Page 26

This secret room was so big that it wasn’t even a room; it was a closet. There were a lot of women’s clothes and a few men’s suits in it. I ran my fingers over the fabrics as I walked up to the drawer in the middle that had jewellery on display. I picked up the picture frame that was leaning against the drawer. It was a picture of a girl. She looked beautiful in a dark red dress. Her skin was flawless, and her hair was dark brown and perfectly pinned back. This must be Sebastian’s long-lost lover or something. Why else would he have a whole room full of her stuff?
Also, why does this make me so mad?
I keep telling myself that I’m mad because he’s dating my mum and has a room with this other woman, but what if I’m mad because he never told me about her? Anyway, screw him and his perfect face.
The red dress stood out from all the other plain dresses. It wasn’t just any red; it was a deep scarlet red.
I quickly grabbed the dress and carefully stepped out of the closet. I looked back at the door and saw that Caleb had done it. I smiled as I walked back to my room.
I can’t wait to see his face when he sees me in this.
My black heels made a noise on the shiny floor. Maya was also wearing a lovely pale yellow dress. Caleb looked at me and seemed to be struggling with his feelings. He tried to grab my arm, but I gently pushed him away.
“I want to walk in by myself,” I said with a smile. Caleb understood and nodded.
Caleb hooked his arm with his little sister’s. I just now noticed how much Maya and Caleb look alike. Caleb and Maya were in front, and I was right behind them. The red dress fit me perfectly, and my hips were swinging back and forth smoothly. I decided to follow the picture directly. My hair was in an elegant bun, I wore red lipstick, and my eye shadow was made up of warm n**e colours. Caleb took us down to a room that looked like a basement. I’ve never been here before.
“Is it down here?” I ask.
“Yes. It happens once a year, and people from all over come to celebrate the Devereux name.” Caleb answered my question and told me more.
The lights were flashing, and the music was slow and hypnotic. Before going in, Caleb stopped and reached inside his suit. He took out three masks. Two were black and one was red.
“You wear the red one,” Caleb said as he handed me the red mask. I looked down at it. What’s the deal with red?
I asked, “Why?” “Shouldn’t I have the same mask as you guys?”
Caleb told me, “You’re his date, so everyone knows who you’re with.” I was still worried, but I just listened and did what he said.
Before we went into the room, we all looked at each other’s masks. This basement was huge. People were wearing pearls, diamonds, and expensive suits and dresses. It seemed fishy. The music was so loud that I couldn’t even hear myself think. Everyone looked so classy and nice.
I held the red dress so I wouldn’t trip as I walked down the long stairs. When I got to the bottom, I started to feel nervous, but I don’t know why. I looked around and saw that I was the only one wearing a red mask. This seemed to get everyone’s attention. Maya and Caleb seemed to be pretty at ease.
“Find Sebastian,” Caleb whispered to me before walking over to a table full of men. Maya followed him.
Awesome
“Mrs. Devereux.” A man in a black tuxedo and a black mask came in. I’m pretty sure I’ve never met him before.
“Who are you?” I ask.
The man didn’t say anything for a few seconds before answering. “A friend of Sebastian,” the man said with a smile that made me feel uneasy.
“Speaking of Sebastian, I really should—”
“I can’t believe you’re wearing Debra’s dress,” the man said. That girl in the picture must be Debra. I didn’t get any friend vibes from this guy; he was definitely creepy.
“Debra?” I ask.
“My fiancée before Sebastian killed her,” the man said, and his voice got dark and angry. This wasn’t Sebastian’s friend; this was his enemy.
“I-I.”
He grabbed my elbow and started to pull me through the crowd of people. The lights were flashing and making noise so much that I couldn’t see where he was taking me. I tried to pull my hand away from his strong grip, but it wasn’t strong enough. I kept tripping over my heels until I finally kicked them off while he dragged me.
“Let me go,” I yelled. The loud music made it hard for anyone to hear me.
Finally, the music stopped, the lights stopped flashing, and we stopped moving. The cold air touched my pale skin, and I shivered. We were on the roof, outside.
I yelled, “What do you want?” The man pushed me back, and I almost fell to the ground, but I was able to keep my balance.
“Sebastian Devereux is the devil. He took everything from me. He hides behind his money and power, but I don’t need either of those things. I just need his pain,” the man growled. He took off his mask and showed me his face, which was all burned. I realised what was going on and my eyes got big.
“Please don’t do this,” I begged.
“Sebastian has a lot of secrets, and you’re about to find out his biggest one.” The man came a little closer to me, and I backed up slowly. “Debra is his sister.” Sebastian has a sister.
I was shocked and gasped. That girl was his sister. I’m wearing the dress of the sister he killed. I hated myself for taking that wardrobe. It was hers.
“He started the fire because he wanted his father’s power, and Debra was the firstborn, so she was going to get the cartel.” The man laughs dryly. The man held up his hand to show off his wedding ring. “Sebastian wasn’t having any of it,” he yelled. “I ran into the fire to save my wife and unborn child, but it was too late,” the man said, tilting his head to show me his burns.
This can’t Rodger is really a monster. I can’t breathe. I slept with a killer who was cold-blooded.
“Sebastian told me, ‘She knew what was coming.'” The man suddenly pulled a gun out of his suit, and my heart raced.
“Don’t… Please, be better than him,” I said softly.
“Take off your mask,” the man said.
My hands were shaking as I reached for the string on my mask and slowly unwrapped it. When the mask came off, my lips shook. He looked shocked, and his face turned ghostly pale.
“Who are you?” The man aimed the gun at his head. I jumped up in fear. I don’t want to see anyone die; that would ruin me.
I put my hands up to show that I wasn’t a threat.
“Aria,” I said right away.
“Why do you look so much like her?” the man yelled. I felt bad because Sebastian ruined this guy’s life just because he loved his sister. “Sebastian picked you because you look just like Debra!” the man yelled in anger. I slowly walked up.
The man pointed the gun at me again, and I stopped completely. I bit my lip and tears ran down my cheeks.
I asked, “What’s your name?” to get him to stop thinking about the gun he had in his hand.
“Tyler Diego.”
“Tyler, I’m Aria Callahan. My mum is engaged to Sebastian,” I said. I held up my hand to show off my engagement ring. I then put my hands out, palms down, to show off my engagement ring. “I’m engaged to another man, not Sebastian.” My voice shook because I was so scared.
“No,” the man yells. “I know everything. He’s in love with you but engaged to your mother.” The man c***s the gun and moves closer to me, ready to shoot.