Chapter 6 ~ Galas and Rude Rich People
The two girls are done just in time. As soon as they step out of the truck, a black limousine pulls up next to them. The doors swing open and the driver, an old man with shoulder length grey hair, climbs out. He rushes to quickly open the back door.
Mr Kingsley steps out into the light of the setting sun. His brown hair is slicked back and his bright green eyes scan his surroundings. His gaze comes to rest on the group of people standing in front of him.
He swiftly rakes his eyes over each of them in turn. Daniel and his partner, Hannah, both decked out in crisp white, the two brothers, Zander and Noah, wearing matching black tuxedos, and Iris, dressed in her flattering black dress.
"Where's Kanan?" He asks, his deep voice vibrating through Iris. He looks expectantly at Daniel and Hannah. The two of them lower their heads in a sign of respect before Daniel looks up to meet his gaze.
"He's on his way," Daniel answers, holding Mr Kingsley's gaze for a moment longer before looking back down. Mr Kingsley nods slowly. He moves his intimidating gaze to Iris.
He practically stares her down. For some reason, she has the urge to look down, just as Daniel and Hannah had. She itches to escape his hard gaze, but she doesn't give in. She holds his gaze for a few seconds more before the sound of a car pulling up close by catches both of their attentions.
Kanan pulls up in his truck. He climbs out and walks over to them. He doesn't even look at Iris as he comes to a halt beside her.
"Kanan, so glad you joined us," Mr Kingsley says in a tone that says he means anything but. "Next time, when you make me wait, don't bother to show up."
With that, Mr Kingsley turns on his heels. He stops beside the car door and gestures them inside. Daniel and Hannah are the first to respond. They walk swiftly closer, Daniel giving Mr Kingsley a respectful nod, which the other man returns, as he lets Hannah climb in first.
Noah and Zander follow, and finally Iris steps closer. She's just about to get in when a gloved hand on her shoulder stops her. She turns her head to look at Mr Kingsley, who is looking down at her with a stoney gaze.
"You look," he gives her a quick once over, "decent."
Iris nearly rolls her eyes. A flatterer, isn't he? Her response is as flat as his, "You look pretty decent yourself."
A ghost of a smile plays at his lips as he lets go of her shoulder. She climbs in swiftly, followed by Kanan and Mr Kingsley.
The limo lurches into motion a second after the door is closed behind them. The soft glow of the ceiling light illuminates the back of the car just enough for them to clearly see one another.
"So Iris, tell me, how have you been adjusting to life at a different yard?" Mr Kingsley says after a minute of uncomfortable silence, trying to make small talk. Iris senses the disinterest behind his words, but still, she answers, not liking the silence much either.
"It's been fine. Everyone is quite welcoming and the horses are truly amazing," she says honestly. Mr Kingsley nods, taking in her words for a moment before speaking again.
"I'm glad. I chose the horses myself. So, I expect only good things this weekend? You know, our yard has never been one to lose. It would be a shame if you of all people change that," his words have a slight hint of amusement. He watches her reaction to the subtle threat carefully. They both know what he means.
Iris feels a flicker of unpleasant emotion in her chest. She doesn't like the way Mr Kingsley is dangling her chance at freedom right in front of her, how he's mocking her in front of her new friends, who don't know his true intentions behind the words like she does, and she's about to tell him exactly that when Kanan interjects.
"Of course she'll do fine. She's the best rider you have," he says, wrapping an arm around Iris' waist and pulling her closer to him. She stiffens uncomfortably as she looks down at the arm wrapped securely around her waist. All the while, Mr Kingsley watches the exchange with a calculating gaze.
"Interesting," is all he says as he watches Iris struggle to free herself from her friend's embrace without causing a fuss from him. Kanan doesn't catch the hint and instead pulls her even closer to his side, so she's pressed up against him.
The rest of the short car ride is spent in uncomfortable silence. Iris stops struggling after a while but doesn't relax a fraction the entire trip. Mr Kingsley doesn't take his emotionless gaze off the two, either, which only makes Iris more uncomfortable.
When the door of the limo finally opens to let them out, Iris heaves a heavy sigh of relief. Her nerves are fried and her muscles are stiff from sitting in a rigged position the whole car ride.
When they are all out of the vehicle and standing in the crowded street together, Mr Kingsley offers Iris his arm. She takes it hesitantly. Kanan glares at the action, nearly letting a growl slip past his lips. A warning look from Daniel stops him from doing anything he might regret later.
With Iris by his side, Mr Kingsley strides towards the crowd, which instantly opens up to reveal the doors of the building they'll be spending the remainder of the night in.
