Author's POV
Kiara Dempsey gracefully made her rounds through the crowds of the fundraising event she was attending. At just twenty-four she was already highly successful as an architect and very highly respected at that too. She had everyone she was talking to enthralled by her, she just had that quality about her.
Kiara Dempsey's outfit for the gala
Regardless of how classy and calm she looked like on the outside she was a mess on the inside. Just about two hours prior to the event she had found out something disheartening about what was her current boyfriend well now ex boyfriend, he had cheated on her. She was not going to let anyone know how hurt she was by the situation. She could see how some of the women threw pity and judgemental looks towards her but she held her head high and smiled throughout the event.
Kieran King was seated at the bar with his best friend currently trying to avoid the date his mother had forced on him for the night. He looked around and that's when he saw Kiara Demosey. To him she looked striking the way she gracefully glided around the hall speaking to people, from where he was he could notice her power and grace.
Kieran was enthralled and he wasn't listening to his best friend anymore and he didn't care about making sure his date didn't come near him.
Noah Bridges realised his best friend wasn't even listening to him and he saw that Kieran was staring at Kiara Dempsey. Noah knew Kiara Dempsey she was a friend and a best friend of his wife. Kiara and Kieran had never met up because they were the same in that Kiara never really wanted her circle to grow and Kieran liked being a loner.
Kiara was getting exhausted with the smiles and interactions with people she didn't even like. She was done being nice to people and she didn't want to talk to anyone so she decided to go to the bar. If she was going to finish this charity gala she needed liquid courage, and she wasn't one to drink.
Kieran saw Kiara walking towards the bar and she was being stopped left, right and centre. Everyone seemed to even have just a second with Kiara and her face never faltered. Kiara arrived at the bar and Kieran was shocked when his best friend spoke to her.
Noah got up and said ,'If it isn't the woman who is never available herself.'
Kiara gave Noah a smile, a real smile and said ,'Hey Noah.'
They hugged and separated and Noah said ,'The house came out amazing Kiara, thank you for bumping us up on your list.'
She smiled and said, 'That's what friends are for and as the godmother it's what I should do for the baby. '
Noah narrowed his eyes playfully and said ,'Godmother huh?'
She smiled sweetly and said, 'I'm just making sure that my position is on lock. Considering how much you like my house, I assume I'm well on track.'
Noah shrugged and said ,'We'll see your competition is tight.'
Kieran watched as Kiara smiled, she shook her head and said ,'Well regardless of that fact. I know I'm still in the front running. Where's Hannah since you won't tell me if I'm in the front running?'
As soon as Hannah's name came out of Kiara's mouth Hannah appeared and punched Noah in the arm and said ,'How dare you and Kieran leave me with that woman without alcohol in my system, you know I can't drink.'
Noah was rubbing his arm and Hannah saw Kiara and squealed. Kiara gave a really big smile which was her first genuine smile of the night. They pulled apart and Hannah said ,'Kiara, how could you not tell me you were coming?'
Kiara chuckled at Hannah's behaviour, remember Kiara's tiny circle well Hannah is apart of it. Kiara shrugged and said, 'I wasn't going to but my dad forced me to since the founders are friends of my dad he said one of us had to show face.'
Kiara put her hands on Hannah's pregnancy bump and started talking. They were whispering like teenagers and the two men just watched them interact. The girls stopped talking and moved further away to make sure no one could hear their conversation.
Kiara was now completely at ease talking to her friend not to people she didn't like. Hannah shuffled them even further away from Noah and whispered to Kiara, 'I hope this is a crazy rumour or something but I heard Harry cheated.'
Kiara shook her head and she could feel her resolve melting away in the presence of her friend and she said ,'Uhm no, that would be true and not a rumour.'
Hannah hugged Kiara and said ,'Oh my, Kiara I'm so so sorry.'
Kiara nodded and said ,'Hey, it's okay. Please don't cry Hannah? Oh no.'
Hannah had tears slipping down her face and Kiara hurried and took tissue from her clutch wiping Hannah's tears. Hannah sniffled and said ,'I'm crying for you, gosh Kiara that is just horrible. Oh Kiara, I'm so sorry, I can't believe that jerk.'
Kiara chuckled at her friend, trust her to make a statement like I'm crying for you. Hannah calmed herself down and said ,'It's the hormones, I'm super emotional about everything last week I cried because the housekeeper had to buy a different brand of bacon, it's ridiculous I know.'
Kiara nodded and hooked arms with Hannah and Kiara said, 'Okay let's go to the bathroom to freshen up before you start crying about the bacon again.'
The girls walked away and Noah nudged Kieran and said ,'If you stare any harder there might be holes in her head.'
Kieran emotionlessly as always turned his face to look at his best friend and said ,'Who is she?'
Noah hummed and decided he was not going to make this easy for his best friend. Noah shrugged and said ,'I don't know. Why would you think I know?'
Kieran gave Noah an unimpressed look and Noah raised his hands in surrender and said ,'Her name is Kiara Dempsey, one of the best and most respected architects in the world. She is actually also one of Hannah's best friends. I'm shocked you've never heard of her.'
Kieran was about to answer but his date his mum had forced on him siddled up next to him and he pulled his arm away paying the woman no heed. Kieran noticed Hannah and Kiara laughing walking back towards the bar. Kieran could hear her laughter from where he was it had a pull on him it was sweet, he realised he already loved her laughter.
Kieran's date scoffed and she said ,'Why is Hannah with Kiara Dempsey?'
Noah and Kieran both noticed the jealousy and contempt in her tone and looked at each other and shrugged.
She looked at the guys and saw the confusion on their faces and she sipped her champagne. Noah deadpanned and said, 'Well are you going to tell us or are you just going to keep that information to yourself?'
