Fair Trade

“But… what about Kais Miller?” Sei asked as she walked out of the room and down the hall. She hadn’t seen that man since she had woken up. The conversation she had with him felt like a dream.

“I sent him to the event venue first. To look for someone.”

“To look for? Who?”

“Yuri Petrov.”

Guilio, who answered her calmly, led her to the elevator as soon it arrived and pressed the button for the H floor, where the event was being held. He then continued as he looked at the closing door and put his hand in his pocket.

“The Russian guy I couldn’t find last time.”

Sei wished that her face had not changed.

You told the ‘Yuri Petrov’ to find Yuri Petrov?

The elevator door on the H floor opened while she was organizing her thoughts. Guilio, who had been standing quietly next to her the entire time, raised his arms and looked at her. Sei placed her arms in his after a brief pause. Guilio’s gaze, which had been fixed on the front, then shifted to her.

“There’s no time for the scar I left to heal.”

With her other hand, Sei stroked her scarred pinna. Guilio’s hand pressed against the back of her clasped hand. It meant for her to participate in her role as a loving partner.

Sei went along with him.

There was a strange tension on the faces of the guards who recognized Guilio Parenti, and then the event hall’s tightly closed door opened.

*  *  *

“Hey, Yuri. I believed you would definitely come. I got a call from Camille.  He said this year you will attend in his stead. He apologized to me and sent me some pretty good stuff. Why is that guy pretending to be so generous?”

David smiled slyly and pointed to someone standing in a hidden corner to the north. A man who appeared to be Russian was carrying a large bag.

The concept of the event was Eden.  Rare jewels made of pearls and diamonds were displayed fantastically with seashells and golden apples.

“In any case, Guilio Parenti will be here soon. He’ll approach you in an attempt to find me, so don’t forget to cover for me by feeding him some lies.”

“Ho ho, sure. I’m not interested in a toothless tiger. Rumor has it that the fangs of the Parenti family are starting to shake.”

“Oh, that’s some sad news.”

“By the way…  who did you give La Peregrina to? Since you pestered me so much for it, I wonder who the second Elizabeth Taylor is?”

“She is much more beautiful than Elizabeth.”

Yuri put down the champagne glass he was holding and turned around. At exactly 7pm, Guilio and Sei entered the venue. Yuri gave a deep look to David and naturally approached them.

The sight of Sei walking arm in arm with Guilio caused his steps to slow down. She possessed something that naturally stimulate a man.

A seductive charm? No… She was anything but sweet. On the contrary, she almost had a bitter taste to her. She didn’t cast alluring glances or show fake coquettish gestures. She acted coquettish only when she had to fulfill her purpose.

Yuri did not avoid the gaze of the woman walking straight towards him.

As she got closer, he felt an unpleasant tickling sensation somewhere in his body. The more he tried to avoid the uncomfortable feeling, the more persistent it became, making him keep clenching his fists.

He lowered his gaze on his toes. The more he thought about it, the more he found it amusing.

Yuri reached into his pocket for a cigarette. He oddly desired Miles’ nagging and advice.

*  *  *

David Meyer was a much bigger man than the media made him out to be. He was in his late 50s, but his muscular, broad shoulders and black hair made him appear younger.

When David saw her approaching Guilio, he smiled strangely. But she soon realized he was smiling at Yuri, who was following behind her.

‘As expected… Was this also planned by Yuri?’

While she was judging the situation, he approached with a cheerful expression.

“It’s been a long time, Parenti. You look much better since I last saw you.”

Sei was taken aback when he heard David speak fluent Italian. But Guilio simply extended his hand as if he was used to it and gave him a handshake.

“Isn’t this the first time I’ve seen you since Juárez*? You also look quite good.”

[TL Note: Ciudad Juárez also popularly known as Juárez is a city in Mexico.]

It was the first time she’d noticed Guilio being so polite.

Sei greeted him lightly and ordered some champagne from the server.

Then Romano arrived, carrying a rather large gift box.

“I believe this is the first time I’ve seen this lovely face.”

When asked about herself, Sei used Yuri Rose’s name rather than her own.

“I’m Yuri Rose. I’m American.”

“Oh, is she your girlfriend?”

She smiled softly, moving her lips but not responding.

David immediately began discussing business with Guilio. Guilio returned his gaze to Yuri while David’s bodyguard examined the contents of the box brought by Romano.

As if asking Yuri to find Yuri Petrov.

“I don’t think I should get involved in your business discussions. I’ll go take a look around. Call me if you need me.”

When Sei pulled out her hand clasped in Guilio’s arm, he grabbed the back of her hand and pressed his lips against her round forehead. The gunshot she had heard a few days before rang in her ears like an auditory hallucination and stiffened her body in an instant.

Guilio’s eyes slightly dimmed when he saw the goosebumps on the nape of her neck.

Sei smiled uncomfortably and then stepped away from him, rubbing her tense neck.

Now that she looked around the venue in detail, her eyes began to twinkle.

In the event hall, which was the size of a hotel royal suite, a huge diamond weighing close to 1,000 carats, a vivid pink conch pearl, and the infamous spinel – the Black Prince Ruby along with other precious things like the 167-carat Edward Ruby were displayed freely.

Sei examined each person in the hall one by one. After all, they were all familiar faces to her. There were people from the entertainment industry, the political and business worlds, criminal organizations, drug cartels, and even the military and police organizations.

They were too busy chatting in twos and threes to notice the jewelry, as if their connections were more valuable than the diamonds.