The party was in full swing and Father stood at the dais in front of the crowd in all his might, clinking his glass of champagne with his golden ring. The guests silenced, their attention focused on him. He flashed them a smile that rivaled perfection itself.
"Good Evening, our dearest friends! On behalf of my family, I thank you all for coming and celebrating my beautiful daughter's birthday with us. Vivien.... Where are you, princess?"
I had been standing behind one of the pillars at the other end of the hall, hidden from the rest of the party and chatting silently with Andrea. I stepped out of the shadows, raising my glass.
"I'm here, Father!"
The crowd parted for me and I cringed at having all their eyes set upon me, scrutinizing me like a zoo animal.
"Ah! There you are!" Father exclaimed in fake glee. "Happy Birthday, my sweet Vivien! I pray to all the Gods you become a woman of honor, for you to be happy, to forever remain as steadfast as you are now, and successful in whatever you wish to pursue in your life. We will always support and love you! Happy Birthday!"
He raised his glass towards me. I forced a smile and raised my glass as the guests greeted me a happy birthday in unison. He went on a spiel about me donating a million dollars to an orphanage in Honduras as my thanksgiving for a healthy twenty-four years, which unsurprisingly I had no knowledge of but supported and applauded all the same. If it was what he wanted, then by all means.
"God, kill me already," I heard Andrea mutter as she leaned against the pillar across from me. I arched a brow, watching her crane her neck in searching for something. "See, this is why I told you to steal a bottle!" she hissed, waving her empty flute at my face. "It's so we won't have to deal with this shit!"
I rolled my eyes, tilting my head lightly to look around us but the other guests had already gone back to their own circles, easily ignoring us as we hid in the dark. I glanced behind us where the maid assigned to shadow me was standing idly by the corner, her eyes on the floor. I snapped my fingers twice and instantly, she was at my side. Andrea rolled her eyes while I simply smirked.
"Yes, Miss Lastor."
"Be a dear and fetch Miss Allen a bottle of champagne, will you?"
She bowed in recognition before scurrying away.
"You're such a brat," my dear best friend spat.
I snorted, taking a sip from my champagne. "Tell me something I don't know, babe."
"I fucked your brother."
I choked, my eyes widening while she hollered. "No... you did not. He would never... you promised... you... he... ugh... no."
"I didn't," she snickered and I wanted to hit her pretty face till it turned blue. "I tried to but the prick just kept talking shit about how I should respect myself and that he would never take advantage of me because I deserved better and all that crap." She rolled her eyes, pushing her thick waves of blonde hair off her shoulder. "I walked out before I barfed on him."
I groaned, pressing my temples. "Why would you even think of pulling that crap with him?"
She shrugged. "I was fifteen and wanted to lose my virginity to someone I trusted. Also, he's hot."
"Fifteen?" I hissed lowly. "When were you planning to tell me this?"
"Wasn't going to but I couldn't think of anything that you didn't already know so..." She shrugged again. "Are you sure he's not gay, babe? I mean, seriously. I've never seen him with a pretty girl on his arm before and having a pretty girl on your arm is practically a thing in the Lastor family." She gestured at us. "Exhibit A."
"Gay or not, he has far more important things to worry about than some easy fuck with a pretty whore."
"Ouch?"
"Truth hurts, babe."
The maid came back with a bottle of crystal and Andrea chirped at the sight of it, pouring us both a glass. We were inconspicuously freshening our high with a hit of coke in between our second bottle when I heard my mother calling out for me.
"Angel, darling, come!"
Fantastic.
I rolled my eyes at Andrea who just pushed me towards the direction of my mother before disappearing within the crowd. She did that a lot. I'd often turn around for a second and she'd be playing with some dimwitted prick who didn't know any better.
"Come, come..." Mother beckoned when she caught sight of me.
"Yes, Mother?"
She cast me a glare before turning and taking a man's arm, bringing him in front of me. Here we fucking go.
"Angel, you must remember Frederick?"
No. I do not.
She gestured at the beautiful man dressed in a navy blue tuxedo whose bright blue eyes took me in from head to toe. He did a double take on the crowning glory that was my purple hair, failing to be subtle.
I had been attached to this damned hair color for five months. Andrea has been using me as her doll since we were in middle school and most of the time, it involved ravaging my hair with chemicals for her own sadistic pleasure. Once, to my utter horror, she had dyed my hair into a rainbow because she couldn't decide which color to apply but as much as I dreaded the attention these so called sophisticated people gave me for my ever changing hair color, I usually goaded at the thought that at least they'd have to throw a compliment in my direction. Their damned manners wouldn't allow them to scorn me right in the face. They'd best do that in their own time, preferably over brunch at the country club.
