Luxury Is In Every Detail...Only If You Look Close Enough
The Dame
It’s no surprise that Jongdae is very fond of parties. He loved throwing and hosting them even more than he loved attending them. Jongdae has always been reputed to be very warm, hospitable and of course fun, so his parties are always the talk of the town. From surprise performances by Bon Jovi, ice carvings 10 feet tall to a thousand-course meals, Jongdae and Hani’s parties were an event not to be missed.
This particular event however, was not one of them.
Hani’s mother (and also Jongdae’s mother-in-law) passed away suddenly, and the duo agreed that it would be poor taste to go ahead with their launching party for Jongdae’s new invention. However, it would be an even poorer financial decision to cancel the event, hence the event was switched to a charity dinner in honour of The Dame. Guests were made to wear only black and white or dark colours in mourning for the beloved businesswoman.
It was 6.00p.m, and the guests were arriving. Hani sat in front of her dressing table, reaching out for her mother’s jewellery set in front of her. She opened the black velvet box and set her eyes upon the beautiful pearl and diamond necklace with matching earrings. This was her mother’s favourite jewellery set. She married her father in it, went to meet The President of USA in it and attended her debut fashion show in it. It was more than just a jewellery set, it was like a diary almost, where the marks of memory has aged the beautiful piece to become timeless.
“If you mother saw the crowd that turned up tonight I wonder what she would say.”
“She would say ‘now how many people can I get to invest in my new project.’” Hani chuckled with a soft fondness for her deceased parent.
“I suppose. Damn woman wouldn’t rest until she’s siphoned money out from every rich man in this country.”
“Jongdae please. This is my mother we’re talking about.”
“I’m sorry.” Jongdae adjusted his tie and straightened his suit. He walked over to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Shall I put that on for you?” he pointed to the necklace.
Hani let him put her mother’s necklace on for her. The pearls and diamonds shone against her pale skin as Jongdae reached out to take the earrings. “It still doesn’t feel real.”
“I know.” She sighed. Jongdae kissed the spot behind her ear and looked up at her reflection in the mirror. He massaged her shoulders gently, kissing her nape again.
“I can sense your mother in you sometimes.”
“Is that a compliment?” his hands were moving down her shoulders and down her arms. He wrapped his hands around her waist and moved upwards, cupping both s in his hands. Hani stiffened in her position. Not now.
“I will see you downstairs.” His hands were gone and so were the rest of him. She heard the door close and realized then that she had been holding her breath for that long. She looked at herself in the mirror for one last time before standing up.
Her mother would say ‘Chest up, shoulders back, neck straight and tummy tucked in. A lady must always be graceful and at proper manner, no matter the condition.” Hani would normally cheat, but she decided to follow her mother’s orders this time. Think of it as a small tribute to a dead matriarch.
**********************
“I hate this suit already.” Jongin complained as he squirmed in his suit while Kyungsoo tried to help him with his tie. “I feel like an overdressed penguin.”
“Will you stop moving? I can’t fix your tie for you!”
“What I want is to get out of it!”
“Well don’t get your hopes up about getting out of it this evening,” Baekhyun poured himself a glass of Cristal champagne. “Most of these people are old geezers with beer guts so big you could remove all that fat and make enough TNT for World War 2.”
“I still can’t believe you did it.” Chanyeol shook his head.
“Hey, if I said I’ll hook us up then I will hook us up. Check us out eh, driving up to a mansion in a stretch limo looking all fine and handsome with 1000 USD worth of champagne in the back.” Baekhyun sipped his glass. It was true, Baekhyun asked Suho for the company limo (I know right?) and even convinced him to fill the fridge with champagne and caviar. In all of Chanyeol’s investigating career he had never done something like this before. The luxurious interior of the limo and the fizz of good champagne was so tempting, except Jongin’s whining made it feel more like a cheesy prom night then actual luxury.
“I thought the invitation said black and white attire.” He looked at Baekhyun dressed in dark red suit.
“They said dark colours.” He poured a glass for Jongin to try and knock him out with alcohol so that he would shut up and another for Chanyeol. “Besides black and white is so common. Why would you want to show up as Butler No. 643?”
