CHAPTER 289: TABLE TENSION

A soft gasp came from the doorway.

It was Penelope.

Darren froze in his chair and he stared at her. He was already wracking with guilt seeing her just standing there, a trembling violet in a simple lavender dress.

Her eyes, still faintly red, widened in pure, unadulterated shock. She wasn’t expecting grandeur, but she was expecting intimacy. Seeing the powerful, glamorous women already seated – Rachel’s severity and Cheyenne’s intimidating presence. It felt like a real life punch in the face.

What was going on here?

Rachel stared at her, her jaw tight. She knew that Penelope was probably the woman Darren loved the most. And even though she was ashamed to admit it, Rachel was jealous of the young, beautiful girl.

For Penny, her hopeful flutter over the daisies Darren had given her, died instantly. She clutched her small purse like a lifeline. He brought other women? Why?

She wanted to turn around and run? But what if Darren planned to declare her as his love towards all these powerful women? There had to be a reason why he had done this.

The waiter gently guided her towards the seat tagged ’Penelope Castle’ near the end. She practically collapsed into the chair, shrinking in on herself, staring at the tablecloth as if it might swallow her. Confusion warred with a fresh wave of hurt.

Cheyenne looked at her with curiosity. "Well, you’re a pretty one, aren’t you?"

Penny only murmured a nervous thank you.

The doors open again. Sandy walked in, adorned in a very decisive, sharp black cocktail dress. She had only walked a step when she paused.

Her dark eyes scanned the scene. Kara first, then Rachel, Olivia, Cheyenne, Amelia, the fragile-looking Penelope... Her furious stride faltered. Utter disbelief washed over her face, quickly submerged by volcanic anger.

"What’s going on here?" Sandy asked, ignoring the waiter pointing to ’Sandy Meyers’ on a chair. She glanced at Kara. "Did you know about this? Is this YOUR idea of a joke?"

Kara shrugged, waving her hands in surrender. "Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just as surprised as you are."

Cheyenne studied her. "Why don’t you take a seat?" she said. "Whatever this drama is, I find myself curious to watch it play out."

Sandy stared at the woman, surprised to see her here. Then, she stalked to her seat, yanking the chair out with a screech that made Penelope flinch.

"Rachel. Explain?" she asked Rachel with a confused gaze.

Rachel’s own eyes were chips of ice. "I wish I could."

Cheyenne merely sipped the water a waiter had poured, her smirk deepening. "Do contain yourselves, children. We haven’t even seen the full cast yet."

Sandy’s gaze swept the name tags on the chair before stopping on one that made her drop. ’Ileana Popescu.’

"No way."

The Romanian girl appeared almost instantly, dressed in a pale blue short gown, something she wasn’t used to wearing. She stopped walking as soon as she noticed the women on the table, but when her eyes caught Sandy’s, she turned to leave.

Darren frowned.

However, as he ordered, one of the waiters spoke to her, telling her to take a seat.

Ileana then carefully turned around, meeting the gazes of the other women nervously. Penelope was staring at her the most, suddenly insecure at the sight of a girl around her age.

"Ileana! Hey! Over here!" Kara waved frantically towards the chair tagged ’Ileana Popescu’ next to Penelope. Ileana scurried over, sinking into her seat, offering Kara a terrified, grateful glance before staring fixedly at her hands twisting in her lap.

Swish.

The doors opened again. Miranda Sloane stepped through, crisp in a tailored charcoal skirt suit, her expression expectant, ready for a crucial one-on-one strategy session with Darren.

Like others, she stopped dead, confused. Her eyes swept the table – Rachel, Olivia, Cheyenne Bordeaux, Kara, Sandy, Amelia, Penelope, Ileana... Her mind blanked. "I... what..." She blinked rapidly, looking at a waiter as if he could explain.

He silently gestured to ’Miranda Sloane’. She moved numbly to her seat, sinking down, staring straight ahead, her carefully prepared talking points ashes in her mouth.

"Surprised to see you here, Miranda," Kara said to her friend.

"I, uh... Got an invitation," Miranda’s response was mumbled.

Moments later, Daisy Chen entered, dressed professionally. She stopped at the sight of the table. "Uh... hi? Everyone?" Her gaze darted through the women’s expressions.

"Is this... the right place? I think Darren called me for a meeting?" The waiter nodded and pointed her to the seat labeled with her name.

"Uh... okay." Daisy shuffled to her seat, looking utterly bewildered, shooting Amelia a helpless what-is-this? look. Amelia could only offer a minute, dazed shake of her head.

For the final time, the doors opened. This time slow and deliberate. The final woman, Tamara Johnstone stood there, radiant in champagne gold, confidence radiating from every pore.

She had a smile that was obviously prepped for a triumphant reunion or a seductive negotiation with Darren. But Darren wasn’t here, and she froze at that realization.

Her eyes swept the entire table – the sheer number of women, the palpable tension thick enough to choke on. Her gaze locked onto Olivia among the rest of the women. She was here too? So she had also received the invitation and that was why she had acted so strangely back then.

Olivia’s expression was more of a shrug, apologizing for not telling her.

As Tamara stood there, the waiter indicated the final seat with her name tagged on the table. Tamara approached the table slowly, then sat carefully.

"Good evening," she offered the women, trying to keep her smile as warm as possible. "Anyone have an idea of what’s going on here?"

All the women fell silent, Cheyenne smiled, Kara sighed and Rachel remained impassive

The silence turned to a crushing, suffocating quietness filled only by the distant hum of the city far below and the frantic pounding of eleven hearts (plus one hidden).

Crystal glasses sparkled, untouched. Exquisite food sat ignored, its aromas cloying. Eyes darted but no one spoke. The unasked questions hung in the air, heavy and toxic:

’Why am I here with THEM? What does he want? How could he DO this?’

Hidden behind the dense curtain of orchids, Darren Steele watched the disaster unfold. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool evening air. The system’s hologram flickered violently beside him, a strobing nightmare of red:

┏Rachel: 25%┛

┏Kara: 68%┛

┏Olivia: 40%┛

┏Cheyenne: 36%┛

┏Penelope: 35% (DEVASTATED)┛

┏Sandy: 25%┛

┏Ileana: 55%┛

┏Miranda: 30%┛

┏Daisy: 20%┛

┏Tamara: 30%┛

┏WARNING: MASSIVE DROPS DETECTED! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO INCREASE Their LOYALTY!┛

Darren almost chuckled at his system’s directness. Things might seem a little hopeless at the moment, but he knew exactly what he was doing.