Chapter 15
Estela had spent the night prowling the ball room, seeking out each and every one of the targets written down on her list that was now embossed into her mind. As she did so, many of the noble young men's heads turned to watch her as though they were engrossed by her presence - by the way that she moved - some even offered her a drink or asked her if she'd like to go somewhere more private for a chat. She refused them all, leaving them staring after her as she walked away. She only had one goal tonight, and that was to accomplish what Tom had asked of her.
The process, however, was hopeless thus far. Despite the faith she had in her legilemency, occlumency and her charm, none of the witches and wizards that she had tried to swoon and recruit had been willing to co-operate. And what was worse was the fact that she knew that Tom was watching her every move. That he was watching her fail.
Estela took a deep, discouraged breath as she mentally scribbled off the third name on her list. Her third failure at recruitment. It was useless. Despite the men being drawn in by her appearance, as soon as she started explaining her intention and offering them a business partnership into Tom's Order, they merely laughed in her face or looked onwards to the next pretty face they could find.
The women on her list hadn't been very interested in her proposals either. As soon as Estela had broken the ice and drank some mead with them, she attempted to slowly drive the conversation towards the Order. It was at this point, though, that they would say that they needed to use the lavatory or that they had lost sight of their partner and they might be worried.
In short, everyone either had no interest in her business proposals or thought Estela was a complete and utter joke.
Two of the men had seemed somewhat interested to begin with, and they both requested to meet the 'leader' of the Order that Estela was trying to recruit them into. But, of course, Tom wouldn't dare reveal his identity. Not now. Not this soon. And so she had to tell them that he wasn't present tonight, after which the potential recruits lost any interest they'd had and said that they needed another drink; after which Estela never saw them again.
Perhaps Alden had been right, perhaps it was too early to attempt to recruit such noble wizarding families. Tom hadn't made a name for himself yet, and so people weren't taking him or the notion of his organisation seriously. Not even with Estela's mind tricks.
She hated doing it, but when she sensed that the conversation was going nowhere, she slowly dug her way into their minds and attempted to use their weaknesses against them. But once she had done this, they did the simple thing and walked away, offended, or left the gathering completely.
Estela had to remind herself that she wasn't dealing with ordinary witches and wizards here - these were noble families - some of them a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. And if that meant one thing, it's that that they despised being belittled or being associated with anything that they deemed 'below' them. These people had pride beyond her imagination, and it was a surprise that they even acknowledged her when she started conversing with them.
Despite their pompousness and the fact that her mind tricks were failing her, she still hadn't used the poisons. In truth, she didn't want to. But she told herself that if she failed at recruiting the fourth target, she would resort to the poisoned wine.
Estela scanned the crowd to find Alden. She saw him leaning against the bar conversing with a petite young woman with a heart-shaped face and beautiful brown, almond-shaped eyes, wearing a beautiful, flowing silver dress. Alden had his usual charming frontier on as he spoke to her, but not a moment later, the young woman turned up her nose at him and walked away as though he didn't exist. Estela watched as Alden was left alone at the bar, his mouth still slightly open as though he hadn't even finished his sentence, before she saw him utter something under his breath. Not a moment later, Alden spotted her watching him, and as their gaze met she could read his expression as clearly as she could read the page of her favourite book.
He was going through the same thing as she was. She could tell from this single glance that Alden hadn't been successful, either, due to the look of pure disheartenment and annoyance that had etched its way across his features. And then something hit her in the pit of her stomach when she thought of the fact that Tom was watching it all. He was watching them fail at the most important task of the evening.
Estela slid through the crowd of dancing wizards and witches, the smell of wine and sweat mixing its way into her senses as she took the occasional bump from a few who had had too much to drink before she reached Alden.
"This is hopeless," she said in exasperation.
"It's a failure!" He growled. "They're all asking to meet Tom. We'll have to resort to the poisons."
"Listen," shot Estela darkly. "I'm only poisoning these people as a last resort. If my next target refuses too, then I'll use the poison. And only then. I feel bad enough getting into their minds as it is!"
"Oh come on, the thought doesn't thrill you just a little bit?" Alden asked with a playful wink.
"No," she spat back, crossing her arms over her chest. "It disgusts me, as does your evident thrill towards it."
"Hold on," Alden said, completely diverting the conversation. "I spy with my little eye..." And with an incline of his head, he lead Estela's attention towards a woman in a green dress with black hair tied tightly into a bun and bright red lips who was dancing with a large, strapping man in an expensive-looking navy suit.
The fourth name on her list. Her fourth target.
She was quite distracted by the woman her target was accompanied by, though. As she watched the woman dance, she couldn't help think she looked like some sort of strange-looking grasshopper, jerking about to the music in the man's arms. And then Estela's eyes properly fixed upon the man she was dancing with, and her gaze hardened. Her next target. It appeared as though they were a couple.
"Dance with me." Alden suddenly said, as though he could read her expression.
"What?" she blurted.
"Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? May I have this dance, sunshine?" He said mockingly, bowing slightly as he looked up at her with those green eyes.
