~~Daniil's POV~~
I smiled knowingly, taking a gradual sip while sliding my other hand into my pocket. "YA dolzhen pokhvalit' I tebya (I must commend yours as well.)" I replied in Russian then heard the duo giggle lightly within themselves. I shrugged when Ashley veered to me, not necessarily returning her questioning stare. She probably didn't know her DATE was Russian.
We all inclined to face each other.
"Don't mind me. I was just telling my girlfriend my instincts never fail. I could immediately sense a strong aura distinct from the crowd coming from here," he flattered with a half smile on. "Alexei Ivanov," he introduced with an outstretched arm that clamored for a handshake.
"Daniil Smirnov." I shook his hand, then tilting my head briefly, I flashed Ashley a glance. I was in effect telling her HER DATE'S name.
"I have this weird habit of spotting my kind. Forgive the intrusion."
I smiled naturally.
"And oh, forgive my manners. This is Mia, my girlfriend. An art major," he introduced, nudging against her waist with his palm. And yeah, this wasn't solely restricted to majors in political science. The point was to broaden our network. It didn't matter who as long as it was beneficial to our career, that much I'd come to understand.
"Nice to meet you." We shook hands.
"Is your date okay? She's been mute the whole time," she pointed out, drifting her eyes to Ashley. "Mia McKenzie." She stretched forth her hand for a handshake.
Ashley returned the gesture. "Ashley…"
"Ashley Sinclair," she cut her off. "Save yourself the stress. Everyone knows you already," she accentuated the last part, rolling her eyeballs a bit dramatically. That sounded a bit offensive but the smile on her face didn't match the nasty vibe her curt statement was giving so I overlooked it.
"Your dress…" she paused, scanning her from head to toe, and back. "is lovely," she completed with an icy smile.
"A luxurious brand courtesy of my well-to-do boyfriend," Ashley vaunted with a switched-up accent to my surprise. Frankly speaking, I wasn't expecting that. She cared too much about her privacy to attract needless attention by bragging about luxurious brands and stuff. But if this Mia girl was going to be a saucy chatterbox, she might as well play along; I deduced that was the case for Ashley. I let out a lazy smile, acknowledging her guts.
"Alexei. Ivanov Alexei." He intruded, stretching his hand towards Ashley for a handshake. Crystal clear the cold air around these two didn't leave him unfazed. The ladies still held hands while glaring at each other. Ashley then withdrew her hand and veered to him.
Gripping my arm gently, she shook his hand. "A pleasure meeting you." I noticed from her side profile she was trying to force a smile when the corner of her lips twitched but her effort was to no avail; her face remained without any significant change. But for the record, she didn't look sullen.
"You look gorgeous tonight," he complimented, stimulating a "thank you" from Ashley. Seeing him act all friendly made me feel a pang in my chest.
Pang of what exactly? Jealousy? Hell, no! I shrugged off.
"Babe, I'd kike to use the restroom," she voiced dulcetly, raising those captivating eyes to me.
"Sure," I whispered with a nod accompanied by a closed-lip smile.
She excused courteously before walking out. Her hands swayed in perfect sync with her waist, divinely. Ashley was nothing short of a charming damsel, I could not refute even if I wanted to.
I spent time with the couple and while we were chatting our night away, I discovered a couple of things about him. He was biracial; his dad was Russian and his mom, American. He was not only the course representative of the finalists in our midst, he also held a prestigious role in the student senate and was pretty famous. It's no wonder he commanded respect with literally no effort.
Additionally, he was a lot friendlier than I anticipated. I thought he was gonna be on the cheeky side given his status but I was wrong. It felt like his girlfriend on the other hand blotted all the pride in him. I was usually unfriendly in contrast but his easygoing nature somehow made it difficult to pose a barrier between us. I simply went with the wave since it wasn't a bad idea to keep me company until Ashley returned.
Ashley.
That's right, she wasn't back yet. I checked the time and it'd already been ten minutes since she left us. Was she okay? Or was she still searching for a breather? I could easily tell she wanted more than to use the restroom.
I subconsciously scanned the hall in search of the Yoshida cousins. If they were present somewhere, then Ashley was probably safe. 'Look at me worrying about her safety now.' Just then, I spotted Hana and felt relieved to an extent.
