07-11-2018, 06:56 PM
"That is a breathtaking set, Diane."
Nikolai smiled handsomely while cords of aether lifted the stunning diamond set from her skin. It was only a moment before the weight settled once more. The countess of cyrptocurrency, as she liked to call herself, laughed haughtily. The smile on Nikolai's face was almost as fake as her laugh, and the mutual delight between them was palpable.
"Thank you kindly, Ascendancy,"
she mused, eyes sparkling. "It's incomparable, really."
Nik felt the eyes of those around them raise in intrigue.
"Oh? How is that?"
He asked. Though he was sure he had an answer. The main pendant stone was probably 350 carats at least. When he stared into its center, he saw flawnessness.
"This stone alone is valued at $70 million."
He heard gasps around them. Judging by the little flinches in posture, Nik knew they suddenly felt inferior.
"That is not quite invaluable then."
He smiled disarmingly. Diane glowed. Nik continued, "Thank you, Diane, for doubling your donation. I'll make sure you're given extra recognition."
He squeezed her hand and turned, smile narrowing.
Very little of the night was spent wringing extra millions out of the uber-wealthy. If he hadn't dropped $500 million himself in DV last year, he would probably donate a similar number. Certainly, the funds would balance now he was no longer a benefactor of the Atharim, but that would take time, and there would be more causes in the future. The idea grated slightly, like grinding your teeth on sand, saving those who didn't want to save themselves. It was an investment in the future, though. Just like the empire of the CCD, the remainder of the world would soon be as prosperous. If dredging the corruption from Africa was the necessary means to this end, he was willing to do it.
He mingled. He laughed with old friends, friends grayed and worn by the decades with no shortage of comment on his youth. The power followed him as well. Requests for displays were granted willingly. He was genuinely having fun. Something that surprised even him.
When Alric informed him that Evelyn requested to see him in private, he quickly agreed, eager to hear what she had to say about the success of the evening. Once in the solitude of the palace off-limits to their guests, his mood dampened somewhat. Alric explained, "It seems she is in the company of Miss Northbrook and Lieutenant Carpenter."
Nik's stride remained steady. "Do we know what they were talking about?"
Alric shrugged and offered a holo-reader. Nikolai glanced a moment, then waved it away. He had a strong feeling what it was anyway, and the challenge of bartering words with Evelyn like sparring partners was too intriguing to give himself an advantage ahead of time.
They reached the board room where Evelyn drafted her treaty. A lasso of light radiated forth and wrenched the door open before he entered.
Carpenter filled to the brim with power, staring down the unexpected. Good. That was exactly what he was suppose to do.
"You're learning the control you wanted."
He smiled proudly and stepped within to clap him on the shoulder. He felt Alric step away as he did.
He nodded a greetings for Natalie, lovely as before. She was dressed impeccably, but simple and elegant. Somehow she fit right in to the ball, yet she didn't stand out at all except for the blank stillness to her expression.
Evelyn, though. She was perfect. The way she looked at him. They way she waited. He had to wonder at the softness of velvet beneath his palms. The scent of her hair curling upon his shoulders. Their power intertwined as their limbs. The taste of her lips.
He made himself look aside.
He glanced around the room until his gaze settled on Natalie, "You look better. Have you recuperated fully?"
His tone cut to the quick even as his gaze roamed the final shadows of her faded injuries she failed to fully hide. Direct, but authentic as a concerned father. She'd dismissed him once before, but he hadn't offered something previously. "Would you accept a healing?"
The public knew about Jensen, and he was here tonight. His ace in the sleeve was played. Even if nobody put the story together yet, that the preacher was responsible for Nikolai's miraculous recovery, it was a matter of time. The longer he tried to hide the truth, the worse it would look in the end. If the secrets in the closet were going to be revealed, it was best that he open the door.
Finally, he greeted the woman that requested this private audience. "Madam Representative. What may I do for you?"
