own line of high end children’s clothes and are now
in every elegant shop in America. Ms. Portman who borrowed a thousand dollars
from a friend and turned it into a multi-million dollar beauty conglomerate.
“But
I also know that many of you, Peter Bottom, Belinda Kyle, Garrett Thomas and
Richard Lynch, to name but a few, have had your fortunes passed onto you by
your hardworking parents. You’ve lived the coddled lives of silver spoon fed
children. You’ve never known hardship and barely know the meaning of the word
struggle. If ever there was a time for you to step out and speak up for something
worthwhile, to make a difference in the world, this is it.
“Our
goal tonight is to raise twenty-five million dollars, a number I know is easily
attainable. And rest assured; every last penny of it will go towards buying
much needed equipment and repairing that broken down wing the hospital, no, the
children so desperately need.”
He
put the picture away and stepped down. After a long, almost guilt-ridden
silence, the elite crowd softly applauded him.
As
he came towards her, Serena became vaguely aware of the people who’d joined her
table. While she assumed they were Sebastian’s family, she had no desire to
make eye contact with them. Instead she looked at Sebastian as he came to the
table and pulled out the chair besides her. She knew her open admiration was
clear in her eyes, and she made no attempt to hide it. He was proving to be a
surprise at every turn and she had to admit she enjoyed that.
“You
don’t mince words, do you?” she quietly said as he sat down.
Seated
on the other side of him, his mother’s glare was cold and hostile. Apparently
she didn’t share Serena’s assessment of his speech, but she said nothing.
“This
crowd needs to be shaken up sometimes. They get too comfortable, too
complacent. They forget… or in many cases have never known what it’s like to
struggle, to hurt.”
“I’m
sure your speech will have the desired effect and you’ll raise even more money
than you’ve asked for.”
He
took the glass of white wine set before him and held it up to her. “Here’s
hoping.”
“Your
story about this little Paloma girl was very touching. How do you know her?”
She bit down on the internal gnawing sensation that suggested he’d made it all
up.
“She’s
the daughter of a colleague. He’d talked about her so much that he finally
brought her into work to introduce her to us. She came to visit a few times
after that; a beautiful little girl who instantly stole my heart, I must say.”
Serena
noticed an older, straight-back white haired man sitting beside Marika. He
looked intently at Sebastian, a wistful smile barely warming the crease at his
brow. He, too, seemed to disapprove of Sebastian’s actions.
“Is
that your father?” she asked, though she felt certain it was. They’d not been
introduced and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional or just a slip.
Sebastian
grinned and took a hold of her hand. He looked past his mother. “Father, I’ve
neglected to introduce you to my date. Serena Singleton, this is Kaiser
Sorensen.”
Nodding,
Serena smiled when she saw his warm, soulful eyes and sincere grin. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you.”
While
his eyes remained warm, he said nothing and Serena sensed Marika was the
reason. Her back was glued to the chair as she stared straight ahead, her lips
pursed in disapproval. After the brief introduction, she glared at her husband
and clucked her tongue.
Kaiser
was considerably older than Marika. That much was clear. And while he was a
handsome man in his own right, Serena got the impression his love for Marika
was based solely on her looks, on the impression she made on those around her.
She was a beautiful woman and she surely went to great lengths to maintain that
beauty. She was a trophy, but a slowly tarnishing one; one that constantly
needed to be shined; one
in every elegant shop in America. Ms. Portman who borrowed a thousand dollars
from a friend and turned it into a multi-million dollar beauty conglomerate.
“But
I also know that many of you, Peter Bottom, Belinda Kyle, Garrett Thomas and
Richard Lynch, to name but a few, have had your fortunes passed onto you by
your hardworking parents. You’ve lived the coddled lives of silver spoon fed
children. You’ve never known hardship and barely know the meaning of the word
struggle. If ever there was a time for you to step out and speak up for something
worthwhile, to make a difference in the world, this is it.
“Our
goal tonight is to raise twenty-five million dollars, a number I know is easily
attainable. And rest assured; every last penny of it will go towards buying
much needed equipment and repairing that broken down wing the hospital, no, the
children so desperately need.”
He
put the picture away and stepped down. After a long, almost guilt-ridden
silence, the elite crowd softly applauded him.
As
he came towards her, Serena became vaguely aware of the people who’d joined her
table. While she assumed they were Sebastian’s family, she had no desire to
make eye contact with them. Instead she looked at Sebastian as he came to the
table and pulled out the chair besides her. She knew her open admiration was
clear in her eyes, and she made no attempt to hide it. He was proving to be a
surprise at every turn and she had to admit she enjoyed that.
“You
don’t mince words, do you?” she quietly said as he sat down.
Seated
on the other side of him, his mother’s glare was cold and hostile. Apparently
she didn’t share Serena’s assessment of his speech, but she said nothing.
“This
crowd needs to be shaken up sometimes. They get too comfortable, too
complacent. They forget… or in many cases have never known what it’s like to
struggle, to hurt.”
“I’m
sure your speech will have the desired effect and you’ll raise even more money
than you’ve asked for.”
He
took the glass of white wine set before him and held it up to her. “Here’s
hoping.”
“Your
story about this little Paloma girl was very touching. How do you know her?”
She bit down on the internal gnawing sensation that suggested he’d made it all
up.
“She’s
the daughter of a colleague. He’d talked about her so much that he finally
brought her into work to introduce her to us. She came to visit a few times
after that; a beautiful little girl who instantly stole my heart, I must say.”
Serena
noticed an older, straight-back white haired man sitting beside Marika. He
looked intently at Sebastian, a wistful smile barely warming the crease at his
brow. He, too, seemed to disapprove of Sebastian’s actions.
“Is
that your father?” she asked, though she felt certain it was. They’d not been
introduced and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional or just a slip.
Sebastian
grinned and took a hold of her hand. He looked past his mother. “Father, I’ve
neglected to introduce you to my date. Serena Singleton, this is Kaiser
Sorensen.”
Nodding,
Serena smiled when she saw his warm, soulful eyes and sincere grin. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you.”
While
his eyes remained warm, he said nothing and Serena sensed Marika was the
reason. Her back was glued to the chair as she stared straight ahead, her lips
pursed in disapproval. After the brief introduction, she glared at her husband
and clucked her tongue.
Kaiser
was considerably older than Marika. That much was clear. And while he was a
handsome man in his own right, Serena got the impression his love for Marika
was based solely on her looks, on the impression she made on those around her.
She was a beautiful woman and she surely went to great lengths to maintain that
beauty. She was a trophy, but a slowly tarnishing one; one that constantly
needed to be shined; one
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