Further, Rino and Zaria trudged the corridor path that led them to a peculiar threshold.
Earlier, Rino had only gotten the impression that this Red Tann of a place is like a sheet unrolled into descent in darkness.
But that was a first impression, even though they do matter, it wasn't Rino's cup of tea.
He was now beginning to believe the words Zaria had told him after emerging at this threshold.
It was a lounge.
Rino best described it as an open space arch carved out of dark marble and gold.
It was no warehouse basement or some shit club's landing arena.
It was a dignified area, that most of those in the event room where they passed across might not be able to step foot into. A grandeur for elites, or whatever those in this room are referred to as.
The space didn't have any physical door but was framed with an ornate design that surrounded the arch and made it look like the entrance to an exclusive sitting room in a royal estate.
"This place is different from the club floor."
Rino couldn't hold back his thoughts. He let them out.
Stepping in with hesitation, he shifted his gaze from the arch to the room taking note of how the inside looked like.
Soft golden lights that dimly illuminated the room sourced their origin from the concealed chandelier embedded in the ceiling above. The walls were painted in rich velvet, their wine color adding delight to the golden hue in a way that made the room appear warmer than it should.
In the center of the room, five people sat at a pure crystal glass table that stretched from one end to the other like it was serving as a translucent bridge between two large entities.
These five people were made up of two young women and three young men. All dressed to the teeth.
They appeared in silk shirts, two of them wore diamond watches and others put on cufflinks that screamed legacy. Every one of these five people had that presence that could make you inferior.
A presence that could trigger your mind to question your self-worth.
But it wasn't in Rino's case anyway.
They should put on whatever they liked, call it luxury or a way of shouting riches, he wouldn't care.
The worth of his simple mode of dressing will only be identified by those who are certainly wealthy, and not rich.
Right from day one, Rino believed that the real wealthy men of the society were those who whispered wealth and not the majority who shouted riches.
Cutting off his thoughts, he was still hesitant to step in until Zaria led him forward, her hand lightly on his arm.
"Yoo, see who we have here."
"Blogger Chick decided to attend."
"We thought you did give us another excuse for not being able to attend."
"..."
The people at the table mouthed on seeing Zaria Lin.
She led Rino to the two empty seats that were left out, to settle when a male voice asked her a question.
"And who is our buddy?"
Zaria sat comfortably on the seat first, before answering the guy's question, thereby introducing Rino gracefully.
"This is Rino," she said, smiling like she possessed a gem. "Rino Carter."
"Son of Moses Carter? The billionaire?" another voice asked from across the table, a feminine voice this time.
Zaria nodded to confirm it was the truth, and at that instant, the air seemed to twitch.
A few of them, who initially had their heads down lifted them, others furrowed their brow, not until one man scoffed outright.
At the far end of the table, was seated a guy with slicked-back hair, and a tailored green suit. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, curving his lips into a smirk.
"Being the son of a billionaire doesn't make you one, does it?"
A couple of chuckles followed the jest, but Rino seemed not to care. It wasn't even touching to hurt in any way.
He only gave a half-smile and didn't respond. He had a belief, and only a few would understand what it meant.
"Cause, why will you have money if not to spend it?"
That's the question most people tend to ask, but he knew the reality.
Spend it extravagantly, you mean? That doesn't show wealth.
Zaria tapped his shoulder lightly, gesturing to each seated person in the room. She had ignored the taunt too.
"Rino, meet the House."
She started introducing each of them from her left, starting with the guy who had made the jest.
"He is Malcolm. Everyone here, or maybe his friends out there call him 'The Creditor', she said with a nod at the guy who mocked Rino.
The Creditor?
Rino watched as the guy flashed him a toothy grin and raised a glass of wine to sip into.
Next was a girl. She wore braids on her eyes and had this venomous look in her eyes.
"She is Dalia. Dalia Vex," Zaria pointed at the girl with braids. "You can call her Queenpin."
Zaria moved on.
"He is Kasper, a.k.a. Big Shark," Zaria mentioned, pride tinged in her tone as she did. "He is the king of street money. Mr. Investor."
Rino watched him closely.
Investor?
Will he make a good business ally?
"And she's Amaka. Cus Amaka."
"The Cold Call!" Everyone in the room collectively called her nickname.
"Lol, you will see why when she talks," Zaria added to Rino. "That's if she ever does."
She was indeed behaving like the cold call.
Rino had noticed that, unlike the others, Amaka didn't laugh or scoff. She only gave Rino a long, unreadable look.
That look?
Well, Rino took advantage of it to observe what contributed to her beauty.
She was a natural beauty of its own.
Her sitting posture was elegant, leaning against the soft chairs with legs crossed. Her hair was dark and pinned, forming a perfect contrast with her porcelain skin and the minimalist diamond jewelry she put on her neck.
Of all the people in the room, she looked the least like she was there for any show.
What intrigued Rino more was her silence. It intrigued him more than any of the others' mockery.
Zaria ended the introductions by gesturing to herself. "And of course, you know my name already. They call me Blogger Chick."
More laughter followed her nickname, likely and respectable.
"And you?" Kasper reclined to his seat, referring to Rino. "You don't have a nickname?"
Rino didn't muse at the expected mockery question.
"You can call me Mister Cat," he replied simply.
"Mister Cat?"
"What a name."
Two of the guys pouted as another laughter followed in the room until the silence was brought back by Malcolm's voice.
"So, Mister Cat," Malcolm leaned back, swirling the drink in his hand. "Let me ask Zaria brought you in here because...what?"
"You want to taste the gold life, Mister Cat?" Malcolm asked, jokingly.
"Kind of a runaway from rich men's family bondage of letting their children set foot out of the house," Kasper chuckled.
"Or, he is drawn close to inheriting the beauty's bed," Dalia added with a cruel smirk.
More laughter.
More smirks.
But Rino didn't say a word as he sat quietly watching as they made fun of themselves.
Well, there was one thing he knew.
Their nicknames weren't just picked up, they answered it like it revealed their identity.
Then, he shifted his gaze to Zaria who now held a glass of wine in her hand as she enjoyed the moment with the others.
Blogger Chick?
Feeling someone's eyes were heavy on him, Rino faced the opposite direction and her eyes were really on him.
The one who hadn't joined the mockery.
She rarely even smiled.
Or laughed.
She seemed to be studying him as if trying to look beneath his clothes, into his mind.
Something about that was what unnerved him more than the mockery.
Still, he smiled.
The girl's outside demeanor must be deceiving, but logically, Rino knew she wasn't the kind of person the majority took her to be.
For someone like her to get involved in this Red Tann thing, she's not innocent.
Rino laughed loud in his mind.
And oddly enough...
This demeanor of hers is what made him want to stay.
"I think I've found a business ally," he murmured, not loud enough for anyone present to hear, but they had all heard his voice.
"Huh?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to him, wanting to get what he said clearly.
"I'm just asking, are there no cards to play or a Casino pack? We're not gonna sit this way all night, right?"