“Aren’t you afraid of standing out?”
“I usually do, so doesn’t matter what I wear.” Baekhyun laughed. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he finished with Jongin’s tie. He put a hand on Jongin’s thigh and smiled at him. “Just relax.”
“Thanks Kyungsoo.”
“I think that’s the mansion.” Chanyeol pointed to the mansion coming up ahead. Jongdae and Hani’s mansion was of a much more modern structure than The Dame’s classical residence, but it definitely does not back down in size. There were already several limos ahead of them as theirs stopped at the guardhouse for inspection.
“Remember guys, we are going inside under the guise of wealthy businessmen. Baekhyun, your job is to get the guest list of the event and of the previous events. Don’t bother sneaking into their rooms, let’s save that for after I question them. Kyungsoo, I want you to blend in with the guests and try to garner as much information as you can about The Dame. Jongin, you and I are heading straight for either one of The Dame’s children. Got it?” Chanyeol reminded. They gave a silent thumbs up as the limo rolled up to the front entrance.
The doors were opened and they stepped out. Some of the guests turned to look at them, unsure if they have ever seen them before. “Don’t look and don’t talk unless necessary.” Baekhyun muttered.
The living room was full with guests, many of whom were recognized as famous politicians, celebrities and even foreign ambassadors. The four ‘businessmen’ helped themselves to some wine and looked around.
“That must be Hani and Jongdae.” Kyungsoo motioned to two familiar faces in the crowd. Hani was talking a group of women, her arm on Jongdae’s. The women seem to be offering her words of comfort, particularly about her mother’s demise. Hani was dressed in a strapless black ball gown with lace edging and what is probably a fortune’s worth of priceless gems on her neck and ears. She had the grace of a model and a beautiful smile that quite easily made her the most stunning woman in the room.
“Should we approach her now?” Jongin asked.
“I think we should wait a little bit, perhaps when the party has died down a little. Now is just the beginning.” Baekhyun suggested. “And I’m guessing the woman with the tablet and walkie-talkie is the party planner.”
Everyone looked up towards the landing of the staircase to see a woman in a short pencil skirt talking into a walkie-talkie. She was pressing things on her tablet and walking around in flats. She doesn’t seem to be interacting with the guests at all.
“Attention everybody! Dinner will be served in the garden and if you are all not too hung up on alcohol or stuffed to death then let’s waddle over to the garden for some food shall we?” Jongdae announced to the sound of the laughing crowd. Apparently jokes like that are a norm here as the guests move outside.
“Free food. No sense letting it go to waste.” Jongin chuckled. The group moved out and Baekhyun accidentally bumped into someone. His wine was spilled over his suit (thank god it was dark red) and some over the other person.
“Hey watch it…” Baekhyun looked up at the person who knocked into him and froze on the spot. Kyungsoo who had rushed to his aid also stared at him in shock.
“Oh my god…Luhan?!”
“Luhan is that you?!”
“I’m sorry I don’t believe I know you…” the angelic looking man, apparently named Luhan, shook his head in embarrassment, his face turning as red as the wine he spilled. Somebody rushed to his side instantly and wrapped a protective arm around his waist.
“What’s going on, are you alright?”
“I’m fine Sehunnie.”
“Sehun?” Chanyeol’s big ears perked up instantly. The man was Wu Sehun, the current CEO of Wu Enterprise and that must be his husband Luhan.
“I just accidentally bumped into someone and spilled our wine.” Luhan explained, gesturing at his dirty suit. “I’m very sorry about that.”
“Er…it’s okay.” Baekhyun nodded absentmindedly. The crowd around them began to disperse as Luhan and Sehun turned the other corner. Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo.
“Can you believe that?”
“I know I can’t.”
“Why doesn’t he recognize us? Is that his husband now?”
“What are you guys talking about?” Chanyeol asked, trying to help Baekhyun with his suit.
“Luhan. He was an ex-agent of P.I.E.” Baekhyun explained.
“You have got to be kidding.” Jongin’s eyes widen.
“No I’m serious. He retired a couple of years ago. He used to train us when we first got in. I can’t believe he doesn’t recognize us.”
