Chapter A Party Interrupted


    Third Person TV


    Cara''s lilue eyes connect with a woman that stands behind her. The woman is dressed in an extravagant gown, one that makes ra''s look cheap and poorly made. It''s a deep red color and itpliments her skin tone and


    Behind her stands five men in all ck suits. Their masks reveal parts of their face but underneath them, it is rmingly clear that the five men are devilishly handsome


    Ste''s hazel eyes stare at ra from behind her mask with a look of distaste. By changing her return ball into a masquerade, she is able to keep her identity a secret from those who know her and from the people who don''t. She looks ra up and down, shifting her weight to her back foot.


    ra''s face goes red, matching the shade of her ruby lipstick. She turns her gaze away, the champagne ss" tilting in her hand. She scans the nearby afea and notices Adrian standing to the side.


    Fury and jealousy bubble inside of her chest. She sets her sights on Adrian, face scrunching up from annoyance. The woman takes arge step to the side but her heel gets caught on the skirt of her dress.


    ra gasps, het champagne ss tipping over. The golden alcohol flies across the air in slow motion. Itnds on Larca, Ste''s second eldest and mafia enforcer brother.


    All of the blood leaves ra''s face. She brings the now empty champagne ss to her face. Luca looks at the damp stain on his shirt, turning his attention back to her.


    His face is snarled, nostrils red, huffing to himself. He towers over ra, easily asserting dominance over the frail woman.


    "You did that on purpose, didn''t you?" His tone is low and gravelly. ra shakes her head no, unable to form a coherent sentence to refute his im.


    Adrian passes his ss to a person who stands next to him and immediately jumps into action. He closes the small distance and ces himself between ra and Luca. He looks up at the masked man and gently pushes ra behind him, his hand remaining on her arm.


    “It was an ident,” Adrian begins his excuse for ra, “she didn''t purposefully spill her drink on you.


    ra buries her face into the back of Adrian''s shoulder. His fingers dig into ra''s arm. Luca tilts his head to the side, knuckles cracking as his fists clench.


    Ste res at the couple. She can''t help but feel hatred towards them and their so-called love.


    Luca''s eyes flick to Adrian. He focuses on his face, eyes narrowing from behind the mask. He recognizes the man as Ste''s husband,


    You two look awfully close," he begins, an underlying hint of fury hidden behind every word, "you two really make the perfect pair."


    One of the men from behind steps out of the formation. He''s taller and more slender than the other man, his facecing any emotion.


    "She''s not your wife," Ss, the eldest son and assassin ims. He crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at Adrian. "We look down on men who are unfaithful to their families and bring their...ythings to social events for all to see."


    The room is instantly filled with whispers and murmurs. Their eyes attach themselves to Adrian and ra. They


    hide their whispers behind their hands, their snickers barely audible,


    Let them whisper, Ste thinks, let them understand how feels to be whispered about.


    Adrian scowls and looks at Ss, sharpening his re. Lucasteps to Ss'' side and they cross their arms in unison. He nces back at ra, who stares at the rest of the crowd.


    "We do not have that kind of rtionship," Adrian says in threatening tone, "I wouldn''t cross that line if I were you."


    "You are the one who failed to control your little mistress, Luca''s words are like venom, burning into Adrian and ra''s skin. "And yet, somehow, you are the ones acting like we''re unreasonable?"


    Luca takes a step towards Adrian. Adrian immediately moves backward, pushing ra with him. Luca''s muscles tense and rx in his arms, able to be seen from under his suit, a silent threat to Adrian.


    "A man like you, one who betrays their own wife and family, would be severely punished in the underworld, Luca spits the words out. Ste internally wishes that she could unleash her resentment onto Adrian as well.


    ra steps out from behind Adrian. In an attempt to make things right, she reaches for Ste''s hands, desperately wanting to apologize for the mistake she has made.


    Ss immediately acts, drawing his gun from the holster that hangs against his ribcage. ra gasps, fear causing her body to shake uncontrobly. Adrian grabs her wrist and pulls her back behind him.


    His green eyes shift between Ss and Ste, who he doesn''t recognize. He doesn''t stand as tall as he once does, his eyes showing a small amount of shock and fear from the encounter.


    Tension overtakes Ste''s body, her mind suddenly screaming at her to step in and stop her brother.


    Ste''s hand wraps around Sifas'' wrist, yanking his hand back down. His hand gun remains firm in his grip, eyes shooting down at his younger sister. She shakes her head and beckons for him to lean his head down, amand that he immediately obeys.


    "She''s my sister, Ss. I asked Adrian to take care of her," Ste whispers into his ear. She didn''t want her brothers to get caught up in this.


    Eyes from all around the room watch, tension hanging in the air. Ss slowly pulls away from Ste, his posture straightening. His eyes move between Ste and ra before he nods, sliding his gun back inside the holster.


    Adrian angles his body to face Ste. She barely looks at him and instead keeps her eyes on Ss so he does not do anything else.


    "Thank you," Adrian clears his throat. She still doesn''t look at him.


    Ste doesn''t want his thank you. She wants Adrian to realize and feel how much pain and turmoil he has caused her by protecting a woman that''s been asleep for five years when she was right there.


    She suppresses an eye roll and a scoff. She turns to her brothers and nods her head to the other side of the banquet hall. The six of them turn and exit, leaving the immediate area with deadly tension suspended in the air.


    Adrian


    As soon as the six masked people leave, I turn to ra and bring her into my arms. She presses the side of her face into my chest. I refrain from holding the back of her head due to the prying gazes and eyes that look our way.


    throat and 1 rub her back and force my face to return to a neutral expression to not rm the room. I clear my ra pulls away from me. She finally realizes that all eyes are on us once again and her body tenses. "She is a childhood friend of mine,” I announce to the room, making sure to make eye contact with as many people as possible so they can feel a bit of shame and look away.


    I notice that a couple people inside the room stare at ra with a slightly different expression. Instead of it being of love and adiniration, they are now disconnected from ra. The interaction has separated her from the social group.


    A few people nodded while others kept the dirty looks on their faces. Their sour expressions make him turn away, facing ra. The music in the banquet hall begins once again, filling in the silence, and it gives me just enough cover to whisper to the blonde beside me.


    "That woman''s voice...did it sound familiar?" I whisper algad. ra turns her attention to me, shaking her head.


    "No," she quietly responds, "her eyes did look strikingly simr to Ste''s, though."


    My gaze snaps to hers. My hold on her body tightens but my face remains calm


    and collected. I tilt my face and stare in the direction that the six people left in.


    away


    Suspicion tinges the back of my mind. The mafia princess has left me with more questions than answers tonight.