The man before me looked clean, as clean as the marble floor. The only thing standing out in his façade was his tousled hair that covered an inch of his ears. He wasn't wearing a choking material - a tie - which differed him from the men who wore matching ties accordingly to their suits. His face was appealing to the eyes as well, chiseled jaw peppered with a growing stubble, high cheekbones that lifted as he smiled, and dazzling ocean eyes that drew you in. He was tall too that even in my painfully high heels, I had to look up at him and I could very well see underneath his suit the outline of his hard muscles.
I eyed his fingers and almost smiled. No ring.
He was exactly my mother's type. Young. Unattached. Sturdy. Beautiful. Fuckable. If only I had found him first, I could have had some semblance of fun tonight but alas, Mother had sunk her French tips into him and I may be a deviant but I never played with Mother's toys. That was just a whole other world of fucked up that even I didn't have the stomach for.
I knew very well she only called me over as a form of excuse to converse with him further without having the guests stealing suspicious glances in her direction. It wasn't hard for her to get laid, though she very rarely does so in this house, what with Father always jetting off in and out of the country while singlehandedly running the Lastor empire, and I doubted he would give her satisfaction. The man was almost two decades older than her and a decade more he'd have trouble getting it up for her sake, if not, his.
Even though I never troubled myself with my parents' relationship, it wasn't very hard to notice that there was no love lost between them, at least when they weren't putting on a show for the world. Father had a rotation of expensive whores he fucked on the regular while Mother often bedded the nice young men she would 'introduce' to me. I was used to it and I usually just played along with her game. Hell, I even made an effort to be more of a bitch just so she had a better chance to lure them into her bed but why, for fuck sake, does she have to use me as bait on my fucking birthday?
Knowing it was always better to please her, I unwillingly participated in her hunt, playing the character of spoiled rich brat and feigning a yawn. "No, I don't remember, should I?"
"He is the son of Mr. Frederick Richardson and Mrs. Eileen Richardson," she said as if it mattered to me what family he was descended from. "We went to a party once when he was..." She turned to Frederick. "What was the occasion again, chérie?"
"I believe it was when my parents renewed their vows," he offered.
"Well, that's dumb."
"Dumb?" Frederick echoed, arching a brow.
"I mean, people are starving around the world and having a wedding after decades of marriage is just a bit unnecessary. Not to mention derivative."
His lips twitched. "Says the girl covered in diamonds."
Caught off guard by his response, I felt myself blush. "These... these aren't mine."
"I meant no offense," he said placatingly, mocking me. "And I agree, to take part in extravagant displays of wealth while the majority of the human population are suffering from poverty is extremely appalling but I'm afraid my mother is quite the romantic and she thought that beating breast cancer warranted a celebration."
I felt like an outstanding bitch.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, forgetting the character I was supposed to be and ignoring Mother's chagrin. "Cancer is an awful disease. It's a merciless affair to watch someone you adore whither right before your eyes."
"It is," he said solemnly.
Our gazes locked and I felt uneasy having someone look at me in the eye. People rarely did that, at least not the way he was looking at me. So confident and forceful, it was as if he was trying to push his way into my mind with his mere gaze.
Caught off guard by the sudden awareness of the intensity of his presence, I looked away, somehow irritated and curious at the same time. A waiter passed by us and I grabbed a glass of champagne and put back my empty one. He was still looking at me as if he was trying to read through me and I wanted to punch him in the face to make him stop.
"Anyways..." Mother initiated, putting a hand his arm and practically shoving her fake tits at his face to bring his attention back to her but he was either unaware or indifferent to her attempt at seduction. "Frederick just came back from Vienna a few weeks ago. He'd spent several months sojourning through Europe. Isn't that exciting?"
"Very," I replied, feigning indifference.
"Frederick here is also going to medical school at.... where was it again, chérie?"
"Heidelberg University. I actually graduated last year and just got my license."
My attention was piqued at that. "Heidelberg?"
He tilted his head, trying to catch my gaze as he offered me a smile so genuine I almost cringed. "You've been?"
"Not recently." I raked my eyes over him, frowning as a sense of familiarity nagged at me but my mind was too clouded by alcohol and coke to discern a vague memory. "I own some property there."
Mother cleared her throat, her smile making me grimace. She was pissed. "It's an idyllic town, isn't it?"
"Yes. It was quite an experience living there," Frederick replied.
"Have you settled in the city well?" she went on, trying to keep his attention on her.
