Hidden Horns

3. The conference

Black Toyota Vios approached in front of the gate of the Smith's. The guard came out from the shack to check the car and who might be the one's inside as it was an unfamiliar car for him.

A guy with rounded and stiffy eyes rolled the window down after the guard knock on it three times and he step back after seeing another unfamiliar man, he grabs his gun tightly, prepare himself for any danger if ever the guy try to make unexpected move, the experience on how many times the Smith was attacked, put them in alarm every time there are unknown people near the mansion.

"May I know who you are, Sir?" The guard asked, though conscious, but still politely.

"Hi, I'm Justin. I'm here to fetch ms. Chloe Smith for her press conference." The guy said, smiling timidly.

"I'm sorry but may I see your ID?" The guard asked.

"Sure." Justin said and he open his bag to get his ID along with the calling card of the Vouge company. "Here you go."

The guard took the ID from guy's hand and shifts his gaze from the license he was holding and to the guy's face. And when he made sure that the guy in the ID and the guy inside the car are the same person, the guard nodded his head.

"Wait for a minute, I need to call ma'am Chloe."

"Sure, take your time." The guy said.

Justin followed the guard with his gaze until it walked back to the shack and starts dialing on the landline that's connected inside the mansion. He waited for almost five minutes before the guard gives him a thumbs up and the automatic gate opens. He nod at the guard before driving inside the driveway and stopped in front of the main door.

As he stood outside of the car, he can see a woman walking down from the staircase, wearing a Camel co ord basic boyfriend blazer with Black jersey square neck crop vest under, paired with skinny regular jeans and Korea fashion chain square Kulit kepala.

He removes his dark shades to take a better look at the sparkling beauty in front of him, looking at him with void of any emotion. He's awestruck at the sight of Chloe Smith. Who wouldn't be? Chloe were only seen in magazine and this is rare situation for him.

"Good morning ms. Chloe."

"Good morning." Chloe greets back as she stepped out from the main door. Justin move quickly to open the backseat door and he bows as Chloe hopped inside, he was about to close the door but Chloe stopped him. "Wait, I have company."

"I was told that you're the only one I will fetch."

"Well, surprise. I have my manager with me." Chloe said sarcastically. "Lev!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry ms. Smith, but you are the only one who's allowed to be in the car. I know that he's your manager, but I guess, it's fine if he use another car."

"Ok, drive alone and let me ride with my manager." Chloe said and she's about to climb out but Lev stop her.

"Don't worry about me, I'll drive one of your car and I'll be behind you." Lev said as he waved the keys in the air and walked to the garage.

"Wait, why don't you just–."

"We need our own service after the conference, relax I'll be fine." Lev interrupts and open the door of the SUV.

"Fine, just be careful." Chloe resigned as Lev enter the car and she motion her finger, telling Justin to close the door.

Justin obliged with wide smile before he run to the driver's side and hop inside, buckling his seatbelt in a rush that makes Chloe to raised her left eyebrow.

"Are we in a rush?" She asked raggedly.

"Not really, but seeing you in personal makes my heart to pound hardly and I can't control myself because of your overflowing charisma." Justin said, looking at Chloe through the rearview mirror.

"Just drive and focus on the road." Chloe said irritatedly, looking out the window to check on Lev.

As two cars exited the Smith's residence, another car not too far away from Smith's mansion started to follow them. Little did they know, Chloe was aware all this time, from the moment they parked their familiar car and from the moment they tailed them. That's why she's checking on Lev from time to time, using her handy mirror in her hand.

"Ma'am, I think we're being tailed." The driver said as he noticed the car behind Lev's car.

"Just drive, don't–."

"Relax ms. Chloe, I got this." Justin cut her off. He grabs the steering wheel tightly, and take a glance behind before stepping the gas.

"Don't drive too fast! Lev is tailing us! He's not familiar in this place!" Chloe said, panic started to arose inside her as the car hit the road too fast and she lost the sight of Lev's car.

"But I need to make sure that you're safe." Justin said, not even slowing down and just drive more faster.

"If you don't stop! I will talk to your boss to get you fired!"

"Fine." Justin sighs and slowed down the car.

Chloe looked behind to check on Lev, but to her dismay, she didn't saw her friend's car, even the car who's tailing them.

