Chapter 3 - The Gala

It was Friday afternoon, and Eva was seated at her desk in the office. She spent her entire week preoccupied with the note the stranger had left her. Like any self respecting spy, the first thing she had done her research, digging up any and all info she could find on the event mentioned in the note. What she found was equal parts intriguing and worrying.

The Imperial Gala attracted the wealthy, powerful and famous from all around the world. On the surface it was a charity ball, however its main purpose was to provide a place for the power brokers of the world to rub shoulders together. During the event, all manner of business deals and secret agreements were made between people who, on the surface, wouldn't even acknowledge that they knew each other.

While she didn't know why the stranger wanted her to be there, she had a few theories. Likely, it had something to do with one of the attendees, which meant that the next thing she researched was the security at the event.

The event took over the entire hotel for the weekend, and entry was invite-only. Booking a room at the hotel during this time was impossible, for the rooms were reserved for the guests. All luggage was thoroughly inspected, and many of the more important guests even had personal security details. All in all, it was worrying - whatever the stranger wanted her to do here would not be easy.

However, what worried her the most was the info she managed to unearth from the dark corners of the web. This much power concentrated in one place meant nothing was off the table. Certain individuals were rumored to transform their rooms into dens of depravity, and some of the videos allegedly taken at past galas made her shiver.

She considered simply ignoring the note, but something inside her wouldn't let her do it. Subconsciously, she rubbed her butt, the memory of their last encounter still vivid in her mind. This could be her only chance to meet them again. Perhaps she could even learn something crucial that would help uncover their identity. Besides, she didn't want to provoke the stranger, considering how they had the ability to strip anyone at any time - something that both her and Lexi had experienced first hand.

Speaking of the devil, she heard a brief knock at her door before the unmistakable figure of Lexi walked in.