"I'm actually staying with my parents until I get into an internship program," he said, setting his gaze on me. "Are you aiming for a career in medicine too, Angel?"
I glanced at Mother, catching the obvious annoyance in her face. "I don't want to bore you with my life plan," I said, clearing my throat. "Mother, you were telling me about your trip to Greece earlier?"
She flicked the switch on, setting her charm on full blast as she regaled her experience in the country and detailing the recent renovations she made to the property while I supported each word she uttered with affirmation and carefully placed compliments.
"You should see what she did to the garden," I feigned interest. "It's like walking the streets of Olympia."
"Oh, yes, yes." She nodded way too enthusiastically. "I think I saw the Abbots, I should go and say hi," she said before running off.
I frowned, staring after her in confusion. What the hell?
Just then, I caught Father following her with a none too pleased look on his face. I quickly turned away, aware that Frederick was just looking at me. I wanted to go back and hide from the crowd but alas, manners forbade me from walking away without making polite conversation. I kept in mind the deal I made with Jude. Just one night of being a decent person. Piece of cake.
"Anyway, thank you for coming. I really appreciate it," I said, forcing a smile.
He chuckled. "You already said that when I came in earlier. Twice actually, after I went back to my car."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course I did."
"I like your hair, by the way," he suddenly said. "You look... ethereal."
My brows furrowed. "Thanks, I guess."
"It's nice. Unusual, in a beautiful kind of way. It fits you," he went on.
"That's a polite way of saying I'm weird."
He smiled so brightly I wanted to slash his face into pieces. "The concept of weird is quite subjective, isn't it?"
He was trying to engage me in a conversation, baiting me with an easily debatable notion. Fuck that.
"I don't really have an opinion in the matter," I said dismissively.
I took a sip of my champagne, glancing around in a way to subtly tell him to fuck off but the idiot just stood there with a smug smile on his face as if he knew what I was doing.
"So..." he began. "I heard you're graduating from Princeton this year. What are you majoring in?"
I sighed, too tired to even bother with putting on airs. "You're seriously doing this?"
He frowned. "I'm sorry. Doing what?"
I took a step closer to him. "Look, you don't have to be polite. You can go. I won't be offended."
He seemed confused. "Why would I want to go?"
I arched a brow. "You are aware of who I am, right?"
He shrugged. "I don't make opinions on someone before actually knowing them."
"Yeah, you seem like it." I sighed, adjusting my necklace as the weight began to strain my neck. "But unless you want to have your reputation dragged down the gutter, you'd be wise to stay away from me." Frowning, he glanced around us, catching the obvious glances that the other guests were sending our way. I smiled when he looked at me. "It was nice to meet you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go and hide till this dreadful party is over with."
He reached out to hold my arm just as I was about to walk away. The gesture caught me off guard and I flinched, taking an abrupt step back. He immediately dropped his hand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be too forward."
I shook my head. "It's fine."
He dragged a hand through his hair, glancing at the group of women who were looking at us while speaking in hushed voices. "Yes? May I help you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. They looked away hastily. He scoffed, looking back at me. "Don't mind them. Gossiping about other people is the only exciting thing in their lives," he said loudly enough for them to hear. I heard them gasp before dramatically walking off. Frederick rolled his eyes. "This is why I hate attending this type of party. People are so stuck up," he muttered almost to himself. "No offense," he added quickly. I stared at him while he smiled sheepishly. "This is the part where you say 'none taken'."
I cleared my throat, gathering my poise as I straightened. "I hate doing anything that requires me to deal with people who have their noses stuck in the air so fucking high they're unconsciously giving God a fantastic rim job. So yeah, no offense taken. At all."
The guy cracked up, clutching his side and literally slapping his knee as he hollered like a complete idiot while the guests around us passed us looks of disapproval as if laughing was a blasphemous act. It probably was to them.
"Damn," Frederick said in between gasps. "Where the hell have you been hiding from? I've been dying out of boredom all night."
I smirked, vaguely amused. "Economics, and Chemical and Biological Engineering."
"Pardon?"
"My majors. You asked, didn't you? I'm on a double degree program slash pre-med track," I said before taking a sip of champagne.
His brows raised almost in surprise. "Wow. That's... impressive."
I shrugged. "So, what about you? Why Heidelberg? You one of those nerds who flock over there to snatch a class taught by a Nobel Laureate?"
He chuckled. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't one of the reasons I went there."
I clicked my tongue against my teeth. "They're all a bunch of pricks, aren't they?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Laureates," I muttered before downing my champagne and snatching another glass from a passing waiter. "They despise the fame, yet they worked tirelessly to be recognized. Such hypocrisy." I scoffed. "Who was your goal?"
