The suspicious gowns

 

★★★★

Eight years later

"Did you check the papers before handing them to Tennyson?" Clover coldly spoke on the call, clutching her fist tightly as she walked through the lobby.

The anger and power on her face were so clear that people walking around her felt intimidated. They maintained a fair distance as they walked past her.

"Boss, I was swamped, and Jenny wanted to be seen by you. I know it is my mistake that is why I am requesting you to give me at least a couple of hours, and I promise you, I will make everything right," Mark hurriedly spoke, wishing his boss to forgive him once. To this day, he came to know his boss liked the perfection to be held up more than anything else.

But what Jenny did was a big blunder. There were a couple of faults in the agreement, which was why it was sent to the upper board for modification, but Jenny thought sending the files to the Tennyson company by herself would give her the light she had been looking for since she joined the Hastings company.

"I do respect your promise but I love my deals more. I'm giving you six hours to make things right and arrange a meeting with the CEO of Tennyson tomorrow," said Clover, pressing the card onto the door lock and the room opened. She went inside and threw the shoulder bag onto the bed.

"Right away, boss!" Mark replied and was about to cut the call when Clover interrupted, "Mark, I… I want you to announce my arrival!"

"What?" Came a surprise reply from Mark, " “Weren't you warned not to tell the media or anyone about your arrival in Manhattan?" Mark repeated what he had been warned about earlier.

"I had thought so, but it seems that I will have to announce my arrival now. So make this possible within a few hours," Clover replied with a sluggish tone as if she was forced to take this step while a strong unwillingness had her voice clogged.

"Boss, are you okay? Is there any problem?" Mark further added. Clover decided to be in Manhattan for a week just for the deal with Tennyson. Even though wherever her Boss went made the front page in the following day's newspaper, this time she made it clear by no means that the security of her in Manhattan could be taken lightly.

"Yes, I am fine, Mark. I have been summoned by my family. They informed me that my father is not well, and he wants to meet me," Clover replied.

"How come they find out about your whereabouts?"

"I don't know, but I feel like I have been monitored twenty-four hours by someone since the day I walked out of the airport. I cannot quite pinpoint who and why I feel that, but my intuition has never failed me," Clover explained her trepidation to Mark, who was the only person right now who knew a majority of things about Clover.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" Mark said, "Alright, I am working on this too, but first, I will have to check your security once again. Until then, don't go out."

"This is not possible since I am heading out for my home this evening," Clover paused.

"Alright, as you want," Mark said. Even though he wanted his boss not to go to her house right at that moment, his boss would do whatever she decided.

"But take care that your phone should never be switched off at any cost," Mark alerted Clover.

"Hmmm...Call the designer and arrange a dress for me," Clover said and cut the call, leaving Mark to have so many questions in his head because he could feel his boss was hiding something.

Meanwhile, Clover dialled another number as she sat at the edge of the bed.

"Damn it! What is wrong with you? Why do I no longer have any information about you? It's been eight years since you disappeared without any trace," Clover muttered, holding her phone in her hand, and the call was disconnected again. "My war is about to begin. I really need to talk to you."

Clover pursed her lips and placed her phone on the mattress before stretching her body onto it.

She knew her father was in better health, but she had to pretend to be blind.

Last night, she let herself be exposed to her stepmother, who happened to be shopping in a mall.

Clover knew her stepmother was going to follow her.  Hence, she deliberately left her number at a clothing showroom. 

And just as she thought, her father called her the same night and pleaded with her to come home.

‘I can’t wait to start what I am here for!’ Clover’s eyes narrowed coldly to the space, and a firm intention was displayed on her expression.

At that moment, the bell of the door rang, and Clover got up from the bed and walked to the door.

She saw a woman, holding two dresses for her. It left her utterly confused because she had just asked Mark to send her the dress. Then how did he send it so quickly? It hadn't even been half an hour yet.

"Yes!" Clover responded.

"These are for you," said the woman and shoved the dresses into Clover's hands.

"Who sent these dresses, and who are you?" Clover asked to confirm whether she was sent by Mark. Apart from that, the girl standing in front of her did not look like a helper or any employee of this hotel at all.

"Have a good day, Madam!" The girl said, adding a smile at the end before turning around and walking away.

Clover frowned, standing at the door, still as she watched the girl go into the elevator. The doubts she had about this dress appeared to be correct.

So, she shut the door and placed the dresses on the couch before grabbing the phone. She dialled Mark and asked him about her dresses, and he told her he was still looking for a designer in Manhattan.

Hearing that, Clover looked over her shoulder to the couch and said, "You don't have to send any dresses."

"Okay!" Mark said.

Clover cut the call and turned around, placing both her hands on her waist. Then she went ahead to the couch and touched the dresses. The fabric in her fingers felt the quality of the gowns.

“Who sent them?” She muttered, “Besides, why were all the party gowns?”

Clover's eyes narrowed dangerously.