Seraphina Amor
Things didn't take long to get into motion, Harry quickly urging Wyatt to get a move on his work.
"We need to get this shit done with," Harry mumbles as he stands behind Wyatt's left shoulder, observing as he gets his computer set up.
"You can rush me when you're able actually do this. Until then, keep you mouth shut," Wyatt snaps, typing his passcode into the computer. Harry puffs out his chest, glaring at the back of Wyatt's head.
"Can I see the card?" Wyatt asks, turning to look over at me. I nod gently, walking over to where the card laid on the counter by the home phone.
Passing it over to him, he takes it gratefully, twisting it in his hand to examine it. He focuses on the barcode before humming and reaching into his bag. His hand fishes around in the pocket before he pulls out a scanner. Switching it on, he hovers it over the barcode, pressing down on a button until a high pitched beep is heard.
In a few seconds, a black screen pops up on his computer. In the center, a box appears, requesting for a password.
"This shouldn't be that difficult," Wyatt announces, lacing his fingers and cracking them before starting to type away at the computer.
I try to keep up with what he's doing but multiple tabs are showing up all over, lines and lines of numbers and code printing out. It makes my head spin as I watch it play out in front of me. There was no way I was a computer person, not even close.
He's typing so fast that his fingers nearly begin to blur together. Wyatt's undivided attention is placed solely on the screen in front of him, barely even taking the time to blink.
The longer I sat there and watched, the more confused I became. Shaking my head, I slip out of the stool next to him, walking over to where Leon is leaning against the counter, casually sipping on a glass of water.
"I have no clue what he's doing," I whisper over to him, keeping my eyes on Wyatt as he clicks something with his mouse before returning back to typing.
"No one does half the time. Tried getting him to teach me a long time ago but the second he started using technical terminology, I called it quits," he tells me, twisting around to place the glass onto the surface behind us.
Harry was staring at Wyatt as he worked, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. He was stone-faced, blinking lazily as he watched.
"How long do you think it's going to take?" I ask, facing Leon. He shrugs with a nonchalant expression.
"Probably not that long. All depends on how difficult it is to hack into the software," he answers knowingly.
The two of us stop our short conversation, returning our focus back onto Wyatt. The room is tense with anticipation, all four of us anxious to see what the card would tell us. I assumed it would give us some type of information. There wasn't a photo ID like there usually was, meaning that whoever distributed the cards only wanted specific people to see the data that it contained. Whether it was training data, personal information and whatnot, I had no clue.
But there had to be something on that card that was of use.
We all stand there observing Wyatt who doesn't even pay mind to us. His brown eyes are darting around the screen, figuring out what he needed to do.
I bite at my nails restlessly, yet another nervous habit I've always had. My patience was starting to decline the longer I stood there. I knew that it took time and we couldn't rush him because one wrong move and everything gets messed up.
It's a few more minutes of the sound of the keyboard tapping before Wyatt pushes back from the table, standing up from his seat. All of our heads perk up and he glances around at us, nodding his head.
"It's downloading," he announces with a triumphant grin.
An impressed chuckle pushes its way out of my lips as I circle around to look at his computer. In the center of the screen, a bar is extending slowly, the loading percentages increasing one digit to another.
Suspense looms over us as Leon, Harry, Wyatt, and I all stare at the digital computer screen, waiting for whatever was on that card to pop up. It's just the sounds of our breathing puffing in the kitchen until a loud ding comes from Wyatt's computer.
The four of us lean forward as Wyatt scrolls the mouse over to where a file is placed in the center of the screen. Hesitantly, he clicks down on it and a PDF uploads onto the screen.
In script letters, what I think is an invitation pops up. I narrow my eyes in on it, skimming over the words that danced across the invite.
As appreciation for the generous work that has been contributed this year, our anonymous donor is holding a gala in honor for all of our employees.
Please come dressed for the occasion. The theme of 'Masquerade' has been requested so all attendees must arrive with proper attire and costume masks. If you do not meet these requirements you will not be allowed in.
