Chapter 9
"Come on, Neal. Stay on him." Robert Mills shouts at his son who is playing polo on the field.
"Go Neal!" Regina shouts after her son.
Robert and Regina watch intensely as their son rides across the polo field.
"That's it, Neal!" Regina shouts.
Neal rides his horse up close to the small white plastic ball and aims his wooden mallet but a player on the opposing team hits the ball before Neal is able to. Regina and Robert look defeated as their son rides back down the field.
"Another goal for Harris" An announcer states overhead.
"Your boy is not looking too good out there today, Mills." Owen calls out from behind them. Owen moves to sit down next to Robert.
"Mm. It's not even halftime. There's still plenty of game left." Robert responds to Owen's comment turning to look him in the eyes before returning his attention to the field.
"Care to back that with a wager?" Owen asks him with a smirk.
Robert turns to look Owen in the eyes again and tells him, "I stopped playing games with you when I fired you 18 years ago."
Owen laughs at his comment and responds, "I'd say that particular game worked out pretty well for both of us. But if you don't want to throw any more money away on that son of yours, I can understand."
"The only thing you seem to understand, Mr. Flynn, is how to ruin a perfectly good afternoon." Regina chimes in.
"Just having a little fun, Regina. Tell you what, I'll even the playing field. Put your money where your mouth is on Neal, and I'll take back the 5 points you're already down." Owen offers.
"I'll take that bet." Emma says as she walks up behind Regina holding a flute of champagne. "Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Mills."
Regina, Robert, and Owen all stand up from their seats and turn to face Emma.
"Ah, Miss Swan, what a pleasant surprise. You remember Emma?" Regina directs the question at her husband.
"Yeah, of course. The girl next door." Robert responds with a smile.
"Oh, not for much longer, I'm afraid. I understand that Belle and Will's house is in multiple offers." Regina remarks.
"Actually, one of those offers is mine." Emma returns Regina's remarks with a smile.
"Oh." Regina says with a forced smile.
"Well, we're gonna keep our fingers crossed for you." Robert tells her.
"Thanks, but I went in strong. My realtor is expecting good news." Emma tells them.
"Gotta like a girl who goes after what she wants. Owen Flynn." Owen comments while extending his hand.
"Emma Swan." Emma reaches out and shakes it.
"You watch your money around this one, young lady. He'll take you for every penny if he can." Robert says while gesturing at Robert.
"Well, I know a good bet when I see one." Emma says with a smile.
An air horn goes off around them.
"And the first half comes to a close. We welcome everyone out onto the field for the traditional stomping of the divots." The announcer says through the speakers above them.
Emma looks down at Robert when she hears his phone ringing. She can see over his shoulder that it is Belle Scarlett calling him. She also notices that Regina can see who is calling Robert as well. Robert hangs up the phone and put it back into his coat pocket.
"I think I'm in the mood to stomp a few divots." Regina announces while walking towards the field.
Robert offers a grim smile to Owen and walks away following his wife onto the field.
\*****/
Tamara is walking through one of the tents sent up next to the field when August turns around and stops her by placing his arm on the side of the bar counter in front of her path.
"What's your hurry party planner?" August asks Tamara.
"August, there must be a hundred women here who would like to play your little games. I, however, am not one of them. Excuse me." She tells him.
August lifts his arm up and allows her to pass by him. His phones rings and he grabs it from inside of his jacket pocket.
"Hello." He says as he answers the phone.
"Hey, it's Killian. Listen I thought we had a deal on my boat. Other buyers are starting to line up." August listens as Killian tells him this on the phone.
"Ah, the art of the deal." August responds before taking a deep breath. "Tell you what, I'll have my business manager wire whatever you are asking into your little bank and we can do the title transfer and whatever blah blah blah whenever it's convenient?" August asks him on the phone.
"It's convenient today." Killian tells him sternly on the line.
"Aye, aye, Captain. See you soon." August tells Killian before hanging up his phone.
From across the tent, Emma spots August at the bar and waves at him. August waves back at her before walking away.
\*****/
"You know August Booth?" Owen asks Emma.
"Yes, we've been close for a long time." She responds.
Owen takes a few steps closer to her.
"A bit of an odd bird that one. I didn't guess he had any real friends at all especially none as pretty as you." He tells her with a smile.
"August knows that when people see him they see dollar signs so he's built up a few defense mechanisms. It's hard to know who to trust when it comes to money." Emma tells him.
