Game Of Love

Book 1: Chapter 1 - Escaping The Boring Dinner

Las Vegas

"Hurry, Vicky, we'll be late for the final dance practice, " yelled eighteen-year-old Sofia Blakesley at her twin Victoria. It was their best friend Lisa's wedding with the man she'd always loved, Liam Parker, and they were super excited. Sofia was closest to Lisa and as such, she was her maid of honor. Victoria, on the other hand, was also Lisa's friend and was one of Lisa's bridesmaids. They both helped a lot with the wedding preparations and were very excited about the wedding. Their friend Lisa had gone through a lot of difficulties and they were with her every step of the way. Now that finally, she was happily settling down in her new life with Liam, her friends Sofia and Victoria were extremely happy for her.

"Yeah, ready. Wait, I forgot my lip gloss, " yelled Victoria. Their mom, Ava Blakesley, came into the room. She was a well-established lawyer in Las Vegas. Their dad, Gregory Blakesley, also was a reputed lawyer, and they co-owned a reputed law firm in Las Vegas, Blakesley's Law Firm.

"Girls, come home early. We'll be going out to dinner. One of our good clients has invited all of us to dinner to celebrate a win," said her mom.

"Mom, we get bored at your and Dad's big, boring law dinners. Please make some excuse on behalf of us," said Victoria with an eye roll. They hated these formal events where they weren't allowed to say a word. Sofia too agreed.

"I'm not going, Mom. We'll make our own dinner or grab some pizza. Please?" begged Sofia.

Their mom sighed. "The client has specifically asked for you two. He wants to meet and treat our family members. He's a very influential and powerful man, girls! Your dad and I want you both to meet him and his business partner," said their mom. Victoria and Sofia eyed one another. The client seemed the creepy type. Were their parents trying to fix them up with some business tycoon and his partner?

"No, please, Mom," said Victoria, grabbing Sofia's hand and pulling her along. "Okay, bye! We're getting late. Can we discuss this some other time? Please?" she asked, leaving their mom frowning at them.

"God! Did you get what mom was trying to imply?" asked Sofia as she started her car. Victoria nodded. Of course, she knew. Any blind man would realize that she had been trying to fix them up.

"Yeah, I figured it out the moment Mom opened her mouth," said Victoria with an eye roll. Sofia grunted with annoyance and drove off toward Lisa's house.

"I'm just eighteen. I wanna live life first and then marry if I fall in love, say at around thirty-five," said Victoria. Sofia chuckled.

"What if you fall in love earlier?" she asked with a grin.

"Then I'll wait till I turn thirty-five to get married," said Victoria with a laugh.

"What's the big deal with being thirty-five? Why not thirty-four?" asked Sofia. Victoria shrugged.

"No big deal. It's just that I don't wanna hurry things. I want a well-settled career first. Then I wish to realize all my dreams before settling down," said Victoria. "What about you?" She asked. Sofia shrugged. Victoria wanted to be a lawyer, just like her parents, and had enrolled in UNLV to major in economics. Sofia, on the other hand, wanted to be a fashion designer and enrolled at UNLV too to study their Fashion Certification Course.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'm surely gonna plan out my career, but if I fall in love, you know, the crazy, intense kind of love? I'd surely give it a chance," she said. Secretly, she wanted to meet someone special, just like her best friend Lisa had, but she couldn't admit that to Victoria. She was too cynical about marriage and love. Sofia was a romantic at heart, unlike her twin, and loved the idea of falling in love. Her rose-tinted views on love, romance, and happily ever after were only strengthened by Lisa and Liam's love story.

They reached the sprawling Parker mansion where Lisa had moved in a few weeks back. The wedding would take place there and with Liam's whole family already present, it was the most happening and fun place to be. "I'm not returning home early tonight. Mom and Dad would force us to go to that dinner with them. What about you?" asked Victoria. Sofia nodded.

"Neither am I, " she told her twin. Parking their car, they went inside to have a good time with their best friend.