Remember to bring your verification and reserve a spot as soon as possible. A guest list is provided below. Find your name and respond to clarify your attendance to our gala.
Once again, thank you for your hard work this year.
"There's no signature," I whisper, reading over the typed out note again to make sure I didn't miss anything.
"I guess it was an information card," Wyatt says, picking up said object and examining it in front of his eyes.
"Well, what the hell are we going to do now?" Leon asks, bringing one hand up to rub at his face that was laced with disappointment and confusion.
My lips purse as they flicker over the screen lost in thought. It's quiet until I decide to speak up once again.
"We're going to that party," I announce, turning to face the three men that were around me. They all sported a shocked expression at my proposition that was more of a statement.
"You're not being serious, are you?" Harry questions, raising a brow at me.
"Why would I not be. Wyatt, can you figure out who those people are on the guest list?" I ask, shifting around to face him with a hopeful expression.
A smirk spreads across his lips as he stares down at me. "Of course I can. That's like asking someone if they know how to walk."
And with that he returns back to his computer, setting himself in front of it and begins to type away. I pull my focus away from him to look at Harry and Leon who were standing there, observing the whole exchange.
"This isn't happening," Harry protests, shaking his head and walking away from us.
"Yeah, it is," I counter, following after him. He stops walking in the direction he was headed to whip around and face me with an annoyed expression.
"Where are you even going with this?" he asks, his arm twitching by his side. My sight flickers between his eyes before I cross my arms over my chest.
"I mean, we know this guy got the invite. He'll probably be there meaning we can possibly get something out of him if we can get into that party," I explain slowly, making sure it gets into his brain.
Harry's lips press into a straight line as he glowers at me. I stand there unfazed by his stare, blinking at him with boredom.
"She does have a point, mate," Leon cuts in, walking over to the two of us. "If you two can get in, maybe you can find whoever those guys were and figure out who he works for at least."
My lips twitch into an appreciative smile to Leon which he returns with a nod. We both turn back to Harry who had zoned out in thought, staring at the floor. His fingers were flexing by his sides before they moved to cross over his chest, glancing up at me. He bites at the inside of his lip, letting out a soft sigh.
"What kind of guests are invited?" he asks, brushing past me to where Wyatt is working at the counter.
"Seems like a lot of business people so far. Bank owners and such. It's definitely for wealthy employees," he informs us, scrolling down the new list that had popped up on his screen. Pictures along with blurbs of information were lined up along the screen, Wyatt's cursor clicking over the name and scanning over the words.
"Some of the guests I can't get information on. Must be personal invites," he mumbles to himself. He twists around in the stool, brown eyes zoning in on me. "Do you recognize any of these people?"
I walk closer to him, stopping right next to his seat and lean over to read over the data. Everyone on here was certainly on the wealthier side, extravagant articles of jewelry decorated the women's necks and high end brands adorning their bodies. All of the men were in clean cut suits, hair brushed back giving them a sophisticated look. Despite the array of people that were on the screen, none of them look remotely familiar to the two men that we had seen yesterday.
"No," I sigh, stepping away from Wyatt. He hums to himself, attention drawn back to his laptop.
"They must be one of the personal invites rather than business related," he concludes, tapping against the marble countertop. "However, I do have an idea for how you and Harry can get in."
My ears perk up at this and I peer over at Harry who is already coincidentally staring back at me.
"What is it?" he asks, leaning forward from across the table.
"See these people," Wyatt says, turning the computer to show a picture of a younger couple smiling brightly at the camera. "They have similar features and physical factors as the two of you. Since it is a masquerade gala and half of your face is going to be covered, I think you could pull off going to the party posing as them."
My lips part as I stare at the screen, observing the two people on the screen. They looked similar to Harry and I. Similar skin tones and body shapes, even same eye colors. Blocking out the top half of their faces, Harry and I appeared close enough to them.
