Betting On Him

Chapter 1

MEETING HIM

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Travelling using over a dozen different aliases had always had its benefits, the main one being that it meant Y/N didn't have to travel around with large numbers of security members. Now, walking through the ever-growing crowd of impatient snobs queuing up to get into the stands to watch the races, Y/N realised that she would be giving up that freedom the moment her engagement to Tom Holland went public.

But it's a small price to pay, she had to tell herself, if it's going to make sure the business gets a partnership that will protect it indefinitely.

Still, as she walked around for what could have been the last time without members of security surrounding her at every angle, Y/N could feel eyes on her with every move she made and quite quickly it began to feel unsettling. Stopping in her tracks, she took a moment to scan her surroundings and quickly found the culprit behind the shivers running down her spine.

It was a man who by the looks of it was about the same age as herself, dressed accordingly in an expensive suit and tie though somehow, he still managed to look uncomfortable and dishevelled. He was stood on a balcony overlooking the entrance to the races not too far away from where she stood, and he was close enough for her to be able to see that as soon as he made eye contact with her, he pressed his hand against his ear and began muttering, presumably into an earpiece.

Immediately Y/N's thoughts began to flood with the possibility of the man potentially being assassin. Despite having kept her identity a secret for so long, was it possible that it had been leaked before her engagement had even been made public?

She couldn't afford to take any chances so, following protocol, she quickly ran her hand through her hair before taking the same hand down to her side and flicking it in such a way that her signal couldn't have been mistaken for anything but as her business' sign for danger. Immediately, a member of her security detail was at her side, dressed completely in her disguise much like the other hidden members of Y/N'S security would be.

Wasting no time in giving the woman – Jane, a full description of what she could see of the man, Y/N pointed out where she had spotted the man (who had since disappeared) and gave Jane clear instructions to find and interrogate man, only using force if he wasn't compliant. Nodding her head, Jane took off to find the man but Y/N couldn't afford to watch her go, knowing she had to be as inconspicuous as possible so as not to draw attention to herself.

So, shaking off all signs of fear, Y/N began making her way past the crowds again despite the slight tremble in her legs as past memories of similar situations began haunting her thoughts. She was thankful to come to the staircase that led to her private box as it allowed her to clutch onto the rail for dear-life as she ascended each step, trying to calm her breathing as she did so though she couldn't be sure she was too successful.

With her thoughts whirling through her mind at a thousand miles an hour, Y/N almost forgot why she was at the races at all until she stepped into her box and found it full of unfamiliar faces. As soon as she saw who was in the room she made a move for her gun hidden beneath her dress before realising that members of her security were also present amongst the strangers. So instead of making a mess on the freshly carpeted floor, she instead fell out of her protective stance and fixed her dress, smiling politely at the strangers once she'd noticed the man standing in front of the window that looked down to the races with his back turned to her.

"Could I please have a moment alone with Tom?"

While Y/N's security left the room immediately at her request, she was unsurprised to see that Tom's members of security hesitated and waited for his approval before they made their way through the exit. Even as he gave the nod of his head that allowed them to leave, Y/N noticed Tom still refrained from turning around to even acknowledge that she was there.