The bustle of the city as day turned to dusk was music to the ears. Neon signs flickered to life and the streets began to fill with the creatures of the night as the city awoke from its afternoon slumber, preparing for another long evening of both virtue and vice.
A woman in a form-fitting crimson dress wove her way through the growing crowds with more familiarity than one would expect from someone in her attire (and in stilettos, no less). She was fairly ornately dressed considering the company she currently found herself in, but at the same time, she moved with a confidence that seemed to deter most – although not all – unwanted attention. Ophelia was used to being in the spotlight though; considering her family’s stature within the business and science communities, she found herself under a critical gaze more often than she cared for. It was for that particular reason that she was out on the town alone tonight (having sloughed her more famous identity) as she was more often than she would admit to her loving - if unobservant, when it came to their daughter - parents.
Dark, sapphire blue eyes flickered from each brightly-lit storefront to the next, clearly seeking something only she knew she was looking for. It took several long minutes of searching, but she finally came to a stop in front of an establishment which stood a little apart from the rest of the hustle and bustle, an upscale bar by the name of Forge that was more decadently outfitted than its more plebian counterparts. Seeming satisfied with what she saw, she breezed by the doormen at the entrance (after all, her attire and composure was enough to get her almost anywhere), entering a spacious, decidedly mood-lit bar. An initial, cursory glance showed that most of the clientele here was dressed similarly to herself, and to her satisfaction, she also noted that they were mostly male. The perfect setting to carry out her plan for the evening.
Approaching the bar, she slid into an open seat next to a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman who was sitting alone. Judging by the faintly lighter tone of skin around his fourth finger, she had picked her target well. “An old-fashioned, please, on the rocks.” As she waited for the bartender to deliver her drink of choice, she turned a casual, yet decidedly coquettish smile upon the man seated beside her. It certainly didn’t hurt that his eyes were already upon her, and her inviting smile was enough to spur him to conversation. Within just a few moments, Ophelia and Mark were on first name terms, and by the time her drink arrived, they were well-engaged in conversation.
“So, Miss...Ophelia,” there was a hint of a question behind the title as he very evidently fished for her marital status. A small smile and nod from her were enough to bolster his confidence once again, and he continued on. “What brings you here? Are you waiting on someone to arrive, perhaps?” Ophelia’s answering laugh was the tinkle of icicles on winter glass. “No, I’m afraid not. Can’t a girl just go out on her own for a drink on a lovely night like this? We’re more independent than you might think, you know.” The wink she cast in his direction showed that she was joking, but she was fairly certain by this point that she’d managed to reel her quarry in enough to make her play.
There were a few more minutes of flirtatious banter before she finally made her move, all the while seamlessly integrating it into their current topic of conversation. “What do I do for fun? Well, I dabble with painting, yoga, interior decoration…” All of the things a wealthy man might want to hear from a young woman. “But my passion is really for charity work – I run a foundation that funds the Children’s All Saints Hospital.” And there was the set-up. With any luck, the decidedly wealthy man would deign to pull out his checkbook in an effort to impress his new lady-friend, and when he wrote it out, the acronym for Ophelia’s fictitious hospital would spell out ‘C.A.S.H.’. Considering this was her first attempt at a con (and a relatively innocent one, at that), all she could do was wait with baited breath and see how it turned out.