"They're not really high ranking per say. Their business just took off this year. They're new to the scene meaning the people there don't really know them anyway," Wyatt adds, answering the question I was about to ask him.
"So you want us to pose as that couple?" Harry presses, drumming his finger against the counter. Wyatt nods at him, shifting the computer to face him again.
"Easiest way for you to get in. I just need you guys to prevent them from actually going to that party," he says, reading over the people's information again.
I don't move for a second, allowing myself to absorb what Wyatt was telling us. We had an easy way in if we stopped the real couple from going. If we devised a good enough plan, the four of us together could easily pull it off. Knowing from past experiences, no one really pays any attention to the new guests; they're overlooked.
"When is it again?" I ask, lifting my head up to look at Wyatt. His head turns back to the screen, moving the mouse around to pull up the original invitation.
"In five days," he reads to Harry, Leon and I. Humming quietly, I back away from the kitchen, biting at my nails while I ran the scenario over in my head.
On paper, it seemed quite easy. Stop the couple, get into the gala, and find our two guys. The hard part laid in between the basic steps, the intricate and actually breaking in parts. Quite frankly, the couple was young meaning they weren't going to be as easy to take down as older targets. That worried me the most.
"We have a few days to come up with a plan," Harry says from the kitchen, effectively making me turn around to listen to him. "The two of us," he motions between himself and where I'm standing off to the side, "can brainstorm something up and you guys can come back so we can tell you guys the plan."
Leon nods to himself, looking down at his glass and Wyatt seems to agree.
"Let me just forward all of this to you," Wyatt says, copying the documents off of his computer to send to Harry.
"I'll call you when we have a decent plan ready," Harry informs Leon and Wyatt. They hum in response, moving to collect their things.
Wyatt stands up from the stool, shoving the laptop back into his bag and zippering it shut. He drags it off of the counter, moving to hold it by his side. Slyly walking over to me, he sends me a grin, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Seraphina. I hope I'll get to see you more," he says smoothly and I can feel the tips of my ears beginning to heat up as he stares down at me. I smirk, shaking his hand gently.
"Same goes for you."
He grins at me one last time before pulling his hand from mine, eyeing me over before slipping past me and to the door. Wyatt says goodbye to Harry, the two mumbling quietly between each other.
"I'll see you later, love," Leon says, walking over to me and pulling me into a tight hug. I tense up, my arms glued to my side. "People usually hug back when someone does this," he whispers jokingly. I move my hands to pat his back uncomfortably as he pulls back, hands resting on my shoulders.
"Let me know if Harry starts acting like a prick again." Leon sends me a wink and slips away from me and walks out the door but not without giving Harry an unnecessarily hard pat on the back.
The door closes behind him and Harry reaches over to lock it, turning the silver knob to double check. He makes his way over to where I'm pulling out his own work laptop, making sure that all the correct information got transferred over to us.
An email notification was in the top right corner and I clicked it open, the invitation we had been looking at before taking home on the screen.
"Do you really think this will work?" Harry questions, moving to stand next to me, staring down at the screen.
I shrug my shoulders, keeping my eyes trained on the laptop to avoid looking at him. "Don't think we have any other options," I mumble.
Harry hums, walking around to grab a glass and pour himself a drink. I sat down in the stool Wyatt was in before, lips pursed in deep thought as I stared blankly at the screen.
"Do you need a dress for the event? I think it's a lot more formal than what you have in your closet."
My eyes widen, back straightening up as realization jolts through my brain like a fired bullet through a skull.
I forgot to call Rosemary back.
Jumping up from my spot, I swipe my phone off the counter, nearly running to my room.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Harry shouts at me as I yank open my door.
"None of your business," I answer, slamming the wooden door shut behind me.
Pacing around the sunlight room, I unlock my phone, urgently opening up my contacts list and pressing on 'Rosemary'. Bringing the phone up to my ear, the line dials and starts to ring tediously. I walk across the expanse of my room, biting anxiously at my thumb nail as I wait for her silky voice to sound through the phone.
