Chapter 11 Slap for the Villainess

Angel’s POV

The music slowed into something soft and I moved without thinking, letting the rhythm guide me. There was no audience now, no judging eyes or gossip. Just the empty dance floor and the stranger leaning calmly against the railing, watching with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

For the first time in years, I didn’t dance to impress, or to please, I danced because I wanted to. When the music faded, I finally stopped, breathless and a little dizzy. I glanced at him, brushing hair from my face.

“So?” I asked lightly. “How did I do?”

He paused… then said, with the straightest expression imaginable:

“You’d be better at singing.”

I blinked as a laugh escaped me. “You must be terrible at giving compliments.”

He shrugged. “Or very honest.”

I found myself smiling despite everything. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the rare comfort I felt, but I finally asked:

“What’s your name?”

He hesitated for half a heartbeat before answering.

“Kian. Kian Araqiel.”

The name struck me like a spark. Araqiel.

Araqiel.

I blinked, realization dawning. ““Are you… Kian  Alpha from Scar Pack?”

I’d heard that the Alpha of Scar Pack was a playboy with a weird personality—he changed girlfriends every two weeks.

His expression remained calm. “Yes.”

My chest tightened.

I gave Kian a short nod and stood to leave, but my shirt snagged on the chair leg. I stumbled forward  and his hand shot out, catching me before I hit the ground.

“Careful,” he murmured, holding me upright.

I steadied myself as I looked at my shirt.

“Let me check.” He lifted the fabric then gently assessed the rip near the sleeve. “It’s torn. Come upstairs. There’s a VIP suite with clean clothes. I’ll have the staff fetch something.”

“I don’t want to impose…”

“It’s no trouble,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to walk home like that.”

His tone was warm and respectful. Nothing like Lilian.

Against my better judgment, or maybe because of it , I nodded.

As we walked, a stray wolf near the hallway muttered something under his breath, something snide about women who drink alone.” He said it just loud enough for me to hear.

Before I could react, Kian’s voice cut through the corridor, low and strict.

“Watch your mouth.”

The wolf froze mid-step.

Kian didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. “She is my guest. Apologize.”

The wolf swallowed, bowed stiffly, and walked away.

I stared at Kian, stunned. Alpha Kian ,a player who should’ve shared her arrogance was instead… considerate? Protective?

The VIP suite was warm and quiet. The clothes the staff brought were beautifully tailored, the price tag enough to make my heart leap. 

I had been used to high-end material, but the man’s generosity astounded me. Thus, I hesitated.

“You don’t have to do this,” I murmured.

Kian leaned against the doorway. “Consider them a gift.”

“That’s too much.”

His voice lowered slightly. “You look beautiful in them than they will look on any hanger.”

My face warmed again. I hated that I liked the compliment as much as I did. When I tried to protest, he waved a hand. “Keep them. And your drinks tonight are on me.”

I didn’t understand why someone like him would go out of his way for someone like me…

But for the first time in a long time, I felt… charming. 

Seen.

 Not invisible.

Bastien barely complimented me, and getting one from Kian felt good. I couldn't help but sneak a last look at him.

That night, when I finally returned to Dana’s small apartment, she was already asleep. I tucked myself onto the couch, wrapped in the too-expensive clothes, and drifted into sleep with a lightness in my chest.

I dreamed of nothing painful. In fact, it was the most wonderful dream I had in a long time. 

The next morning, I was sweeping the floor when a knock came at the door. Dana was out for a check-up, so I assumed it was a neighbor.

When I opened the door, I froze.

Lilian stood there, wearing a smile stretched too tightly across her face. My mind instantly replayed the scene where Bastien and her were kissing.

“Oh, Angel,” she said, stepping inside without being invited, “I just came to check how you’re living these days.”

Her eyes swept across Dana’s home like she was inspecting dirt on her shoes.

I didn’t bother hiding my irritation. “What are you doing here, Lilian?”

She didn’t miss a beat.

“So you left the mansion for…this. But that’s okay, we barely notice your absence these days.” 

She scrunched up her nose, almost as if she was disgusted before walking towards the door.

“I’ve been getting along so wonderfully with Bastien and Finn lately, they seem really happy nowadays” she said, twirling her hair. “Bastien even showed me around your Luna suite yesterday. You know, the place you once lived.”

My grip tightened around the broom.

She leaned in. “You know what? Every corner of that room still has traces of me. You didn’t clean very well. Especially the flowers Bastien keeps there… my favorite ones.”

My breath stilled.

She smiled sweetly. “Oops. I forgot. You’re allergic to pollen, aren’t you?”

I felt the sting of her words.

She prattled on, “And the location of the wedding photos? Bastien and I had discussed the exact same place, we planned it years ago.”

My jaw clenched. “Lilian, you didn’t marry him. You didn’t give him a child. Whatever ‘importance’ you think you have…” I stepped forward, voice calm “…is your own imagination.”

Her smile faltered slightly.

“Might be, but I have your family already…how pathetic. Even with my illness you are still the loser.” she retorted

“Well, you can enjoy them all you want. When things start getting tough, you’ll wish otherwise. Speaking of which, don't you have like six months remaining to live”

Her eyes flashed, anger piercing through her expression. Her hand moved as if to strike me but I grabbed it mid-way. She snatched it back aggressively.

“Angel… you and your sister are the ones who should be worried. Especially Dana. She deserved what happened. She should’ve been torn apart by those stray wolves that night. She’d be better off dead.”

Everything in me snapped.

Before the thought even registered in my brain, my hand moved in a rapid motion. A loud echo of a slap resounded. It was simply the first time I had ever stopped her with something other than words.

“Get out,” I said through my teeth.

Lilian’s head turned slightly from the impact. Slowly, she looked back at me, eyes dark with something vile.

“You think this changes anything?” she whispered. “Bastien will be my mate soon. And you? You’ll be well...” she gestured at the home.

“Enjoy poverty as I take your place in Bastien’s bed, your bed. And don’t you worry, I’ll be a good step-mother to Finn in the future.”

I pointed at the door, my voice firm. “Leave.”

She held my gaze for three long seconds before stepping out, laughing softly.