"s**t!" Chloe grumble and she rummage her pouch to look for her phone and dialed Lev's number. "C'mon, pick up the phon– hello Lev? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but why your driver drives too fast? I lost the sight of your car."

"Because he's dumb!" Chloe sneer while glaring her driver who's ignoring the remark that he surely knows that was for him. "Anyway, do you know your way?"

"Don't worry, I got this. We've been there yesterday, let's just meet at the lobby."

Even though Chloe is still worried for Lev, she decided to end the dial and sighs loudly before looking at her driver. "Why did you do that?"

"The what?"

"You run away just because you thought someone is tailing us?"

"I have never get wrong with my gut, and there's no doubt that the car behind your friend was tailing us, and besides, you are not just a model, you are Chloe Smith, the only child of Smith family, who owns the biggest–."

"Now now, just shut up and drive." Chloe dismissed, waving her hand in the air. "Anyways, I was not expecting someone to fetch me up, the company knows that I have my own manager to drive for me." Chloe said as she was thinking that since the guard called her that there is someone at the gate waiting for her.

"I don't know either, I was just asked to fetch you, ma'am."

"Who asked you?" Chloe has her own hunch about the fetching thingy, but she's not yet sure if this man in front of her were also one of the threat.

"The big boss." Justin replied, smirking. A creepy smirk for Chloe to feel the fear. She reached for the pepper spray that Lev gave her before and she grip it tightly inside her pouch. The guy took a glance at her before smiling through the mirror. "We're here." He announced.

Chloe immediately looked outside to make sure that she's in the right place, when she saw the massive amount of press outside, she released a sigh of relief.

"If you see my manager, please do tell him that I'll wait him in the lobby."

"Yes ma'am." Justin replied without looking at her.

There's an awkward moment for Chloe as she was waiting for her driver to get out of the car and open the door for her, but the guy didn't move nor look at her, his face was dip into his chin, as if he was hiding his face. She flicked her tongue and push the door open on her own.

As Chloe climbed out of the car, she's expecting the men in suit to make a circle for her but no one seems to notice her as the car stopped a little bit far from the entrance.

"Isn't that ms. Chloe Smith?!" One of the woman press saw her. All of the crowd turn to her and the bodyguards that will supposed to protect her were to late as the press move quickly than them and they mob Chloe.

"What the hell." Chloe murmured while she's being mob with the press, blinding flashes of cameras, recieving different questions for her such as why would she resign to her former company, or is she really going to turn down the company of her parents and become a model instead.

Chloe ignore all of that and wait for the men in suit to build a circle around her and push the press away as she make her way into the entrance. Before Chloe finally go inside, she looked back to the car but it was no longer there.

"Ms. Chloe, why did you took a grab? Where's you manager?" A girl with short hair above her shoulder, asked. Holding a clipboard and folders against her chest.

"Grab?" Chloe asked in confusion. "That guy said that he was asked to fetch me?"

"Who's guy? The bosses was expecting you to arrive with your manager." The woman said which made Chloe more confuse but a sudden worry and fear arose again.

"Nevermind, is it ok if I wait for my manager here?" Chloe asked. She leaned her back onto the desk in front of the reception to steady herself as she could feel her knees weakened at the thought that she just got fetched by someone who's not connected to their company.

"But everything is ready and we were just waiting for you to arrive. You know what, I will just ask someone to wait for him and bring him to the conference hall. We need you to be there." The staff said and grabs Chloe's cold hands. "Are you nervous?"

"No." Chloe immediately replied and smile at the woman forcedly to hide her nervousness, not with the press conference, but to the incident earlier.

"But your hands are cold and you're pale." The woman asked worriedly as they both stopped in front of the elevator.

"I'm fine, I just need water." Chloe said.

"Ok then, your table has water on it. You just need to relax and answer the questions, we'll send your manager right away if he arrives." The woman said before they both enter the elevator and she pressed the floor where the conference hall was designated and the press conference will be held.

As they both arrived to the said floor, Chloe smile at the cameras keeps flashing at her, the crowd started to murmur, some are surprised seeing her in person, some of them are confused as to why she chose to leave her former company and came back after living to New Zealand for 8 years.

"Hi ms. Smith. Wait for a few minutes before we'll start, you should go to your seat– by the way, where's your manager?" Another staff greets her and leads her to her chair, in front of the long table, microphones above the table and the press looking up to her with eagerness to ask her as soon as she sat down.