“You should be damn lucky he doesn’t or our cover is spoilt.” Chanyeol dragged Baekhyun outside and into the garden. The garden was made up to look like a little night-time restaurant, with a mini lake by the side decorated with large willow trees. It was free seating to allow the guests to mingle with each other, and no sooner had the boys taken their places, a trio of beautiful models made their way too.
“Hello there.” A blonde girl in a dark purple vintage dress greeted. It was impossible not to recognize Bomi, Hyuna and Bing Bing, three international models. Bomi was the blonde girl while Hyuna was dressed in a black lace dress and Bing Bing in a dark blue backless dress. “I don’t remember seeing you guys before.”
“We run a paper company in Turkey, here on behalf of the Turkish Ambassador. My name is Park and these are my colleagues, Kai, Soo and Byun.”
“Nice to meet you.” ‘Kai’ aka Jongin shook hands with the ladies and returned to his seat. “It’s terrible what happened to The Dame right?”
“Oh god yes.” Bomi sighed. “Poor Hani. She must be devastated. She idolised her mother so much.”
“Do you know Hani very well?” Jongin asked.
“Of course! We all met at the same model training school. We’ve been best friends for years now.”
“Do you have any idea what happened to her?” Chanyeol draped the napkin across his lap.
“No clue, it just said that she was found dead in her bathroom. Isn’t it odd?” Hyuna looked at her two best friends.
“It is. She was of perfect health, I can’t imagine what could have killed her.”
“Maybe she has enemies.” Bomi shrugged.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. She must be driving people nuts with that experiment she’s asking everyone to invest in.” Bing Bing rolled her eyes dramatically, her heavily eyelined eyes making her look a little bit like a panda.
“What experiment?” Chanyeol asked nonchalantly.
“It’s some sort of earthquake model. Apparently using this model, you will be able to predict earthquakes that are happening in the region.”
“Really?” now that was interesting.
“That’s what they are working on. My daddy invested some money in the project but it kept failing so he pulled out. He lost almost half a million on that project.” Bing Bing replied.
A woman lost her husband and son in a traumatic earthquake now invests millions in an earthquake model that yields no results. “Do you know who else made the investment?” Chanyeol pressed on carefully.
“I’m not sure…hmm…”
“Oh! Well there’s her children of course!” Hyuna said.
“Are they still investing?”
“Don’t know. I think Hani and Jongdae might.” Bomi replied.
“Jongdae has always doted his mother in law. Did you hear about the rumour that he was going to start a company with her?” Bing Bing nudged the girls.
“No way!”
“Yes way!”
“Nuh uh.”
“Uh huh.”
“Nuh uh.”
“Do you know The Dame personally?” Kyungsoo asked very loudly, trying to interrupt the girl’s ‘nuh-uh’ frenzy before he threw someone into the lake.
“Not really. She was more of like Hani’s mom to us. Someone you knew, but not well enough.” Hyuna shrugged. She looked at them and smiled. “What about you guys? Tell us more about yourself!”
“I don’t feel good.” Baekhyun mumbled, picking away at his food with fork, rolling the meatball.
“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked.
“I think it was that rancid pate I had this afternoon. May I be excused?”
“I’ll help you find a bathroom.” The two men stood up and walked back to the house. Chanyeol had one arm around Baekhyun, who was clutching his stomach and leaning back for support. Chanyeol’s head could rest on top of Baekhyun’s perfectly and his hair does smell wonderful.
“I’ll start looking for the office. You get back there and tell Kyungsoo to be on the lookout. The operation has begun.”
“You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Please. You’re talking to a professional.” Baekhyun smirked, taking off his coat and stuffing it under the sink. “Now get going. I’m not stripping in front of you again.”
“I don’t want you to strip in front of me!”
“You wish.” Baekhyun teased and pushed Chanyeol out of the bathroom. With his coat safely hidden away, he took out a pair of glasses that he had hidden under his vests. No, Baekhyun was not near or long-sighted. The glasses were spy glasses, with built in infra-rays and a receiver for commands. He had worn some gadgets today just in case.
“Hello? Kyungsoo?” he pressed one of his vest buttons (disguised as a transmitter) and waited for a reply.