His brows furrowed. "Who?"
"The egotistical asshole you traveled half way across the world for just to sit in their class and listen to them brag about the size of their brain."
"Ah." He smiled. "Josef Lastor, actually. Your grandfather."
I gritted my teeth at the mention of him. "The biggest prick of them all."
"Was he? I never got to take his classes. He retired the same semester I started, unfortunately. I heard he was quite an eccentric and failed anyone who didn't get a perfect score on their written exams. I don't know if that's true though."
"Oh, it's true," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I took every exam he gave his students and my scores were the standard passing grade."
He looked confused. "Are you.... are you serious?"
"It wasn't that hard," I said, sniffing as my nose began to itch. I looked around in search of Andrea. I need a hit. "I don't get how a bunch of medical students would fail his exams. He was too lazy to make complicated questions."
He laughed almost in disbelief. "You're saying you were taking graduate level tests when you were, what, a toddler? And actually got a perfect score in each one of them? Seriously?"
My brows furrowed, bringing my focus on him. "You think I'm dumb or something?"
"Not all. I mean, I'm not trying to underestimate you or anything, it's just a little hard to believe," he said with a laugh. "But seriously, did you really?"
"Being repeatedly tested in a field of study I already mastered in fourth grade was like a never ending cycle of mediocrity." I tucked my hair behind my ear, rolling my eyes. "But he thought it was necessary to continually test if I had retained the information so I just did them to shut him up."
Awe filled his eyes as he stared at me. I cringed. "That's... that's amazing."
I frowned. "Putting the future of his students who possessed average intelligence, at best, in the same spectrum as me was irresponsible and unfair, Mr. Richardson. Admiring his idiocy and ineptitude as an educator is offensive to those pitiful students."
He shook his head, chuckling. "No, I meant you. You're quite amazing."
I shrugged, downing the rest of my champagne before gifting him a smile. "I'm Angel Lastor. I'm supposed to be."
"And what great pleasure it is to finally meet the girl behind that infamous name."
I bit my lip, looking up at him through the lock of hair that had slid over my eye. "Are you flirting with me, Mr. Richardson?"
The corner of his lips lifted. "Good. You finally noticed."
A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips and I gave him the look that always had men going batshit crazy for me. His face fell and he stared. Like they always did. His eyes widened slightly as his lips parted almost as if he was going to say something but the only thing he could do was swallow.
"You better be careful trying to charm an opportunist like me, sweetheart," I murmured, unclasping the top two buttons of his shirt and fixing his collar. "Cuz I might just decide to bite and I don't think you're ready for the pain that comes with it."
"Do you always talk in metaphors?"
My lips twitched. "Funny guy, aren't ya?" I grabbed his hand. "Come on."
I turned, dragging him behind me as I weaved through the guests and headed for the stairs. Before I could seal his fate and claim him for the night, Jude stepped into my way, leaning against the banister like a bespoke wearing Gandalf forbidding me from passing.
"Thirdy," he uttered, his eyes on my hand that was holding Frederick's. "I see you've met my baby sister."
Baby sister my goddamn foot.
Frederick pulled his hand away abruptly, as if Jude's stare was burning his skin. "Yeah, she was just showing me where the rest room was," he muttered, looking scared shitless.
Jude tilted his head, glancing at me. "How hospitable of you, little Angel."
I shrugged, smiling innocently. "You wanted me to be nice, right?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't be clever." He turned to Frederick, patting him on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it, brother. We'll catch up later, I have to entertain the guests." He leaned closer to me. "Play with him and the deal's off," he whispered in my ear before going to a group of men and joining their conversation.
"You're friends with my fucking brother?" I hissed at Frederick, forgetting all about the charming host I was supposed to be.
"Uh... yeah. We were roommates in college, didn't you know that?"
"No, I did not fucking know that." I scoffed. "I can't believe I almost fucked you."
"Wait, almost what?"
A voice announced that dinner was served and I caught Jude glance our way as he made his way to the dining hall along with the guests.
I smiled, grabbing Frederick's arm. "If I don't get my bike back because of you, I'm going to break your kneecaps."
"What the hell?"
"Smile and pretend I'm being a fucking saint," I hissed, smiling still. "Jude gets pissed whenever I play with his friends. So fucking smile so he thinks I'm being all nice and charming."
