Act One Scene One
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8:45 pm
Mateo arrives at Oria restaurant thirty minutes ahead of Laia and settles down with a bottle of champagne.
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Hello! Handsome!
Do you mind if I sit with you? You seem pretty much in need of a companion.
~Laia
Wow! What a sweet way of apologizing for being thirty minutes late.
Well, I must admit I will be the world's biggest fool to say no to the gorgeous and fanciable lady, Please let me help you with your seat.
~Mateo
Thanks. I must confess you are surely making me fall in love with your gentlemanly ways, though it is a bit off from what I fancy but am loving it.
~Laia
Well if that is your way of saying you are sorry for talking down on men of Beau Monde then you have my forgiveness.
~Mateo
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Mateo and Laia share a flying smile
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I think we should go ahead and place our orders now, meanwhile, this champagne is cool, will order a second.
~Mateo
Just a haste? It seems someone is half-starved at home.
OH! Boy! Tell me about it.
~Laia
I would not put it in that order if I were you but then it's fine you can have the plague, I just want to eat.
~Mateo
So are you going to eat all these? I mean this is gluttony, you might get stomach pains.
~Laia
Hey! Darling I have been at the office all day busy with no free time for a proper lunch, yeah! Am pretty sharp-set.
~Mateo
Oppss! I forgot that part, please carry on with your gormandize boo.
~Laia
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Mateo and Laia enjoy the rest of their food in complete quietness.
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Mmm! I do not know the chef of this restaurant but I can tell he is well-versed in haute cuisine from the taste of this food.
~Laia
Am glad you enjoyed the food, honestly, I was a bit unsure you would fancy this restaurant but thankfully you do.
~Mateo
Are you teasing me? Darling I adore French cuisine, I mean I love good food but a mouth-watering mixture of French and English cuisine is my meekness.
~Laia
Hey! Hey! Now that you spoke about it I think I just discovered an easy route to your heart, am giving it a trial...Gorgeous.
~Mateo
My Beau, I would so gladly open my heart to you if I could get a chance to savor this moment again, believe me.
~Laia
Oh well! To my dismay you are so easy to catch, or am I getting a special kind of preference here? I believe you being a woman of haute monde should have a lot of restaurant experience on your list due to your constant traveling.
~Mateo
On the contrary, Mateo is not.
You see being my father's only next in line to his company, I get to spend more of my time with him and his company.
It gets even more tough by the day because I have to be present at every business meeting both local and international, so that just makes it hard for me to build a life for myself.
~Laia
Well, when I first met you at the office I believed you were no rule keeper.
~Mateo
I am a very...very obedient child Mr Mateo Rodriguez
~Laia
I never said you are unbiddable, just that I sensed there might be some baddie side hidden behind this innocent and pretty face of yours.
~Mateo
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They both share a brief smile.
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Failing to act on the wish of my father will not only get him so disenchanted but I might also be deprived of being his company's inheritor.
~Laia
Speaking of your father's company, I was informed that the yearly contract awarding is close by, so tell me Laia has the company decided on whom they would like to work with?
~Mateo
Ah! Now we are talking business? Huh!
Thought this was supposed to be some sort of romantic dinner.
~Laia
Mom Amour it is, but then since we are both trying to get closer to each other we might as well share everything including our business.
~Mateo
Everything? Do you think we should share everything? Tell me why I should trust you, what is it about you that makes you stand out from the others?
~Laia
Because I'm not the others? Am pretty sure now that my intentions are good and besides I like you a lot.
~Mateo
You mean to tell me that you are very much available, no lover or babies somewhere?
Let me hear your answers to these questions again.
~Laia
Am yet to be called daddy by anyone, and Laia am attracted to you or what other reason would I be sitting here with you this late?
Comme-on! Baby! I got you and you know this.
~Mateo
The Evans-Trans company has a shortlist of four companies that have been considered worthy of the contract.
Other than that, the ROD company happens to be among the shortlisted companies.
~Laia
Wow! For real? I am astounded at this revelation, I mean I did get to speak with one of your father's employees about the contract but then he never mentioned this part to me.
~Mateo
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Laia fixes Mateo with an unwavering stare.
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Interesting, who did you speak with about the contract, please?
~Laia
Mr Richards, I spoke with him some weeks ago and he mentioned the contract to me, though my company did not show any interest in the contract because we had zillions of business deals on our table.
~Mateo
Well, Mr. Richards and our company parted ways some weeks ago, he was found guilty of perfidy and my Father sent him away after recovering his stolen goods and money.
~Laia
Wow! I never heard of this, so there is a new employee in charge of awarding the contracts right?
~Mateo
Yes, there is, am in charge of that.
I took over that position immediately because I did not want my father to go through some sort of perturbation again.
~Laia
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There is a sudden feeling of astonishment on Mateo's face giving an impression to Laia.
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You seem so shocked about the news of Mr Richards, tell me was there more to your conversation with him?
~Laia
Not really, I know he used to be a friend to my late father but hearing you speak so low of him now just answers my questions.
~Mateo
So then what questions are you talking about Mr Rodriguez?
~Laia
Like I said he used to be a friend of my father but then their friendship did not last and that got me questioning, but with your statements, I understand why my late father put a stop to it.
~Mateo
Well, either I am getting bored with this conversation, or I am tired of raising an empty bottle.
~Laia
Oh! Pardon me, I was not paying attention to that, let me order more champagne.
Waiter...Waiter! A bottle of "Pingus" please.
~Mateo
Tell me, what is the story of the wines? You seem to have some softness for luxurious wines and I must admit they taste great, all of them.
~Laia
I took over my father, he was nicknamed "Maestro del vino" ( Master of wine) I believe that was his natural talent, he could taste any kind of wine with his eyes blindfolded and still get to tell you the name of the wine and its exact ingredients.
~Mateo
Wow! My father told me some good things about your late father and family, how he was a toughie in the business world.
But you seem a bit different from him, I mean judging from the story about your father I could tell he was little of a gentleman.
~Laia
I am a toughie when it concerns business and a gentleman when concerns the pretty ladies, I execute both perfectly.
Laia I have a feeling that you and I could become the next gorillas in the business world if we both do a favor to each other.
~Mateo
How exactly do you mean Mateo, What are you talking about?
~Laia
Am talking about our companies, you are the inheritor of your and so do I, we could both be at each other's service.
Your company rules the transport sector and mine rules the automobile sector in Spain, imagine if we both come together we will certainly be a force in the business world.
~Mateo
Am not exactly sure about what you are suggesting but I would love us to have this conversation some other time because right now my thoughts are shallow due to the alcohol.
~Laia
Of course, I think we should get going now, besides looking around it seems the restaurant owner is waiting for us to close for the day.
~Mateo
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They both chuckle at Mateo's statement.
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Could you extend your gentlemanly way a little more by dropping me off at my place? Please... I honestly do not want to take a cap this late.
~Laia
Even without you asking for a ride I was going to take you home, there is no way I was going to leave you ride home with some random guy this late.
Hop in then and we will be off.
~Mateo
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Both Mateo and Laia drive off to Laia's place.
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