part 2
By the time they arrived at the party, many of the other guests were already mingling and engaged in conversations.
“Do you see my mom anywhere?” Kate inquired as she was scanning the room.
“Not yet, but I will keep an eye out,” Nadine replied, also scanning the room for her employer.
They exchanged short conversations and polite smiles with other attendees, and eventually, Kate found herself engrossed in a shocking conversation with one of the Armands.
Seriously, how many times do you need to name kids Armand? Seven Armands are just too many -how is someone supposed to keep track of which one was which?
Finding out the news that her mother was getting married from a stranger made Kate feel hurt and dejected. She couldn’t believe that her own mother didn’t want to share this with her. Even if Kate had her doubts about Jack and made certain her mother knew about them, her mother shouldn’t have kept this from her. Engagement is a significant step in a relationship and in life.
However, learning that her mother was getting married from someone else wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that her mother told others about the engagement before she told Kate – how could she tell others before her own daughter? It was exasperating to think that others had learned of it before her.
Although Kate recognized that her relationship with her mother was far from perfect and had been in a rough place for quite some time, she had hoped that they would at least be able to share life-altering news and events with each other.
Apparently, she was wrong.
When Kate finally spotted her mother, she didn’t have it in her to care if she would be causing a scene. She just needed to find out if what she just found out was true.
Eleanor had been conversing with another guest and her supposed fiancé when Kate approached.
“Mom,” Kate called out, with Nadine in tow.
“Mrs. Bishop,” Nadine greeted her employer.
“Ah, Kate, Nadine, there you are. We’ve been wondering when you would show up.” Eleanor said with a small smile.
Eager to cut to the chase, Kate began, “ You’re engaged?”
Eleanor let out a sigh, and her smile faded into a strained expression. “Nadine, Jack, could you please give us a moment?”
Once Nadine and Jack left to respect their privacy, Eleanor turned back to Kate.
“Kate, I’m sorry you found out this way,” Eleanor stated with regret.
“I don’t - I don’t know, Mom, this is all just really fast.”
“Yeah, it’s fast, yes. But it is kind of nice being swept up in the romance of it,” Eleanor defended herself.
“ Is there a part of you that could be happy for me?”
“Yes. Yeah, mom, of course,” Kate replied, still a little baffled by the fact that her mother was actually getting married.
It wasn’t like Kate didn’t want to be happy for her. All she wanted was for her mother to be happy. But it was difficult for Kate to accept what was happening. While it was true that Jack could make her mother laugh and smile, there was just something about him that didn’t sit right with Kate. She just couldn’t get herself to trust the guy.
“I'm sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first, ” her mom apologized while pulling her into a hug.
Still, Kate felt overwhelmed.
“ I’m going to get some air, Mom,” Kate excused herself and made her way outside.
Nadine, having watched them from afar, started following Kate. However, Kate was in no mood for company and wanted to be left alone.
“ Can we please not do this right now? I just want to be alone for a bit.”
“ Ms. Bishop, I don’t think –“
“Look, I know you are just trying to do your job, but I’m really not in the mood to argue about this. I’ll just go outside for a bit of fresh air, and then I’ll come right back. Nothing is going to happen.”
Without waiting for a response, Kate turned around and left for the exit.
Outside, Kate finally had a moment to breathe and compose herself.
After a few minutes, she noticed a one-eyed dog staring at her.
“Hi. Heck of a party, huh?” - Great, now she was talking to a random dog.
The dog's attention was soon diverted by distant honking, leaving Kate alone again.
As she returned to the party, Kate stumbled upon her mother engaged in a heated discussion with the elder Armand. Listening from a distance, she caught snippets of their conversation.
From what Kate was able to pick up, she knew that something wasn’t right. It sounded like Armand was threatening her mother.
Was her mother in danger?
But why would Armand need to threaten her? Sure, her mother wasn’t the easiest person to work with, being assertive and demanding, but that wasn’t enough reason for someone to threaten her. Running a company didn’t grant as much leeway in bypassing standard procedures as some might think.
There had to be another reason. Was there something going on that Kate didn’t know about? After being left out of the loop about her mother’s engagement, she honestly wouldn’t be surprised. There is no telling what else her mother decided not to inform her about.
When the discussion between her mother and Armand concluded, and her mother returned to the ongoing festivities, Kate decided to follow Armand - maybe she could figure out what was going on.
Trailing Armand, she ended up following him through the hotel's kitchen. She shadowed him through the hotel's kitchen. - An already very suspicious move, Kate thought, considering that upper-class attendees typically avoided mingling with the staff.
To her surprise, he led her through a discreet passage to what appeared to be another gathering.
Fortunately for her, a server had just been sent into the room Armand disappeared in. Kate decided to seize the opportunity and follow the server's lead. She picked up another filled tray and followed them, hoping that she would pass as just another worker and bypass security.
She was really glad that she had chosen to wear the suit now. She never would have been able to pull this off in the dress her mother had wanted her to wear.
Much like the charity event across the building, this event was bustling with people. What seemed odd to Kate was that almost all of the people were seated.
