Hayden Ravensdale had been casually propping up the wall with his shoulder and staring at the crowd with a poker face. With a sigh, he looked at his watch for about the hundredth time that night, remarking with boredom that time was moving slower than a snail. Participating in charity functions was an essential part of the life of a successful businessman, but since Hayden loathed these kind of face-time social events, he usually sent one of his employees to represent the company. Forcing a smile in the direction of a familiar face, he imagined banging his head against the wall for making an exception this time, and coming in person to show face at the event.
Even his slouched posture did not hide Hayden’s athletic height, yet the appreciative glances sent to him by the ladies left the young businessman perfectly cold. His distinctively masculine features, straight nose, square jaw and full lips gave him the appearance of a handsome man. There was, however, something odd, some disturbingly bitter feature on his perfectly shaven face that seemed to have deliberately wanted to destroy the positive impression evoked by the first glance. Although he was barely thirty, his attitude suggested a drained nonchalance. His auburn eyes glided through the crowd sluggishly and coldly, without the slightest sign of interest. Some lighter wisps were mixed into his dark brown hair, but it was clearly an act of nature rather than expert handiwork. Hayden Ravensdale was otherwise not the type who would unnecessarily spend much time in front of a mirror. As in almost everything, his appearance advocated his affection for practicality. His hair was cut firmly short at the neck, but as the evening progressed, his longer locks took on a life of their own, and by now they were hanging loosely over his forehead. Hayden’s complexion was fair, yet his British chill mixed sensually with a Mediterranean influence. This was not surprising, as his mother, Victoria Alvarado was a beautiful Catalan woman, who had grown up in England, though carried many traditional Spanish qualities – and not only in her appearance. The Alvarados were an ancient noble family in Catalonia who amassed their wealth during the previous century through growing tobacco. Although most of their capital was now lost, they still possessed considerable business interests.
Hayden flinched and looked around with embarrassment as a rumble of claps erupted in the twilight. The renowned soul singer, wearing a close fitting sequined evening dress, exited the stage and disappeared behind the curtains. Once again, the enormous ballroom of the castle was filled with a sudden flash of light as John Blake, President of the International Help in Need Foundation stepped to the podium and started to speak.
‘Ladies and gentleman, highly respected guests! It is a great honour for me to welcome you, on behalf of my colleagues, to the annual charity ball for our foundation. Believe it or not, 21 years have already passed since our first assembly, where we presented our initial report within the framework of a large-scale charity event…,’ the elderly man started his speech in a rough voice. Hayden heaved a painful sigh and began to look for Christian with his eyes. He was sure his mate was hitting on some hot little starlet or trying to impress the Victoria’s Secret models, whom he had spotted the moment they arrived at the scene.
John Blake, the president of the foundation was a wealthy man himself, and when it came to the annual event, he never liked the idea of being on a shoestring budget. This exclusive night of the year could be characterized by two words: unbounded generosity. There was no shortage of prominent guests, and several TV and movie stars graced the event as well. Women sparkled in dresses covered with sequins, and anyone at least a little familiar with the world of fashion, could recognize pieces from the most renowned designers.
‘It has been a tough year for us. A year that was indeed difficult, full of obstacles and challenges. But thanks to your generous support…,’ Blake continued, although his voice only reached Hayden’s ears in the form of a distant roar. He didn’t feel affected by the restoration works after the floods in Nepal, or the achievements of sex education amongst young girls in the Middle East. His mind was already on the emails he needed to reply to, and on his chores for the next day. He was constantly thinking about how to get out of the hall without being noticed, and as soon as possible.
It was already around 11pm when the official part of the night concluded, and the programme continued with music and dance. The band started to play louder. The large area in the middle of the room, left intentionally unoccupied, made for a casual dance floor. Hayden stood motionless, with his legs crossed, the half-empty glass balanced between his thumb and ring finger, seemingly watching the crowd. Graceful eyes were flashed at him, smiles and flickering eye-lashes were silently inviting him closer, but Hayden seemed to be impervious to such feminine charms. In the course of the night, he counted about a dozen women whom he could have taken home with him if he had felt like it, but he didn’t. With irritation, he began to turn his head around, getting more and more upset with Christian who must have left without a word. He decided not to give a shit about the issue, just leave, and kick his mate’s arse in the office on Monday.
