Chapter 113 - Hot And Smart

"Ohh, here is the Chronos squad! Guys! Glad to see your group here! I'm the organizer of this party!" A man in his early thirty called and approached Sofia as their group arrived at the exact venue of the victory party. 

His perfectly combed hair was the first thing that the group noticed as it looked shinier than the lightings around the hall. The man also offered a generous smile as he scanned all the six people in front of her.

'Although they are wearing a casual outfit, they looked pretty decent. Ah, after all, they are still studying,' He secretly made a quick assessment of the teenager's dresses.

"Hello, it's our pleasure to be here! Thank you for having us!" Sofia responded towards the man with gracefulness. Her tone was neither soft nor stern. But it was enough for the man to pull out from his reverie and focus on Sofia.

"Ohh, I like your manners, sister!" the man beamed after noticing Sofia's way of communicating.

He had been entertaining several champions before and most of the players usually gave him an arrogant look. Something that perhaps the players take pride in winning the tournament. 

However, he could not sense any arrogance within Sofia's tone. In an instant, the man proclaimed his liking to her.

Joey and Stephen looked at each other and shared a knowing look. They were startled when the man called Sofia a 'sister' but then, after noticing the way this man walked, they immediately realized that he had a feminine gesture that cannot be ignored.

His hips and arms extended differently every time he moved. The extension on her eyelashes also confirmed their thoughts.

"I am Toni! As you know, I am part of the LGBTQ," the man extended his arm and offered a handshake.

"Loud and proud!" Sofia gave him a genuine smile.

"Oh, yes!!! Loud and proud, sister!" Toni repeated and even raised his arms in the air and slightly waved it in a form of cheering.

"Please to meet you, Toni. I am Sofia, and my teammates," Sofia paused to shook the man's hand and then gestured at Jing Jing. "I believe you know Miss Jing?"

Upon hearing Sofia's query, recognition instantly flashed on his sparkling eyes confirming that he knew Jing Jing.

Sofia did not directly introduce Jing Jing by her name.

She could do it but it was intentional that she asked the man first about her.

This way, she moved their conversation to another level by asking the man if he knew Jing Jing. And they would not be left into an awkward silence.

The awkward silence was very common when two strangers meet for the first time. But when the proper way of conversing, it could be easily avoided. And Sofia knew exactly how to do it.

"Ohh, yes! I know about this famous media personality! Hello, Miss Jing Jing!!!" Toni expressed with enthusiasm. Then, he hugged Jing Jing as if they were real friends.

"Hi!" Jing Jing hugged the man back. "I like your nails, Toni!" she added as a compliment.

The man subconsciously waved his hand and displayed all long nails polished with an expensive crimson red. 

"Ohh, thank you! I got them yesterday. You know, for this occasion!" the man laughed and winked at her. His tone gave off another meaning beyond the words that he just said,

"Yes! That's great for the occasion!" Jing Jing responded with a chuckle. She happened to grasp what the man was pointing since they were in the same generation.

A small smile also curved on Sofia's lips but she did not make a comment about it. She was also mindful of her present age. It would be too appropriate if she joined in their conversation.

"Miss Jing Jing is the one handling the Chronos squad's private press, Toni. But she is here not as a media personality. Rather, she is our guest. I invited her," Sofia easily added to emphasize the significance of Jing Jing in their group.

"I see! That's so nice! Your group is in great hands!" Toni responded glancing at Sofia and Jing Jing back and forth

"Awe, thank you! That's nice of you to compliment our company!" Jing Jing muttered.

"It's true! Anyway, I have reserved a table for your group in the front area. Come! The food is already served in buffet style. So, just grab any food on that area," Toni said and pointed the are where the food was placed.

The Seaside Function Hall was an ideal place for any type of party as the space was wider than the other function halls. 

Despite the romantic ambiance of the Rrad Hotel lobby and hallways, once they entered the function hall all the ambiance was changed into that of the gaming theme.

There were several posters of different characters on the walls and a large projector was also playing certain gameplay from pro games on the screen.

The decorative red balloons on the corridor were substituted with blue and gold inside this hall. This was the main color of the game logo, adding a perfect theme to the entire gaming vibe.

Toni guided the group into a circular table with eight empty seats available. "Even the table clothing was also color blue," Sofia casually commented.

"Yes! I had this hall designed to follow the logo of the game. And I heard that the Chief Technology Officer of the game will be joining us. So, I need to impress him, sister!" Toni whispered in excitement.

"It is rare to have bigshots to attend the event and party," Sofia nodded.

"That's true! And that Chief Technology Officer is not just some bigshot! He is young and single!" Toni almost squealed like a girl.

"Yes, we have met Mr. Washington earlier in the game. He is young, maybe around mid-twenties?" Sofia stated and glanced at her group.

Clark pulled a chair for Claire and the two sat. 

"I'll get us food. What do you guys want for the starter?" Joey asked.

"Take your food. We will grab ours later," Stephen nudged him in the shoulder before the man sat.

"Oh, then, I'll just get it later," Joey stated as he slumped his back on the chair.

On the other side, Toni's eyes widened before he playfully nudged Sofia in the shoulder. "AHHH!!! Sister, you've seen him? How does he look like? I heard he is still a bachelor!"

At this point, Toni's eyes twinkled and his expression resembled that of a dreamy look. All the Chronos squad could easily tell that this man may have a massive crush on the Chief Technology Officer of the game.

With the expression that this party organizer, all the teenagers looked at him in a different view. He was like an open book. The emotions were all written on his face.

Sofia opened her mouth to respond but before she could speak anything a voice from the other table had beat her chance.

"You pretty have a good memory for a young lady."

Everyone turned their attention to the direction of the voice and saw Mr. Greg Washington himself.

"Oh my gosh! I think I'm gonna faint!" Toni dramatically placed a hand in his chest as if seeing the had overwhelmed his breathing.

Greg was wearing a dark blue suit. His glasses perfectly accentuated the shape of his face giving the hot and smart aura.

"Toni and I were just discussing about our first meeting, Mr. Washington," Sofia quickly explained upon realizing that the man had overheard their conversation.

Her quick response made the man paused for a brief second.

'Toni and I?' Greg thought.

The way Sofia referred to herself and the man as equal by using his name in the context made it sound like she was a complete adult.

First, he already saw the expression of Sofia and found it too similar to his friend. Now that she heard her explaining about their casual conversation with the party organizer, it added more points to his suspicion.

'Something is off! How can this teenager have this kind of  authoritative and imposing character!' Greg mentally exclaimed.

When Sofia noticed that the man's expression changed, she also realized that she badly slipped. 

She should have called Toni not by his name for they are not familiar! It was just a habit of her in the past to use the names of the people she knew to build a rapport. 

But, now that she was much younger, it was expected that she had to use some honorifics to address the people around her. 

Perhaps, it was because they were caught in the act by the man talking about him that she was in a rush to clear any possible misunderstanding.

"Ehem, it's good to meet you again... s-sir!" Sofia slightly bowed and adjusted her tone to a more polite one.

"Good to see you here too," Greg responded coldly before he turned around and took a seat.

"He is definitely hot!" Toni muttered in excitement. He lowered his voice so that only Sofia could hear him.

"Ehehe, you are right!" Jing Jing joined them as she happened to hear Toni's remarks.