CHAPTER 290: PEAK ENTERTAINMENT

The suffocating silence on the La Villette rooftop didn’t last for very long.

At first, the women only glanced sideways, stealing looks at one another, each silently calculating.

Olivia crossed her legs slowly, her brows faintly furrowed, her thoughts looping back to a single question: Why is Tamara here? Why were any of the other women here? Daisy Chen? Kaito Sagomoto’s daughter?

Beside them, Cheyenne sipped from a wine flute with disinterest that was too polished to be sincere. Her eyes slid toward Rachel, who sat upright with a cool, guarded look, silently appraising Kara’s grumbling as she popped a grape into her mouth.

Each woman felt it. The dissonance of shared presence without shared purpose.

Was it a trap? A gesture? A test?

Because of the uncertainty, they were all wary of showing their hand, and so remained quiet.

Amelia sat with arms crossed, simply watching. Penelope glanced down at her hands, unsure if she belonged here, if she’d misread something. Tamara, meanwhile, tapped her fingers rhythmically against her glass, masking her nerves behind a businesslike composure, but her gaze occasionally locked with Olivia’s in a quiet standoff of suspicion.

No one knew what Darren intended, but each of them knew this wasn’t the casual Darren didn’t do casual. They were gathered like high-stakes players at a table with no rules explained.

Only seats offered.

The silence curdled for a while, thickened, and finally shattered.

"Okay, if no one is going to say anything, I am." Kara was the first to crack, her sequined dress rustling violently as she slammed her palms on the table, rattling the crystal.

"What the hell is going on? I had a lot of things planned out tonight and none of it involved seeing any of your faces."

Amelia looked at her with a slightly disgusted expression. "Thanks for being subtle."

"No, seriously!" Her voice was high-pitched, bordering on hysterical. "Is this some kind of sick joke? Private dinner my ass! Where is he anyway?" Her eyes, wide and wounded, glared at the empty chair at the head of the table.

Kara’s gaze turned sad and quiet. "Why does he always do things like this?" She pouted, looking to her side.

"Cause it’s what he likes to do. To play mind games," Olivia said before taking a sip of her wine. "I guess now we’re like his business allies, he’s playing tricks on us to get what he wants."

"What he wants? Well, what does he want?" Tamara asked.

The two high school friends shared a gaze before Olivia looked away. "I don’t know."

Tamara raised silent eyebrows at her.

A bitter, humorless laugh came from Sandy, who pushed her untouched wine glass away with a sharp scrape. "Tricks. He’s playing tricks on us." Her dark eyes burned with fury, fixed on the space Darren should have occupied.

Kara, with her face resting on her palm, looked at Sandy. "You look especially upset."

Sandy glanced at her then took a deep controlling breath. "I guess I’m just more upset at myself than anything. I got my hopes up... again. It was stupid. Should’ve known he’d pull some bullshit power play."

"Hold on, why does it sound like you like Darren or something?" Daisy spoke up. "I’m also completely lost on what this meeting is even about."

Ileana, Penelope and Rachel all shot Sandy curious and thoughtful gazes.

Kara’s eyes perked, watching the redness appear on Sandy’s cheek. She was getting nervous.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! You do like Darren! You have feelings for the boss."

"Shut UP, Kara!" Sandy snapped.

"What?" Kara laughed, shrugging. "It’s no biggie, I mean you’re not the only one if you haven’t figured that out."

Sandy’s eyes raised to Ileana who immediately took them away.

Cheyenne smiled silently to herself, taking her drink and saying nothing. The other women fell silent again, those who already were, still didn’t say anything.

It was Olivia who broke it the next time, her voice dangerously low, each word precise and icy. Her emerald dress seemed to absorb the dimming light. "Maybe we should just say it. We should just say exactly what everyone is thinking."

The girls looked at each other.

"Exactly what everyone is thinking? And what the hell is that?" Sandy asked.

Cheyenne chuckled, a low, rich sound devoid of any real warmth. She swirled the blood-red wine in her glass, not drinking. "Oh, you ladies are truly amusing. I almost don’t have any ill will towards Darren despite his trickery."

Her sharp eyes scanned the table, lingering on Penelope’s downcast face, Ileana’s trembling hands, Miranda and Daisy’s shell-shocked expressions. "What peak entertainment. This is a dumpster fire he started and fled. Pathetic, really." She took a tiny sip. "Yet, admittedly... fascinating theater."

Penelope sniffled, wiping a tear away with a trembling finger. Her lavender dress seemed suddenly childish amidst the glamour and rage.

Cheyenne looked at her. "Oh come now. Don’t cry, girl. I have a soft spot for tears and I don’t like to feel soft."

Rachel glared at the woman. Amelia removed her gaze with hidden hatred in her eyes. "Bitch," she muttered silently to herself.

"Forgive me, Miss Forrest." Cheyenne had heard it unfortunately. "If I’m not mistaken I think I heard you call your mother’s name right now. Could there be a reason for that."

Amelia glared at her.

"Whoa. Okay, ladies, let’s not get frisky now," Kara said. "Let’s just chill out and retract the claws for a moment."

Cheyenne looked at her, a glint of underestimation and slight disgust in her eyes. "You’re a criminal dressed as a business woman. What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"

Kara’s eyes slowly transformed from gentle to outright outrageous. She wanted to yell something but she dialed it down, smiling as she sat back. "Amelia’s right. You are a bitch."

"Kara!" Olivia shushed her, trying not to offend the woman who could possibly help her own company in the future.

Kara shrugged. "She asked for it."

Cheyenne looked away with a nonchalant roll of her eyes.

"We’re all clearly here because we share some kind of relationship with Darren," Olivia said. "And I think it’s because we all—"

The women all swiveled their heads to her direction. Every eye was looking at her.

"We all what?" Sandy asked.