In The Meantime:

After a whole day of work, Davion and Colton returned to Davion's penthouse in Las Vegas. The last two weeks had been very harrowing for them. After leaving LA, they had to rush to Reno, Nevada, where Colton's mom lived. She had fallen down the stairs and had fractured her ankle. They arranged for an attendant to look after her, and after ensuring that she was well, they rushed to Las Vegas. However, things didn't go as planned for Davion. Instead of having a good time here, he had to deal with a lawsuit slapped against his casino, the Royal Torres Casino, and Hotels Las Vegas. It all started when a few of its patrons were injured in a drunken brawl a few days back. Under the circumstances, Davion had consulted his friend Liam, asking him about the best law firms in Vegas.

Liam Parker had forwarded Sofia's parents' numbers since they were quite reputed and specialized in this sort of thing. He also had informed him that the Blakesleys were actually Lisa's best friend's parents. Davion had contacted them after doing a background check. He soon realized they were the parents of the hot young girl who hadn't left his mind since the day he'd seen a picture of her.

The Blakesleys successfully proved that the injuries caused weren't because of the Casino's negligence. They won the case and Davion insisted on treating the Blakesleys. However, since he was eager to meet their daughter, he invited the whole family.

"Why do you need to meet their family, bro?" asked Colton, sprawling on his sofa, although his own apartment was just opposite Davion's.

"It's just a formality. No specific reason," shrugged Davion, avoiding his gaze. Colton's interest was piqued. From his long-term association with Davion, he knew very well that Davion never, ever believed in these formalities. They had been involved in many such lawsuits before, but they never ever offered such treats. And treating their lawyer's family members had never happened in all his twenty years of life.

"Bro, you can't fool me. Spill already else I would have to find out my way," threatened Colton, meaning every word he said. Davion's eyes widened with dread. He knew what Colton's way was. He would ransack his entire apartment, his laptop, his papers, and his mobile till he found his answers.

"No, don't. I'll tell you," said Davion with a groan, and Colton grinned, waiting eagerly to listen to the secret reason. Davion shook up his brain, thinking of a logical explanation. He would rather die than admit that the picture of the young girl had compelled him to do what he did.

"I'm waiting, bro," reminded Colton, gaping at him.

Davion sighed, unable to find any probable reason. "What the f*ck! I'm not answerable to you for my actions. Do what you want. I'll change the password to my phone and laptop," said Davion, glaring at him. Colton grinned.

"I'll hack it," he said with his eyes dancing with mischief. "Tell me please, bro," begged Colton, changing his style. Davion shook his head, a smile playing on his lips.

"We've never met the Blakesleys, so how do you know who all are invited to the dinner tonight?" asked Colton, curiously. He was dying of curiosity, yet Davion wasn't giving him straight answers to his questions.

"I don't. I just want a long-term relationship with them. They're quite good at their work. It's as simple as that," shrugged Davion. That was the only probable reason he could come up with. Colton eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course! What other reason could there be? Now go to your place and let me get ready," said Davion. Colton looked disappointed, but didn't argue any further. He trudged towards the door and walked into his own apartment. He wasn't at all interested in the Blakesleys and their boring family members. But he couldn't disappoint Davion, whom he looked up to. So, he got ready reluctantly and walked over to Davion's apartment, where he spent most of his time.

"Bro, why are you so decked up? Are you trying to hook up with someone tonight?" asked Colton, looking confusedly at Davion's expensive designer suit, gelled hair. Davion usually was a casual kind of guy and didn't even feel the need to really dress up much. Whatever he wore made a fashion statement, and the younger generation copied his style blindly.

"Are you out of your mind? We're just going out to dinner," shrugged Davion. "Who do you think I'll hook up with?" He rolled his eyes at him.

"Ava Blakesley maybe," shrugged Colton.

"Why should I go for the mother when I want the daughter?" asked a pissed-off Davion. Really, Colton was the limit!