Silence.
Silence.
Nikolov was still staring at Athena with a smile. Athena looked back and forth from Yelizaveta to Nikolov, while Yelizaveta looked at her brother and Athena in turn. And so on, until the jet-black-haired girl covered her brother's face and pulled him away from Athena, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What do you mean? You can't take Athena away from me! She's my bodyguard and personal assistant now! It's your fault for leaving Athena and causing her to resign from the company!" The girl in her early twenties pouted, her brow furrowed, as if challenging her older brother.
Nikolov could only smile. "Hmm, okay. I won't take Athena from you." But, why did Nikolov blink at her?
"Okay, let's get out of here. It's getting late, I'll take you two back to the hotel."
The two of them returned to the hotel with Nikolov. Her former boss sat in the front seat, while she sat in the back with Yelizaveta. Throughout the journey, the two siblings chatted nonstop, teasing each other and sharing their longing for each other. Athena, on the other hand, was merely a third party.
"Where are you guys planning to go tomorrow?" Nikolov asked from the driver's seat. He personally drove them both, even though Athena knew all too well how her boss always refused to drive his own car and had to have a personal driver wherever he wanted to go.
"Hmm... tomorrow? Athena and I want to go to Red Square. After that, maybe we'll go explore the best culinary delights nearby." Yelizaveta replied.
"Hey... is food all you have on your mind?" Nikolov teased, repeatedly meeting Athena's gaze as she looked in the rearview mirror. Athena didn't look away, and neither did Nikolov, who, even as he spoke to his sister, kept his eyes on Athena.
"What's wrong with going on a culinary tour? Everyone has their own way of enjoying their vacation." Yelizaveta said sulkily. "And why? Will you come with us on our trip?" The woman asked again, already eagerly hoping that her brother would be her tour guide during her stay in Russia.
"I really want to show you beautiful places, but unfortunately, I'm busy tomorrow."
The older brother's reply made Yelizaveta's lips move forward a few inches. "If you're busy, why are you asking where we want to go tomorrow?" The girl pouted, puffing out her cheeks and folding her arms across her chest.
"Tomorrow afternoon, I will send someone to pick you both up."
"Where are you taking us, director?" Athena asked suddenly.
Behind the wheel, Nikolov just smiled. "Just wait until tomorrow." Nikolov replied mysteriously, which immediately received curses from his younger sister.
Not long after, they arrived at the front of the hotel. After thanking her former boss, the two women headed straight to their room. After washing up and changing clothes, Athena drifted off to sleep.
....
The next day, as planned, she and Yelizaveta went for a walk around Red Square, seeing St. Basil's Cathedral, and enjoying local cuisine. It was a pleasant day until late afternoon when a man in a black suit and sunglasses came to pick them up.
"I'm Ivan. Boss Nikolov asked me to pick you up. You can confirm this with the boss first." Said the man in black. It was a little suspicious because he was just standing there.
"Okay. I'll ask."
After confirming that the person was indeed the one sent by her brother, Athena and Yelizaveta joined them and were taken to a luxurious five-star hotel. The hotel looked crowded, with many people dressed formally. It looked like a party was going on.
Two different women looked at the casual clothes they were wearing.
"Hmmm, I think we should just go back to the hotel we're staying at." The girl nodded in agreement.
"You two don't need to worry, the boss has prepared everything. Inside, someone will help you get ready, and here, are your outfits for the party." Ivan handed them two bags before leaving Athena and Yelizaveta in front of the hotel lobby.
Neither Athena nor Yelizaveta fell silent, digesting what had happened so quickly. Not long after, a woman dressed as a hotel employee approached them both. "Miss Yelizaveta and Athena?"
"Yes...?"
The lady clerk smiled kindly. "Please follow me to get ready."
The official led them to a room, where the young lady and her assistant changed into outfits Nikolov had prepared. Athena wore a blue dress, while Elizaveta wore a silver-gray one. A makeup artist also applied makeup to both of them.
Not long after, just as the event was about to begin, both Athena and Yelizaveta had finished getting ready.
The door to the room was knocked on from outside. When it opened, Nikolov's handsome face appeared from behind the door.
The tall man stood in front of the door, his muscular frame almost blocking the entrance and exit of the room. That evening, Nikolov was wearing a black suit, a long coat draped over his shoulders. His hair was styled neatly back, and a sweet smile spread across his face.
"Brother!"
"Yo, Zavet, you look so beautiful." Nikolov complimented, stroking his sister's long black hair.
"You ruined my hair!" He just laughed and pinched his little sister's chubby cheeks, who was now a grown woman.
After that, his eyes shifted to Athena, a few meters behind Yelizaveta. "You look very beautiful too, Secretary Athena."
"Thank you, Director." Was it just her feeling, or did she feel a little embarrassed by Nikolov's compliment? Maybe it was just a compliment without any deeper meaning, but the way Nikolov said it sounded so... sensual? No, she couldn't quite put it in the right words.
Nikolov held out his hand, and Yelizaveta took it and embraced him tightly. "Let's go!"
"You too, Athena." Nikolov extended his other hand to Athena. Athena stared at it in confusion and doubt, especially when she saw a teasing grin on Yelizaveta's face.
Athena thought she would ignore the outstretched hand, but for some reason, after seeing Nikolov's sincere face, she couldn't help but accept the hand he extended to her.
She thought Nikolov's hand would feel very warm, but who would have thought that the man's hand would feel cold and send an unexpected shock through her body.
Their current position really made him want to laugh. Nikolov was walking very gallantly with two beautiful women at either side of him. "Oh, who's that handsome gentleman? Is that his wife? They're both very beautiful too. Look, one looks like a cold, quiet wife, while the other looks like a very spoiled wife."
He was sure he wasn't the only one who heard the whispers.
"What are you laughing at?" Athena asked, looking at Nikolov who was holding back his laughter.
"What do you think?" Nikolov asked back, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.
"So, what kind of party is this?" Yelizaveta put her arm around Nikolov and clung to him.
"The owner of one of the biggest companies here, who also owns this hotel, is celebrating his son's birthday party. You happen to be here, so I thought I'd invite you."
"It's probably just another boring party." Yelizaveta replied sullenly. She'd attended boring parties like this many times before.
"I'm not going to invite you to a boring party. I heard they're inviting some famous artists and singers from abroad. They've also prepared a venue behind the hotel for a concert." Nikolov explained as they entered the venue where the party would be held.
"Really? Does that mean they're inviting idols from Korea too?" Yelizaveta asked, her eyes sparkling.
"One of them, I heard he invited quite a lot of famous artists."
"Does that mean he's also inviting The Queen from our country? They're so famous now!" Athena turned her head quickly, to see her former boss's reaction.
"The Queen?" Nikolov asked incredulously.
"Yes, The Queen! They're idols who have toured the world! They have five members, but I really like their—" Yelizaveta's words were cut off when a woman suddenly ran and bumped into Nikolov. The woman, who was wearing a black dress, almost fell, but Nikolov quickly caught her so that their bodies were in an embrace.
And Athena couldn't hide the shock from her own face as she realized who the woman was.
"Oh, Miss Tiffany!"
....