Devil's Prisoner

Chapter1 -Part III

Drinks are served first, and as people start to drink alcohol, they begin to chat casually. Claire, the senior architect, and Emily are wine enthusiasts, so they order red wine while the rest opt for cocktails. Ria is not a fan of alcoholic beverages and dislikes their taste, so she orders orange juice instead. Moreover, as she needs to keep a clear mind to think, avoiding alcohol seems like a wise decision.

Alan sips his drink and asks, "Which part of Canada are you from?"

"I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, which borders Montana state. My family still lives there," Ria replies.

People are beginning to talk about the differences between Canadians and Americans.

Emily switches the topic. "The Power Structure's design is closer to the coastline than ours. We had previously calculated the area closest to the sea without being affected by the tide. The Power Structure constructed the dining area right on the seashore. It's fine when the tide is low like it is now, but when it is high, the beach here will be submerged by the seawater. Does the restaurant need to be closed during high tide?" She asks a technical question.

"The "Captains Club" has been built on a unique foundation. The natural beach is visible during low tide and becomes the dining area platform. When the tide is high, the foundation automatically rises, allowing diners to enjoy their meals closest to the sea. This design significantly increases the usable area of the land." Upon entering the restaurant, Alan realizes why he lost to the Power Structure.

"Building a liftable foundation like this here would be very expensive. How does the Power Structure control its budget?" Emily's eyes widen in surprise.

"The only possible reason would be the owner doesn't care about it," Alan responds.

"The budget was included in the bid solicitation document. I remember we reviewed it with the owner's representative during the client meeting," Emily recalls.

"Correct, but it came from the representative, not the owner." Alan clarifies.

"Have we ever met the owner?" Emily inquiries.

"No. We have attempted to investigate the project's owner but found no information available, so our proposal was based on information provided by the representative." Alan identifies the reason for losing the bid.

Emily cannot believe that there are individuals in the world who are so wealthy that money holds no value to them. This feeling is not unique to Emily, as everyone is shocked by the owner's luxury and affluence. They begin to ponder what this wealthy person might look like.

The food in this place is delicious and satisfying. Everyone is starting to relax and enjoy the moment, except for Ria. She is still feeling stressed from her first day.

"Hi, Alan." A greeting interrupts the joke Emily is talking about.

Everyone turns and traces the source of the voice. It is from a stunningly tall, blond, attractive lady standing beside Alan.

"Amelia, welcome back!" Alan stands up to greet her. His face brightens with a warm smile, and he opens his arms to give her a heartfelt hug.

"She is one of our associate partners," Emily explains to Ria in a hushed tone. "She used to be Alan's immediate boss. Two months ago, she was temporarily transferred to our Paris branch because one of the partners in our European division fell ill. That partner has recovered, so now she is back." She gossips.

Amelia is too pretty to be a partner and too young to be one too. Without Emily's words, Ria would guess she is a top fashion model.

Alan invites Amelia to join them. She starts to talk about the million-dollar projects and her luxurious but stressful business trips, which Ria doesn't fully understand. Alan laughs carefreely. After a while, Amelia notices a new face here.

"Ria, Junior Technologist, our new hire." Alan introduces, "Amelia, our associate partner."

"Nice to meet you, Ria. Welcome to Y&M," Amelia says with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Amelia," Ria replies politely.

"Ria was the winner of the Logo design contest hosted by Mexican Natural Conservation last month." Alan pulls out the stunning Logo picture from his cell phone and shows it to Amelia. "I love her design. It's beautiful." He expresses his admiration.

"I completely agree with you," Amelia says as she nods at the pictures.

Ria feels incredibly lucky to have participated in the Logo design contest, which recognized her talent, led to a job offer from Y&E, and made her one of the members of Alan's team.

After the delicious desserts, Amelia comes up with an idea to spice up the event. She proposes playing the classic "Truth or Dare" game but with her unique twist. She will spin a wine bottle, and whoever the bottleneck points towards must answer a question truthfully. On the other hand, the person at whom the bottom of the bottle stops would have to embark on an exciting adventure.

The atmosphere is filled with joy and excitement as the game begins. The first round features Paul and Emily, and their entertaining performance leaves everyone in laughter. Paul's witty answers and Emily's unique chicken dance routine are a hit with the crowd, who can't stop giggling at their hilarious antics.

As the second round of the game begins, the air is thick with anticipation. All eyes are fixated on the wine bottle, which spins furiously in the center of the dining table. It seems to twirl endlessly until it finally stops —the bottom lands directly at Ria, who sits nervously on the edge of her seat.

They are nice colleagues, and it's just a game. Ria takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself down. Still, for some reason, her nerves suddenly overwhelm her with unexpected intensity, and her anxiety is totally out of control.

"What adventure should you do?" Alan rubs his chin and ponders.

"I have an idea." Amelia takes over the topic. "Ria, we would like you to go into the screen partitions and air-kiss the person sitting in the middle."

Chicken dance is easy to handle, but the current request is more complex. An air kiss doesn't involve physical contact, but no one knows who is dining inside the partition; maybe a monster is sitting in the middle. Ria looks at Alan, asking for his help. Although he seems hesitant, his silence approves of Amelia's suggestion. Other colleagues are concerned about Ria but can't say much, since Amelia proposes the adventure.

It is the first task at Y&E. Ria has no choice but to take on the challenge. She stands up and walks toward the black partitions, gradually approaching the mystery area. The entrance is closed. The wooden dividers well serve the purpose of keeping everything that doesn't belong inside strictly outside.