She looked at us and said, 'What are you talking about about?'
Noah faced the other way, slapped his forehead and under his breathe said, 'She's dumb.'
Noah turned to her again and said, 'Why the tone?'
She finally realised what they were getting at and she said, 'Oh yeah, she was cheated on by Harry a very attractive bigshot tech giant she was dating. That's what she gets, when she dates very high status guys like that.'
Noah furrowed his eyebrows because he didn't about Harry cheating on Kiara. Noah was shocked at the fact that Harry adored Kiara or maybe acted like he did but he could have sworn it was genuine.
Hannah and Kiara reached the men and Kieran's date said ,'Now way, Kiara it's so good to see you, we literally never see you anywhere.'
The friendly smile that had been on Kiara's face was gone and in it's place was now a business smile. Kieran's date continued obviously not reading the situation and she said, 'I was so sorry to hear about Harry cheating on you.'
The tone that Kieran's date had used had not gone unnoticed by anyone and everyone waited to see how Kiara was going to play it.
Kiara with her business smile never faltering said ,'I'm sorry, do I know you?'
To the others it might seem as if she was just being feisty or petty but Kiara didn't really take time to know people in the 'elite' circles she didn't care for them she liked to keep to herself. Her parents had raised her in a manner that made her not care about what other people especially people who weren't friends or family. She had taken the way she was raised and lived that way and it had worked out for her.
Kieran's date sputtered and the she finally said ,'You should know me, I am in the Platinum Ladies Club.'
Kiara put her head to the side and said ,'Yeah okay and why should that mean something to me?'
Hannah snickered obviously enjoying this, Hannah's mum had tried to force her to join the club but she refused and it had caused a rift between her and her mother for awhile till her mother was over it. Kiara on the other hand had a role model in her mum who when she had been invited rejected the invitation. The Platinum Ladies Club had been constantly sending invitations to Kiara's mum for over twenty years since her engagement to Thomas Dempsey and to Kiara as soon as she turned eighteen but just like herself Kiara was not interested.
Kiara's mother just associated herself with her friends and no one else and that drove the ladies in this association insane because it brought their credibility down because of the status of the Dempsey family. The Dempsey family was one of the most respected and feared families in the world and the fact that none of the Dempsey women would join made members upset.
Kieran's date was getting more offended and she said ,'You really do know me and if you don't you should.'
Kiara just blankly looked at her and said ,'Why would I or should I know you? You're in a club of women, who meet up to gossip, go shopping, go for expensive meals and watch fashion shows. You use your fathers' or your husbands' money. That is beneath me.'
When she had said husband she had motioned in the general direction of Kieran and she didn't even look at him. Kieran was kind of offended decided to cut in and said, 'I'm not her husband.'
Kieran had a genuine problem with Kiara thinking he was married and especially married to a woman who's name he still didn't know and a woman he couldn't stand. He had feelings for Kiara without even having a conversation with her yet, he wanted a chance and this was not a good first look.
Kiara gave him a short look hardly giving him recognition and said, 'Oh my bad, boyfriend.'
Kieran couldn't help it and said, 'I'm not her boyfriend either.'
Kiara looked at Kieran and said, 'Sorry sidechick, mistress whatever you would refer to her as.'
Kieran's date obviously offended stepped forward, scoffed and she said ,'You're just a pretentious little bitch aren't you?'
Kiara still with a blank face shrugged and said, 'If my lack of interest in your little girls club makes me a pretentious bitch then sure why not. '
Kieran's date scoffed again in shock and then she sputtered out ,'You bitch.'
Kiara put her clutch on the table making Kieran's date jump a little and she stepped forward and said, 'You already said that part. I'm done with your antics. Whatever you just attempted to pull and whatever reaction you just trued to get out of me by talking about Harry then calling me a pretentious bitch I don't appreciate. Stay in your lane before I decide I'm sick and tired, you do not want to make an enemy out of me. You are obviously aware I'm not in a good mood so try me I dare you. I'll rain hell down on you and then on your sad little girls club. There's your warning.'
Kieran watched in absolute awe as Kiara handled herself at the same time he felt a lot of respect for her. Kiara not wanting into the club because she doesn't see the point in it, he felt like he had seen a flash of her character right then and he liked this part of the character he had just seen.
Usually Kiara would not let people get under her skin this way but she obviously was not having a good day. Kiara also tried to not be scary unless it was necessary because her being her father's daughter already gave her a reputation.
Kiara turned to Hannah with a genuine smile and said ,'I'm so happy, I saw you and the little baby today.'
Hannah grinned at Kiara and said ,'Me too, it's always so hard to keep up with you because you're always busy so we are having a must do lunch on Friday.'
Kiara was about to object but Hannah put her hand up and said ,'Don't even try I'll be calling Nora and putting it in your calendar so no excuses.'
Kiara turned to Noah and said ,'You can't do something about this?'
He put his hands up in surrender and said ,' What she says, goes.'
Kiara chuckled and Hannah said ,'Yeah what I say goes.'
Kiara shook her head with a smile and gave Noah a hug goodbye. She finally paid proper attention to Kieran and she just realised, he was so hot.
We was sitting on his barstool with his hair neatly slicked back with one strand hanging. His piercing grey eyes were locked with hers and she was enthralled. She looked away and ended the hug giving the couple another look. Kiara picked up her clutch and she gave another smile but she seemed out of it and she walked in the direction of the exit.
Kieran thought he had just seen the most gorgeous woman in his life and she was strong, his heart was practically beating out of his chest. Kiara had just seen the most attractive but brroding man ever and she couldn't help the feeling she had in her chest.