She immediately thought about that drink. At a party this big, getting it directly to her was no simple feat.


    Scanning the room, her eyes quickly found a familiar face-Simon. As soon as he spotted her, he made a beeline in her direction.


    "ra, are you okay? You look a little off."


    ra opened her mouth to respond, but then a sudden wave of heat hit her, like thousands of little ants crawling all over her skin. The itch felt like it wasing from deep inside her bones, and no amount of scratching could ease it.


    She lowered her gaze and shook her head. With so many people from their circle present, clinging to Simon would only fuel the gossip mill, branding her as desperate for his attention.


    Instinctively, she turned to find a quiet corner to hide. But Simon reached out and caught her wrist.


    "ra, seriously, what''s up? If you''re not feeling well, let me take you home."


    ra''s world was already spinning, and she didn''t have the energy to argue. She desperately needed someone to hold her; this drug was really messing with her.


    Simon stepped closer, but ra pushed him away. "Keep your distance."


    Her strength surprised him, causing him to stumble back. Given their history, any interaction between them was bound to attract attention, and sure enough, people were watching, eager for some drama.


    Feeling on the brink of a meltdown, ra was about to grab a ss and smash it, hoping the shards might snap her back to reality. But Simon just straightened his jacket and said, "ra, let me help you get home."


    He moved towards her again. ra could feel the chaos inside her, and she was close to breaking.


    Then, out of nowhere, the massive crystal chandelier above flickered and the room plunged into darkness. The loud crash of something heavy falling-maybe the champagne tower-grabbed everyone''s attention, turning heads to see what had happened.


    In the dark, ra sensed a familiar presence beside her. Without thinking, she leaned into it. The person hesitated, then quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her away. The whole thing happened in less than a minute.


    When the lights flickered back on, ra was nowhere to be seen in the room.


    Simon stood there, his expression dark. Whoever it was had moved too fast for him to react. His eyes darted around, trying to figure out where ra had gone.


    With no one on the first floor, he hurried upstairs, only to bump into Aaron at the


    corner.


    Aaron, holding a ss of wine with his usual grace, seemed unfazed by the unexpected ckout. He had been there, watching the chaos, curious about Dn''s next move so he could report back to Walter.


    He hadn''t seen thising.


    Simon ignored him, ready to move on, but Aaron stopped him. "Simon, rushing after her won''t do any good. This needs to y out."


    Simon brushed Aaron''s hand aside with a smirk. "I don''t need your advice. Focus on getting better."