Navigating her way through the wine racks, Kate approached the make-shift stage, and it dawned on her what was happening - this was an auction, and she was fairly certain it wasn’t entirely legal.
Kate had finally spotted Armand among the seated – and was that Jack next to him? - when someone approached her from behind.
“Who told you to come down here?”
“Gary.”
“I’m Gary,” Gary clarified, his demeanor changing. “ What’s your name?”
“You see, that’s the problem, Gary. You don’t even know my name. You know, this just– this isn’t going to work out. I quit.” Kate retorted and handed the tray she had been holding to a baffled Gray and made her escape.
After successfully evading Gary, Kate turned her attention back to the ongoing action. An item had just been sold at the auction, and then an explosion rocked the room. The walls came crashing down, engulfing the area with smoke. People were lying hurt on the ground while others scrambled to escape, adding to the chaos.
Kate, sheltered by a wine rack opposite to the explosion, was unharmed but shaken.
As she came back to her senses, she noticed a suit lying in the rubble beside her. It was a not thought-out impulse that made Kate put on the suit to help the others still in the wine cellar – at least this way, no one would be able to tell that it was Kate underneath the suit.
After avoiding being shot, Kate took out three of the gang members, who had orchestrated the explosion, pretty quickly. Using a wine bottle, she incapacitated two of them before she was grabbed from behind.
Kate struggled to get out of the third gang member's hold when she noticed a gun being aimed at her. She quickly ducked, narrowly dodging a bullet, which then embedded itself in the guy who had grabbed her.
Kate hurried for the exit when another gang member confronted her. This time, with a gun aimed directly at her.
Kate quickly unarmed the guy but struggled to overpower him physically.
After taking in a few good punches, Kate was finally able to escape his grasp. She used all her energy to force and pull him down to the ground, using their momentum to roll over him and end up standing.
Kate dashed out of the building, not giving her enemy the chance to grab and pull her back into another fight.
Outside, Kate spotted the one-eyed dog she had talked to earlier darting into New York's ruthless and chaotic traffic.
With a daring flip off a car, Kate rescued the dog, getting them both out of imminent danger.
Back at her apartment, dropping off her one-eyed companion, Kate finally had a moment to reflect on the crazy events of the night. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions. From the surprise of her mother’s engagement to the ominous conversation she had overheard between Armand and her mother.
Concerned about the Armand situation, Kate decided it would be best to investigate and pay him a visit.
Slipping into Armand’s estate unnoticed wasn’t much of a challenge for Kate. She navigated the dimly lit hallways, doing her best to avoid any potential security. She knew she was venturing into dangerous territory, but she was determined to uncover the truth.
As Kate ventured deeper into Armand’s mansion, she could feel her heart pounding faster and stronger.
Then, as Kate crept into another room, something unexpected greeted her.
Armand, lying on the ground, lifeless and cold.
Kate hadn’t known what to expect when she started her investigation, but it certainly wasn't this.
What happened to Armand? Was her mother involved? Would her mother be next?
Kate approached the lifeless figure cautiously, uncertain of what she stumbled upon. Armand’s death was not only shocking but also filled her with dread. - What did she get herself into?
Whatever it was, Kate knew it was bigger than she could have ever imagined.
Not knowing how to proceed, Kate contemplated what she should do next.
Before she could reach a decision, however, she heard a voice calling out. With a surge of panic, she rushed out of the mansion, not wanting to be discovered.
Kate ran through the dimly lit streets, only stopping to catch her breath when the gang members from before reappeared, surrounding her.
At first, Kate had put up a good fight, but she was outnumbered and outmatched. She knew that she didn’t stand a chance on her own – where was Nadine when Kate needed her?
Kate’s thoughts returned to the blond for the first time since they had parted ways at the event. Kate hoped that Nadine made it out safe and uninjured - even though Nadine was probably used to these sorts of things happening.
Locking herself into a car probably wasn’t Kate's best idea, but she was desperate. It did give her some time to think about what to do next.
However, that time was running out quickly as the gang members started assaulting the car when, all of a sudden, the gang members were being taken out one by one. Glancing out the car window, streaks of blond hair caught her attention – It couldn’t be, could it?
A familiar voice reached Kate's ears. “You can come out now, Ms. Bishop.”
“Nadine. When did you…How did you…How did you know it was me?” baffled, Kate got out of the car.
Nadine's grim expression remained unchanged as she replied, “It is my job to know where my client is and what they are doing. Even if said client hides their identity with a stolen suit, wanders around the streets of New York with what seems like not a caution in the world, and recklessly saves a dog from traffic.”
“Right, so-sorry,” Kate replied bashfully, taken aback by Nadine's small outburst, not knowing what else to say.
Before Kate could think of an explanation for everything that had happened, Nadine swiftly pushed her aside, murmuring, “Watch out.”
Kate watched in amazement as Nadine deftly incapacitated another gang member who had attempted to attack her from behind.
She was in awe of how effortlessly Nadine was able to avoid any attack thrown at her and take out their attacker with ease.
Only after a second look did Kate realize the identity of the attacker Nadine had just beaten.
“Oh my god. You just took out Hawkeye!”