the female population. Yeah, I knew his type very well. And he was the perfect person on whose arms to hang off till I got a lay of the land.

“Mila.” I took his hand.

“So, Mila, are you new here? Here with someone? I’d be sad if you said yes.” I thought about saying no, but changed my mind at the last minute. 

“It’s my first time and I’m here with someone. But I think you may be a better company.” His eyes lit up with victory. 

“You've chosen well, Mila.” He held out his elbow and I immediately placed my hand on his sleeve. “I’ll show you everything and everyone worth knowing.”

The only person I wanted to see was the general and after half an hour of cavorting with Jay, I finally spied the very elusive General disappearing down the corner. I disentangled my hands from Jay. 

“I’ve got to use the bathroom.”

“Alright. It’s just around the corner, take a left, first door on the left. You won’t miss it. I’ll be standing right here waiting for you.” I shot him a smile that I didn’t feel and hurried after the General. By the time I got to where I had seen him last, he had disappeared. The hall was endless and boasted more than a dozen doors. He could be inside any one of the rooms. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

A woman suddenly stepped out of one of the rooms and narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously when she saw me just standing around out there.

“Bathroom?” I feigned a sheepish smile. 

“I think I’m lost.” She pointed at the door I was standing right in front of with a raised brow. I let out a peal of laughter. 

“Silly me. Thank you.” I stepped into the bathroom all while her suspicious eyes followed me. I took the opportunity to touch up my makeup before stepping out of the bathroom and running right into someone. I made a startled sound just as the door shut behind me, my dress caught in it. It all happened very fast. Too fast for me to save myself from what must have been the most embarrassing situation and worst meet cute on the planet.

Later on, I’d curse the general for trying to catch my fall. If he had just left me, I probably would have stumbled and then regained my footing. It was a big maybe though. The general’s arms wrapped around me and pulled me into his body, my dress caught in the door stretched and then ripped down my legs. I felt a cool breeze on my now bare legs before my wide eyes met cool steel-colored ones.

Out of the one million possibilities I had envisioned on how my first meeting with the general would go, the last thing I’d have ever expected was for me to quite literally fall into his arms, with my dress ripped almost halfway off my body, flashi

ng my black thong and staring at him in complete horror.