Is this destiny?

After dinner, Jeff, JoAnna, Aiden and Sarah went to a building which reminded Sarah and JoAnna of a clothing studio in New York that is owned by Patty. Almost empty space filled up within seconds with people who were taking care of their clothes, hair and makeup (for ladies).

JoAnna was done before Sarah and when she saw that it's nine thirty in the evening, she decided to step to the side and call Elanor. "Hi, mom…"

"Nice of you to call, my dear…", Elanor responded in a singing voice. "But since you are calling at this hour, I can assume it's nothing pleasant."

JoAnna smiled. "You are right."

JoAnna thought that she got everything figured out, but now that she was actually on the phone with her future mother-in-law, she found it difficult to talk about the issue. She stumbled few times over her own words and Elanor waited for JoAnna to compose herself patiently. Finally, JoAnna calmed down and told Elanor what is troubling her:

"Mom, there are women after Jeff. Many of them. And they are coming faster than I can chase them away…", JoAnna sounded pathetic even to herself.

Elanor sighed. "I see. How are you chasing them away?"

"I find their weakness and use it against them, so that they don't come back.", JoAnna vaguely responded.

"Hmm… and you think that works? They will not come back?"

"They shouldn't, right? If I have something that can damage them, why would they come back?"

Elanor laughed. "You are silly. Adorable, but silly... Anna, dear, if a woman is after a man who is taken, she does not act rationally. If you tell her to go away, and she listens, be certain that she didn't give up. She is only plotting her next move. And they don't give up. You say that they are coming faster than you can chase them away? That is because you are playing nice, and they are not. Unless you clip their wings and establish your dominance, they will not go away."

"Clip their wings? Establish my dominance?" JoAnna was confused. "How do I do that?"

Elanor paused for few seconds before speaking. "Fear. Make them fear you. You might need to get creative, but the word will spread that they should not provoke you."

"I see… thank you, mom.", JoAnna hanged up.

"You spoke with Stella?", Sarah's voice came from behind before JoAnna had time to think about her chat with Elanor.

"No. It was Elanor. I needed an advice about pesky women." JoAnna admitted.

"Oh? How come you called her and not Stella?"

"I think that our mom will just tell me to beat them up."

Sarah had to agree with that. "And what did Elanor say?"

"It was not far from that.", JoAnna laughed.

"You look good." Sarah observed JoAnna in a dark red sleeveless tight-fitting cocktail dress with a mock-wrap skirt which reached half of her thighs.

"You are not bad yourself." JoAnna returned the compliment to Sarah who was wearing gray A-line sleeveless knee length cocktail dress with detailed embroidery above waist and a cascading ruffles skirt.

Both of them had light make up on and hair raised into an updo. It all came with matching purses, jewelry and high heeled shoes, and JoAnna and Sarah had to acknowledge that Aiden didn't miss a thing when he made arrangements.

Girls stepped out of the dressing area and met with Jeff and Aiden who were waiting for them in the hallway. Guys were done earlier, and they were dashing in formal black suits.

"Oh, my…" JoAnna gasped as she stared at Jeff. "I think we should go out more often!"

"Agreed." Sarah smiled while linking arms with Aiden.

…

Party was on the rooftop of a hotel. The view was amazing, and the area was decorated with numerous fairy lights throughout. There are tables with snacks and two bars serving drinks. Seating is limited with a goal to encourage people moving around and mingling.

Blanca Fernandes is one of party organizers.

It is an exclusive invite-only party for rich and powerful and few people from real-estate who cater to such customers. Goal of the party is to network and get additional customers, so every person who had an invitation could bring up to three people in. Assumption is that if you are rich and powerful, your +3 people will be as well.

The invitees were mostly successful businesspeople, but there were few best-selling authors, actors and celebrities as well.

The party was in full swing when our group of four arrived, and they attracted curious gazes.

Jeff and Aiden are handsome, and JoAnna and Sarah are beautiful. Four of them standing next to each other all dressed up amplified their attractiveness factor several folds. Whoever saw them assumed they are actors or celebrities, because they must be something like that considering their good looks.

JoAnna didn't have a plan for tonight, except to find Blanca and… that is as far her planning reached. She will improvise and she is confident that other three will be able to follow her lead.

"I think we should split up…", Sarah suggested. Others agreed.

Jeff and JoAnna went on one side, while Aiden and Sarah on another.

It didn't take more than few steps for someone to call out to Jeff. Considering that there were numerous businesspeople within people present, it was not unexpected that they will recognize CEO White. Before Jeff and JoAnna realized, five people tried to get Jeff's attention. They were excited that they got to talk to him in a casual setting.

JoAnna felt slightly irritated by these persistent men who didn't get hints that Jeff does not want to talk about their business proposals. This is not why she came here. She squirmed out of Jeff's hold with an excuse that she wants to go and check out desserts and left him surrounded with those middle aged men.

And JoAnna headed straight for the table with deserts. When she saw variety of options and how delectable they looked, JoAnna got a plate for herself and started filling it up with small bite-sized cakes of different shapes and colors. She decided that she will try all of them! Blanca is organizer, she will not go anywhere.

"You like sweets." Male voice came from her right.

JoAnna glanced at the man, and her eyes widened in surprise. She recognized him… it's Jules Heenan, actor who plays a heartthrob doctor in one TV drama JoAnna is watching.. Her first impulse was to ask for his autograph, but then she remembered numerous things he said in the show which didn't make any sense from medical point of view, and she frowned. She knows that it's a show, and he is following a script but still… what he said while saving that 7-year old victim of a car crash in third episode of second season, didn't make any sense!