‘Don’t be silly,’ I muttered, but I was delighted to hear Penny say it. Brad barked a laugh.
‘Oh God! Can you imagine it? You could swap war stories. She could tell you about the horrific time they ran out of gold-plated toilet paper in their mansion, and you could tell her about the time your hotel was bombed in Egypt. You’d have so much in common.’
‘She’s actually quite down to earth.’
‘That is complete bullshit and you know it,’ Penny laughed. ‘Down to earth? Please! She probably has someone on staff to tie her shoelaces.’
‘You’re both hilarious, do you know that?’
‘Just promise me one thing, Leo,’ Penny said suddenly, her tone very serious, and I turned to her expectantly. She took a deep breath, and looked me right in the eye. ‘Just make sure that if you marry her, you get a pre-nup. I just don’t want her going after your money.’
This time, the whole table laughed and I rolled my eyes at Penny and looked back across the room. Molly was standing with her parents. Her back was to me, but a small crowd of Torrington executives were staring at her, and I assumed she was telling a story that had caught their attention. She seemed okay, and the simmering in my blood started to cool.
Much later, I heard the first whispers of trouble at the Torrington table. Kisani had been to the bathroom and when she returned to her seat, she stared at me quizzically.
‘Everyone in the “ladies” is talking about you.’
‘Aren’t they always?’ Brad quipped. Kisani shook her head and laughed.
‘No, Brad. No, they aren’t always.’ Her gaze returned to me. ‘What did you do to Laith Torrington?’
I felt the muscles through my torso tense in readiness for… something. I frowned at her.
‘Nothing. What do you mean?’
‘Apparently, Laith tore strips off Molly earlier and had her in tears. Their whole executive team saw it.’
‘What’s that got to do with Leo?’ Penny asked.
‘One of the TM wives said that the whole thing was about him, that’s what.’ Kisani laughed a little. ‘So, tell me. Did you upset Laith, or was it Molly? I know you think you’re invincible, but you really should be careful going around making enemies at that end of town.’
‘He made her cry?’ I repeated slowly. Suddenly I could hear my pulse in my ears and there was a throbbing anger rising in my chest. The muscles in my arms had locked as if I was about to step into a ring to spar.
‘Apparently. What happened?’ Kisani prompted.
‘She was only here for a minute,’ Penny interjected defensively. ‘Leo barely said hello to her.’ When several seconds passed and no one spoke, she tried to lighten the mood with a joke, ‘I mean, he all but undressed her with his eyes, but Laith was on the other side of the room – he wouldn’t have seen that.’
‘Exactly what did Laith say to her?’ I asked Kisani. My tone was so dark that Kisani’s eyes narrowed.
‘I don’t know – wasn’t actually there, remember.’
‘And you’re sure Molly was crying?’
‘Leo, where do you think you’re going?’ Brad spoke very slowly and he had risen, and I realised belatedly that I had done so too. I was stuck on autopilot, acting without thinking. Molly was upset and I had to go to her – there was no alternative course of action. My entire table was staring at me now.
‘I’m going to see if she’s okay.’
‘Whoa! That is a really bad idea,’ Kisani said, and she stood and lifted her arms as if she could block my path. ‘What’s gotten into you?’
‘Leo,’ Brad said quietly. ‘Take a deep breath and think about this. There’s been a misunderstanding – it’s just going to be awkward if you go over there. Why would Laith even care if she came and said hello to you?’
I brushed Brad’s hand off my elbow and walked across the room. I was all the way across the floor when I noticed that the presenter was walking towards the middle of the stage to give a speech, and the rest of the guests were returning to their seats. I walked faster, and made it to the Torrington Media executive table just as the announcer reached the podium.
Molly turned and I knew in an instant that Kisani was right; her eyes were puffy and still red. It was the pain in her gaze that burnt me – she was hurt and embarrassed and bewildered.
I felt an internal snap as surely as if I’d broken a bone.
I forgot that I was one of the only people standing in a room of four hundred of my peers. I forgot that I was standing beside a table that was right next to the stage, and I no longer saw the announcer staring down at me in bewilderment.