"Took you long enough to call. Was starting to think you forgot all about me."
A grin forms on my lips at the sound of her voice, pointer and middle finger rubbing at my temple as I release an embarrassed laugh.
"Sorry, I've just been super busy with work," I tell her. She lets out a chuckle on the other line and my stomach twists at the sweet sound.
"Can hear it in your voice. You sound stressed," Rosemary points out and I can't help but clear my throat at the accusation, hoping that would get rid of the 'stress' she noticed.
"Yeah, a lot has been going on."
She hums on the other side of the line before she goes quiet for a beat before speaking up, her voice an octave lower.
"Maybe I can help you de-stress, at least for a little while."
Each word is laced with seduction that causes my cheeks to heat up and hand to grip my phone tighter. I swallow thickly, opening and closing my mouth but no sound coming out.
"Are you free right now?" she asks and on her end of the call I can hear her shuffling around her apartment.
"Yeah, yes," I answer back almost immediately, cringing to myself at how eager I sounded. "Yes, I am free at the moment," I attempt to say more smoothly.
She snickers on her end. "Sound excited there, Amor," she teases and I draw my bottom lip between my teeth, biting down on it gently.
"No, not at all," I attempt to lie, even though it is a pitiful try because she laughs condescendingly in response.
"Hm. 'S a shame because I was quite excited for the next time I got to see you again."
My words stutter as I search for a response. "No.. no. I was looking forward to seeing you again and don't go thinking I wasn't cause I haven't gotten the chance to call because I totally would've and-"
The senseless rambling I had been diving into was cut off by her soft voice, her blunt question making my mouth clamp shut.
"Your place or mine?"
"Yours," I answer in a heartbeat.
The call ends shortly after that with me telling Rosemary where she should pick me up. I gave her the address for the apartment complex next to Harry's just because I didn't want to go around giving out his address. I'm not sure if Rosemary assumed Harry and I lived together but either way, I wanted to keep that information hidden.
She told me that she wanted to take me somewhere first and although I didn't exactly want to wait, she managed to create a bargain that mostly just benefited her in the end. If I go to the mystery place she was taking me to, she would top.
Actually, maybe it was a win-win situation.
Regardless, I quickly freshened up in my room, applying a light spray of perfume and touching up my makeup. I didn't want to spend any more time with Harry than I had to. Based on how he planned ahead for things, I was going to have to be cooped up with him for the next few days until the event and that was the last thing I wanted. There's only so much time I can spend with him in that horrid office before he says something that makes me want to shoot him.
Grabbing the small purse off of my makeup chair, I slip out of my room, walking to the front entrance. Harry's sitting in the living room, computer resting on his lap and his attention snaps over to where I'm trying to sneak past him.
"Where are you going?" he presses while he glares at me.
I freeze midstep, swiveling around to face him with my lips rolled into my mouth.
"I was going to go for a walk," I tell him, pulling my lying face. He looks unimpressed, eyeing me up and down.
"You're going to go on a walk all dressed up from before?" he interrogates further and I want to slap him for being so nosy.
"Yeah, do you have a problem with that?" I snap.
Harry shakes his head, focus turning back to his computer. "Try not to get kidnapped," he says as he begins to type something on his computer, fingers tapping away at the keyboard.
I roll my eyes at him, spinning around to walk towards the front door. "Don't start worrying about me, Styles," I call out over my shoulder with a grin.
"Your safety is the least of my concerns," is the last thing I hear him say to me before I exit his penthouse, the door clicking shut behind me.
The hallways and elevators are quiet and empty which was strange but I didn't think too much of it, my mind being focused on something totally different. As the elevator doors slide open to display the lobby, my phone dinged in my pocket and I reached to grab it, unlocking it as I walked onto the floor. It was a text from Rosemary saying she was around five minutes away and to be ready.
Placing the device back into my pocket, I make my way through the lobby, brushing past the few stranglers that were entering the building. Pushing open the glass entrance, I step out onto the sidewalk, breathing in deeply. My eyes squinted as the sun poured its rays directly onto the street causing the large shadows to draw across the road.