He smiled, hands clasped patiently behind his back.
Nikolai smiled handsomely while cords of aether lifted the stunning diamond set from her skin. It was only a moment before the weight settled once more. The countess of cyrptocurrency, as she liked to call herself, laughed haughtily. The smile on Nikolai's face was almost as fake as her laugh, and the mutual delight between them was palpable.
"Thank you kindly, Ascendancy,"
she mused, eyes sparkling. "It's incomparable, really."
Nik felt the eyes of those around them raise in intrigue.
"Oh? How is that?"
He asked. Though he was sure he had an answer. The main pendant stone was probably 350 carats at least. When he stared into its center, he saw flawnessness.
"This stone alone is valued at $70 million."
He heard gasps around them. Judging by the little flinches in posture, Nik knew they suddenly felt inferior.
"That is not quite invaluable then."
He smiled disarmingly. Diane glowed. Nik continued, "Thank you, Diane, for doubling your donation. I'll make sure you're given extra recognition."
He squeezed her hand and turned, smile narrowing.
Very little of the night was spent wringing extra millions out of the uber-wealthy. If he hadn't dropped $500 million himself in DV last year, he would probably donate a similar number. Certainly, the funds would balance now he was no longer a benefactor of the Atharim, but that would take time, and there would be more causes in the future. The idea grated slightly, like grinding your teeth on sand, saving those who didn't want to save themselves. It was an investment in the future, though. Just like the empire of the CCD, the remainder of the world would soon be as prosperous. If dredging the corruption from Africa was the necessary means to this end, he was willing to do it.
He mingled. He laughed with old friends, friends grayed and worn by the decades with no shortage of comment on his youth. The power followed him as well. Requests for displays were granted willingly. He was genuinely having fun. Something that surprised even him.
When Alric informed him that Evelyn requested to see him in private, he quickly agreed, eager to hear what she had to say about the success of the evening. Once in the solitude of the palace off-limits to their guests, his mood dampened somewhat. Alric explained, "It seems she is in the company of Miss Northbrook and Lieutenant Carpenter."
Nik's stride remained steady. "Do we know what they were talking about?"
Alric shrugged and offered a holo-reader. Nikolai glanced a moment, then waved it away. He had a strong feeling what it was anyway, and the challenge of bartering words with Evelyn like sparring partners was too intriguing to give himself an advantage ahead of time.
They reached the board room where Evelyn drafted her treaty. A lasso of light radiated forth and wrenched the door open before he entered.
Carpenter filled to the brim with power, staring down the unexpected. Good. That was exactly what he was suppose to do.
"You're learning the control you wanted."
He smiled proudly and stepped within to clap him on the shoulder. He felt Alric step away as he did.
He nodded a greetings for Natalie, lovely as before. She was dressed impeccably, but simple and elegant. Somehow she fit right in to the ball, yet she didn't stand out at all except for the blank stillness to her expression.
Evelyn, though. She was perfect. The way she looked at him. They way she waited. He had to wonder at the softness of velvet beneath his palms. The scent of her hair curling upon his shoulders. Their power intertwined as their limbs. The taste of her lips.
He made himself look aside.
He glanced around the room until his gaze settled on Natalie, "You look better. Have you recuperated fully?"
His tone cut to the quick even as his gaze roamed the final shadows of her faded injuries she failed to fully hide. Direct, but authentic as a concerned father. She'd dismissed him once before, but he hadn't offered something previously. "Would you accept a healing?"
The public knew about Jensen, and he was here tonight. His ace in the sleeve was played. Even if nobody put the story together yet, that the preacher was responsible for Nikolai's miraculous recovery, it was a matter of time. The longer he tried to hide the truth, the worse it would look in the end. If the secrets in the closet were going to be revealed, it was best that he open the door.
Finally, he greeted the woman that requested this private audience. "Madam Representative. What may I do for you?"
He smiled, hands clasped patiently behind his back.