We were ushered to the dining hall where three long tables were set up, dressed in the finest cloths and expensive china. I sat at the head of the table and found Andrea who already had a toy wrapped around her finger, and gestured for her to come sit next to me along with the confused Frederick Richardson who sat to my left. Andrea elbowed me and cocked her head in Frederick's direction, wiggling her brows suggestively. I just rolled my eyes and kicked off my shoes.
The table was filled with endless chatter as the waiters served us our meal while the string quartet played forgettable music. I wrinkled my nose and pushed my plate away, taking a sip of red wine instead before calling for another glass. Jude glanced at me as he sat across the other end of the table when I moved to lift the glass to my lips. I sighed and put it back down, picking up my fork and stabbing at the food.
"You shouldn't play with your food," Frederick whispered to me.
"I'm not really hungry."
He nodded. "So what's this thing about a bike?"
I pursed my lips, glancing at Jude who was chatting with the men sitting near him. "The prick took my bike and won't give it back unless I play nice."
He looked amused. "Classic Jude. He once removed my bed from our apartment as punishment for never cleaning up after myself. He was such a pain in the ass." I snorted. "So... Angel Lastor, what's your story?"
I gave him an odd look. "Excuse me?"
"Come on, there's gotta be a story behind this," he said, gesturing at me as if to prove a point.
"So?"
He shrugged. "Humor me."
"I'm not much a jester."
"I've noticed." He chuckled. "But I am curious."
"About what?"
"You."
I sighed, exhausted. "Tell me, why is it that everyone seems to think there's something worth knowing about me?"
"Maybe because it seems like there's a side of you that no one knows about."
"And that makes it everyone's business to ask about it?"
"Some ask for profit. Others probably just want to know what all the fuss is about."
I arched a brow. "Which one are you?"
He smiled solemnly. "The one who wonders why someone so beautiful would hide in the dark as if she's scared of being seen."
His words ticked me off but still, I smiled. "Don't waste your time, sweetheart. There's nothing much beyond this," I said, pointing at my face.
He tilted his head, eyeing me intently. "You're gorgeous, obviously. But I think there's more to you than that."
I scoffed. "Yeah, I haven't heard that before."
"Your smile," he murmured. "For someone known for bringing men to their knees with one smile, you force your smiles so much that it's almost painful to see."
I flinched. "What the fu-"
"It's so obvious. Your eyes give you away." His eyes met mine and I grew anxious with how his gaze seemed so intent as if he was reading me. "You're so miserable, not even a perfect smile can hide it."
I gritted my teeth, my hands curling into fists. "You don't know anything about me."
He frowned. "I have a feeling no one does."
The waiters cleared out our plates and I heard voices singing slowly approaching us. I glanced behind me only to see a huge five tiered red velvet cake being wheeled in by the servers. A moment later everybody joined in singing a very much out of tune version of 'Happy Birthday'. I wanted to crawl under the table but at the dreadful thought they might never shut up, I forced myself stand and Frederick pulled out my chair like a perfect fucking gentleman. I sighed in annoyance and walked up front, waiting for everyone to finish the song. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and I was reminded of my barefeet as they stared.
"Make a wish, darling!" Mother exclaimed, apparently oblivious to my unbecoming appearance.
"I wish this night was over already," I muttered silently and blew.
"What'd you wish for?" Andrea asked giddily as I settled back in my seat.
"Nothing," I replied, trying to find my shoes as nonchalantly as I could.
"What are you doing?" Frederick asked after I accidentally kicked his shin.
"My shoes, I can't find them."
He smirked. "Here, let me help you," he said before sliding them beside my feet.
"You..." He started snickering, getting the attention of the guests at our table. "You fucking asshole," I hissed as I kicked him under the table.
A waiter suddenly placed a plate of cake on both of our sides and, instinctively, we thanked him.
Frederick stabbed a piece his cake and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing it. "This is very tasty, you should try it." I shook my head and leaned back on my chair, taking a sip of wine in an attempt to soothe my annoyance. "Don't think I haven't noticed you haven't eaten anything all night," he said nonchalantly while eating his cake.
"The bread sticks are good enough."
"Your brother has been looking our way during the meal, you know, I think he noticed too."
I shifted my gaze to look at Jude. He was still chatting with the man next to him and as if on cue, he glanced at me, his gaze narrowing as he looked at the glass I was holding.
"One bite won't hurt," Frederick urged as he nudged my foot with his.
"I'm not hungry," I said, pushing the plate away from me.
He frowned, giving me a fleeting look while I just ignored Jude's stern glare as I downed my glass in one breath before grabbing the wine bottle from the table and taking a large swig. By the third swig, all eyes were on me. I couldn't find any fucks to give anymore.