Perfect Target

Chapter 3 - Substitute

Gold up in my, gold up in my teeth
Taste like money when I speak

—Gold, Kiiara

CHAPTER THREE

Another week had gone by without seeing Evan. He was almost always out for client meetings, business events, parties and occasionally business trips too. In short, a lot of places I had no way of getting into. When he was in office, he mostly stayed locked up in his room, buried in a pool of work.

Whispers around the office had it that he was a workaholic which had become evident to me in this short amount of time. There were also words about him being a womanizer, which should've worked in my favor and perhaps it would've too, if he wasn't so rude and egoist. I had disliked every man I conned, but never had I let it show. With Evan, it just came out naturally.

He was awful. Awfully gorgeous too. Unlike others, I didn't have to pretend to be attracted to him. But I had to act like I wasn't bothered by it. Involving real feelings, even if purely physical, wasn't clever.

I got to learn a lot during this time about marketing and was getting more involved in the projects. I was also learning more about Carter Cooperation. Things that could perhaps be useful in the future...

A fundraising event was being held by Carter Cooperation tonight. These philanthropic endeavours went beyond charity. It helped boast a company's reputation and strengthen its public relations. The event was going to be covered heavily on social media and would solidify the public perception of the company.

It was a big event and I was pleased that Lucas had let me be a part of it. It helped me gain knowledge and experience on how events were  organised. I had only studied about planning, but never gained any real experience before. It didn't really matter to me, though it wasn't half as bad as I expected.

I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was slightly nervous. Crowds usually never scared me, but the fundraiser was going to be filled with rich, influential people. The kind of people I loved and hated to be around at the same time.

I doubted any of them even truly cared about charity. It was all just a ruse to manipulate people and appear as someone they were not.

Atleast I was honest to myself about who I was. Atleast I had things I cared more about than money. Atleast I knew my limits.

I was happy to be a part of something that directly involved Evan. Which is why I brought my A game with me. I was wearing a black cocktail dress with matching heels and my hair was tied up in an elegant bun. The event was filled with beautiful women, but I felt confident standing in the same room as them.

I hadn't made many friends because most people I had interacted with at work so far weren't of any real importance to me. I didn't do friendships unless I had something to gain from them. It wasn't wise to get attached to people when you know you would be leaving them soon. Ella was the only exception, she was practically my sister.

"Scarlett." a voice greeted from behind. I turned around and offered him a charming smile.

"Good evening, Mr Bates."

"Please, call me Lucas." he grinned at me, his eyes wandering down my body before flashing back to my face. That was not how he looked at me the first time we met. He seemed so easy to trust which is why I didn't trust him at all.

"Right. Lucas." I corrected. "This is a great event. Everything is organised so well. It's beautiful."

"It is. But you know what's even more beautiful?"