LOGINArielle Tiffany’s text came in right after her missed call. “WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KEYS?”Oh God…the key!How could I have forgotten something so important? She couldn’t get into the house without it. Worry stirred deep in my stomach. And the crazy part? She had been gone for a whole day, no explanation or call. And yet, here I was still worried about her. Still trying to fix things for her. Even after everything. “I’m waiting,” Darius said lazily, leaning back in his chair with a smirk that made my skin crawl. I looked up. Then turned to Tessa, whispering in her ear. “I need to give these keys to Tiffany. She’s at home.”Darius hummed loud enough to let us know he heard every word. “Okay. I’ll go,” Tessa said, already taking the keys from me. She stood up and faced him. “I’ll be back soon.”“Don’t be back at all,” he muttered. Tessa didn’t respond. She just walked out. The door clicked shut behind her. Then silence. A heavy and suffocating silence. Darius leane
Arielle I was just kidding. Darius had me by the balls. I couldn’t do shit to him. Nothing. Even if I could, that would only make things worse. So, no. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I was definitely going to play things nice. I leaned forward slightly and gave the driver the address Joel had sent earlier. The moment I finished, he smiled. Not a normal smile. “This place…” he started, glancing at me through the mirror. “Has lots of connections.”Tessa and I exchanged a look. “Connections?” She repeated. “Opportunities,” he corrected. “It’s not just a party. It’s a night of purpose.”I swallowed. A night of purpose. That didn’t sound like something I belonged in. “And the man behind it,” he continued. “The owner of Rothwell Enterprises, he’s…a good man.”Rothwell. My fingers curled slightly. Of course. Darius. Everything always led back to him. “Great,” I muttered under my breath. Tessa didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. We both understood. The car stopped in fro
Arielle Tessa sat beside me, her body slightly turned, her eyes fixed on me like she was ready to sit through a movie. I tried. I really tried to change the subject. But Tessa wasn’t the type to let things go. Not when she knew something wasn’t right. Not when it involved me. “You might want to grab popcorn for this,” I said dryly. The words had barely left my mouth when a cough forced its way out. Then another. And another. It came harder this time. It was uncontrollable. Tessa shot up immediately. “Hey–hey, are you okay?”I waved her off weakly, reaching for my purse. My fingers fumbled inside until I found the pills. I didn’t even remember what they were for. I just needed the coughing to stop. I swallowed them quickly. Tessa returned with water, handling it to me with worry written all over her face. I drank…Then slowly, it stopped. Just like that. My breathing steadied. The room settled. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Tessa asked softly. “No. I’m
Arielle Joel’s car was gone. Completely gone. For a second, I thought I was imagining things. “Shit…” I muttered under my breath. “I think they left us,” Tessa said, frustration laced in her voice. I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I can see that.” I glanced back through the glass doors. The workers were watching us. Still watching. This was beyond embarrassing. I couldn’t believe Joel left us to deal with this shit. “You think Joel actually did this?" Tessa continued. “Or his boss told him to leave us stranded?” “Joel did this. Darius would never.” I said immediately. Tessa let out a short, dry laugh. “Darius would never? The same man who sued you?” She said. “You really think he wouldn’t leave you stranded?” My lips parted, but no words came out. Because she was right. A slow realization settled in my chest. The declined card. The silence. Joel disappearing… Darius never intended to pay. He set this up. And I walked right into it. My jaw tightened. Joel would
Arielle The manager gave us a place to sit while we waited. Jake and Joel were outside. We were already done picking outfits. Well…Tessa was. The last dress was what kept us there. I didn’t like the color, so the manager went to get other options for me. Suddenly, I coughed. It caught me off guard. I hadn’t coughed like that in a while. I coughed again. It felt wrong. The atmosphere was perfect, calm, even comfortable. Nothing should have triggered it. Whenever I started coughing like that, it usually meant one thing. I was about to fall sick. First, it would be a headache. Now this. “Are you okay?” Tessa asked, holding my arm. I nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”“Are you sure?”“Yeah.” I smiled. We leaned back in our seats, waiting. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. From Emris. -/(Did you get my gift?)/-I stared at the message, unsure of what to reply.I hadn’t even checked what was inside. Everything about the gala had taken over my head. I locked my phone and dropped it
Arielle “Does this person have a name?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. Joel hesitated. Then he shook his head. That alone told me everything. I knew he wasn’t being completely honest. He knew something. “He just said she’s dangerous. And that you two…don’t move along,” he added carefully. That’s all I know.”I hummed, walking toward the couch with two glasses of wine in my hands. Joel immediately stepped forward. “Let me help you with that.” “Thanks.”I returned to the kitchen to grab the tray of fruits I had prepared earlier, but before I could lift it, Joel was already beside me again. He took it from me without a word. Then his eye shifted toward the couch. He set them on the table. “Looks like someone left you a package,” he said. I paused. “What package?”He bent slightly and picked it up. “It says: From Emris, to Arielle.”Oh. I took it from him and started opening it by the counter, my full attention on the seal. The room suddenly felt quiet. I looked up. Joel
Arielle “Who’s Emris?” He asked suddenly, eyes fixed on the road. I glanced at him. “What?” “I heard Tessa mention some guy named Emris,” he said, gripping the steering wheel. “Care to tell me who that is?” “No. Why?” “No?” “Let me worry about that.”
Arielle A knock tapped against the glass. Tessa. I stepped outside to meet her. “When did Miss Sylvia leave her office?” I asked. “Oh, like an hour ago,” she replied slowly. “She didn’t say anything to you?” “No.” She tilted her head, studying me. “Were you expe
Arielle Tiffany turned back and went silent. “It’s me,” I tapped my chest. “Arielle”. “Oh”. She uttered flatly. “Yeah,” I sighed. “Tiffany, I swear I’m ready to tell you anything you want to know. I’m never hiding anything from–“ “Let’s not talk about that here.” She
Arielle Darius's eyes stayed on me, unblinking, as if he was waiting for something to fall from my lips. The silence between us stretched, thick and heavy, broken by only the hum of the engine and the faint rush of the wind against the windows. I folded my hands in my lap, staring s







