Orchid Exhibition

Catherine carefully massaged her slightly hurting wrist.

Somehow, or rather, she had ended up in an elevator with Mr Nolan and was now headed for a flower exhibition, all while in the midst of her deliveries.

The main reason why she had decided to go along with Mr Nolan was because she did not wish to offend Mr Nolan, who had always been nice to her. But another part of the reason was also because Mr Nolan's strength was far greater than what she had imagined!

The main reason why she had decided to go along with Mr Nolan was because they had had a good relationship all along, so she did not really wish to offend Mr Nolan as much as possible.

However, another part of the reason was because she had been momentarily shocked by Mr Nolan's strength, which was by far greater than what she had imagined!

That said, Catherine was no weak lady.

She had been working out at least a few times a week, as well as going for regular Muay Thai sessions since young. Although her physique could not be considered either buff or muscular, she was actually rather confident in her ability to take down most guys despite her slim build.

Yet for someone who appeared to be in his fifties, Mr Nolan was actually far stronger than he looked, and she found herself being pulled along without any ability to resist. Or at least that was the case unless she wanted to try using what she had learnt from her Muay Thai classes.

That was how she ended up heading to the flower exhibition despite being in a hurry to complete her deliveries.

Still, her worries about the delivery schedule aside, Catherine could not help but feel a slight sense of anticipation in her heart.

Since Mr Nolan is a magician, maybe he will be performing at the flower exhibition later?

After all, he did say that there's somewhere he needed to be.

As for which storey they were headed for, Catherine had no idea. That was because there were neither any buttons nor floor display screens in the elevator.

Come to think of it, it was a little strange how they had simply walked into the elevator, and it immediately started moving once the door closed.

Then again, what could possibly be stranger than the two-storey building turning into a skyscraper overnight?

Catherine stole a glance at Mr Nolan.

Mr Nolan had always been nice and friendly in the past, but he still ended up losing his patience with her earlier. Because of that, Catherine could not help but feel a strange sense of guilt, almost as though she was actually the one in the wrong instead.

Of course, Catherine knew that was far from being the truth.

Despite that, she could not help but sigh in her heart.

Mr Nolan really seemed to be angry, considering that he hadn't spoken a single word since.

She was not too worried that he would send a complaint to the office since she did not actually do anything wrong. However, it would be a shame if their good relationship ended up getting strained because of today.

The elevator trip felt far longer than it actually was due to the oppressive silence. When the elevator door finally opened, Catherine found herself letting out a sigh of relief.

"Come on," Mr Nolan urged before stepping out into the carpeted elevator lobby.

Catherine obediently followed, her gaze wandering around as she took in her new surroundings.

For an office building as grand as this one, the elevator lobby was rather small. And apart from the elevators themselves, there was only a single door leading out of this area.

In front of the closed door was a young lady seated behind a small computer.

She was dressed just as sharply as Mr Nolan, wearing a neat trouser suit with her hair tied into a neat ponytail.

When she saw Mr Nolan and Catherine approach, she immediately broke into a business-like smile. "Is the guest here for the Orchid Exhibition?"

"That's right, here's her invitation card," Mr Nolan handed the glowing card over to the young lady before turning back to Catherine. "All right, there is something that I need to attend to personally, so I will have to get going first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Esther."

By Esther, he was referring to the ponytailed young lady who was now checking Catherine's invitation card with something that resembled a barcode scanner.

"Eh? Oh okay, see you!" Catherine broke out into a smile after hearing the familiar friendly tone from Mr Nolan.

It seemed that Mr Nolan was not angry anymore.

Or at the very least, he no longer sounded angry.

And it was good that Mr Nolan was leaving too. This way, Catherine would be able to leave promptly after, and without having to worry about how to breach the subject with Mr Nolan too.

No matter how she thought about it, her delivery job was still more important right now!

She had always been a responsible worker who completed her deliveries on time, and she certainly was not intending to break that record today.

Of course, responsibility was one thing, but it was also partially because she needed the money and could not risk losing the job.