The Golden Beach Hotel, as the sign above the door reads, is one of the most prestigious hotels in the USA. Famous for hosting events for only the wealthiest families in the country, it's the ideal place to hold the opening mixer of one of the country's most prestigious horse shows of the year.
"Whatever you do, do not leave my side. Do not speak to anyone. I'll answer any questions directed at you. And remember, smile, this has your contract on the line," Mr Kingsley whispers in Iris' ear as the two of them through the front doors and into the building.
It irks Iris that he so blatantly threatens her. She's never been treated with such disrespect. Even back home, where she was a prisoner for a short while, no one dared speaking to her without at least some form of respect.
Mr Kingsley regards her as an object. She doesn't understand why he'd be this way, so rude, but she knows she hasn't given him any reason. For some reason, all the males around her act irrationally towards her.
She doesn't voice her objections, even when her strong sense of independence and rebellion takes a hit from the action, and smiles like she's told. She'd have to swallow her pride and be the good machine her boss wants her to be, even if it's just for the night.
People greet them as they make their way through the lobby. Each time someone would ask her something, Mr Kingsley would answer for her. No one seemed to find it strange, though, and with every passing minute, Iris could feel herself growing more irritated.
By the time they finally reach the other side of the lobby, which can't be more than thirty minutes later but felt like a lifetime to her, Iris is biting down so hard on her teeth that she's afraid they might shatter at any moment.
"Don't do that. You might frighten the people," Mr Kingsley says quietly so only Iris can hear, reffering to the way she's smiling too widely to possibly be natural. She forces herself to relax and decides to close her mouth and grin instead.
"Xavier! How lovely to see you again," a fat, balding man with a moustache says as he waddles closer. "And this must be your date. Son, you could do much better. Next time, come to me and I'll organise you someone more... fitting."
The man eyes Iris with disdain. She has to bite her tongue, physically, to keep her from saying something she might get into trouble for. She wants so badly to punch this man's stupid mustache so far down his throat, he'll be coughing greasy black hair for the rest of the weekend, but she knows it won't be worth the punishment.
"Good evening, uncle. It's good to see you, too. And as for my date, she was a last minute arrangement," Mr Kingsley says, stoney faced, like Iris wasn't standing right next to him. She feels the last bit of control she was holding onto slip. If one of them were to say anything more, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from breaking the rules Mr Kingsley so clearly laid out for her.
"Ah, I see. What career is she in?" The fat man asks and, before Mr Kingsley can answer with something like a doctor or a lawyer like he'd done the previous times the question was asked, Iris opens her mouth for the first time that night.
"Actually, I'm a trainer at Mr Kingsley's stables," she says. She regrets the words as soon as they leave her lips. The fat man's expression turns even more sour and, despite his still emotionless expression, Iris can feel the sudden anger radiating off of Mr Kingsley.
"Excuse us," he says, forcefully taking hold of Iris' upper arm and steering her in another direction, away from the other man.
His gloved fingers dig into her soft skin as he steers her through the door of the lady's room. The few women who were freshening up inside flee with a single look from the furious Mr Kingsley sent their way.
"What was that?" his deep, rumbling voice is deadly quiet, which scares her more than him yelling at her like she expected him to. "Didn't I give you specific instructions on what you may and may not do at this event?"
"Answer me!" He roars when Iris doesn't say a word. She swallows hard, desperately trying to find her voice, but failing miserable. The fury in Mr Kingsley's eyes intensify as his grip on her arm grows impossibly tighter. She half expects to hear the bone break at any second.
"You can kiss your contract goodbye. After what you just did, you should be glad I don't relinquish all form of ownership and send you to war," his tone is back to the deathly quiet it was before. He releases her arm, finally, turns and walks off.
A single tear rolls down her cheek as Iris turns to study herself in the mirror. She suddenly notices the bright red glow and intense heat coming from the stone on her necklace.
Carefully, she places a hand on the stone, but it's light doesn't go out. She stares at it for a moment, before wiping the tear from her cheek.
At that moment, the door to the bathroom swings open and Kayla steps inside. She's about to say something when Iris scurries past her, not in the mood to deal with the infuriating redhead right now.
She scans the room and finally spots Mr Kingsley, along with Daniel and Hannah, in the crowd of people. She lets out a sigh filled with dread and is about to make her way over to them when she's violently pulled to the side.
The next thing she comprehends is that she's outside somehow, and that she's staring at the menacing grin of a stranger.
*ð¤*
"She's strong, but she's exhausted."
Ohh, things just got heated. I think this chapter is a success, to some extent, but it's not revised at all so I'm sorry for any mistakes.
Please remember to vote and comment if you liked this chapter!
~ Danielle