Lawrence might be timid and soft-spoken, but he sure was good at his job. Ethan's desk was now littered with papers, files and whatnots. He had been able to gather all the information he could about the woman, from the hospital where she was born up to her present job in just an hour and twelve minutes.
Ethan scrolled through his secretary's tablet while his father went through the hard copies.
"Her parents are Cadence Sanders and Niara Robin. They came together twenty-five years ago to form Robin and Sanders, a prestigious law firm in F-city and perhaps the second best in whole country.
"Niara Robin specializes in civil crime cases and she can best be remembered for her representation of the former Minister of Finance of the country who was facing corruption charges at the time. The case ended with him being discharged and acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence after three hearings." As Lawrence spoke the whole room was silent to hear his gentle narration of his findings.
"Her father, Cadence Sanders is a don when it comes to property and company law. He serves as the head of legal department of TechNow, the leading technology brand."
Clifford nodded in admiration. The woman's parents were accomplished people and had reputable backgrounds. He had even met with Cadence Sanders once in a high profile occasion.
"What about the girl?" Clifford asked still peering into the paper he was holding.
Ethan looked into the tablet and found her details.
Leia Sanders. Middle name: Robin. Date of birth: 25th July. Age: 23.
She was born in the Memorial Hospital of F City. Attended an all girls boarding school across the continent and then went on to study law in the internationally renowned F City's University.
Ethan's brows drew together at that last detail. It seemed the unassuming woman was actually a prodigy. One thing he knew was that no one got into F City's University with connections. It was solely based on merit. He also went through that same university to obtain a business degree and then his masters degree.
"She's not a lawyer though. Even if she had graduated with first class honors. She decided to deviate from her parents path and pursue her own dreams. This resulted in being disowned by her parents without access to her trust fund." Lawrence continued to speak.
Ethan recalled she had said something about discovering her passion for teaching a little too late.
"So they cut her off? How does she fend for herself then?" Clifford asked the question Ethan wanted to ask.
"Well, she runs the school by the day and then by night, she works at the Club Rouge."
Both father and son turned instantly to Lawrence at this piece of news.
"The Club Rouge? You mean she's a stripper?" Clifford asked in bewilderment.
Lawrence shook his head. "No sir. Only a waitress. And she only does this to make ends meet because apparently, the club pays quite well and the patrons are quite generous with tips."
"You know what, son. Forget it. Let's not go with this one." Clifford shook his head with a tired sigh.
But Ethan wasn't listening. His calculative mind had already traveled a far distance. So she was just a teacher by day and waitress by night.
She wasn't the actual jeweler. Had he paid fifty nine million for a necklace that wasn't worth anything? She sure had some explaining to do.
"Quite the contrary, Chairman. I like this one best." Ethan said to his father's dismay. Then he turned to his equally stunned secretary. "Get the car ready, Lawrence. We'll be going down to the club tonight."
* * *
Leia stood behind the counter with her black mask on, bored out of her mind as the loud music blared on in the background.
The club wasn't really a place she was fond of. But this was what being an adult entails and hating the smell of sweat and alcohol wasn't going to pay her bills.
Club Rouge was a very important club in the city and only high profile members were allowed in. To protect the privacy of the workers in the club, the staff would wear masks to keep their identities a secret.
She hoped to keep this job a secret to her grave. Imagine if her parents found out that she had left them and everything she knew just to come and work in a club.
"Leia, cover for me. I gotta take a piss." Matt, her co-worker at the bar told her.
Leia nodded. "Sure, no problem."
"I might take a while. Hope you'll be able to handle the traffic and all." He asked with a kind smile.
She waved off his worries with a matching smile and a bump to his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I got this. You taught me well after all."
Matt agreed with a lopsided grin. "I guess you're right. Be right back."
"Okay." she replied and she watched as the tattooed hunk disappeared to the back of the bar.
She shook her head when she realized she had been smiling even after he had gone. Matt had been the nicest and most helpful person she had met while working at the Club Rouge. He took her under his wings and patiently explained the art of mixing drinks to her despite the fact that she was a newbie and had no experience.
Now she had gotten the hang of it and was doing very well.
There was a strict rule of not using phones while working so Leia couldn't contain her boredom using that means.
She decided to hum a little tune. She didn't pay attention to the tune and just let it flow from within her.
"You can take the school teacher away from the school, but you can't take the school out of the school teacher."
Leia glanced up in alarm and saw someone she had never expected to see at the bar in that lifetime.
Ethan Sterling.