Mouthing a few curse words under his nose, he pushed himself away from the wall and was about to leave when he spotted his business partner, Christian Mitchell, who’d just cut through the crowd progressing towards Hayden, holding two fresh glasses in his hand. With theatrical suffering on his face, he handed a full glass of champagne to his friend.
‘If you had the faintest idea of what I’ve gone through for these drinks, you’d at least crack a grateful smile.’
‘Shut up, Mitchell! We came here to do some work.’
The man looked back at him as if he had two heads.
‘Work? I don’t have the foggiest what you’re talking about, mate. This is a party, in case you haven’t noticed. We’ve come to mingle, to cultivate friendships and to establish new ones,’ he winked dubiously.
‘Have you talked to Vincent?’
‘Yeah,’ Chris nodded without interest and took a big sip from his drink. ‘And when you hear what I’ve arranged for tonight for both of us, you’ll be obliged to me for life!’
Hayden followed his friend’s gaze to the counter of the bar, and at once got the picture.
‘Are you talking about the Swedish birds at the bar?’ he asked with raised eyebrows, pointing with his chin towards the model-looking bleach blonde women.
Christian giggled loudly and sent him a quick look.
‘Right, so this small detail hasn’t escaped your notice. This somewhat puts me at ease. I was just getting worried about your…’
‘Cut it out, Chris!’ Hayden waved him away, looking bored. He glanced at his watch idly, taking a deep breath. ‘I’ll pass. There’s so much I need to get done before Monday. We’ve done our duty by showing ourselves. I see no problem in leaving this do behind. I’m fed up with this shit. I’ll call a cab, and we can…’
He couldn’t finish his sentence, as the other one interrupted him in amazement.
‘Have you gone completely off your trolley? I… I don’t get your drift, honestly. This is just the beginning. At last we’re through the boring part. I sense something brewing tonight,’ he said, rubbing his palms together, glancing in the direction of the Swedish beauties. ‘The one on the left is called Cecilia, but she’s mine. I’ve meant the other one for you. Of course, if you insist, you can talk me into a swap,’ the man said, lifting his champagne glass high in the air, cheerfully motioning a toast towards the bar.
Hayden knew Christian too well to take his previous remark too seriously. He just shook his head absently.
‘I want to reply to some urgent mails before the weekend numbness,’ Hayden remarked, addressing it rather to himself than his mate. Christian’s attention was apparently much more absorbed by the two models and his own plans regarding the night, but Hayden wasn’t angry with him. If he had been honest to himself, he had to admit he actually envied Chris’ relaxed nature, the kind of nonchalant attitude he had towards his relationships and his whole life. The kind of negligence he had not known for a long time. Not that he didn’t have a quick fling every now and then, but there was nothing worth of mentioning. There was nobody he didn’t desperately try to get rid of the morning after. His latest affair with that black-haired hottie he had picked up in a bar was also over two months before. It was a one-night stand, which ended quickly and without pain, exactly as Hayden willed it. Although sexual frustration tortured him at times, looking at these two blondies right now, he didn’t feel the slightest excitement. Should he have worried about that? Was everything all right with him? No. As a matter of fact, nothing was all right with him, but that was a completely different issue not worth getting into. While listening to Christian’s horny banter about the two women, he thought the term ‘friendship’, in its true sense, did not fully apply to their relationship, as they weren’t mutually confidential to one another when it came to personal matters. Christian talked about his rather eventful love life quite freely, but since Hayden barely shared any information with people regarding his privacy, this part of their relationship had developed unilaterally. Chris Mitchell was his close colleague in administering company affairs, and through the years he had become an essential companion. He had the reputation of a hard-core professional and had proved his aptitude in sticky situations more than once. Due to business matters they spent a lot of time together unintentionally, which then automatically evolved into a sort of friendship between the two of them. However, they were more associates than intimate friends and Hayden did not mind that. Christian’s soft spot was his interest in the pursuit of women. More specifically, the pursuit of several women simultaneously. It had been more than once that he got in trouble because of jealous husbands, protective brothers or fathers, when he showed interest for more than one woman at the same time. Hayden had, so far, overlooked his less fatal mistakes, as they had no effect on his professional achievements. Although his excesses sometimes annoyed Hayden, he never interfered with his private life. What mattered to him was Chris’ performance in work and his undivided loyalty to the company.