She shot him a mocking look, unable to take him seriously in the slightest, and was about to walk away when it hit her what his plan was. She turned, knowing what she had to do as she grimaced at Alden's outstretched hand.
"I suppose you'll do. But only seeing as all the attractive men are already taken." She said coldly, taking his hand in hers.
He clutched a hand to his chest abruptly as though he had been hit with a damaging spell. "You wound me with your heartlessness."
He grinned as he wrapped his other hand around her and took her into his arms. "I do have a talent for demolishing overfilled egos."
"That you do."
They moved together, but not like the couples around them, no. They moved to the music in a way that was calculating and precise, as they slowly but surely made their way over to their targets, carefully dodging the other dancers in a flawlessly executed pursuit.
When Alden reached the woman, he spun Estela out of his arms and smiled that charming smile at her, who brought a gloved hand to her red lips and let out a small giggle.
Alden looked towards the woman's partner and Estela's target in a devilishly appealing manner. And despite the fact the man was taller, more muscular and had a face as hard as rubble, Alden's charm didn't falter in the slightest as those pine eyes seemed to shine with years of confident experience in this field.
"May I?" He asked smoothly, gesturing towards the woman.
The man's dark eyes looked him up and down before he simply gave him one short nod and dropped his grip from the woman who giggled as she was so willingly swept into Alden's arms.
Estela watched as Alden swept the woman across the dance floor, and a small smile crept its way onto her lips as she watched him speak softly into her ear and flash her charming smiles that would have sent most girls swooning.
Out of the corner of her eye, Estela watched her target and noticed that he was staring, hard faced, towards Alden and the woman in his arms.
She cleared her throat from by his side. "Well, seeing as my dancing partner has left me for yours, would you care to dance?"
She turned towards him just in time to see his dark eyes look her over judgingly, his thin lips pressing into an even smaller line before he resentfully extended his hand.
She smiled up at him enchantingly. Oh, she would have fun breaking this one.
His grip was tight on her waist and his movements were as rough as his skin and stubble. She took in his harsh appearance before her eyes landed on the handkerchief in his tuxedo pocket. It was made of shining blue silk and was beautifully embroidered with the letter 'S' for Selwyn. And that's how she knew that this man was definitely her next target – Ifan Selwyn – a member of the noble Selwyn household and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Estela could tell by the way Ifan was looking at her that he was judging her, and probably assuming her to be some unworthy half-blood or muggleborn who didn't deserve to be in his arms at this moment.
She scoffed under her breath. Ifan may be a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood wizarding families, but if he knew that he was gliding across a dancefloor with the heir of Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw, she was sure he'd be looking at her much differently.
"That's a beautiful handkerchief," she said politely. "Would the 'S' stand for Selwyn?"
His face hardened before his gaze flicked from Alden and his partner down towards Estela. "It would." He said, and his voice was a perfect match to his overall gruffness.
She didn't even bother to hold back or waste time with any small talk. "I hear that business is severely declining for your family at the moment what with the increase of aurors at the Ministry."
For the first time, Ifan's expression changed, and he emitted a low, mocking laugh. "Don't speak of things you don't understand, girl. You don't look like the type of witch who would know anything about business or politics."
She laughed softly as he moved her around to the steady beat of the music. "I might be smarter than I look, and I might even know more than you."
Another scornful laugh. "Is that so?"
"It is." She said without missing a beat. "And not only am I smart, Mr. Selwyn, but I'm also capable of making you an offer that will make your business thrive as it did in its prime."
His movements faltered as his head snapped towards her. "You want to make a business deal with me?"
"We can call it a business deal if you prefer, but it's more of an association."
His heavy brows furrowed, but there was the tiniest spark of intrigue in is eyes. "What kind of association?"
Her red lips curved into a toxic smile and she told him of all Tom and his Order had to offer. She told him there would be power, there would be business and there would be plenty of galleons. Three things Estela knew that Ifan Selwyn had lost. Three things that she was certain Ifan Selwyn desperately craved.
"There's no such organisation." He scoffed after she finished telling him.
"Oh there is." She said smoothly. "And I'm a part of it."
"Then where is its leader and why have they sent you instead of speaking to me themselves?" He shot at her suspiciously.
"He doesn't wish to be named. And he's sending me because he knows I'll get the job done."
Ifan grunted. "So you're expecting me to sign a deal with an unknown organisation worth thousands of galleons for a man who won't even reveal his identity? Is this some sort of joke?"
"Not a joke, no, but it's definitely an opportunity." Estela replied, and she could see that Ifan's aggravation was beginning to rise as his face got redder and his grip on her hand tightened. She also noticed him scanning the crowd of dancers for his partner and Alden, who had disappeared in the sea of people.
She could tell he was becoming suspicious, and that's when Estela spotted Lorcan Avery standing at the side of the dancefloor, a tray of wine glasses in one hand and a tray of ribboned boxes in the other. It took a while for her to get his attention, but when their gaze met she gestured for him to come over. And despite the scowl on his face, he did so, carefully manoeuvring his way through the crowd.
