Scarlett remained composed while waiting patiently for the bartender to serve her non-alcoholic wine. But when the bartender placed the glass in front of her, Scarlett heard the familiar voice of the man beside her. She felt a surge of tension.
"Bartender, could you give me the same drink as the nice lady over here?" the man said with a playful tone. He had been attracted to this girl in a golden dress since he saw her, and as an ordinary man, he couldn't resist his temptation to get to know her more, even just her name.
"Sir, are you sure?" The bartender looked at the man with a strange gaze.
"Absolutely!" The man raised his eyebrows at the bartender before focusing on Scarlett. "This lady drinks red wine, right?"
The bartender nodded, "Yes, but it's non-alcoholic. Is that okay for you, Sir?"
The man was surprised to hear that the woman beside him didn't drink alcohol, a rarity in his experience.
eαglesnᴏνel "That's perfect! I also don't drink alcohol," the man shouted, deliberately trying to attract the attention of a beautiful woman who seemed disinterested in him. He clapped his hands and sat down beside Scarlett.
Scarlett, who had heard the bartender and the man's conversation, cursed inwardly and tried to ignore him. However, her efforts were in vain as the man persisted in asking her questions. It would be impolite for her to ignore him. Right!?
"Hello..." The man tilted his head slightly to better look at Scarlett's face. "I think I've seen you somewhere before...And I think I know your name too…" The man paused as if he was trying to remember her name.
Scarlett's mind raced as she tried to compose herself. She couldn't believe her luck or misfortune at running into Carter Riley, her brother-in-law. The last thing she needed was to attract attention to herself, especially from someone who could easily recognize her.
'What the hell! This idiot Carter recognizes me?' she thought, feeling worried. But she quickly realized that she was in disguise, and there was no way that Carter would recognize her appearance, right? Scarlett took a deep breath and regained her composure.
'Scarlett, focus!!' She warned herself. Now she understood what Seven meant; she must not mix her personal affairs with this mission. If that happened, then her disguise could be exposed.
After calming her mind and heart, Scarlett turned to Carter, while trying to keep her expression from being too surprised.
"Hmmm…Are you sure? Because if we have met before, I won't forget a kind gentleman like you, Sir." Scarlett purposely changed her tone lower than usual to cover up her authentic voice. As she silently prayed that Carter couldn't see through her disguise — she believed her makeup and aura were far different from her usual appearance.
Carter couldn't hide his glee that this beautiful girl was finally talking to him. 'Oh, God! Does this girl also feel what I feel? Falling for the first time I saw her?' He felt excited.
He cleared his throat nervously, trying to mask his excitement. "Yes, Milady... I'm very sure you look familiar. But then again, because you look familiar, maybe you looked like a movie star I've seen on the big screen," he said, a little embarrassed and shrugging his shoulders.
Scarlett chuckled inwardly at Carter's obliviousness. She had expected this from him, considering how he had been eyeing her, "Then, I'm afraid you have mistaken me for someone else, sir. Because I'm no movie star nor have I ever been in front of a film camera." she answered calmly with a mocking smile, amused by his poor skill in winning women's hearts.
Carter's jaw dropped as Scarlett reiterated that she wasn't a movie star. "No way! You must be joking, right? A beautiful Lady like you, not a movie star? You're stunningly beautiful and elegant, more than any celebrity I know. And I know many beautiful celebrities..." he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
Scarlett couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly. "Your flattery to me will get you nowhere, Sir! I already told you I'm just an ordinary person," she replied, trying to hide her amusement.
Carter's cheeks turned red as he realized he had been boasting too clearly. "Sorry lady, I didn't mean to flatter you, but it's the truth, you are very charming," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.
She had to admit Carter's tenacity was somewhat endearing, even if he sometimes seemed a bit cheesy. "Thank you for the compliment, Sir. But I think it's time to get back to reality," she said, trying to ignore him. She cast her gaze away to look for Seven.
Just when Scarlett thought Carter had stopped asking her questions and moved on after she ignored him, however, she realized she was wrong. She heard him call out to her,
"Beauty... I mean, Milady... My name is Carter Riley. You can call me Carter..."
Scarlett couldn't help but chuckle inwardly when she heard his name. 'Gosh!! I know who you are, idiot!' She thought to herself, feeling defeated by Carter's shamelessness.
"May I know your name?" He continued.
Scarlett was speechless. How on earth had she met her brother-in-law while on an undercover mission? Her worries now escalated as she began to fear that her husband was also attending this party.
"No, you can't!!" Scarlett wanted to answer, but her sentence stopped on the tip of her tongue. She tried to hold back her expression while reminding herself she wasn't Scarlett but Tanya Rogers!
Putting down her glass of wine, Scarlett surveyed the room, hoping to see Seven, who could come to her rescue. But Seven seemed to have disappeared. Cursing him under her breath, she turned her attention back to Carter.
"Mr. Riley," Scarlett paused, her voice slightly trembling as she said his name — she remembered her husband. After a moment, she continued, "I'm nobody. Even if I tell you my name, I doubt you'll remember me..."
"Hahaha, lady, you're indeed different," Carter exclaimed, stunned by her reaction.
This was the first time Carter had encountered a woman who showed no interest in him. Usually, any woman he approached would eagerly offer their phone numbers, and even home addresses, without him asking for them. But this woman was different; she seemed to ignore him as if he didn't exist.
Carter couldn't help but wonder if this was one of her tactics to make him even more curious about her. He might be embarrassed, but he was also intrigued and thrilled, wanting to know more about her.
