Yuan turned to him with a hard look on her face, "She is with me. Is there a problem?"
"I am going to have to ask you to provide an invitation or else she's not allowed in!" He proclaimed strictly.
Aaliyah thought about the weird vibe she had been getting from him, and it wasn't just him. Even the other bouncer was giving her the chills.
"I'm requesting you let her in without an invitation!" Yuan fired back.
The man was quiet for a few seconds and just kept his eyes forward, "You may enter," He finally said.
Yuan cocked her head to the side a little, wondering why he suddenly changed his mind. A very bad feeling ran through her about this, and she could now feel the imminent danger moving closer, "Come on,"
And then she continued to pull Aaliyah with her till they were inside the place. Aaliyah released the breath she had been holding, feeling her heart beating so fast at what had just happened out there. How on earth was Yuan able to fearlessly talk back to such a man that had the eyes of a killer and could break her in half?
But soon enough, Aaliyah's attention was stolen and she became mesmerized at the beautiful yet eerie setting of the event, with the dimly lit room and chandelier glowing lights hanging from the ceiling.
The place was packed already, and everybody was reeking of grace, elegance, and beauty in every word and action. Aaliyah felt so out of place. But then again, there was something that kept bothering her about this gathering...she could already feel her skin crawling.
"Act natural, but stay close. Stay close, no matter what!" Yuan whispered directly into her ear in a very low voice, never letting up her grip on Aaliyah's arm. Aaliyah nodded fervently, knowing nothing would ever make her leave Yuan's side.
"Who are we looking for?" Aaliyah whispered back.
"Someone you know." Yuan replied, "He's probably somewhere upstairs,"
They kept moving and slipping through the crowd.
"Yuan, is that you?" A voice familiar to Yuan called out, making her cringe immediately. Her speed doubled, and Yuan kept her head down and continued to move.
Why the hell was the room so damn big?!
"Yuan! Yuan!" The voice continued to call out, obviously following them. Yuan badly wished he would just read the room and understand that she was in a hurry and had no time to entertain his nonsense.
"Do you know him?"
"That's Brett. My stupid Neighbor," She replied with a sour expression, "And I'm not stopping because of him. Come, let us...,"
Then, Yuan felt herself holding a different hand. Aaliyah's arm was less fleshy than this, and shock and fear rushed through Yuan even before she turned around and saw herself holding a random stranger's arm. The stranger stared back at Yuan, not knowing what was going on.
"Oh no," She murmured in horror and instantly dashed through the place looking for her friend. Aaliyah had just spoken to her only two seconds ago, and the next second she's been replaced by someone else.
"Liya! Liya!" Yuan called out, gaining the attention of those around her.
"Who's Liya?" Brett asked as he got to her, sipping his glass of red wine.
"Did you see the woman I was just with? I was holding her arm. Did you see?" Yuan gripped his shoulders and shook him badly.
The wine spilled all over his clothes.
"No...I did not!" He stared at her like she was crazy, "Do you know how much this tuxedo costs?"
Yuan began to scratch her head, thinking deeply. She ignored Brett's continuous ramble and began to check every nook and crook of the room for Aaliyah. She even ran back outside for any hint of her, but it was as if Aaliyah had suddenly vanished from the face of the city.
Nothing could be used to trace her.
After a short while of searching, Yuan made up her mind. She knew she wouldn't be able to find Aaliyah on her own, and would have to report to Theodore that she had gone missing. Chills crept up her skin at the thought of Theodore finding out Liya was nowhere to be found, and she began chanting in her head for this not to be her last day on earth.
But there was no time to lose.
Alone, she moved incredibly fast and dashed upstairs which was silent and only had very few people.
Her eyes searched for Theodore, and she needn't look for him for too long. He stood staring outside the window, his hands behind him crossed over his back. There was a blank expression on his face, and he looked flawlessly good-looking in the brown suit he had on.
Yuan swallowed multiple times, then dragged her feet closer to him, "Theodore...," She breathed, rubbing her temple and cleaning off the sweat that kept rolling down.
"You messed up," His deep voice sounded merciless and deep.
"I...I...," Yuan was lost for words. She simply kept her head down, praying he didn't do something to her.
"We have to find her, now. But, her trace is gone too. What do you suggest?"
"How about...we find the culprit?"
"Out of so many. Who do you think would have done it?"
Yuan had no idea, so she remained silent.
"Shouldn't we tell Alastair about this?" Kekoa chipped in, and Yuan was surprised to see the woman sitting there by the corner, her brows creased with an unpleasant gleam in her eyes.
"Would you do us the honors?" Theo arched a brow in her direction.
"He would give two shits about this!" Kekoa said, thinking to herself.
After a short while, she sighed in slight frustration and walked out of the room. Kekoa climbed up the stairs, her silver dress dragging behind her. A single strand of hair had escaped its hold from the locks of her hair and fell over her face, casting a charming, but scary shadow between her eyes.
She walked up to the next floor, and there was a familiar figure of a man sitting on the couch with his head laid back. Unlike Theodore and Kekoa, Alastair was putting on a simple t-shirt and a pair of trousers like he didn't care about the party going on downstairs. His hair had been let down again, its thick strands covering his face.
"I know you heard. She's been taken away and we have to find her before it's too late," Kekoa began as she moved closer to him. She could tell his eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep.
Alastair didn't move.
Kekoa sighed, "I Know you wouldn't care. I just thought I still still let you know. Theodore is going to take care of it. The culprit has to be among one of the three noble families present here,"
A deep snarl rumbled from his throat, telling her she was bothering him with talk he didn't give a damn about.
Kekoa had been expecting it.
"She could be in grave danger as we speak,"
After Kekoa said that, She turned around and left before the man emitted another warning in form of a snarl. She held her chest in fast heaves as she climbed down, thankful she had survived another encounter with him. It was so very mind-blowing how Theodore doesn't feel an atom of fear whenever he's near this man.
Then again, Theodore was also in a league of his own.
Alone in the room, Alastair was still rooted to his spot. Minutes passed, and he was so still it was as if he wasn't breathing at all.
The silence was deafening, and an eerie thrill was in the air right before one of his eyes slowly opened, as if the message about Liya being missing was just dawning on him properly.