CHAPTER 48: MEETING WITH HUBBY'S FRIEND X
The air crackled with tension as they entered the posh London restaurant. James, cool and collected, was met with the manager's bow and a booming "Mr. and Mrs. Alfred, this way please." Diana, trailing behind, felt the weight of their recent standoff settle heavy in her stomach.
They reached the private room, Laughter and boisterous chatter drifted from behind the door. James, hands casually on her elbow, opened the door, revealing a group of men, impossibly handsome and exuding an aura of wealth and privilege. The group of men fell silent, turning towards them with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
Diana's smile faltered. Since their recent argument, silence had stretched between them, and it wasn't any different here. The room fell quiet as James introduced her, his voice strained.
Well they were not looking at her any different, she thought. Silence stretched until James cleared his throat. "Diana, meet my friends," he began, gesturing to a tall, dark man in his early thirties by his left hand side. "This is Harry Stevens, the..."
"Yeah, world-famous doctor," Diana cut in, a brilliant smile plastered on her face. She extended her hand, "Very nice to meet you, Mr. Stevens."
Harry grinned, shaking her hand. "Just call me Harry."
"Huge fan," Diana continued, her voice and smile dripping with practiced charm.
Harry released her hand with a chuckle. James smirked moved on, pointing to a blond, tall, smoky hot with sexy eyes in his thirties, sitting close to Harry "And this is..."
"Victor Faraday," Diana finished, "billionaire playboy, renowned scientist." In truth they were all billionaires but they most loved showing up on tabloids.
She stretched out her hands to him and offered another dazzling smile, adding, "Mr. Faraday", just as victor was about to respond, she held out a finger to him. "Let me guess, I can call you Victor?"
Everyone laughed, except James. His smile was tight, the amusement strained. He wasn't finding any of it funny.
"Seems you know them all then," James remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, yes," Diana replied, a touch too brightly. She pointed to the tall, dark haired man, brown beautiful eyes with round beautiful face in his late twenties. "Henry Lockwood, no 3 famous, best and richest actor in the world, no 1 and richest here in the U.K. Oh i could go on".
Henry laughed and shook hands with her.
"Don't tell henry but i have your posters hung on the wall of my room in my family home". That earned her another round of laughter from the people around her.
"Okay, i like this one alright", Henry suddenly said. Everyone nodded.
Next, she pointed at the tall red haired man sitting besides Henry, his features were not limited too in any way, aside a long scar on his cheeks, with a charismatic figure. "Jerry Bridgestone, Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy, field Marshall of the British Army and Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force".
"Wow! Ok she knows me", Jerry stated smiling.
With each introduction, the laughter around her grew strained, mirroring the tension radiating from James.
Her playful attempts to flirt with the men, however, did little to ease the tension. James remained stoic, his jaw clenched. The laughter she elicited felt full, a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere between her and her husband.
Finally, she gestured at a red-haired man with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And, of course, my brother-in-law, the one and only..."
"Jared!" he grinned, cutting her off.
Diana laughed joyfully before asking. "Wait, are there others?"
"Maybe," Jared winked,
"Well i don't care, you're my favorite so far!"
Jared laughed and brought out his hands to shake her, while Diana opened her arms. Jared stood up to hug her, grinning from ear to ear.
Laughter erupted, masking the discomfort hanging in the air. As Diana and James took their seats
"Do you have any friends that aren't celebrities?" she finally asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. "Tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome with matching bad-boy reputations?" Her laughter made her eyes sparkle brightly as she turned to them. "Please tell me you are all single?"
A beat of silence followed. One of the men, Victor, chuckled. "Why? Aren't you satisfied with your husband?"
"Very satisfied," Diana replied, her voice tight, "just have good friends I could introduce you to."
"So you now play matchmaker now, Diana?" James cut in, his tone sharp.
"Yup," she said, her eyes fixed on the table, avoiding his gaze.