“Baek, I got you.”
“Good. Tell me about the cameras.”
“All on the ground floor and second-floor hallways.”
“I saw the party planner hanging around the kitchen area. Are there staff there?”
“Yes there are.” Kyungsoo whispered quietly into his own transmitter, looking at his phone while Chanyeol and Jongin kept the girls company. Kyungsoo had pre-hacked into the mansion’s security systems and he could see everything through every CCTV there is.
“I think her office is behind the kitchen. The only way there is through the kitchen itself. Can you make your way in?”
“I’ll find a way. Any cameras outside the bathroom I’m in?”
“There’s one in the upper right corner behind the chandelier. Watch out.” Baekhyun made his exit and looked up. He spotted the camera right away and idled around, pretending he was waiting for someone. He slowly moved behind one of the columns. The camera would not catch him there.
Through the corner of his eye he spotted a server’s trolly. Perfect, he could get through the kitchen in that, but how could he get there without the CCTV picking it up?
“Kyungsoo, do a little stalling for me.”
“How long do you need?”
“6 seconds.”
“Stalling in T-minus 3…2…1…”
Kyungsoo freezed the camera’s recording as Baekhyun dashed under the servant’s trolly and hid himself behind the curtains draping its sides. It wouldn’t be long until he would be wheeled away.
Like clockwork, the trolly was slowly wheeled away. They stopped a few times, obviously to pick up things, but they made their way into the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Baekhyun lifted the edge of the curtain just a little, and he could see millions of feet shuffling about and smell the food being cooked. There was a door at the end that was ajar and wires were on the floor. Electrical wires. Possibly belonging to some kind of computer.
The party planner’s office.
Now the challenge is getting over there without being suspected. Luckily, Baekhyun had just the gadget for such emergencies. He reached into pocket and pulled out a marble. The marble was actually a mini smoke bomb. If he could roll the marble behind one of the kitchen appliances, it would make it seem like there was something on fire and if it was enough, it would trigger the fire alarm.
Baekhyun was all poised to make the roll when suddenly someone stormed in, the doors swinging against each other and the staff all redirected their attention to whoever it was that came in. Baekhyun could feel his throat clenching and his heart pounding.
“What is the meaning of this?! How dare you serve my fish cold and my mash potatoes dry?! I demand to speak to the idiot who made this!”
“Luhan…” Baekhyun gasped, lifting the curtains higher. He could see Luhan throwing his hands in the air as the staff rushed to apologize and cater to his needs. Wait, now is a pretty good chance…
Baekhyun rolled out from underneath the trolley and dashed right into the office. He shut the doors immediately and ran straight to the computer. There was no time to waste, Luhan’s distraction could only last so long. He dug out his necklace from underneath his shirt and pushed a pin at the side. It was a mini USB stick. He inserted it into the hardrive and called out for Kyungsoo again.
“Importing all documents on the computer. Prepare to receive.”
“Done.” Kyungsoo’s gruff voice came through. Baekhyun had to wait for the files to be sent though and in the meantime was looking for a way to escape. A small window was in the room, a few feet above the computer. He stuck his head out and looked all around him. He could jump out, but that would leave marks on the ground, if he were to climb up…
“You better get me a new plate of food and it better be quality or I will see to it that Jongdae never hires you for his parties ever again!”
Luhan was finishing up. He must moe immediately or risked getting caught. The green bar on the computer was driving him insane. 94%...95%....
“Yes Mr. Lu, we are so sorry.”
“Damn right you should be!”
96%....
“Mr. Lu you should calm down and go back to your seat, we’ll bring another plate in shortly.”
97%....
“Fine.” The swinging of the kitchen doors were heard again.
98%....
“I better get something from my office.” this time it was a woman.
99%....
Click.
The doors opened and Baekhyun had a heart attack.
A/N: You know what to do folks XD
I also wrote a fluffy oneshot for those who are interested! Check it out if you have the time! http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/994786/a-baby-for-you-and-maybe-one-for-me-romance-mpreg-exo-hunhan-taoris-baekyeol-kaisoo
Did anyone see Chanyeol's footage for 18s? The boy has some mad billiard skills!
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