not happening...

22

Leila

Friday, Leila opens her eyes and jumps out of bed. She quickly showers and gets ready. She ties her hair up in a loose chignon, leaving a few curls to frame her face. Wearing a black suit, a blue silk blouse, and black boots that reach above her knees, she feels ready. She quickly finds the delicate diamond earrings in the shape of butterflies that adorn her earlobes and a matching necklace. Leila grabs her briefcase and leaves her room. She gets into her car and drives to her company. She is excited, but she knows she has everything she needs.

At the company, Stan hands her a cup of coffee, which she practically inhales. Sighing, she leans back: “Stan, do you feel ready?” Stan nods, “Everything is perfectly prepared, and you know that.” Leila nods: “Still, after today, Future will be on everyone's lips and we're sure to get a lot of orders. You know the policy?” Stan nods: “Yes, anyone who wants an appointment must be thoroughly checked.” Leila: “The attention this trade fair is drawing to our company will also attract people I don't want to work with.” Stan agrees: “Yes, we've talked about it and DeepDive IT is implemented.” Leila smiles. “That reassures me.” She takes another sip, “Stan, the bodyguards are leaving with Robert in an hour. They'll surround him and no one is allowed to get close to him.” Stan nods; “It's been taken care of and the men are already downstairs.” Leila smiles: “Then let's go. It's showtime.” Stan nods. They both take the elevator down and are surprised to see Nicholas standing there with Shawn. “What are you doing here?” Shawn hugs her and says, “We thought you might want to ride with us. For safety, etc.” Leila rolls her eyes: “What do you think is going to happen? Come on, we're fine.” Shawn says, “Please, I'd be delighted if you came with us.” Leila sighs, “All right.” They all get into the limousine, and black cars drive in front and behind them. Leila raises her eyebrows, and Nicholas, who notices her glance, replies, “Better safe than sorry, and my grandfather and I have a strange feeling in our stomachs.” Leila shakes her head, amused. She looks at Nicholas: “I can take care of myself.” Nicholas hands her a cup of coffee and Leila smiles. “Thanks.” Nicholas nods to her and asks Stan: “What would you like?” Stan waves him away. “She's the caffeine junkie.” Everyone laughs. It's not long before they arrive at the exhibition center. Leila: “We'll take the back entrance. You can just drop us off here.” Nicholas shakes his head: “No, we'll drive straight to the back entrance.” Leila frowns: "But the limousine can't stay there. A van with some bodyguards will be here in about 30 minutes.“ Nicholas nods. They get out and Leila is about to turn around and thank him when Nicholas gets out behind her. Confused, she looks at him: ”What? I thought you were walking on the red carpet?“ Nicholas smiles and she looks at him confused: ”Well, the only thing I'm interested in is your presentation." They walk through the back entrance together as Cole and Konrad approach them. Leila beams and throws herself into Konrad's arms. “How wonderful that you came!” Konrad smiles down at her and explains, “Nothing could have kept me from this. Do you have enough bodyguards?” Then he sees the Andersons and frowns, “Mr. Anderson, Mr. Anderson.” “Leila, is everything okay?” Cole puts his arm around his father's shoulder and explains, “As far as I know, she has a contract with them for a project. And...” Before he can continue, he is interrupted by Nicholas: "My grandfather wanted to thank you. He was always good to Leila. For my part, I tried to find her for a year after I found out what was going on at my estate and that she had been through so much. I wanted to apologize, and then she immediately offered a fantastic solution to my security problem, which is why we're working together on the project. She's a fantastic person." Konrad nods and replies, “Yes, but today is not the time to go into that in depth.” Leila nods: “So, Stan will now lead you to your seats, and I have a few things to do here.” Cole asks: “Are you sure you don't need me?” Leila beams at me, “No—besides, the bodyguards are coming soon, and I don't want my project to be seen before then.”Everyone nods and Stan leads them to their seats. No sooner are they gone than the back door opens and 10 bodyguards enter with Robert. Leila turns to the bodyguards and asks them to secure the stage from the front and back. They nod and take their previously assigned places. Leila nods to Robert and says, "You'll be on stage with me. First in a seat at the side, but separated from the audience. I'll be able to see you.“ Robert nods and she leads him to his seat. ”I'll call you over later." Robert nods again and sits down. Leila makes sure he can't be seen from the front, then gives the signal for the curtain to open and steps into the spotlight. She banishes everything else from her mind. Only the here and now is important. She takes a deep breath and her gaze falls on Nicholas. She doesn't want to think about why he's suddenly back in her life. But she hopes she won't have to see him again after the project is over. Then she straightens her shoulders and begins.