Arrival to Croatia.

There Cordelia was, standing outside in front of her late dad’s house, waiting for  Mr Smith, the personal assistant to her late Father.

Mr Smith had booked Cordelia a flight to Croatia, but unlike always, since she was born, Cordelia was not going to fly first class this time.

Mr Smith arrived in the Uber that was going to take Cordelia to the Boston Logan International Airport right there In Massachusetts for her trip.

“Cordelia, I need you to understand that I’m doing this for your safety.”

“You’re their next target.” Mr Smith said, holding Cordelia’s hands tightly towards him.

“Your dad was such a good boss to me and my family, and I can not bear to watch anything happen to you. I will send the money from selling the house to you, before you land in Croatia.”

“Here is a little amount from me and my family to take care of yourself.”

“Everything has been taken care of Cordelia, so I’m positive that you'll be alright.”

“Thank you so much Mr Smith” Cordelia said in a quavering voice.

It’s been 2 months since Cordelia lost her parents to a tragic plane crash, on their way back from the Netherlands. And now, it had finally dawned on her, that she would need to go through life all alone.

Cordelia was already running late for her trip, her flight was slated for 1:00pm, and it was already 11:54am, and it took more than thirty minutes to get to the airport without traffic, and so Mr Smith hurried her up to leave.

“Take care Cordelia. And stay safe.” Mr smith said waving his hands to Cordelia as she drove away.

She was a twenty year old girl, who had to leave her previously led life for reasons unclear to her. 

Cordelia arrived at the Boston Logan International Airport at 12:36pm, and she checked in Immediately with no hassle. 

Her late  dad was famous and well respected, and so Cordelia got special treatment and attention from the immigration and military personnel stationed around.

Maskins Island in Croatia was her destination. She was going to be in that  plane for approximately eight hours and forty four minutes, but as  she sat, the reality  of her parents death which had happened 2 months ago  dawned on her again.

Cordelia arrived in Croatia at 9pm. And after being cleared by the immigration authorities, there was a man dressed in a blue suit, with red roses in his hands, waiting to take Cordelia to her new hostel in school.

In a bid to get drunk, get high and forget her worries, Cordelia instructed the driver to take her to the biggest bar in town.

The driver  took her to the Fainting goat, the biggest bar in town.

With loud music, bouncers and hookers surrounding the bar, it was easy to tell that it was a very busy place.

Cordelia stepped into the bar and sat at the first free seat in front of the bartender that she could find. 

“Welcome to the Fainting Goat”.

“What would you like to have?” The bartender asked. 

 But Before she could answer, a tall dark man dressed in flashy clothes, and shiny jewelry answered the bar man.

“Let her have what I’m having,” he said in his deep and manly voice.

Immediately, she turned to see who answered.

He was an average-aged looking man, with facial hair, but his facial hair wasn’t completely black. His mustache was a mixture of gray and black hair, which slightly covered his upper lip.

He was wearing a black Desmond Merrion Supreme Bespoke suit and a Louis Vuitton Manhattan shoe and In his right hand, was a can of LAB Split.

Not being impressed by what he wore, Cordelia looked away, and said, 

“I don’t do beer, give me your finest whiskey.”

The man that approached her was Senator Ivan, a member of the Croatian parliament, and one of the richest men in Croatia.

He was  known to be one of the most lavish spenders in all clubs in town, and so he was highly respected by all the bar owners. 

Senator Ivan pulled out a chair beside Cordelia and tried to introduce himself while Cordelia was gently sipping her whiskey soaked in ice.

 “What’s your name?” senator Ivan asked stretching his hands in an attempt to fondle Cordelia’s breasts, but before his hands could touch them, she snapped, smacking his hands off. 

“What are you trying to do? She asked, moving away from him”

“Come on baby girl, you know how these things work.”

“No, I don’t, this is my first time here.”

“Then let me teach you.” Senator Ivan responded, moving close to her again. This time, he didn’t let her push him away again. He hastily grabbed her breast, giving it an aggressive squeeze. 

Cordelia’s eyes widened in awe. She sprang to her feet and smacked him in his face without thinking twice. 

“How dare you?!” She yelled in humiliation. 

Senator Ivan’s jaw dropped in terror, and so was the jaw of everyone watching. 

“Oh my God… she is dead. She slapped him. Oh no…” Cordelia heard people around her whisper in surprise. She looked around fearfully, wondering why the bar was dead silent after what she did. 

She looked up and saw two huge men approaching her with stern looks on their faces. They were twice the size of Senator Ivan. No one needed to tell Cordelia that they were bouncers. 

Their hands were at their back, getting ready to pull out their guns in defense, but Senator Ivan raised his hand, making them stop. 

Cordelia was beginning to shiver in fear where she stood. She felt surrounded and didn’t know what to do, because she knew no one. 

Senator Ivan rolled his tongue in his mouth and stood up. As he took slow steps closer to Cordelia with a frown on his face, a young, handsome-looking man came out of nowhere and pulled Cordelia by the arm. 

