Page 31

Olivia

T he last time I was here, I was planning my best friend’s wedding to a man she didn’t choose. Their wedding was the biggest wedding of the century.- a truce between Westlans and Prevyains after the war. Then Tyson died, Charlotte fell in love, and then she left.

Without a goodbye. Without anything.

I spent months thinking about what happened. Why she left so abruptly. But then she returned, and the truth came out. About her mother, her father’s disappearance, about the feud between their families, between Westlans and Prevyains.

Charlotte was in the hospital for weeks. Her own mother shot her. Stabbed her. Beat her. And I couldn’t bring myself to go and see her. To text back. To get over myself and fix things.

Now I’m in their house with hundreds of people dressed to the teeth in brightly colored silks and jewel-toned suits. My own dress, an emerald ball gown with tulle like petals of a flower, is probably the most extravagant thing I’ve ever worn. A thin golden tiara sits at the braided crown on my hair, lose loose curls spilling down my back.

I spot so many familiar faces in the crowd. Some people stop and chat, others dance and wave from afar. Just as the music swells and the night builds, I spot them.

Skar and Charlotte Benenati.

Skar looks nothing like his father, Tyson, but he exudes the same power and authority. One look might bring a man to their knees. His dark hair, calculating eyes, and web of tattoos only add to the dark air about him.

But Charlotte... Charlotte is stunning.

Her brown hair, previously long and curled, is bluntly chopped at her shoulders, exposing the length of her back. It shows off the dark tattoos sprawling her skin. Tattoos she, and every Prevyain woman, was forced to get. But her eyes have always been her sharpest feature. Green and observant... Quick to notice every detail.

Skar stands behind her, hand skimming her shoulders over her backless navy dress. They’re talking with another couple near the stairs, and for a moment, I watch as they interact. As Charlotte looks up at him. Smiles. Leans in and pats his chest as he whispers something in her ear.

They look- happy. In love. The sight makes my heart swell.

“Ms. Hughes.”

Crew appears behind me. Heat radiates off of him, the tension undeniable, but he must see me looking at them. I glance back for only a moment to see them looking my way, and I panic.

“I need a drink.” I say, twisting to meet his brown eyes. “Please.”

I can’t read the look on his face as he glances at me. It’s almost as if he’s drawing up some kind of exit plan like the night at my mother’s memorial party. But this isn’t something I can avoid forever.

Crew juts his chin behind me, and I turn to see my father across the crowd, gently waving us over. We make our way closer, Crew creating a path.

“Button!” Dad shouts, interrupting the people he’d been talking to to hug me. He draws back, squeezing my shoulder. “You came!”

“Of course I did.”

He smiles, pinching my cheek as his eyes distractedly dart toward Crew. He looks away, turning back to his associates. “I’ve introduced you to my daughter, right?”

I fall into conversation with them easily enough. The small talk and latest social gossip is second nature by now, but when Dad dismisses himself to go to the restroom, I’m left to fend for myself. I steel my nerves as I look across the crowd and catch Charlotte’s eye.

She flashes a small smile, and I try my best to return it. She leans toward Skar to whisper something. He nods, kissing her temple before she strolls this way.

“Will you please excuse me?” I dismiss myself, politely smiling at Dad’s friends before stepping away.

She hasn’t changed much. Her eyes are the same piercing green they’ve always been, and while she still has this fierceness about her, she seems… lighter. Happier maybe. Despite everything that’s happened.

“You look beautiful,” she breathes, and I know from the sweep of her gaze that she means it.

“Thank you. You do too, Charlotte. You always have.”

She smiles again, and another blanket of quiet settles over us before she looks to Crew. “Mind if I steal her away for a minute?”

He smirks. “I could use a word with your husband.”

“He’s all yours,” she says, and when he glances at me as he passes, an unspoken agreement passes between us:

He’ll be here if I need it.

“Steer clear of the hors d’oeuvres, Char,” he teases. “The hosts hired a shit cook.”

Funny, considering they’re hosting.

She rolls her eyes as he strolls off, leaving us alone. “Hi,” I say again because I’m not really sure what else to say.

I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you? I’m hurt that you left? I’m sorry your mother died?

There are a million things to say and somehow, I can’t manage to speak any of them.

“Hey.” She steps closer to hear me over the clamor of the party.

“Been busy with a certain brother-in-law’s wedding?”

“I’m never busy enough somehow. I hear you’ve been busy as well.”

