Neon lights fractured and scattered above the dance floor, casting colorful shadows over the crowd. The dance on stage had long ended, yet everyone's eyes remained fixed on the same spot. The dancer had sat down to catch her breath after the performance, but eyes still followed her. Here comes another one, she thought bitterly as a shadow approached.
The young man's first attempt to overpower the loud music with his voice had failed. He tried again, this time speaking to her in a bland tone. "You were magnificent on stage, you silenced everyone."
"Except me," he replied, taking a cautious step but regaining his confidence by the end. A mischievous smile played on his lips. The young man's gaze lingered on her legs. Her response was a slight, dismissive laugh - she was used to this kind of attention. "What do I need to do to get you to dance?"
"Or is this privilege limited to just watching?" he asked, placing one hand on the table.
The young woman took a sip of her drink from the table and smiled as she answered, "Grand gestures seem too big for you. Start with smaller goals."
The man let out a forced laugh, loud enough to be heard from a distance. "Is that so?" His smile widened.
"It is. Now, wipe the alcohol off your breath and stop bothering someone else," said the woman, beautiful and angry. The man slowed down, then reluctantly walked away, taking his clinginess with him. Giving him the brush-off had been quick and effective.
She had an important meeting today. A voice sounded through her earpiece: "Keya, refresh your drink." The woman looked at the images she needed to see on the invisible screen expanding before her eye. The images showed a man with long hair wearing a vintage hat.
A vintage hat... How strange it would be to live in a past era. With technology advancing so rapidly, with the touch of space almost within reach, everything developing at an incredible speed, and endless new devices and gadgets... Walking around with a leaf on one's behind would not be pleasant. The age of robots gaining consciousness had ended; now humans were becoming robotic. She would have preferred a heart made of metal.
This was the man she was supposed to meet today. Keya refreshed her drink and calmly crossed her legs, maintaining the same position for a long while. The man had yet to arrive, and she had nearly finished her drink. What an irritating guy. He needed to understand that he was not the main event - only the dazzling Keya was. Lost in her grand thoughts, she sighed.
Finally, the expected man arrived. He lit a cigarette before sitting across from her with the same weight in his presence, a smile that did not feel entirely trustworthy on his face. They looked around for a moment.
"A drink wouldn't be bad," said the woman, her patience wearing thin. The man ignored her, checking the private images of women on his holographic watch for a while. He must have been testing Keya's patience.
"Sir, I don't think you've found what you're looking for," she continued. "Had you not been late for my dance, I could have shown you how your opinion might have changed. Too bad," she said, smiling as she pushed her empty glass away.
Finally, the man spoke.
"Penelope," he said calmly and cunningly.
The woman stared at him in disbelief for a moment but quickly composed herself. At the same time, a harsh voice rose from her earpiece: "How does this madman know! He can't possibly know about the Penelope case!"
"Shut up," Keya snapped at her grotesque agent friend on the other end. The man seemed pleased by the command. Clearly, the woman hadn't backed down and wasn't afraid to speak to the agent who wasn't visible to him.
Something was off. He shouldn't have known anything about the Penelope case. The situation felt strange. While Keya continued her act, she was also calculating her next move. But the man didn't wait.
"Behind you," he said, his grin masking serious intent.
Keya didn't turn, refusing to fall for his trick. But after a long stare, curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly turned her head toward the direction he mentioned. Her surprise peaked when she saw her - Penelope was right there.