Fate and Love. Lily Alex

these rumors are true, I suppose,” he said, ready to leave, but Mary clutched his hand.

      “Look, please! I beg you, tell me, what do you mean? I have already had a few hints blasted at me, but I want to know what’s going on!”

      “Don’t you read the press?” he wondered. He took out his wallet, and blushing like a girl, showed Mary a picture. It had obviously been cut from some magazine or newspaper. Mary saw a snapshot of herself, smiling broadly. Her pose looked a little bit strange. Suddenly she guessed it was because her head was resting on Robert’s shoulder, but the man had cut him off at the neck so as to focus on her.

      “Thank you,” she mumbled, returning the picture. Deep in thought she did not notice that, when the man left, another woman had descended and was standing at her table.

      Redheaded, wearing a soft-orange dress, the woman resembled a vixen.

      “The color suits you…” she dropped casually.

      “Really?” Mary mechanically replied.

      “Yeah, you look like a crocodile,” the woman hissed, keeping her polite smile fixed in position. “And as for your skin… Never heard of lotion? It works wonders. I use it on my leather handbag.”

      “Say what you want,” Mary snapped back. “At least men like my skin natural.”

      “Says who? Robert, or all your other clients? It’s actually funny how you think you can mean anything to him. You should see the line of poor beauties he left behind before he bagged you.”

      “Perhaps, you are one of them, eh?” Mary said with nice demonstratively naïve smile.

      “Do you have a problem with that?” the woman asked haughtily.

      “Nope, it’s your problem, I suppose,” Mary threw the reply back in the same manner as it had been delivered.

      “Stupid frog!” mumbled the redheaded as she strode away.

      What a day! Mary thought, puffing out her cheeks. Now I’m actually rather glad that Robert is not here at the moment. At least I get to figure out the situation for myself.

      “Oh, I expected a cat fight!” A young man, tall and athletic drew closer, and leered at Mary. “I would never have expected a monastery to be hiding such a gem. You are a real emerald. I’m simply charmed.”

      “It’s not what you said the last time,” Mary retorted, catching him on the back foot. “I know you,” the girl explained, moving in for the kill. “Last month you attended an event where our team performed a show. I am the leading girl.”

      “Oh, so that insignificant gymnast was you?”

      His disparaging comment pulled Mary up short, temporarily. But when he made his next remark, she blushed, shocked at his words.

      “Right, that explains why I didn’t recognize you now all tarted up to the nines! How lucky Mister Noirson is having such a beautiful courtesan. I can only imagine all these different ways that you’ve done the splits with Mister Noirson to get such a pretty party dress out of him.”

      Despite her red cheeks, he did not intimidate Mary; she knew what he was like.

      “I suggest you keep your smutty thoughts to yourself and go take a hike to the bathroom to relieve your tensions.”

      “It’s not wise to talk with a potential sponsor like that,” the young man replied, frowning.

      “Sponsor! Give me a break!” Mary chuckled. “Your cheque has been returned due to insufficient funds. If you don’t have money, why pretend that you do? To impress people?”

      The man scurried off in silence. Mary called a waiter over and took another cocktail.