Partially as in... it was only a really really small part of the reason.

That's right, she was definitely not doing it solely for the money!

Mr Nolan nodded in satisfaction before turning around and heading back towards the elevator. But before he could take more than three steps, Esther suddenly gasped in surprise.

"This is Senior Fate Master's invitation card! May I ask how you are related to Senior Fate Master?" Esther asked in a slightly excited tone.

"Fate Master?" Mr Nolan turned around immediately when he heard the name.

"Eh?" Catherine muttered in surprise.

Senior Fate Master?

It does not sound like a name, so is it a title that belongs to the original owner of the invitation card?

But what kind of strange title is that?

"Ah, my apologies!" Esther hurriedly performed a ninety degree bow. "I shouldn't have questioned Esteemed Guest's identity. Please do not take offence!"

"No, no, that's not it!" Catherine quickly stepped forward to help Esther up. "The truth is that I don't know this person at all! I only found this invitation card lying at my doorstep earlier. Perhaps this 'senior' person accidentally dropped it there?"

"Senior Fate Master accidentally dropped it there and didn't realise it?" Esther felt the corner of her lips twitch involuntarily. "Is that so…?"

Is this guest toying with her?

How is it even possible for someone like Fate Master to not realise that he has dropped something?

No, there is actually one other possibility...

"It seems that Senior Fate Master might have arranged for this without your knowledge," Mr Nolan verbalised the thoughts that were in Esther's mind. "Esther, arrange for VIP treatment."

No matter how busy he was, he could not just leave after hearing that Catherine was here on behalf of the esteemed Fate Master!

"Eh? VIP treatment?!" Catherine blurted out in shock. "Wait, Mr Nolan! I really have no relation to this person whatsoever! Please just go ahead and tend to your matters. I will be fine by myself!"

"Don't worry, Ms Catherine," Mr Nolan said with a smile, the impatience from before no longer anywhere to be seen. "I am just making sure that you get the treatment that you deserve before I leave."

Miss Catherine...?

Since when had Mr Nolan ever addressed her in such a manner?

"I have called for an escort. He will be here shortly," Esther replied professionally.

"That's good, I trust that you know how important it is to take good care of our esteemed guest, then?" Mr Nolan replied.

"You can leave it to me," Esther nodded.

Catherine: "..."

It was obvious that these two people had no intention to heed her opinion.

Should she just screw this all and leave?

Yeah, she probably should.

She had to admit that she has always been rather interested in magic shows, but finishing her work still comes first.

Well, since Mr Nolan had already confirmed that he is leaving, let's just wait for him to leave first before getting out of here.

As if answering her wishes, Mr Nolan nodded respectfully towards Catherine. "I shall take my leave now, Ms Catherine. Please enjoy yourself."

"Y-Yeah, sure…" Catherine forced a smile in response.

Mr Nolan promptly left by the elevator, leaving Catherine in the company of Esther.

However, Catherine did not immediately ask to leave.

Who knew if Mr Nolan would suddenly remember something and turn back around?

To prevent an awkward situation like that from happening, she decided to wait a few minutes at least.

Even though Esther said nothing during this time, her gaze was permanently fixed upon Catherine. Each time Catherine moved as much as a single inch, Esther would ask if there was anything wrong.

In other words, it was an extremely uncomfortable situation, much like the elevator experience earlier.

After a minute, Catherine finally decided that it was time to leave.

She walked up to Esther, but Esther was actually the first to speak up.

"My apologies for the delay, Ms Catherine," Esther said with an amiable smile. "Your escort is here."

"Eh?" Catherine was stumped. "No, that's not it. Look, there is somewhere that I need to..."

As she was speaking, Catherine saw the door open behind Esther, and her words simply trailed off as her mind wandered.

Stepping through the door was a short-haired man who looked to be in his late twenties, with looks that could easily rival the famous actors in the entertainment industry. His luxurious clothes did little to hide his toned build – the well-tailored suit perfectly accentuated his V-shaped body, and the lines of his chest pecs were obvious even when covered.

