The party went on with the beautiful music playing but Kyle noticed that no women were approaching him.
He had spoken with Eleanor for a while and learned a lot about her.
He got her phone number as well, she was not even from America.
She was from England but there was no hint of an English accent.
Kyle didn’t understand why no one else was approaching him, especially the women.
All they did was watch him and the good thing about this was that he knew Eleanor must have had a role to play.
Kyle was here to socialize and make as many connections as he could make.
Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long because a white-haired man approached him.
Kyle knew he had to compose himself because a man this advanced age must have seen a side to life that Kyle couldn’t comprehend.
Kyle also noticed the whispers from others so whoever this man was must be important.
“It has been a while since we have had a new face here,” The man said, the aura he had was on another level.
Kyle felt like he was standing in front of a final boss.
Kyle cleared his throat but he noticed that Eleanor was right beside him.
Kyle realized at that moment that if he screwed things up, he wouldn’t be here.
What if he agreed to be her boy toy?
He noticed Eleanor had her arm tucked in his, showing some sort of intimacy.
“I’m honoured to be here,” Kyle knew he had to remain humble because this man, there was something about him that set him apart from the others with the elephant mask planted on his face.
He was short and somewhat fat, with a big belly.
“I hear that you were brought here by Mr. Nakamura and my friend here told me you are a man of morals,” The man pointed out.
Kyle could tell these two weren’t platonic with a single glance.
However, this must play a part in why they were having this conversation in the first place.
“That is correct, sir and I’m honored to be here,
I’m Kyle,” Kyle introduced himself, stretching forth his hand for a handshake.
The man was surprised that Kyle was making the first move.
“I see, you don’t kiss ass for long. I like that,” The man responded, taking Kyle’s hand but his grip was something Kyle didn’t anticipate.
It felt like this man was about to fracture his hand but this was a firm handshake.
It wasn’t some intimidating tactic whatsoever.
“I’m a man of morals,” Kyle repeated, emphasizing the word, morals.
Eleanor and the man laughed, Kyle was witty and it showed
Nakamura watched all of this unfold from a distance with a satisfied smile.
“He’s good,” Nakamura couldn’t contain his excitement, something that Yuki noticed.
“I have never seen him this excited,” Yuki thought to herself but she could understand why he was.
That man right there had the power to shape the world because he was a powerful politician who already held a position in government.
This was a rare sighting and no one had ever gotten his attention, especially as a newbie. Discover exclusive tales on empire
“He’s the one,” Nakamura said under his breath.
Yuki knew that Nakamura was a man that was ambitious so he planned to use Kyle as a pawn to accomplish that goal.
But Yuki was suspicious about Kyle, she knew that he was smarter than Nakamura was giving him credit for.
This was why Yuki feared that Nakamura was the one being manipulated.
The man took Kyle away to a private section of the party where far more important people were.
This was moving too fast but there was something off-putting about all of this.
–
Kyle stepped in and the air in here was different.
If you thought the people out there were rich, then these people were gods.
Kyle began to understand the whispers, they were surprised that people in this section would interact with nobody like himself.
It was ironic that even the rich had segregation, there were stages to this wealth thing.
This section was fancier with a whole live band and a stage set-up.
The man patted Kyle on the back, leaving him with Eleanor as he walked up to the stage.
“Wow,” Kyle couldn’t hide his amazement.
“I never understood people’s fascination with such things,” Eleanor muttered but this was because of her wealth.
This was her daily life so there was nothing surprising about it to her but this showed her that Kyle wasn’t accustomed to this lifestyle.
He wasn’t from money so why was he here?
“Hello everyone. I apologize for the delay in getting things started but I’m pleased to announce that I have found tonight’s entertainment,” The man pointed out.
Eleanor took a step away from Kyle, an act he noticed right before everyone turned to him.
“… Kyle!” The man concluded and everyone began to clap like he was some sort of exhibit.
Kyle knew that he had the option to turn them down but there was no reason to.
This could be an initiation so Kyle reluctantly walked towards the stage.
He climbed the podium and was handed the mic.
Kyle had no idea what to say but this was where his wit came into play.
Kyle looked at him, wondering what he was expecting but got nothing from him.
“I see a lot of people in this room but I find myself asking one question, why the mask?” Kyle began and everyone giggled.
“Because 90% of the thing that makes me interesting has been taken,” Kyle added and the giggle evolved into a burst of laughter.
Kyle realized that these people must have thought he was a comedian.
That would explain the setup but this was the perfect platform to exploit the situation.
“But hey, I guess when you’re a billionaire, you have a substitute,” Kyle said prompting awkward laughter.
“Don’t worry, I’m not talking about myself,” Kyle added and the laughter thundered.
Kyle knew he couldn’t let them feel intimidated.
The fact that they had a different section for people less wealthy was a grim reminder.
Kyle wasn’t going to test the order and instead, chose to play the comedian even though he did find this insulting.
“Mr Nakamura wasn’t wrong, you do have a sense of humour,” The man blurted out.
“That’s how I got in…” Kyle thought to himself.
Nakamura was the one that was responsible for this.
“I’m afraid to say that I’m no comedian,” Kyle concluded. It was strange that Nakamura introduced him this way but also recalled what he told him tonight.
The room fell silent and Kyle realized that he had their attention.
Kyle was tempted to take off his mask because it made no difference to him either way.
They already knew his name and with their expected resources, it would be easy for them to find out who he is.
However, before Kyle could let his intrusive thought win, a loud sound was heard at the back of the room prompting everyone’s heads to turn.
A glass cup had fallen but Kyle noticed it was the same woman he had spoken to earlier.
He could tell by the mask and the timing of this, it had to be intentional.
She walked up to the stage and got a few side eyes but no one attempted to stop her.
Kyle was visibly confused even though he was more surprised that she was in this section.
She snatched the mic from Kyle and he could feel a Kanye West reference building up.
However, now wasn’t the time because she had the floor. Kyle could tell they didn’t like her even the man beside him.
“I’m sorry but I will be taking him,” The lady said, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him off stage.
Kyle didn’t put up much resistance because he wanted out of the situation.
This woman was his superhero but only if he knew who was behind that mask.
–
Ella was restless, she felt Jane slowly slipping away and she didn’t like it.
She couldn’t complain either because she knew this would only make her look needy.
She liked that Jane was focusing on herself and if Jane felt like Ella couldn’t handle herself.
Jane would be there in a heartbeat and that was something that Ella couldn’t put her through.
But she had a surprise text message and it was from Jane.
Ella liked Calista but Jane was family.
Jane was checking in on her and Ella dared not say she was lonely and tried her best to disguise it.
But Jane invited her over to spend the night, Ella was glad but had no idea why she felt guilty.
She felt like she had betrayed Jane but couldn’t place why.
Was it her friendship with Calista? That had to be it or at least, that’s what Ella truly believed.
Ella accepted right away and chose to spend the night with Jane where she planned to tell her all about Calista.