“Yeah” is my sheepish response. “Never ending really. But it’s the good kind of crazy.”

“I knew you’d kick ass,” she grins, offering a knowing look.

Another wave of silence passes, and I find myself reaching up to twist a lock of my hair between my fingers. “I’m… sorry to hear about your mother. And father. Everything that happened was-“

“Shitty,” she finishes with a huff, and I smile. “I’m glad it happened. I…” For the first time since I’ve known her, Charlotte Orlova - no- Charlotte Benenati is at a loss for words. “Leaving the way I did was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.” Her eyes are shining as she says it. “But being gone made me realize everything I had to lose.”

Words are caught in my throat, hanging heavy on my chest.

I know , I want to say.

But I shift my gaze and see Crew standing with Skar across the hall. They’re both stealing stealthy glances this way, but I can tell when Crew is watching from afar.

“You both look happy,” I comment because it’s true. For a man known for his cold demeanor, I’ve never seen him smile like he does with her. She blushes beat-red at the words, casting a long heated look at her husband, who merely smirks as he says something to Crew.

“I can’t believe I’m saying it, but we are.” Her smile is bright. “Are you, Liv?”

I want to answer honestly. I want to sit back, have drinks, and laugh about everything that’s happened, but a lash of unwanted feeling rises in my chest. And here…Now…

This isn’t the time or place for those things .

“Doing the best I can.”

She sees my hesitation, my inability to give her the friendship we both want, but she nods. “How would you feel about dinner one night? Our usual place… we can start small? Maybe talk about the wedding?”

She means the country club where we used to meet.

Small sounds doable.

“I’d like that,” I say quietly as she squeezes one of my hands.

“Don’t look now, but someone is coming to say hello,” she says under her breath. With a knowing look in lieu of goodbye, I see what she means:

Chase.

“One word and he’s gone,” she murmurs, and when she joins her husband, I know she’s still watching.

“Hey. I didn’t know you’d be here,” I start as he approaches. The strong smell of his pine cologne wafts toward me followed by a wave of aftershave.

“Last minute invite.” He grins, and I nod as I glance over the party for an out.

“Are you someone’s plus one then?”

As I say it, I see another familiar face step into view. Aleks. His charcoal gray gray suit is paired with a brightly colored kerchief in his pocket. Next to him, Sofia stands in an exquisite white dress, an elegant smile gracing her face.

“He’s mine,” Aleks introduces, his hand as Sofia’s waist. “Well, my other plus-one. I didn’t know you two knew each other.” He motions between Chase and I.

“Nor I, you.” All of the connections are honestly getting dizzying, but I take it in stride.

Chase stuffs a hand in his pocket, twisting to me. “I believe everyone’s acquainted now. Can I get you a drink?”

“Ms. Hughes.”

I hear over my shoulder, and I turn to see Crew, proffering a crystal glass. Surprised, I take it, eying him carefully. “Thank you.”

Chase inflates, fists forming at his side. Crew ignores him, shifting a step closer as his gaze finds Aleks. “Hey, Kid. Good to see you out of the house.”

“You got guard duty tonight, huh?”

“Wouldn’t risk missing a party like this,” he smirks, but it doesn’t dissolve the tension in the air as Chase and Crew meet eyes again.

“How’s Taylor?” Aleks begins, and I swallow down a sip of my drink, surprised when I find it’s a lemony, sweet mocktail.

How he got it , I don’t know since the bar is slammed busy.

I glance at him again, noticing a muscle in his jaw feather. The look on Chase’s face is all anger. Maybe that’s why I step closer toward Crew, my arm brushing his chest. He doesn’t move away, listening to something Aleks is saying.

I excuse myself, offering a quiet “ Bathroom ” when Crew raises a brow. I make my way beneath the stairs to the washroom. The door opens- only someone stumbles out, ramming my chest with enough force that I stumble back.

“Dammit,” the man curses, and when his bloodshot eyes find mine, I realize… It’s my father.

“Button, so sorry. I didn’t see you.” He squeezes my shoulders to steady me. Only he won’t meet my eye. Instead, he uses a hand to brush some dust off his jacket. “You okay?” he asks, wiping his nose.

“I’m fine,” I say, my gut churning as he wipes his nose again.

“Enjoying the party?” he asks quickly, and when I nod, he smiles, heading back to the group he’d been talking with earlier.

But even as I stroll inside the lounge before the bathrooms, I can’t shake the odd feeling.

Why was my father in the lounge? And what was the powder on his jacket?