In short, he was a real treat to the eye!

"Greetings, Ms Catherine," the young man bowed slightly. "My name is Ken, and I will be your guide for today."

"Just let Ken know if you need anything," Esther added from the side.

"Y-Yeah, I will!" Catherine nodded while trying her best not to stare.

Well, they had probably put in a lot of effort for this exhibition, so staying a little wouldn't hurt, would it?

And nope, this definitely had nothing to do with the looks of her guide!

"Shall we enter then?" Ken suggested.

"Eh? Y-Yeah!" Catherine nodded.

Ken stepped forward to push open the door, and Catherine's eyes immediately opened just as wide, amazed at the unexpected scene that unfolded before her.

It was a scene that even made her forget about her eye-candy of a guide for the moment.

The exhibition hall that had been revealed before her was unrealistically enormous. From the entrance where she stood, Catherine could not even see the other end.

The ceiling was at least ten storeys high, decorated with huge chandeliers that illuminated the hall in a glittery golden light. The high ceiling also created sufficient aerial space for the numerous birds that were busy shuttling through the air, delivering all sorts of items from one place to another.

Wait, that can't be right.

Catherine rubbed her eyes before taking a clearer look.

There was nothing different from what she saw earlier. The birds were truly delivering all sorts of items from one place to another.

But how?

This is no longer the ancient times when people used pigeons as messengers!

No, calm down.

They are probably just drones that have been modelled after birds.

Yeah, that is a more reasonable explanation.

Catherine then turned her attention back to the floor.

The layout of the exhibition seemed to be something akin to a job fair. There were many individual booths where sellers were displaying all sorts of items.

As expected of an exhibition that was being held in such a posh-looking building, there were a staggering number of booths present.

But what really caught Catherine's eye was the attire of the people present.

Yes, the dress code did not seem too uniform, as there were people dressed in formal suits walking alongside others who were dressed in casual t-shirts and shorts.

However, they were at least considered the normal-looking ones, so Catherine was not too concerned about them.

The ones who truly surprised Catherine were those dressed in rather unorthodox clothing. And some examples of such unorthodox clothing included scholar robes reminiscent of ancient times, or even full body armour!

Catherine's eyes lit up in interest.

At this moment, Catherine finally understood why the original owner of the invitation card had a strange title called Senior Fate Master.

So it's a cosplay event!

Senior Fate Master was probably the name of a character, or just the alias that the original owner of the invitation card went by in their cosplay community.

Catherine might not have a hobby of putting on cosplay, but she certainly did not mind watching others dress up.

In fact, Catherine had a friend who was very much into cosplay as well.

In order to create a costume that was as similar to the actual character as possible, this friend of hers had been willing to invest hundreds of dollars into each set, with the cost even going up to as high as four digits at times.

Yet whenever Catherine asked her if it was worth it, the answer had always been a resounding yes!

Witnessing her unwavering conviction was what got Catherine more interested in looking at various cosplay items as well.

That said, apart from paying for the entrance fees required to accompany her friend to events, Catherine had never spent a single cent on buying anything related to cosplay.

I should take some photos so that I can show them to her later!

Catherine's hand moved to take out her phone. But at the same time, she could not help but frown slightly as she noticed something wrong.

Why didn't she recognise any of the characters?

She had accompanied her friend to several cosplay events in the past, so she roughly knew some of the more famous characters that were always present. However, there was absolutely no trace of them here.

Then again, it was probably because her knowledge was limited. After all, she was not truly a member of the community.

Even though she did not recognise these characters, her friend would definitely be able to do so!

With that in mind, Catherine stood at the entrance and began snapping away with her phone camera.

Beside her, Ken looked at Cathrine in confusion.

He could understand if Catherine was fascinated by the exhibition and wanted to take photos of the exhibition for memory's sake, but he could clearly see that she was zooming in on the other guests instead of the booths.

Is she really an esteemed guest invited here for the exhibition? Or did the receptionist make a mistake?

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed more likely that she had been sent here by the tabloids to spy on the other guests instead!