Chapter 8 #2
Max blinked, but he was a quick study. "No. I'm in security. Nothing as noble as teaching."
"Well, security is important, too. Would you excuse me? I see one of my associates looking a little lost."
"No problem," she said, watching David move across the room to greet a rather plain-looking woman in a simple dress, who would have definitely faded into the background of this glittering crowd.
"So, you're a teacher?" Max asked.
"Middle school. I borrowed my mom's profession. Turns out his mother was a teacher, too, so we had a moment."
"Your mom was a teacher?"
"Still is, actually. She teaches sixth-grade math and is very popular. Her students love her, and she loves them, despite their often bratty pre-teenage bravado."
"Sounds like it's the perfect job for her."
"Did your mother work?"
"Yes. She was a diplomat for the State Department."
Surprise ran through her. "Really? Is that how you ended up at prep school with Dominic?"
"We lived in the UK for a couple of years."
"Where else did you live?"
"All over. We moved every few years. It was both annoying and kind of exciting," he said. "I didn't like changing schools and countries. Not only was I the foreign kid, but I rarely spoke the language. That made it tougher. Although I did sometimes go to the American school wherever we were."
"What an interesting childhood you must have had. What did your father do?"
"He wrote books about history and travel articles about where we were living. He still writes and publishes now."
"That's cool. Do you see him often?"
"No. He lives in the UK and rents a cottage in Bath."
She wanted to ask more questions because Max was finally opening up to her, and she was even more intrigued, but dinner was about to begin, and they had to find their seats.
There were two long tables, and they were seated at the end of one table.
Olive Elliott and her husband Brent were next to Max, while Kyle Travers and his girlfriend Eliana Ribera were seated next to her.
Kyle introduced himself as the owner of JQ Properties, which was currently developing a new high-rise in Hudson Yards.
Despite her not asking questions, Kyle told her about how his company was changing New York's skyline one building at a time, how he'd tripled his company's profit in the last eighteen months, and how his father, who had founded the company had now stepped aside to an in-name-only position on the board.
His Brazilian model girlfriend sat next to him with a bored look on her face as she looked at her phone while Kyle did everything he could to impress her with his brilliant money-making skills, and his complete disregard for any local regulations that might slow him down.
Because he was making history, and if those idiots at the planning department couldn't see that, then they were just being stupid.
She wasn't at all impressed. And she really wished she could switch seats with Max, who was talking to Olive Elliott about the biography she and her husband were co-writing about Dominic's life.
As Kyle rambled on, she heard Olive mention how sad she was to hear about Dominic's girlfriend being in the hospital, how she'd recently had drinks with Samantha, and was so impressed with her intelligence and her sharp wit, how she thought she might be the perfect match for Dominic, because she wouldn't fawn all over him the way so many others did.
"Don't you agree?" Kyle asked.
Having no idea what he'd just said, she simply nodded, and that's all he seemed to need. Thankfully, his girlfriend called his attention to something on her phone, and she could eavesdrop more openly on Max's conversation.
Olive's husband Brent said, "I'm not sure they're the right match, Olive. I think there are reasons Dominic mostly dates cheerleaders. And I can't see how Samantha's job wouldn't get in the way of Dominic's ambition."
Olive nodded. "That's true. Anyway, I'm sorry about what happened to her. I pray she recovers. It's just tragic. I really hope they find whoever did it. It's scary to think you can just stop for coffee and end up fighting for your life."
Max nodded. "Life is unpredictable. Did Samantha talk about what she was working on when you met with her? I'm just wondering if someone she was trying to prosecute wanted to get back at her."
"We've been thinking about that," Brent cut in. "Samantha was very vague about specifics. And we're writers. We like to dig. She was happy to chat about Dominic and her general life, but not about herself. Although she did say once it's tough to be so tough all the time…something like that."