"Couldn't agree more." He replies. "So who do you trust?" He asks her.
Owen is falling right into Emma's trap and she could not be happier. She didn't think it would be this easy to reel him in.
"With my money? Myself, since 2008. It's been sitting in cash and short term bonds waiting for when that second shoe is going to drop." She tells him.
"My fund actually made money in 2008." He expresses to her.
"Really?" She asks with fake shock. She knows all about his business practices and how far he would go to make a pretty penny. "Well what do you have a crystal ball?"
"And a magic hat." He responds.
Emma forces herself to laugh at his comment.
"Piece of free advice, the other shoe is not going to drop any time soon. You should consider getting back into the market." He states.
"I never said I wasn't considering." She replies baiting him complete with a smirk and an eyebrow raise.
"Well then, you and I have a lot to discuss." Owen tells her while reaching into his coat pocket to grab his business card. He hands her the card while he says, "Call my office. We will have lunch when you are ready. Loser pays."
"Always." She tells Owen.
Owen walks onto the field as Emma stands and watches him. Emma can hear the voice of the news announcing talking about Owen Flynn at her father's trial.
"Another shocking turn in the David Nolan treason trial came today as financial advisor Owen Flynn took the stand with searing testimony against his long-time friend and colleague David Nolan. Flynn is just one in a long line of Mills Global employees to detail Nolan's involvement in the deadly terrorist attack."
\*****/
Neal is taking the saddle off of his horse after the first half of the polo match and his horse is acting strange. She keeps moving her head wildly and kicking her front hooves.
"Easy girl, what is wrong with you today?" Neal says to his horse.
He hands the saddle over to a guy helping him with his horse. Emma watches the interaction between Neal and his horse as she walks towards them. She is ready to flirt more with the prodigal son.
"Off to a rough start, huh?" Emma calls up.
She watches as Neal's head pops up and looks in her direction. He smiles at her and walks towards her closing the gap between them.
"Ah, I was hoping you wouldn't be here to see this." Neal admits.
"Sorry to disappoint you. If it helps, I made a bet that you would win." Emma tells him with a smile.
"Definitely does not help." he says while he hands his helmet and polo mallet to another man standing by. "You know you are making it very difficult for me to impress you."
"I am already impressed." She responds as she steps up to the horse and begins to stroke its nose. "Beautiful pony. Thorough bred mix, about seven years old."
"You've spent some time around horses." Neal responds.
"Yeah, I was captain of the equestrian club my semester in Barcelona." Emma replies.
A new saddle is placed on the horse and Neal climbs on to straddle the horse. "Now who is impressing who?" He asks her.
Emma smiles at him.
"Would you like to go out some time?" He asks her.
"Riding?" She asks him.
"Yeah, riding. Or just dinner." He expresses.
"Win the match and its yes to both." She responds with a smile.
"And if I lose?" Neal asks her.
"Then we will see." Emma says with a shrug.
Neal smiles at her and Emma grabs the reigns to the horse and begins to lead the horse and Neal onto the polo field.
\*****/
"Looks like you could use a cool drink." Albert Spencer states as he walks toward Regina who is sitting on a couch and staring off.
"Might take something stronger than lemonade today, Thanks for meeting me, Albert." Regina says as he sits down next to her.
"What were you able to find out?" She asks him before taking a sip of the drink he brought her.
"About your pretty little neighbor?" He asks while watching Emma and Neal on the polo field. "Filthy rich and squeaky clean as far as I can tell. Her daddy was a wealthy expat, gave her enough to bounce around the globe collecting degrees and doing good deeds."
"No romantic scandals or divorces?" She asks him.
"Nothing stateside. There are a few stones left unturned but I don't expect much. Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" He inquires.
"Because she is interested in my son and need I remind you what happened with that cocktail waitress Neal fell for last summer." Regina tells him.
"No I was the one that cleaned up that mess." He responds. "I can promise you Emma Swan is no cocktail waitress."
"I am not interested in what she is not. I wanna know who she is." She remarks.
"Well then, perhaps, you should go straight to the source. Ask her yourself." Albert tells her before standing up and walking away.
"Albert, did you know about Robert and Belle?" Regina calls out to him.
Albert turns around to face her. "I am head of your husbands security, of course I knew." He responds.
"But you kept it a secret from me anyway." She replies.
"It's my job to keep secrets. You of all people should appreciate that." He comments before turning back around and walking away.
