They agreed to attend as guest lecturers in institutes around the world and continually strove to find out ways in which less developed parts of the world could benefit from technology and innovations. They were shining examples of some of those very few businessmen who actually practiced what they preached regarding environment issues.
Privately, the trio shared quite a few mutual friends who found them genial and courteous. While Ronda was outgoing, she was also considered to be extremely private. The brothers on the other hand were soft spoken and shy. Tony however suffered from occasional pangs of impatience and anxiety, while Matthew barely lost his calm even in the most complicated of situations. Tony was prone to quick temper, while Matthew always found a way to be reasonable in every state of affairs. The brothers were a mirror image of each other, yet they had their distinctive dissimilarities that made them two strong individuals in their own right. Most of them believed that the creative brain belonged to Tony, while Matthew possessed sound business acumen. Together, they were an unstoppable force in their own field.
As Ronda recalled their parties and the weekends, a smile escaped her lips. Those were wonderful days. They were so full of energy. All three of them lived by the philosophy of carpe diem and siphoned life out of every moment they lived. They lived by the maxim of teenagers: “Work hard; party harder”. How they enjoyed reading love mails from admirers on a lazy Sunday morning! How they discussed their lovers and shared moments of laughter about the follies of men and women in love! Ronda felt restful recalling their holidays to Greece, Hawaii, Switzerland and a countless other fairy tale destinations. It was always fun travelling with the twins. They were chivalrous and excellent company. Tony was quite the story teller. Their travels were incomplete without his hilarious anecdotes.
The fantastical friendship of these three young and gorgeous twenty five year olds had not always been a joyride. It was threatened more often than not by forces who tried to break them apart for several reasons ranging from jealousy to professional gains. But they had stood the tests of faith and time. On this rainy night, the one event that Ronda recalled caused her to shudder. How could any one of them forget the event? Tony was quite shaken for months after the event and had sworn to Ronda and his brother to never again doubt their judgments.
The brothers had thrown a party celebrating Dillingham Innovation’s billion dollar valuation. The who’s who of the society was invited. The tabloids had dubbed it to be one of the most happening parties of the year. The champagne overflowed that night and the guests were in the arms of Bacchus till the wee hours of dawn. Friends were made, lovers were united and new love blossomed in the party for many. The venue glistened with the sheen of the most expensive silk worn by the ladies. A thick perfume of musk and civet overwhelmed the air. In the corner, a little smoking room was filled with the aroma of Cuban cigars. The night was young and one could hear the tinkling sound of women’s laughter from quite a distance away. The music did not allow the dance floor to go empty. Everybody returned home satisfied and fulfilled after a night of midsummer revelry.
Tony had spotted her in an emerald green gown sipping her champagne all by herself. She seemed to be alone. Her jet black hair and her dark eyes gleamed with an ethereal brightness. The emerald green on her creamy skin made her resemble a painting by one of the ancient masters. Unlike most other women, she was not over dressed with a lot of jewelry. She wore two tiny pearl drops in her ears and a statement ring on her left hand. Her bare arms were inviting and Tony could not move his gaze away from this siren. She was indeed dressed to kill. Her svelte figure seemed to make love to the silk of her gown. Tony longed to have her to himself within the privacy of his bed chamber.
“I see you have met my acquaintance, Tony”, Ronda took her place beside her best friend.
“Your acquaintance?”
“Mmhmm…That’s Mikaela. You want me to introduce you to her?”
“Why not? How do you know her?”
“She’s in town with her father. Her father owns a publishing company in Russia. They want to collaborate with us on some projects. She wanted to feel the city, so I asked her to join me.”
“So you two do not know each other that well, then?”
“No. I can’t say we do. But I’ll introduce you if you want to.”
“Oh please! Lead the way, ma’am.”
Ronda wished she could turn back the wheels of time and prevent the meeting. But if only that were possible!
“Hello Mikaela. I would like you to meet your host for the night, Tony Dillingham. Tony, Mikaela Nabokov, daughter of Mr. Andrei Nabokov, the founder father of Northern Snow Publications.”