Warshon put his knee length blazer on her before they headed out and opened the door to the passenger seat for her when the valet returned with his rover.
"A word, Warshon?" said Telesphore, his eyes earnest. "I won't take long."
He turned to Mira, "Do you mind waiting for a bit?"
She shook her head. Colors of the night brought out the smile in her emerald eyes he didn't think he could look at enough.
He closed the door. Sliding his hands into his the pockets, he skewed around, his own smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sorry, Teddy."
Telesphore shrugged. "You did nothing wrong. I should be the one to apologize. I didn't mean to react how I reacted."
"None taken," He patted the other on the shoulder and turned on his heel. "We'll talk more after you settled in."
"Warshon, I wouldn't think of her being with anyone less. But I doubt Adnet will give you his blessing."
Flicking his eyes over his shoulder, he chortled, "Who says I need it?"
A grin narrowed the other's gaze. Telesphore stepped back on the curb and waved his goodbye.
Following a light thud that closed the door, silence enveloped. He started the rover, his other hand reaching to find hers. Of all the things that were clouding his mind, he glanced at her sideways and said, "You need to eat more, darling."
"And you need your both hands on the wheel," she mumbled in reply, trying to pull away to little avail, her frowning eyes blinking.
"A little note I took over dinner," he said, ignoring her protest while he steered the rover to a different lane. "You don't eat raw onions, or brussle sprouts. You actually made an effort to pick out every single shred of onion from your plate."
"They're my archnemeses."
His chuckle. "If that's the case, I'll be sure that neither come close to our table again. And if that still isn't enough, we can buy those onion plushies so you can throw punches at them."
Mira leaned on her side against the backrest, her head low, eyes lifting. "What's wrong?"
He darted at her a sideways glance. "Nothing. Why do you ask?
"Well, that onion plushie sounds out of character coming from you. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
Another chuckle. "There is nothing I can hide from you, is there?"
Pursing her lips, Mira shrugged, gesturing for him to go on.
So he did. "Adnet Reyer is coming to Konstinbul after the New Year," he intoned. "I didn't want to tell you at first. But then I realized I should check with you how you feel about it, and if you'd like me to throw him out like an onion."
She turned her head to the front. "How much do you know about the Reyers?"
At the crossroad, he stopped for the red light, the left signal flashing. "I know they had their hands dirty for the government's vaccines for tax evasion."
"If there is a way to prove the scandal, can we finesse the situation to antagonize the people against the Reds further?"
"Go on."
She thought for a bit, her curved brows drawing close as she withdrew her eyes from the road ahead. "While the Reyers have been currying favor with the Reds since they took over, they're losing money every year, which is why they sought means to relocate their assets. But for such a front and center priority, Raulf Reyer wouldn't have left it to Telesphore unless," she paused, lifting her eyes at him. "You. You wouldn't help them unless it's Telesphore, because he's your friend."
He held her gaze.
"To help Telesphore," she continued. "You must have access to his family's ledgers, and going through their finance, you must have noticed something. That's how you know they're involved."
"You baited me?" He cocked a brow, carrying in his voice a soft chuckle. "Nicely done."
"You knew the vaccine was the problem. It's a perfect opportunity to turn voters against the Commonwealth so you seized it. But instead of exposing it yourself, you convinced the other doctor to drop the hint at the press conference so you wouldn't make yourself an enemy to the Reyers now that you're business partners. And more importantly," she paused and averted her eyes. "You protected me, diverting the attention so no one cared to ask what caused the allergy in the first place, I owe you a thank you." A longer pause ensued while the air conditioning droned. "Thank you for not wasting any opportunity, for cashing in on the mess I spawned. Thank you for being you. If nothing goes awry, the Republic will claim the next First World Premier. So, my next question is this, may I take advantage of your triumph?"
"It wouldn't be quite a triumph for me if you didn't." The red light turned green. Warshon steered the wheel, his other hand squeezing hers while she locked her gaze on him as they merged off the main road.
"But the Reyers must come out of it unscathed," she continued. "Not just Telesphore but the entire Reyer Corporation, if you want to avoid disruption to your cash flow. They aren't deadweight to drop, and yet they're cumbersome. So how about turning them into a victim?"
Warshon frowned. The hefty levies imposed by the Commonwealth Utopianists who now called themselves the Reds have driven many of their merchants into bankruptcy. But it was also how they gained popularity with the masses. "A small opening may be all it takes, but people won't care when the rich cry about losing their money."
"No, but they will when they learn how the money is lost to endanger their lives," she replied, a lick rebellion of rebellion running in her voice.
Warshon glanced at her sidelong. "Do you have evidence of the scandal?"
"Why else did I ask you if we could finesse the situation?"
Warshon marveled at how she segued her thoughts like a waltz as they approached the scrollwork iron gates and climbed the winding driveway in the stealth of shadowy hedgerows and oaks. He parked in front of his house. The engine went off in a quiet sigh. Silence ensued. He pressed his lips on the back of her hand. "I knew you came with a vengeance," he breathed into the silence. "But this will be a long game of chess you'll have to be patient for." Turning to his shoulder, he looked her in the eye.
"Thank you."
"That's it?" He raised a brow. "I was expecting a much more passionate response."
"Huh?" All the confidence if not defiance she exuded disappeared. Panic flushed her cheeks.
He closed the distance between them. "That'll do," he purred on her lips. "Sorry, I underestimated you. I shouldn't even think you'd be bothered by Adnet coming here."
The impish smile sparked in her eyes; her lashes fluttered, casting a diaphanous shade on her plump cheeks, the soft arch of her brows rising. "Why should I be bothered by some trust fund soy boy?"
"Ouch," he chuckled, his eyes half closed, delving into hers as he tried to imagine through those emerald eyes what the back alley of some bar looked like. Beyond the initial fear flared was the primordial lust for life, and at the sound of the syndicate's signal gun she fired into the dead of the night, she was exhilarated – he could feel it. "Come, there is something I want to show you."
***