The club manager lowered his head and said, "An existing member brought her in."
Galavan walked over to the bar, sat down beside the woman, and swiveled his barstool to face her.
"It's you?"
He remembered seeing her at the press conference, when she had been wearing sunglasses. Now that he could finally see her properly, the sight struck him like an electric shock.
Ririko tilted her head, making her silver earrings sway gently. "That pickup line is terribly dated."
Galavan continued, trying to keep his voice measured. "Which member here do you know?"
Ririko gave him a sidelong look through eyes framed by smoky shadow. "Don't you have anything more original?"
Galavan smiled and dipped his head in apology.
He had not expected her to shut him down with cutting remarks twice. It was an entirely new experience for him, and oddly entertaining.
"Perhaps I've never tried striking up a conversation with a woman this beautiful. That was rude of me. I'm very sorry."
Ririko picked up her bag, slipped off the barstool, and turned gracefully toward the door.
As though pulled by an invisible string, Galavan's stool swiveled after her.
Watching her leave, he felt a tightness in his chest, as though he had held his breath underwater for too long and desperately needed a lungful of fresh air.
Finally, he had to speak, calling out to her lovely retreating figure with words he had never said before. "May I get to know you?"
[Theo Galavan, current infatuation value: 8/100]
Ririko turned around, her head tilted slightly, the ends of her hair swaying just above her shoulders.
She took her time, in no hurry to respond. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
Galavan lightly licked his lips and rose from his barstool.
He walked up to