Heading towards the second complex, a light wind danced through my shirt, sneaking its way through the fabric and provoking my skin into forming goosebumps. My hand gripped the strap of my purse as I neared the bench that was planted right near the front of the building, allowing myself to sit down in it while I waited for Rosemary to arrive.
I watched as people walked by me, observing each one of them. I liked looking at people, not in a stalker way though. It just always fascinated me how each individual person lives their own lives. They have their own family, friends, jobs, schedules and it's completely different than the person next to them. Seeing the way people present themselves when doing a simple everyday task such as walking can tell you a lot. How they hold themselves, their confidence, expectations, dreams, it's quite the give away if you really know what to look for.
As I was watching a woman dressed in a baby blue dress walk by, hair tied up in a neat bun, a loud honk interrupted my staring. I look over to find the source of the sound, zoning in on a vintage red convertible parked right in front of me, a familiar redhead smirking at me from behind the wheel.
I feel myself begin to smirk as I stand up from my seat, attempting to hide my giddiness as I walk over the car. Rosemary tilts town her black, soft edged rectangle sunglasses, eyeing me over as I stopped right by the passenger side.
"Don't you look nice," she compliments, gently biting at her bottom lip. She's wearing a long, puffy sleeved shirt and high-waisted jeans with a belt. Her shirt is button loosely, more of them being undone rather than actually buttoned. Her long hair falls on her shoulder, soft curls adding to its volume.
"Could say the same for you," I grin at her, grasping onto the door handle. She laughs lightly, pressing down on the keys to unlock the door for me. My side unlocks and I pull the brightly painted red door open, sliding into the seat.
It was warm, the seat, from the direct sunlight that had been beating down on it since the roof of the car was not up. Dropping my purse by my feet, I tuck the fallen strands of hair behind my ear, leaning back to see Rosemary staring at me with a grin.
"What?" I ask, suddenly feeling intimidated under her stare. Her smirk grows but she only shakes her head at me, not answering my question.
"Don't forget to buckle up," she reminds me, motioning to the seat belt that hung next to my left side. I listen to her, pulling it over my chest and clicking it into the buckle.
The moment the belt locks in place, Rosemary steps on the pedal, pulling the car back onto the busy street. Her radio is softly playing into the open air and she's humming along gently with it, nodding her head to the beat. The shiny pieces of hair are fluttering against the wind, whipping around her face in a controlled mess.
"You're making me nervous staring at me like that," she says, glancing over at me as she nears a red light. Her black painted fingernails are drumming against the wheel, moving in time with her bobbing head.
"Where are we going?" I question, pulling my gaze away from her to look at our surroundings. We were in the more city area, the chattering of pedestrians floating around us. Stores, clothing shops, and expensive restaurants were on either side of the road, costumers entering and exiting the buildings.
"It's a surprise," she answers, smiling coyly. I narrow my eyes at her, biting the inside of my cheek.
"I don't like surprises," I say, lips pulling into a frown. She just shrugs her shoulder, resuming the drive forward once the light turns green.
"You made a deal, Amor. Gotta go through with it," she teases, reaching over to raise the volume of the radio. A rock song that I'm not quite familiar with plays from the speaker, the heavy guitars and drums pounding into my ears.
"Besides," she calls out over the music, glancing over at me, "you do this and we're both happy at the end of the day, hm?" The insinuation for later is clear in the tone of her voice and I can't help but get a little anxious in my seat.
"It better be worth it," I tease her and my words make her laugh loudly, her head falling back on her neck. I let out a small chuckle with her, the laugh she had was infectious, the kind where you couldn't help but join in.
Once she calms down a little, a borderline seductive grin tugs at her lips. Her eyes remain forward as she speaks, not bothering to look at me which only adds to my anticipation for her next words.
"We both know I don't disappoint."
A/N: Kinda a filler chapter but anyway. -j