"Like she was tired of being that cold, sharp prosecutor," Olive added. "I actually told her I would love to write her story one day. Now, I'm worried her story will be cut tragically short." Olive paused as someone called for their attention, and Dominic stood up, and all attention turned to him.
"Thank you all for joining me tonight," he said. "As you know, we're approaching a significant milestone with the Pamir Highway project. In six weeks, we'll break ground on what will be the longest high-altitude tunnel in Central Asia."
A polite round of applause followed that statement, and Dominic seemed happy to soak it in.
Then he continued, "We'll be opening routes that have been dangerous or impassable for decades, connecting communities that have been isolated, bringing opportunity and infrastructure to one of the most challenging regions in the world.
" He paused, his gaze sweeping the table.
"This project represents everything Ashford Global Development stands for—vision, persistence, and the belief that the right infrastructure can transform lives. "
More applause followed, and she had to admit she felt a little energized by his words, his vision. Dominic was definitely a charismatic man.
"I also want to acknowledge that this hasn't been an easy week for me," Dominic continued.
"Many of you have reached out to me about Samantha, a woman I care a great deal about.
She was injured in an explosion on Monday at a café.
She was just getting coffee, and now she's fighting for her life.
I ask that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you." He raised his glass. "I'd like to make a toast to Samantha's recovery, to the Pamir Highway project, and to partnerships that make impossible things possible. "
She tipped her glass to Max's and said, "He's a powerful speaker. I got chills when he started talking about changing the world."
"Dominic has always been a good salesman."
"You don't think his project is as good as his pitch?
" she asked in a quiet voice, not that anyone was paying them any attention anymore.
Olive and Brent were talking to the couple next to them.
Kyle had gotten up and moved down the table to chat with someone else, while his bored girlfriend played on her phone.
"Actually, this project is going to be great for the region, if he can pull it off," Max said. "But he's going to need more money to take that tunnel and road as far as it needs to go, so if these investors don't pony up, he may end this project at one bridge."
"Well, he'll probably get the investment. Everyone here seems to be very interested and engaged."
"That's his hope."
"Olive and Brent might be able to give us more information," she murmured. "They've been talking to Samantha and Dominic and digging into their lives. Could be worth a follow-up chat at some point."
"Possible. Although I sense they're searching to dramatize the story as much as they can."
She tipped her head. "I can't disagree."
"What about the guy who was sitting next to you?"
"He's a developer, very cocky, thinks a lot of himself, and likes to share."
Max smiled. "Sounds like you two didn't hit it off."
"Are you kidding? I smiled my ass off, and he thought I was fascinated by his amazingness. But then he got bored and moved to find someone else to impress."
"He's talking to Sebastian Hanover now, Dominic's Executive VP of Operations."
"Another British guy?" she mused.
"Yes. And one of the few people in the company who seems able to tell Dominic the truth and not just what he wants to hear. In fact, sometimes I think Sebastian relishes problems a little more than he should."
She was surprised by that comment. "As in he wants Dominic to fail?"
"Maybe. He'd be next in line if he did."
"Could be a motive for something."
"Or nothing," he said with a shrug.
She sat back as a server put a salad in front of her, the first of many courses, and she turned her attention to that. While she was here to observe, she was also excited to try food in a restaurant she could never afford or probably even get into on her own.
One course followed another, each plate small but elegant, each bite absolute perfection.
"This is amazing," she told Max as they made their way through the fourth course. "But how many more courses do you think we're getting? I'm pretty full."
"I think there are at least two more," he said.
"Do you always eat this well on Dominic's dime?"
"On his dime? Absolutely. On mine, not so much. What about you? Are you a foodie?"
"I like to eat, but this kind of meal is nothing I'm used to. I can't wait to tell my cousin about this place. She's an aspiring chef and has a food channel on social media. She would love this."
"Do you have a lot of family in New York?"
"A ton," she said. "My immediate family is small, just my mom and my younger brother, Hayden."
"How old is he, and is he also in law enforcement?"