<b>Chapter </b><b>122 </b>
Elena’s POV
“What? No! No, Elena Please, no crashing the party!” Mielle’s voice was high pitched with anxiety, her eyes wide with a palpable lear. She gripped my arm tightly, her knuckles white. “I don’t want any drama, please! I don’t want anyone to find out about about any of this” Her words tumbled out in a rush, and 1 hore in my tracks, my initial impulse to storm into the mansion momentarily halted by her sheer terror
Right. I couldn’t just barge in there, guns zing, not if it would cause Mielle even more distress. If the wanted privacy, then I would However…
respect that.
I turned to look around the quiet residential street, the imposing mansion looming before us, its festive lights casting an almost real glow on the manicuredwns. My gaze swept over the parked cars, my eyesnding on a particr ck SUV across the street. The tinted windows made it impossible to see inside, but the distinct silhouette of a man leaning back in the driver’s seat, the glint of sunsses even in the fading light, unmistakable.
I sighed inwardly, a knot of frustration tightening in my chest, Well… this wasn’t exactly good. But maybe, just maybe, I could also use this situation to my advantage, perhaps even end up throwing Niki’s people off my trail, at least for tonight.
I turned back to Mielle<b>, </b>a new n forming in my mind. I reached up and quickly removed the hair clip that had been holding my bun in ce, letting my hair fall around my shoulders in a slightly messy cascade. I took off my zer, folded the sleeves of my mauve button–up shirt, and then, with a decisive movement, unbuttoned the first two buttons of my shirt, revealing a hint of cleavage. I then turned to look at Molle, who had changed into the polo shirt and jeans she’d brought with her,
I pursed my lips, studying her briefly, then gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “Just try to blend in, alright, Mille? Act natural. We’ll first need to corner him, get him away from the crowd.” I knew one thing about Dimitri, it was that he was a notoriously heavy drinker. At this point in the evening, around nine pm, he was likely already at least a little drunk, which might actually work in our favor. We’d need to get him somewhere quieter.
“Right. Let’s go then,” I said, turning around <b>and </b>slinging my bag over my shoulder with a newfound sense of purpose
Mielle grabbed my arm again, her grip still tight<b>, </b>and she followed my confident steps towards the imposing front door. I looked directly at the two security guards standing outside the entrance, their expressions <b>impassive</b>. I raised my brows slightly, a silent question in my eyes. “Do I need an invitation to enter?” Lasked, my tone cool and slightly challenging. They exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible nce before nodding and one of them smoothly opened the <b>door </b>wider<b>. </b>
So, Dmitri hadn’t explicitly barred my <b>entrance</b>. factually hadn’t been <b>entirely </b>confident that they would let me in. If they hadn’t, I would have had to find another way–perhaps try the back entrance or <b>even </b>attempt to scale the wall in a fit of <b>desperate </b>determination–but that wasn’t a problem <b>anymore</b><b>. </b><b>I </b>walked up the short fight of marble steps and pushed the heavy oak door open
Not to my surprise, the door left unlocked<b>, </b>and the interior of the mansion was a sensory assault–blinding with colorful shing lights, the air vibrating with the booming bass of <b>loud music </b>
The smell of alcohol hung heavy in the <b>air</b>, <b>a </b>cloying, sickly sweet scent that made me grimace. I had <b>always </b>hated these kinds of ostentatious parties and tended to avoid them whenever possible. But because of Dmitri, in the misguided hope of somehow fitting into his privileged world, I had tried, with little sess, to integrate them into my life.
Pushing my way through the throng of bodies, I made my way towards what I remembered was the main lounge, my eyes scanning the crowded sea of young adults, a chaptic mix of men and women dancing, singing along to the music, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and engaging in various <b>stages</b><b>. </b>of drunken make out <b>sessions</b>.
I frowned when I saw a familiar face weaving through the crowd. It was Michael, one of the guys who hung around Dmitri constantly, I <b>quickly </b>intercepted him, pulling him away from the girl he was about to kiss against a nearby wall, my grip surprisingly strong despite my smaller stature.
“Where’s Dmitri “I asked, my voice low and urgent. He looked startled, his eyes widening <b>in </b>surprise, then his gaze dropped down to my chest, a ling smirk spreading across his face. “Why, Elena? Looking to crawl back now, am we?I didn’t think “cut him off abruptly, my elbow jabbing sharply into his jugr, cutting off his words. “Answer the question, Michael,” I snarled, my voice dripping with disdain. He was obviously already quite drunk, his eyes zed over and his movements clumsy. He wouldn’t be able to put up much of a light in his current state.
12:37 1ue, 29
Just then, I heard Mielle’s voice, a small, trembling sound that reminded me of her fear. “Elenal” she said, her hand clutching my an tightly. She looked down, deliberately avoiding Michael’s gaze. My own garze narrowed, sensing her immediate difort and fear. I looked Michael up and down, a wave <b>of </b>protectiveness washing over me for Mielle.
He coughed, clutching his throat, and I pulled my arm away to let him breathe, the brief surge of anger momentarily subsiding. “Geez, Elena, you’re getting even worse than before,” he wheezed, rubbing his neck. Then, with a dismissive wave of his hand, he slurred, “He’s out by the pool. Probably showing off to some new conquests.”
“Was he one of them, Mielle?” I asked softly, turning my attention <b>back </b>to her, She had <b>said </b>it had been a group of men at the party. Dimitri, ath notorious party animal, had a rtively small circle of close friends he usually hung out with. Michael was definitely one of them
I looked at Mielle, her gaze fixed on the floor, her expression a mixture of shame and lingering terror. She nodded hesitantly, a single, almost imperceptible movement of her head. I turned back to look at Michael, who was already back to making out with the girl, his earlier difort apparently forgotten. My fingers itched with the urge to hurt him, to make him pay for whatever part he had yed in Mielle’s trauma. Damn it all. But held back<b>, </b>reigning in my rising anger.
It wouldn’t do me any good, nor would it help Mielle, to start creating more of a scene than I already had. I needed to focus on my goal.
I turned and started walking towards the back of the house, towards the sliding ss doors that led to the pool area, my gaze instantly finding the main attraction of the party Dmitri was exactly where Michael had said he’d be, sprawled out in the middle of the brightly lit pool on top of a nuga intable donut floaty. He had two scantily d girls perched on other side of him, theirughter echoing in the night air as he chatted animatedly, his arm slung casually around one of their shoulders<b>, </b><b>a </b><b>drink </b>clutched in his other hand.
My fingers clenched into fists, the nails digging into my palms, as I made my way towards the edge of the pool. Right as I was about to call out his name, my attention was suddenly diverted by a sharp intake of breath behind me. “Hey Mielle’s voice, filled with a sudden terror, made me pivot around in surprise. My <b>gaze </b>narrowed as I found her arm being held in a tight grip by Lazar, who stood just a few feet away, a smirk ying on his lips as he sipped casually from his cocktail
“Well, this…<b>is </b><b>a </b>surprise, Lazar drawled, tilting his head slightly as <b>his </b>eyes flickered from me to Mielle, his grip on her arm unwavering
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