Chapter Nine

Aria. 

The air turned heavy. 

Smoke was present everywhere I breathed. It felt like an explosion. My fingers trembled as I faced the mother of Dolphin, who was Daisy's mother. There's no need to say her name. It was weighed down by the insecurity and how the walls seemed to retreat. 

She was dressed in icy finery and her pearls looked as expensive as my entire life. 

Although my voice wasn't quite the right tone, I still professed my fear of you. 

She smiled. Not kind. Not amused. Her creepy smile signaled that she had already planned out ten harms to inflict pain, including the most painful one. 

“You should be,” she whispered. 

The moment Damian stepped between us, I was almost caught. "Enough," he growled bitterly. 

But she didn't flinch. Not a single drop of sweat. "Do you think this little girl is worthy of our respect, Damian?". 

I swallowed hard. 

Little girl. 

Not a woman. Not equal. Not even human. 

Just a thing. Something she could erase. 

“Shut up on her like that,” Damian snapped. 

He perceived his mother's eyes, their sharp sharpness reminiscent of broken glass. "I raised you better than this.". She's a liability. Nobody who is not a part of our world.' 

I wanted to speak. To make it clear to her that I was not going anywhere. I was gripped by the truth like a lethal weapon. 

She was right. 

I didn't belong. Not here. Not with him. 

Even though it occurred, I wasn't prepared to let go. 

"I'll secure my spot," I said softly. 

Her expression towards me was reminiscent of pity. "Oh, my dearest friend," she said. It's not a job you earn money for. It's blood. It's power. Its name.”. 

She widened her gaze. "You don't." Why? 

Damian leaned into my arm, and I relented. 

"He mentioned that she would take my possession." He continued. 

Her eyes were burned. "You're prepared to give up on her?" she asked. 

He didn't hesitate. “Yes.”. 

Exactly as that, something happened. 

His mother retreated, scrutinizing me as if I were a novice game she hadn't yet mastered. Why? 

Slowly,' she said, a little bit. If you want to keep her then what is it made of? 

Damian became stoic. "What's up?" I asked. 

But she didn't answer him. 

My gaze was confined to her eyes, and she smiled at me with the same expression as a gazelle on an open wound. 

Miss Hayes, "I will see you at the gala," she said. 

After that, she turned and walked away without any visible signs of danger. 

Upon the door closing, I released my holding breath. 

Looking at me, Damian's jaw was tightly closed. "Are you okay?" could he respond? 

I nodded. I shook my head and asked, "What gala?". 

His lips pressed into a tight line. "This is the most significant event of this year." The speaker was asked for a comment. The entire elite, including investors and politicians, will be present.'". 

I scowled. "What is the reason for her desire to meet me?" asked myself. 

He remarked that she wanted to humiliate you, just to demonstrate her point. “Just to make it clear.”. 

I experienced the sensation of what it was. 

His mother wasn't done. 

This was just the start. 

After two days, I looked at myself in the mirror with the dress tightly gripping my skin like it never did. Black. Sleek. Dangerous. 

I didn't feel like myself. 

Perhaps that was the reason.' 

Damian came running behind me, tying the slim strap around my shoulder. “Oh wow, you’re so pretty!” said one. 

I looked in the mirror and thought, “Wow, am I a match for my eye?” He replied. 

His gaze widened as far as his face, and his lips gently stroked my ear. “The room belongs to you.”. 

His words were doubtful of me. 

Despite our surroundings, we were all in sync and had no one on either side as we entered the ballroom. 

I didn't look down. 

I looked up. 

Running was something I didn't want to do once again. 

Let them judge me. Let them whisper. Allow his mother to gaze at him with blazing daggers from across the room. 

I was here. 

And I wasn't leaving. 

I felt a chill in my body as we entered the dazzling world of elegant dresses and champagne smiles. 

Across the room, I saw an unfamiliar individual. 

Not his mother. 

Someone worse. 

My ex. 

Tyler. 

I'm curious, what exactly was he doing here? 

Aria. 

I froze. 

No. It couldn't be. 

But it was. Tyler. 

He looked just as cocky and poisonous as I remembered, standing across the room in a black suit. I swelled up and bumped into Damian's side. Why? 

He noticed immediately. “What's it?”. 

I couldn't speak. My tongue felt stuck. 

As I looked back at him, Damian's shoulders were shaking with horror. "Who is this guy?". 

I ingested, my heart racing. "Tyler.". He's... my ex.”. 

Damian's jaw clenched. "Who caused you harm?" asked. 

I nodded. I stood up despite my knees shaking. 

But nothing was said by Damian. He looked across the room and could potentially burn Tyler with his eyes.'

“He has no place in this world,” he declared. 

"Neither of us are mine," I whispered. 

With a gentler look on his face, he turned towards me. "That's not the case.". 

But I couldn't believe it. Tyler's presence brought back memories of the broken girl I used to be. 

“I need air,” I whispered. 

I offered him a hand, and Damian said, "I'll come with you.". 

Still, I shook my head. "Nope.". You must leave with me now, your mother will come out on top. 

He didn't like it. The fight was evident in his eyes.' However, after a brief period, he let go. "Five minutes.". I'm coming to locate you. 

My feet sprang into action as I exited the ballroom, feeling my chest warm and gasping for air. 

I didn't stop until I reached the unoccupied garden outside. The cold air landed on my skin, real and sharp.' I positioned myself on the railing, trying to catch my breath.' 

That's when I detected footsteps behind me. 

I turned… and there he was. 

Tyler. 

"I presumed it was you," he said, smiling as if they were once friends. 

I backed away. "You shouldn't be here.". 

"Take a break," he stated, with his hands in his pockets. "I was invited.". 

Does your new partner's mother seem to have a preference for liking me? 

My stomach dropped. 

Of course. Naturally, she brought him here.' 

She didn't just want to humiliate me, she wanted to destroy me. 

Aria's appearance was pleasing to Tyler, who moved closer. Fancy dress. Fancy guy. Who would've guessed?”. 

My hands were clasped tightly. "Leave me alone.". 

His response to the question, "You think your presence with him is beyond comparison?". You were my acquaintance before this.'". Remember?”. 

I recollected everything, but I particularly remember how you made me feel small. My response was simple: "I don’t know what you mean.". 

Worthless.”. 

His smile faded. “Careful.”. 

"No," I muttered. "You're no longer afraid of me.". 

Nevertheless, he approached. "You've gained courage.". That's cute. However, you are still the same girl. And girls like you”.