"He's on his way, please bring him here once he arrive." Chloe said, feeling so anxious, couldn't erase the worry about the car behind her friend's car and the man who fetched her.

"We will." The guy staff said and they both bowed before leaving Chloe alone.

One by one, the bosses arrives and greet Chloe, sitting next to her and preparing for the conference. Only one chair on her left side was the only chair that's not occupied. It was for Lev.

"Excuse me, is my manager hasn't arrive?" Chloe asked the staff fixing the microphone of the bosses in her right side.

"I'm sorry, but there's still no sign of him. Don't worry, we'll inform you if he's here."

"Ok, good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for accepting the invitation for this press conference as we are proud to announce the new signed contract model of our prestigious model agency, The Vouge."

As the crowd applause, Chloe stood up and bow her head a bit and sat back down. The conference started and each of the representative press brought one question for her and in every question, Chloe answered them all confidently, even without her manager, but one question had her caught off guard, regarding to her parents.

"Is it true that your father is suffering in an incurable illness and asked you to handle the company, but despite of being the only child, you still turned him down because you are aiming for fame and not for money?"

Chloe snort a sarcastic laugh before she looked down to the woman who just asked her. "May I know first if where'd you get that information?"

"I have my resource." The woman shrugs her shoulder, meeting Chloe's deathly glares.

"First, my father is fine, he's in good health, so basically, your resource are telling you lies just to insult me, second, yes, I turned him down, because why not? Handling company are so boring and lastly, who doesn't want fame if you already have money? The reason with that is, I want to know as Chloe Smith, the Vouge model, not Chloe Smith, the only child of Smith family. Thank you."

Loud applause filled the hall and Chloe smiled at that, giving the woman with cold stares as she stood up and bowled over. For a moment, she lost the thought of her friend who did not come and still missing because of that one question. But once the hall was empty, Chloe immediately excused herself from the bosses and she took her phone out to dial her friend.

But unlike earlier, Lev's phone was already out of reach. "Hey, excuse me." Chloe pad to one staff who've been standing at the corner, the woman who approached her earlier when she arrives. "Are you sure that my friend didn't made it here?"

"I'm sorry ms. Smith, but I'm sure that we haven't seen him, if you'll excuse me. I need to go." The woman said before she left Chloe in a rush just before another staff approached her.

"Ms. Smith, the bosses are looking for you, they will need to have a word with you and after that you're free to go home."

"Ok." Chloe said while looking at the woman in a rush, exiting the hall.

"Your friend seems in a rush, is there something happen?" The guy asked, he's also looking at the woman until she lost from their sight. Chloe snapped her head towards the staff with wide eyes.

"You don't know her?" Chloe asked in shocked. "She's one of the staff who guided me here."

"I've never seen her before, and if ever that she's one of our staff, I will surely know because I'm the head of every staff here." The guy said.

"Oh my God." Chloe gasped breathily, covering her mouth with her hand. "What the hell is going on?" She asked to herself.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I need to go home, please do tell them that I'm not feeling well." Chloe said and she run to the exit, with her heart beating frantically and trembling hand, she dial her cousin's number. "Hello, Charlene, where are you?"

"Hey cous, I'm stuck in a traffic, sorry I wasn't there in your –."

"I need you here, Lev is missing."

"What do you mean? Oh right, I watched your press conference and I was wondering why Lev isn't there."

"Exactly, because he's missing and I'm afraid that something—."

"Wait, where are you Chloe?!"

"I'm still here at the building."

"Oh my God.." There's a rush of fear creeping up to Chloe's body the way she heard her cousin muttered the words. "Is Lev driving one of your family's car?"

"Yes!" Chloe answered frustratingly.

"Chloe!" Her name called by Ivy who's running toward her, holding her phone. "Look at this!" She said, handing her phone to the brunette as soon as she approached her. Chloe's eyes widened upon seeing the guy on the phone screen.

The dead man lay on his back, not three feet beyond the radius of a wrecked car, a post on the top of the car, crashing the roof on the driver's side and probably the cause of Lev's death, he's in a pool of blood that was almost dried and gave the asphalt a sickly sight that will make your gut to turn upside down.

"Chloe.." Ivy called sympathetically as she can see her friend's tears started to stream down without a sign of stopping.