“Hi, baby. I’m sorry I took time in the restroom.” The stranger uttered with a grin. Cordelia looked so confused, but as the smart girl she was, she figured out that he was trying to save her. So she didn’t push him away. 

This stranger was Jared Lambert, a twenty-five year old guy, the son of Sir Luther Lambert, leader of the East America drug cartel, and nephew to El Azul Lambert, the leader of the Colima drug cartel in Europe. El Azul had connections all over Europe and was given almost the same respect as the President. 

Senator Ivan was well familiar with El Azul Lambert, and to some extent, he feared him because El Azul could ruin him just with the snap of his fingers. Seeing Jared Lambert next to Cordelia calmed him down immediately. 

“Senator Ivan! How are you?!” Jared asked with a large grin, pretending not to know what had happened. 

“Jared. She’s with you?” Senator Ivan asked, feeling restricted. 

“Yes. This is my girlfriend. Have you two met?” Jared asked, still smiling sweetly. 

“Your girlfriend just slapped me!” Senator Ivan smacked. 

“What? Baby, why did you do that?” He asked Cordelia. Before Cordelia could defend herself again, he spoke up. 

“I’m so sorry, Senator Ivan. She is pretty ignorant of how things work here. Please forgive her for my sake.” 

Senator Ivan clenched his jaw glaring at Cordelia, who dared not look at his face. 

“I’m letting this slide because she’s with you, Jared. The next time this happens, I won’t spare her.” He responded angrily, and Jared  nodded. 

“Thank you. Senator Ivan. I promise you that it will never happen again.” 

“No problem. One more thing, Jared. Can you link me up with El Azul, I have business to discuss, and we forget this ever happened.” Senator Ivan said, with a wide grin on his face like a child asking for some candy.

“That is the easiest thing to do. I’ll update you, Senator Ivan. We’ll leave now.” Jared pulled Cordelia with him, while Cordelia hastily grabbed her bag and followed behind him. 

Before they got out of the bar, Jared heard someone call his name. He looked back and saw Mckayla, a friend and the owner of the bar approaching them. 

“Mckayla.” He called as she got to where they were. 

“I saw what you did. Thank you so much for saving her from him.” She uttered, looking at Cordelia who hid behind Jared, like he was her refuge. 

“You need to be careful, girl. That man would have killed you and no one would question him. Don’t you know him?” 

“No, I don’t. I’m new in Croatia.” She answered, still hiding behind Jared. She held his arms firmly, never wanting to let go. 

“You’re new, and that is why you need to be careful. You can’t just go around slapping people you don’t know. Even though he was wrong, there were other ways you could have dealt with it.” Jared answered coldly. 

“I’m sorry.” Cordelia answered, lowering her head. 

“Well, I see why he lost control. He has never been like that with any girl before. He’d always come to me first to ask for girls. But I guess he was swept away by your beauty. You’re very beautiful. What is your name?” 

“My name is Cordelia.” 

“Here… have my card. You can come here anytime to have a free drink and a chat. Since you’re new, I bet you don’t have any friends.” 

“No, I don’t. Thank you.” Cordelia answered, collecting the card from her. 

“Take care of her, Jared. I’ll leave now.” Mckayla winked at Jared before walking away. 

Jared kept a straight face and walked out of the bar with Cordelia still clinging to him. 

Walking farther from the bar, without saying anything to each other, Jared stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at Cordelia. He noticed her eyes were closed, and her nose was buried in his lower shoulder. 

Cordelia couldn’t help but sniff him because of how nice he smelled. She was almost tempted to ask him the name of the cologne that he was wearing. 

“I’ll get you a taxi now. Be careful next time. This place is pretty dangerous.” He uttered, and Cordelia nodded. 

She slowly moved out from behind him and looked at his face. Without saying a word, she began to admire his beauty. 

She started admiring him right from his face. He stood under the street light, so she could see his face clearly. 

He had a messy haircut which complimented his oblong face. His eyes were oval-shaped and blue. His nose was long and straight, sitting perfectly right above his Cupid-bow shaped lips, which were very pink. 

Moving down to the collar of his shirt, her eyes were about to run down his body, when his voice suddenly jolted her out of her thoughts. 

“The taxi is here.” He uttered. 

She hastily looked away and saw the taxi waiting in front of her. Before she could reach for the door, Jared reached for it and opened it. 

“Thank you, Jared.” She uttered and sat in the taxi. 

“Stay safe.” He responded, shutting the door and turning to leave. Cordelia stared out of the window, keeping her gaze locked on him. She wanted him to ask her for her number or at least give her his card, but he didn’t. 

‘Why didn’t he make a move? Doesn’t he like me?’ She thought sadly, turning to look at him through the back glass of the car, still admiring the way he walked. 

She stared at him until the taxi drove into another street. Heaving a sigh, she sat properly and exhaled loudly. 

‘I hope I see him again.’