Extrapolation
of Fate
Chapter
3
By: Neo-Queen
Serenity
E-mail:
serenausako@hotmail.com
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shrine/6436
After parking her car, Serena Lamperd took off her sunglasses and looked at the majestic Chicago headquarter belonging to Sintrade Inc. The glass panels reflected morning’s blue sky truthfully, with fluffy clouds drifting slowly, resembling some fluid motion picture.
Ami walked up to her, patting her slightly on the back. “Don’t think about it.”
Sighing, Serena nodded her head.
They followed Lucy, Darien’s middle-aged secretary, through the reception lounge and into his adjoining office.
Serena had been here once. She had been waiting for him to finish work before they could attend the Christmas dinner her father hosted. Right now, again surrounded by glass walls, rosewood desk, and silver carpets, everything seemed more distant and unfamiliar.
With his back against them, his shoulder propped against one of the walls, Darien looked through the glass and into the soundless world below his feet. A glass filled with Scotch and ice held in his left hand, his fingers idly toying with the long stemmed glassware.
Serena looked at his backside, suddenly noticed how isolated and lonely he seemed in that navy suit jacket and matching pants.
Just as Darien reached up to massage the tensed muscles at the base of his neck, Lucy spoke up. “Mr. Fielding, Miss Serena Lamperd and her partner are here to speak with you.”
The words brought him turning around in surprised shock.
“Hello, Darien.” Serena nodded her head with a slight smiled. She’d dreaded confronting him again, after her cowardly withdrawal from their engagement. She’d debated about what to call him: Mr. Fielding sounded like complete strangers, but calling him Darien reminded her more of her failure with him.
Clad in a forest green half coat, and a black skirt, Serena Lamperd was beautiful with smiling poise. He looked at her, surprised that she was smilingly standing in his office, and then suddenly remembered that his fiancee was a lawyer, and obviously, she worked for the law firm handling his lawsuit. Darien inclined his head in polite greeting and gestured toward the conference table for them sit down. At the same time, guilt attacked his conscience because he hadn’t realized where she worked after their ill-fated engagement.
Free from Beryl’s sensual web wrapped around him, Darien looked at his ex-fiancee with renewed eyes. Serena Lamperd was young, but freshly unspoiled. She’d belonged to the social circle he was in since childhood, and the glamorous social polish and cultured tone she’d acquired was unmistakable. This woman, with soft blond curls pulled up in a neat ponytail, and tendrils framing her face, was both youthful and serene. When compared to Beryl Merlin’s sensual beauty and sophistication, one gave credit for Serena Lamperd’s soft blue eyes and the quiet understanding radiating on her face.
The door opened again and snapped Darien out of his trace. Serena looked up too, saw Ken Glover, his wife Lita Glover, and Andrew Johnson stepping in with Lucy in the lead. She smiled at them, realizing that they are the other law firm Darien’d hired to defend himself.
Lita Glover sat down beside her husband, smiled at the beautiful blond.
Suddenly Serena remembered watching their highly praised wedding last July. She’d watched the Glovers married in Chicago’s biggest church, with Lita in satin white gown and Ken in charming black tuxedo. She also knew that Ken Glover received a promotion last month and climbed onto the throne of vice president. Of course, she’d heard them from her Great Aunt, who’d retired from her previous position and now taking the role as their chairman.
“Can I bring you any drink?” Darien cleared his
throat.
“Vodka and ice.” Andrew breath, his eyes idly looking at the expensive
decorates in the office.
“Scotch for me,” Ken looked at Lita for a second, “and my wife will have
sherry.”
“Water will be fine,” Ami nodded, then turning to Serena, “what about
you, Sere?”
“Water.”
Darien set down his glass, looked at Lucy. Then the older woman went straight to
the bar at the other end of the room and started to fill
glasses.
He then turned to his attorneys, looking at Andrew to begin.
“First I want to begin with Malachite Carlton’s threat to take Sintrade
to court. What Carlton believes was
that he had enough evident, or influence, to pressure the public and the judges
into thinking that you, Darien Fielding, had bribed Gregory Laurence in return
for future favors.”
“But it’s also well known to most people that Greg and Darien was
friends.” Ami spoke up; her blue eyes gleamed with wisdom.
“True, but that doesn’t stop Carlton from taking Sintrade to
court.”
Ken looked at Darien for a moment, smiled a little to take the harsh
slash out of his next words.
“Unfortunately, Beryl Merlin must have sided with him.”
Serena saw Darien tightened his fists, and then he relaxed his
fingers.
“She knew.” He breathed deeply, keeping his fury under control. “Beryl had stayed with me long enough to
discover Sintrade’s business protocols.”
“Especially if it was her intention to find out about them for
Carlton.”
“Carlton?” Darien frowned.
Ken and Lita looked at each other, and then at Andrew. “Beryl Merlin
announced her engagement with Malachite Carlton yesterday. It was all over the
news.”
It was a long while before anyone actually spoke up. Darien nodded hard, as if convincing
himself of something. “I hadn’t
watched the news or read the papers during the past week. I didn’t know-” He
paused, his voice suddenly so hoarse that Serena’s heart swelled with sympathy.
“Now that you do know,” Andrew picked up a folder, “we can begin to stage
our strategies.”
“What about the search warrant the FBI obtained?”
Serena tapped her pen on the table, her eyes thoughtful. “If Sintrade is not involved in any of
the illegal trading of drugs and artilleries, like those Carlton convinced the
authorities that there were, Sintrade is save. But,” She paused as Ken looked toward
his wife, indicating that notes are to be taken. “To get Sintrade sued by the
FBI is not what Carlton intended to do.
He can’t do that because Sintrade is like any law bidding trading
corporations out there. What he
wanted is a public scandal.”
Andrew lifted a brow at her.
Serena smiled to continue, “The FBI search had been swarming all over the
news for the past few days. Carlton
wanted to make Sintrade and its board of directors like criminals and public
laugh stock. Then, he will sue for
potential bribery. The law can’t
harm you, but public scandal will certainly bury you.”
“Good point.” Lita nodded, jotting more notes on her writing
pad.
“Unfortunately, Sintrade will not be punished by the court for potential
bribery, since it didn’t bribe Global.”
“If Carlton can find a way to bribe Laurence, he’d have done it a long
time ago.” Andrew rolled his eyes with sour sarcasm.
“It’s the old lawyer’s trick,” Serena smiled, “’accusing the
accuser’.”
Silent, Darien withdrew his thoughtful gaze from her face. “What is there to be done?” He then ran
a hand through his thick black, frustrated by his present
situation.
“A conference.” Ami spoke up, looking at Serena who nodded her
agreement.
Darien hesitated, “that’s what I’d been avoiding for
days.”
“You must convince the media that you’d done none of the things Carlton
accused you. By giving a public
statement, you’re declaring your ground and that you’re innocent. When the search ends, and the FBI
couldn’t find any evident, it will be confirmed that you’re been
wronged.”
It was much later when the group broke up and filed out of Darien’s
office. Serena stood up too,
extending her hand toward Andrew, Ken and his wife, then Darien. He took her hand, tightened his hold a
bit more. Then let
go.
Serena nodded curtly, and disappeared from his
doorway.
Darien stared after her slender back, extremely thoughtful, at the same
time, very proud of her.
Neo-Queen Serenity's Crystal Tokyo was originally established on August 18th, 1998.
It is owned and operated by Neo-Queen Serenity