"He told me that he'll be f-fine." Chloe's tear was like a river that flows continuously without tearing her gaze at his friend. "He told me that—." Chloe stopped abruptly when she remember the car that's following them. "Those demons did it!"

"Who?" Ivy asked confusedly.

"Ivy, could you please lend me your car?" Chloe asked instead, and ignore her friend's question.

"You know what? Let me call my driver and I'll accompany you there." Ivy said as she took back the phone from Chloe's hand and dialed her driver's number.

Chloe dried up her tears as they both walked out of the building, she uses Ivy's dark shade to hide her swollen eyes and hopped inside Ivy's car.

As they arrived at the place where the accident happens, Lev's body wasn't there anymore and Charlene called them that he's already sent to a morgue and waiting for someone to claim his body. They drove to the said morgue and Chloe didn't wait for Ivy's driver to open the door for her and she run straight to the entrance.

"Chloe." Charlene called her cousin to get her attention as Chloe asking the reception about Lev. "He's here."

Chloe heaved a deep breath and exhales before facing the door that will lead to Lev's body. Her trembling hands reach for the cold metal door and there's Lev, lying down with no life and Chloe breakdown.

She cried as if her brain was being shredded from the inside. Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore, it's so raw that even the eyes of the strangers around her were suddenly wet with tears. Her friends was talking to her for all the good it did but she couldn't hear them.

It was more than crying, it was the kind of desolate sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope. Lev is the only person who's been with her inside those 8 years, the one who helped her to overcome all of her fear living alone, the one who became her brother that she never had; the one who stayed despite of having the attitude that is hard to handle for others but for Lev, Chloe is her little sister who's just throwing tantrums and a cup of milk ice cream was enough to shut her up and put her mood in a better one.

"What are we gonna do with his body?" Charlene asked while stroking her cousin's back.

"Are we going to hold his funeral here or we'll send his body to his parents in New Zealand?" Ivy also asked. "Chloe, we need your decision."

Chloe gulped thickly but she had a hard time to do so as her throat became dry and as if there's a lump stuck in her throat, even gulping was hard for her to do, what more talking as of this moment. She's in pain that her mind stop in working and she's unable to think what is the better thing to do.

"I n-need to call his parents." Chloe said between her sobs and Charlene fished out the phone from Chloe's purse and gave it to the brunette.

As the shocking news reached Lev's parents, Chloe cry again, along with Lev's mom on the other line, she's mad for what happen to his son but she's not blaming Chloe for that. Coming to New York with Chloe was Lev's decision, whatever happen to him is no one's at fault, it's accident and they are still relieved to know that Chloe is safe because for them, Chloe is one of their family member.

But to Chloe, it's not an accident, she knows and she was sure that the car that had tailed them earlier was to blame for Lev's death. Along with the driver who fetched her and he made sure that Lev will be in another car, and the woman who disguised as one of the staff, who made sure that Lev will not arrive at the conference.

But a lot of questions running inside Chloe's mind, why did they need to kill Lev? What do they want from her? If it's because she's a Smith and they are planning to kidnap her, why didn't they do it when they had the opportunity earlier? Unless, they have another plan other than that. And Chloe needs to be more careful as much as possible, but it's a good thing that she had seen the faces of that two women who's been stalking her since the other day.

Chloe faced her cousin and her friend after she ended the call, her eyes were swollen even more but there's a glint of anger in them.

"Do you still have Nathalie's number?" Chloe asked. The two girls in shock exchange glances before looking back to Chloe.

"Why?" Charlene asked back.

"I need her to do something for me, I know that Lev's death was not an accident."

"Well I guess, she's back to work after taking a three years vacation." Ivy said as she put her phone in her ear. "Nat, up for a new job?"

"Does it involve killing?" The woman in another line asked.

"She's asking if killing is involve." Ivy asked Chloe.

"Tell her that, it is more than that." The brunette replied with her eyes more raging in anger.

"You heard that?"

"Was that Chloe? Tell her welcome back and I'm coming to town within a week." Nathalie said before tossing the phone in her bed and she jumped off of the bed, she walked to the balcony and sniff the fresh air of Hawaii. "I knew she'll be coming for Chloe, now that you've showed yourself, I'm not going to fail this time and I'll kill you for sure." She mumbles to herself.

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