CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 98: THE PARTY DISASTER IV

Back at the Party...

Eryx sat with one elbow propped lazily on the armrest, swirling the dark liquid in his glass as though it held all the answers in the universe. But it didn’t. She did.

Athena and she was ignoring him like he was air.

A slow, humorless smirk tugged at his lips.

Cute. She really thinks she can run from him just by not looking my way? We’ll see how long that lasts.

He was still studying her from across the room, her straightened spine, that stubborn tilt of her chin....when a shadow draped itself over his table.

A strong perfume hit him. That stupid shit smell perfume only belong to one person.

Eryx didn’t even look up. His mood soured instantly.

Adrianna.

He almost forgot he had that... pest. A mistake he made once, and she’d clung ever since like gum under a shoe. She’d gone quiet for months, likely nursing her bruised pride after what Athena did to her but now here she was, slithering back into his space as if she belonged there.

She placed a hand on his table and leaned forward, deliberately letting her dress dip, exposing her small breasts that isn’t even half of what Athena had. What crime did she even committed that God decided she only deserve pimples.

"Eryx... you didn’t come greet me."

He gave her a side-eye. A bombastic side eyes. "I didn’t know pests needed greetings."

Her smile twitched.

Across the room, Theodore standing beside Azrael choked on his drink.

"Here we go again," Theo murmured with a wicked grin. "I swear Eryx is one insult away from choking her with her own wig."

Azrael’s lips curved. "They make a perfect couple, don’t they?"

Theo blinked dramatically. "Since when did you start saying nonsense like that?"

Azrael shrugged, still staring at Athena’s white hair with that strange, quiet fascination. "Since after that scandal video. The butt slap."

Theo nearly dropped his glass laughing.

But Adrianna kept talking because she didn’t know when to stop.

She dragged a chair and sat beside Eryx like she had any rights. She lowered her voice with forced sweetness.

"You know... you don’t have to pretend with that Athena girl. Everyone knows what she really is." Her nails tapped the table. "A girl with a tarnished name. A cheap...bitch."

Eryx moved fast. His hand fisted in her hair before the last word fully left her mouth. He yanked her forward until their faces were a breath apart...his ice-cold eyes clashing violently with her panicked ones.

"Say her name again," he snarled, "and I promise you, Adrianna... you won’t have a tongue left to speak with."

She whimpered, frozen.

He tightened his grip just enough to make his point. "Don’t test me. Not about her."

He let go, and Adrianna almost fell off the chair. The only reason she didn’t fall was because she quickly stood up.

Athena, from where she sat with Leo and Levi, caught the tail end of the moment. The closeness. His hand tangled in Adrianna’s hair. The intensity on his face.

Something twisted low in her chest, a tiny, unwelcome sting she refused to name.

She tore her eyes away instantly, staring hard at the chandelier as if it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in existence.

Levi on the other hand, stood up and went straight to Felicia, asking her for a dance.

Leo who was now sitting beside Felicia, leaned closer to her. "I don’t like how Levi stood up. Felicia, did you wear that dress to steal my man?"

Felicia burst into laughter, and Levi sent Leo a deadly glare.

Leo lifted his hands in surrender, all innocent smile. "What? I’m just asking questions."

Athena shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips despite everything.

But deep inside, she could still feel Eryx’s gaze burning into her back, like he was silently saying... Ignore me all you want... I’ll still find you.

Felicia placed her hand on Levi’s and then grabbed Athena’s wrist before she could even mutter a refusal.

"No. No..." Athena started, but Felicia cut her off, shaking her head with a grin that was all mischief.

"I’m not taking no for an answer," Felicia said firmly, tugging her forward. "You’re going to dance tonight. Like it or not."

Athena’s protests fell on deaf ears. Felicia had already made up her mind.

Before Athena could think, Felicia had dragged her onto the center of the dance floor, right as the music swelled. Levi was already moving beside them, hands loose, smiling like he had no care in the world. And Leo? Well... he’d taken up the role of hype man with alarming enthusiasm.

"yeah...go girl" Leo shouted, gesturing to Athena. "The queen of the night! Watch her move, people! Watch!"

What a shameless bastard he was...

Athena froze for a second, eyes darting nervously around. So many faces were staring, all bright eyes and lingering gazes but she caught Leo’s grin and gave him a small, almost shy smile in return.

Felicia and Levi started dancing around her effortlessly, rhythm flowing, bodies loose and laughing.

Athena shot Felicia a pleading look. Just one. A tiny, "get me out of here please..." glance. Felicia didn’t flinch. Not an inch.

Instead, she grabbed Athena’s hand, giving it a playful tug, and pulled her into the beat. Athena’s foot tapped awkwardly at first, moving just slightly with the music. A faint grin crept onto her lips as she realized she wasn’t stumbling, wasn’t crashing and she was just moving.

Slowly, carefully, she began to sway. The music wrapped around her like a cloak, and for the first time in hours or maybe days, her mind stopped racing. She wasn’t thinking about Eryx. Not about Azrael. Not about the other Phantom Fours. Not about Oliver. She was just moving.

And then, something shifted.

Her sway became confident. Her hands moved with the rhythm, her hips rolling just slightly. Confidence built with each beat. She let her eyes close for a fraction, letting the music guide her.

Felicia’s eyes widened. "Whoa... okay!" she shouted, laughing. "Where did that come from?"

Leo was shouting at the top of his lungs now, pumping imaginary crowds, hyping Athena like she was the headline act of the century. "Look at her! Look at her move, people! That’s right...shake it girl... Athena! Shake it!"

Levi just smiled, quietly content, letting the music move him, moving along with Felicia and Athena. He leaned slightly toward Felicia and whispered with a smirk, "I didn’t know she was such a stepper."

Felicia’s laughter spilled out, loud and proud. "Neither did I! Look at her go!"

Meanwhile, across the dance floor, the Phantom Fours were frozen.