"So how long do you intend to stay here?" Alexei called my attention again and then our conversation continued from where it stopped.
We kept talking about random issues until I sneaked a peek at my wristwatch again, and saw twenty whole minutes were already gone. It couldn't possibly take this long to use the restroom and get back. Or could it? Was Ashley seriously having a breather?
My eyes randomly scoured the crowd for them once more. It could've been difficult to find Ashley in a place swarming with ladies in red but for some odd reason, I could tell right away she wasn't here. And besides she barely ever socialized so there wasn't anyone to hang around with except me. Instead, I spotted Hana again and just thought to relax. After all, Ashley was full of surprises. 'But where is Yoshida?' To make sure, I swerved my eyes in random directions, looking for her.
Where could she be? I asked myself, now getting concerned. Ashley was absent, and so was Yoshida. The murderous intent her eyes emitted whenever they saw Ashley was never to be taken lightly. Wait. Could they be together?
The laxity in my eyes faded when it dawned on me that I was still yet to find Yoshida.
My mind told me nothing could go wrong here but my gut feeling suggested otherwise. "A moment, please," excusing myself, I told my company. While I wanted to settle for the former, my feet dragged me to Hana, buying the latter.
"Where's your sister?!" I barged in on her conversation with Archer, the moment I walked over. I knew I was being rude but 'who cares?' Right now, my mind was raided with getting Yoshida's location and making sure Ashley was safe. Strange.
"Where's that coming from all of a sudden?" she retorted in an audacious tone.
"Where is your sister?" I asked again coldly, keeping myself from snapping.
"What is this about? Why are you trying to find Sakura?" Archer cut in.
"Where the fuck is your sister?" I asked through gritted teeth this time, letting my face betray my frustration. All she needed to do was give me an answer and not mope at me like a fool she wasn't. For fuck's sake!
"Look Daniil, I'd appreciate it if you calm down and tell us why you're looking for…"
"Where is Yoshida?" I cut Archer off, grabbing Hana's arm all of a sudden.
"Hey hey hey hey hey…" Archer tried to defend, reaching out for my collar when I grasped his hand midway with the other hand at my disposal and gave his wrist a sharp wring. "Ouu… ouu ... ouu…" He grimaced in pain as I kept twisting it. Such weakling. Insolent dipshit. Must have gotten all cocky after allowing him to seize me by the collar the last time.
"Where is your sister?" I inquired po-faced for the last time, fixing her with my boring gaze.
"She… she… she …," she stammered, losing focus while watching Archer in pain. "She should be somewhere, I don't know!" She blurted vibrantly. "Maybe with Jordan?"
That's right, Jordan. Why didn't I think of him yet?
Archer got an opening when I got distracted in my thoughts and freed himself forcefully.
"Are you okay?" Hana hurried to ask, grabbing his hand in hers to examine the sore area.
After making sure no one else witnessed what happened, I left them alone in search of Jordan.
"He's crazy strong," I had overheard briefly before leaving earshot.
There were other exits leading out of the hall, and I eventually caught Jordan going into one. Instinctively, I chased after him and that landed us both in the restroom.
"Where's Yoshida?" I stopped him just before he went through the door having the 'male' plaque on it, my deep domineering voice echoing through the empty hallway.
He turned around to me. "And why do you need to see her?" he returned cheekily, dipping his hands into his pockets and leaning back on one leg. "Do you suddenly find my girlfriend attractive?"
I scoffed loudly. "Your girlfriend? You mean your master, huh?" I scorned.
I observed how steadily the pride in his eyes got washed away by rage and before I knew it, dude gobbled our distance and was grabbing me by the collar now. 'L.O.L' These guys must have a thing with my collar tonight.
"The fuck did you just say?" Nothing but the truth, you douchebag. "Son of a bitch! How dare you?!" he spat through gritted teeth.
This wasn't even enough to get me enraged but I was annoyed for sure. The shirt he squeezed with that much delight, I was almost certain he couldn't afford. I smacked my lips then rolled my eyeballs away in no particular direction.