"Well, they're all married," Jared, James' brother, interjected, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But you can introduce me, sis-in-law."
Jerry, another friend, snorted. "Can you ever stop jumping around, Jared?"
Jared held his chest and kept a wounded expression while Diana laughed.
Diana, eager to make an impression, announced, "I'd love to meet your wives! Who knows, Maybe we could form some sort of a club or gang!" Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a gift. "Harry, I meant to bake a cake for you after i heard it was your birthday today, but uhm..... this morning didn't go as planned. Anyway, happy birthday!"
Harry's smile warmed the room as he unwrapped the gift: a beautiful gold designer watch and a stethoscope engraved with his initials. "Diana, this is incredible!" he exclaimed, "I love it". There were appreciative murmurs from the group, as they praised her.
The evening progressed, peppered with anecdotes about James from his friends. Conversation flowed, punctuated by laughter from all corners in the room. Diana, fueled by nervous energy and a few drinks, regaled them with hilarious stories, weaving in playful digs at James. He mostly remained silent, observing her with an unreadable expression.
Drinks and food flowed freely, and with each sip, Diana's facade loosened. James only butt into the conversation once in a while. Diana drank till she was a bit drunk, making her actions and speeches even funnier.
Soon, she was reaching for another glass, her eyes shimmering with something akin to defiance. Before it touched her lips, James' hand intercepted it.
"Alright, Diana," he said, his voice firm. "That's enough."
Diana's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a pout as she reached out to grab her drink. "I'm not drunk, James. See?" she hiccupped, her words slurred slightly
Jared chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"
"Mhm" Diana responded as she kept the expression of a wounded animal.
Diana squared her shoulders, her gaze hardening. "Maybe if I was," she muttered, the words barely audible, and heavy with unspoken resentment "my husband of four weeks would finally notice me."
An uncomfortable silence descended. Diana, oblivious, belched loudly, covering her mouth with a giggle. "Did I just do that out loud?" she giggled nervously, snatching Jared's drink and downed it in one gulp before anyone could react.
"Jared!" James roared, his anger finally boiling over.
"Am sorry brother, i did not know she was going to drink it" Jared apologized profusely, blaming himself for her actions. Meanwhile, Diana seemed oblivious, already reaching for another drink.
She watched as every other person finished their drinks before she grabbed it.
A commotion at the door drew their attention. Suddenly, the manager entered, followed by a stunning blonde woman. "This lady claims to know Mr. Alfred," the manager stammered.
"What woman?" James asked with a stony gaze.
The Manager gulped and made way.
A slim tall woman with very long legs came into full view. She looked so drop dead gorgeous and was dressed so mouth wateringly beautiful, that Diana felt herself fade in comparison to her. Her confidence filled the room.
James's gaze hardened. "Cassandra?"
"Hello James", Cassandra purred, her gaze sweeping across the group as she called their names one after the other, until it landed on Diana.
She turned to look at James as if asking 'who is she?'
Diana watched the exchange, a smirk playing on her lips. She chewed on a chip, seemingly unfazed.
James looked at the woman acting as if she did not care and looked back at Cassandra. "What are you doing here Casy?" James stammered, a flicker of emotion crossing his face.
"Whoa! Casy!", Diana repeated and scoffed.
"Diana" James called warningly
"Just wanted to say hi," she replied, her gaze lingering on Diana.
Ignoring James's warning tone, Diana addressed the manager. "Does that karaoke machine work?" she slurred, turning to the manager.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Run it up," Diana commanded, her voice laced with a dangerous edge. "I want to sing."
She stumbled to her feet, pushing James's restraining hand that held her waist away.
"Diana, this is enough," he hissed, grabbing her arm.
"Just one song, James," she insisted, shaking him off.
She marched towards Cassandra, standing eye-to-nose with the glamorous woman. Despite the height difference, which made her look up to her a little, Diana held her ground, her gaze defiant. The tension crackled in the air, a storm brewing beneath the surface.