The Heiress's Harem (A Possessive Reverse Harem Story)

5. Well-hidden Intentions

It was not after a few minutes that Lhea finally went back into the hall. She only hoped that no one noticed their little confrontation under the moonlight as it may reflect badly on both her and the Carlsons. The last thing she needed was a rumour about her and the Carlsons' third son as both companies were on relatively good terms.

Upon entering, an elderly man approached her. Immediately, she recognised the man as her father's secretary, otherwise known as Donovan's father, or by name, Irvine Orchids.

"Lhea Harrison, happy birthday!" exclaimed Irvine, arms wide open. Lhea, quite taken aback from the loudness of his voice, and the sudden slight hug, almost stepped away from the man. It wasn't that she hated him, Irvine was quite like a father to her when her own father couldn't.

"Irvine! Good to see you," she said, awkwardly returning the hug. The two then moved away from each other to engage in proper conversation.
"So, Leelee! I saw you talking with the Skies's son earlier. How's the boy?" he asked.
"Nathaniel was alright, he makes for good company. He does seem more interested in the food than the people though," she commented, earning a hearty laugh from the man.
"Well that's surprising! It's just that I've always heard the people around him say that he's a sly fox who's out to ruin his father," Irvine began, lowering his voice slowly so as to prevent others from overhearing their conversation, which seemed to have taken a dangerous turn. Lhea frowned slightly, looking briefly around before replying.
"Is that so...I only know that my father and his aren't exactly on good terms. Say, why did my father invite the Skies this round? It can't just be a simple change of heart, is it?"
"Well uh...I did play a part in persuading him to invite them over... Also, he's desperate for more control over the housing estate business, which is mainly controlled by the Skies and the Rocherres. I suppose, it could be bonding over want of control. Mark knows that money won't buy him a portion of David's wealth," Irvine explained. Lhea nodded understandingly, in terms of wealth, the Harrisons, Skies and Rocherres were quite on par. It appeared that her father was hoping that if Nathaniel becomes her fiancée, he would be able to have his grandchildren inherit the wealth of the Skies as well as the Harrisons, which would double the influence on the market. Mark Harrison may be inconsiderate of others, but he's certainly not stupid.

Lhea thanked the secretary for the information, before moving on to find a younger man to talk to, just to direct Mrs. Carlson and her mother's attention to a different person. Along the way, she also noticed Louis standing just a bit further off, alongside a fellow colleague. She couldn't tell where they were looking in particular, but she felt it best not to find out.

While walking, Lhea of course wasn't able to make it through the crowd without other men and women of different ages making small talk with her. None of them really seemed to make the effort to make worthwhile conversation, thus allowing the 18-year old an easy time, especially with choosing suitable fiancée candidates. She wasn't about to marry some bloke whom she couldn't even have a long conversation with without having to put lots of effort to make them speak, but then again, not many of them were particularly dashing. Soon enough, she found Nathaniel, eating a slice of shepherd pie, which she found confusing, as dessert was served just a while ago, perhaps she had distracted him while he was making his way to the dinner tables? This thought immediately made the young girl feel bad about using the older man for her own personal gain.
She was about to begin yet another conversation with the young heir when someone else tapped her shoulder. Lhea turned around quickly, her eyes widening when she saw it was one of her few girl friends, Caitlyn Vancouver.

"Lhea! Finally got a hold on you, I've been meaning to talk to you throughout this whole event, but sadly, the men of this place distracted me from completing my original task," the bright orange haired female then wiped fake tears with the back of her hand, rose gold rings dangling on her middle and ring fingers. Lhea smiled slightly before patting the girl's shoulder lightly.

"Very like you, Katie. Anyways, it's good to talk to another girl, especially since I've been having only long talks with guys all around," Lhea said and then sighed in annoyance.
"Right, your parents are just antsy to get you hitched aren't they?"
"Exactly... Let's go somewhere else. I'm hoping that you may know something about the huge number of guests who turned up here," Lhea said. Of course, she originally had no huge suspicions, but ever since Andrew's small little confrontation, she had been wondering about those devious grin from her mother and the Carlson's madame, as well as how well both David and Mark were getting along when they usually don't. Caitlyn may not be her best chance of reliable info, but she was certainly updated on the rumours of the rich and wealthy's world.
A small grin spread itself on her friend's lightly tanned skin as the shorter female grabbed Lhea's hand and pulled her, yet again, to the courtyard. Maybe it was just a really convenient place to share secrets and have confrontations and whatnot with the atmosphere it has at night and all.

"So, you do know these sort of gossip will cost you some, don't you Lee?" Caitlyn began, taking a seat on a stone statue of a cricket.
The light brunette sighed, taking a seat next to the girl, "Yes, yes I do, Caitlyn," she said. With a smile, the orange-haired female began her whole trail of rumours surrounding her father and the party. Lhea, knowing the usual rules, never asked once where Caitlyn had heard all this. It's just that the Vancouvers were very well known for getting their information from multiple sources that should never be questioned.

"The whole party, as you already know, doubles as a husband finding party. However, most people here already know the men with the highest chances of earning your hand-in-marriage. The numerous amounts of people here are actually those who are hoping to snag a business opportunity with one of the greatest alliances in the whole of the business world's history. Besides, whether the bond between the Carlsons is strengthened, or the Skies and Harrisons finally uniting together, either way would be a tremendous influence on the market.

Basically, you hooking up with one of these rich dudes from these influential families, is a huge advantage for anyone who's looking out for good opportunities to set their business on fire. Of course, even though consumers will be more inclined to buy their products, quality and marketing and sales skills always play a huge part, but then again, these business men aren't rookies in this industry."

***

Lhea smiled, looks like this time Caitlyn told her what she wanted to hear instead of going into romantic business partnerships and the 'who-likes-who-who-likes who' stuff again.

"Thank you very much Caitlyn, now please, name your price," she said, crossing her arms. The orange-haired female pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Well, this time was pretty on-topic and hefty, so...half your allowance, that skirt you have that I said I really like and of course, hook me up with a good man," Caitlyn replied, naming her deal. Lhea narrowed her eyes and groaned inwardly. That sure was a lot to pay Caitlyn with.

"I'll send the money to your bank account, for the skirt, come with me after the party, and for the man, I'll check in again with you on that. Any personal preferences?"
"The basics, but this time, maybe someone more adventurous."
"The deal is made, miss."

Swiftly, Caitlyn took out a small pocket-sized paper and handed it to Lhea. The paper in question, was a small contract, with the basic terms and conditions written down and a line to sign on. Lhea signed the paper, and the deal was made and Lhea had gotten the information she needed.

******

A/N: If you're feeling a bit upset that there wasn't much interaction with the boys, I understand. This was pretty much sorta a filler chapter, but I guess the plot's coming along smoothly?

Oh well, I'll try to deliver better content next chapter, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten that this is a possessive harem romance!