Without returning my gaze to him, I grabbed those chopsticks clinging onto me, in a steel grip before leisurely dragging my eyes back to him. "If you wish to see your girlfriend ditch your pathetic self tonight, and come running to me like the bitch that she is, with just a snap of my finger, cuss at me one more time," I drawled in a threatening tone now shooting him a dead glare.
Either mentioning Yoshida had a remarkable effect on him, or he subconsciously acknowledged there was no ounce of lie in what I just said; I could easily turn that nightmare into a reality, one he would not be able to stand. Whatever the case was, seeing his petty hostility crumble in the face of mine sure left me feeling elated. He decreased his shoulders, loosened his grip, and eventually, his eyes meekened. How dare he get cocky with me?
"Now get your filth-infested hands off me," I ordered low-pitched in a stoic tone. I could tell he was still overwhelmed considering how anxiously his eyes darted. He was going to eventually, but I didn't wait and just pulled his hands down and pushed him against the door. "You ready to have a proper conversation now?"
He lowered his eyes, assuming a humble pose. Much better.
"Where's Yoshida?"
"I don't know," he answered plainly. I narrowed my peer. Did he need a beating to start talking? "Don't get me wrong. I really do not know where she is right now. Truth be told, she's been everywhere and has not necessarily been with me," he confessed.
I peered silently into him like I was trying to detect a lie through his face but found none. He was speaking the truth. "And you call her your girlfriend? How pathetic," I scoffed at last.
I turned around to leave when…
"You don't intend to snatch her away, right?" A contemptuous smile swept through my lips perceiving a tinge of desperation from his voice when he asked that. Maybe I took the joke too far. Why would I ever want to settle for his pale princess with no color? Without sparing him another glance, I walked out quietly.
'Where do I find Ashley now?' If I could find her, it would be easier to rest easy, knowing Ashley was off somewhere and would show up when she needed to. But Yoshida's absence was already making me uneasy. It was a surprise I cared this much but not now; I would leave pondering over my insanity for later as I had to find Yoshida first.
Just when turmoil was about to break loose in my head, I finally caught Yoshida slipping into the crowd from another passageway, a stone's throw away from where I was standing. Observing closely through narrowed eyelids, I sensed an enigmatic aura from her which was betrayed by the smug smile on her face. 'What happened?' I thought then sharply swung my eyes in the direction she came through.
Ashley.
I paced, bursting through the crowd as I made my way to where Yoshida emerged from.
The serene view that greeted me the moment I got on the other side not only halted my movements abruptly but left me feeling puzzled. This wasn't looking as chaotic as I envisaged, trotting through the short hallway leading up to here. The view of the deep blue pool surrounded by a few chairs was rather quiet and undisturbed. The light cast on it by the starry skies above even made it more appealing. Definitely doesn't paint the picture of a crime scene as suggested by Yoshida's face. 'The fuck is going on here?' I pondered, looking around.
"Boss?" A familiar voice burst in from behind prompting me to tilt actively in its direction. "Is everything okay?" Knox asked, panicking. That's right, I had asked him to stay within ten meters from me at all times. There was a reason for that. He must have been startled after I made him witness what he just did.
"My date is missing," I blurted, equally not thinking straight.
"Your date?"
"Ashley!" I hailed into empty nothing, ignoring him. "Ashley, where are you?!!" I hailed continuously, moving further away to comb the scene.
"Boss?" I heard him call again and then sucked in air through my teeth, now pissed. If he was going to help me search, he could, chanting Ashley's name, and not mine the whole night.
I turned around, ready to lash when I saw him taking off his jacket while looking into the pool. "I think I see something," he muttered, but I was able to intercept it thanks to the dead silence around us.
I dashed across our distance to see what was going on.
I froze in shock.
'WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?'
The first thing that piqued my interest was the red gemstone that sparkled from the dark depths of the pool which made me recollect Ashley's pendant. I facepalmed myself with eyes bulging in utter shock when it finally dawned on me how gravely I underestimated Yoshida.
Her clothes. Her shoes. Her…her face was barely visible but fuck the further confirmation! I needed none, scanning the drowning figure.
Without sparing a millisecond more, I dived into the pool.