Estela let out a heavy huff of air. "All this dancing is tiring. Would you care to go somewhere a bit quieter to discuss things further?"
Ifan's face flashed with brief anger as he scanned the crowd for his partner once more before he reluctantly agreed. His desperation for the revival of his business was evident. "Very well."
And that's when Estela led him to the corner of the ballroom, grabbing two full glasses of wine as she swept past Avery and handed one to Ifan, and she also took one of the small, ribboned boxes that she knew contained the antidote.
She swirled the liquid around in the glass as she walked, and had she been unaware of the poison within, she would have thought it was merely an innocent glass of wine. She smiled charmingly as she stopped and turned towards Ifan who was watching her distrustfully.
"What's all this about, then? Did Macmillan send you to mess with me? Is that what this is? A joke?"
"I've told you." She snapped. "I'm offering you a deal that could turn your business around. I know how desperate things are for you at the moment, I read the papers and I've seen your financial statistics. I know you need a new start, a new prospect, and so that's what I'm offering you."
He pursed his lips, and Estela's breath caught in her throat as she watched him slowly raise his glass of poisoned wine towards them. But he hesitated.
"It's true." He said quietly. "Everyone knows our family is bankrupt. We're desperate. But I'm not agreeing to anything until I've met your leader."
She raised her own glass towards him. "And you shall. Just not tonight."
He regarded her harshly and she noticed something flicker behind his dark eyes that sent a warning chill down the length of her spine. "Very well. I'll do it."
She smiled. "I knew you'd see sense," she said, and she saw him raise his glass once more to take a sip, but she quickly gulped a large amount of her own before she grimaced and he stopped before the liquid touched his lips.
She gasped for air and flapped her arms about. "Disgusting!" She cried, swiping the glass out of his large hands. "Who on earth approved this wine? I wouldn't drink that if I were you."
Despite how much she didn't like this man, she still didn't want to poison him for no reason.
He shot another suspicious look in her direction before he spoke. "I'll be in touch." And with that, he turned and marched back into the crowd of dancers to find his partner. And Estela couldn't help but wonder if Alden had been successful.
Estela looked down at both wine glasses in her hand before she placed them on a nearby table and quickly opened the ribboned box and ogled at the chocolate muffin inside. The antidote. With a quick glance around her, she stuffed a large chunk of the antidote into her mouth, filling it with an astonishingly delicious hit of smooth chocolate and vanilla.
She may have only taken a single gulp of the poisoned wine, but the muffin was too good to resist, and so with another sneaky glance around her, she stuffed the rest into her mouth sheepishly.
***
Estela had lost her patience. Her fifth target had been a failure and she hadn't had a chance to resort to the poisons. She let him slip away. But she wasn't going to let that happen to her sixth target, oh on the contrary, she would make sure that Ethan Fawley listened to her every word. And she would make sure that he agreed.
After a few minutes of conversation, Ethan Fawley, a man who must have been around 30 with red hair and a face of freckles laughed at her. It was the kind of mocking laugh that made her blood boil with rage. But she remained calm as she watched him, and her falsely enchanting smile spread as he took the final sip of wine and wiped his mouth.
"Well this was a nice little chat, but I'd advise you not to meddle in matters you don't understand. I'm not sure you've fully comprehended who exactly I am, either." He tutted scornfully, as though his ego had genuinely been wounded. "But I think we're done here."
Estela let out a low laugh. "I know exactly who you are, Ethan Fawley. You're the grandchild of Hector Fawley, former Minister for Magic, and we're only done when I say so."
He turned towards her with an expression of utter disgust. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me." Estela shot back as quick as a whip. "And I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say. Your life might just depend on it, Mr. Fawley."
"Are you threatening me?" He asked incredulously, his face turning red.
Estela smirked. "No. I'm bribing you." She said as she pulled out one of the ribboned boxes and shoved it into Ethan's hand.
He looked down at the box uncertainly and then back up at Estela who was watching him with eyes like a hawk. "Open it."
He opened his mouth to retort, but the single look that Estela gave him made him think otherwise. Slowly, he tugged at the ribbon and peered inside. His brows furrowed together, and he had to take a closer look inside the box as though his eyes were deceiving him.
He let out another laugh, louder and even more mocking than the previous ones, but Estela's composure didn't falter in the slightest. "A muffin?" he said incredulously between laughs. "You're bribing me with a muffin? My, you're even dafter than I thought!"
She swiped it out of his hands before he could react. "No, Mr. Fawley, I'm not bribing you with a muffin. I'm bribing you with the antidote to the poison in your wine." His face immediately fell and Estela felt a rush of satisfied energy surge through her veins. "You have three days until you die a horrible death. Think about it."
And before he could speak, Estela turned on her heel and stalked through the crowd of people, a triumphant little smile on her face as she delighted in the feeling of power that warmed her blood.
Author's notes: Hello, lovely readers, I hope you're all well!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm looking forward to writing the next one which I will begin doing right now, and hopefully if I finish it in time, I'll publish it later on tonight!
As always, thank you for all your comments, votes and for reading, and hopefully I'll see you later on tonight for another update! But until then, nox.