‘Are you saying that you’re not game for my offer? Are you leaving me with the ladies?’ Chris asked, turning to Hayden, whose only reply was an irritated rolling of the eyes. ‘Seriously, Den. Loosen up!’ he continued, seeing his friend’s lethargic expression. For a moment he turned his back on the buzz to give Hayden his full attention. ‘Let go of yourself. This is not about the company, and we’re not on a business trip. I get the boss can’t rub elbows with just anybody. But dammit, man, it’s the weekend!’ he rested his hand on Hayden’s shoulder. ‘We’ve worked hard; we deserve to play hard. Look around you!’ he waved his hand. ‘Take a deep breath and ease off at least for a little while! Live!’
‘I do live,’ Hayden said dryly.
‘I’m not talking about business. Take one of these birds home,’ he motioned towards the bar, ‘and you’ll be guaranteed to feel better.’
Hayden opened his mouth, then apparently thought better of it and just shook his head. He had tried this method before. Not just once. And it never helped him get better.
‘Everything is fine,’ he said and clapped his friend on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry about me. Everything’s cool, I’m just a little tired. You go on, have fun! I’ll find you on Monday after my first meeting with the Yanks. I’ll just call a taxi and I’m out of here.’
Christian shook his head in disbelief when they shook hands. He couldn’t get why Hayden was such a loner and couldn’t enjoy life, wasn’t able to relax even for one night. He can’t move on, he thought with a mixture of pity and perplexity.
Christian knew Hayden even before he became the manager of Ravensdale Publications. At the time, Chris’s father also worked at the company, back in the old days of Edward Ravensdale, albeit not in such a high position as he was now. Hayden was a successful businessman. Since he took over, the well-run company began to flourish. The achievements of the 21st century, from which the old man abstained, the young and brave entrepreneur used for the benefit of the company, and the significant investments in modernization began to show results. Hayden was a great media specialist in his own field, and professional recognition did not take long. He had recently been awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year title. The business was prospering. Revenues were never higher. Of course, Christian knew commercial success did not appear from scratch. The countless overtime and weekends Hayden had spent in the office, the masses of energy invested, the research and the trips were finally worth it. He paid dearly for it, but the immense amount of work brought success and fame. Where company matters were concerned, the air was hot around him. It was a great experience to participate in negotiations with him. To see how much he felt alive, how he was in his element when implementing a new idea. This was what made him feel alive and vibrant, and he dedicated all his energy and interest to Ravensdale Publications. However, as soon as his office door closed and his private life took over, he changed completely. He met his private agenda with a zombie’s automatism. The position he occupied required his regular attendance at various social gatherings, which duties he met. In fact, sometimes he was even persuaded to have fun by one of the few friends with whom he still kept in touch, yet he still did it with no real interest. Christian knew about his occasional affairs and knew that he was, for some reason, unable to let anyone get too close. He deliberately handled his relationships on a superficial level, which Chris found rather strange. He had the feeling this wasn’t really what Hayden needed in his life, but who was he to interfere with such personal matters? Hayden never behaved unethically, quite the contrary; he was regarded as friendly and gallant when it came to women. However, there was never any real enthusiasm or devotion from him beyond work. A number of times people had tried to put him in touch with a variety of fine and less fine women, but no lasting relationship evolved from these attempts. Christian thought maybe Hayden was wary regarding the sincerity of women. Somebody in his social position could never truly know whether the interest was in his own personality, or in his social status and material prosperity. He himself was never bothered by such minor qualities in a relationship, as long as sex was great. He thought, however, that Hayden could be one of those people who, beneath the hard exterior, actually had a sensitive soul and needed everything to be in order before he hooked up with a girl. Of course, he knew a thing or two about his boss’s past and also had a few suspicions which came from rumours. Some facts he knew first-hand, but when he tried to dig deeper and find answers to questions, it was as if he had run into a brick wall. About past prejudices, if any, Hayden refused to talk, even with him. When the ‘interrogation’ took place after a glass or two, he usually diverted the topic with a joke. When the issue came up soberly, he firmly ended the conversation and changed the subject. A dark mist trailed about his past, of which he talked to nobody. Still, this negative impact on his presence and character could be sensed clearly.
Christian knew that pressing the subject would do no good, ergo he decided to hand his friend over to a lonely contemplation of self-pity. They shook hands, and he turned to leave for the bar.