I walked carefully through the hotel's shiny hallways, the marble reflecting my footsteps. My fingers gripped the strap of my bag, the golden VIP ticket resting inside like a well-kept secret. I could hear faint whispers of far-off discussion, interrupted only by the faint sound of a piano from somewhere behind a closed door. Everything about this place screamed wealth and calm control—everything except my racing heart.
Auction. Cameras. Adrien and his curt instructions. The weight of it all began to feel a bit much but I forced myself to breathe normally and keep my steps firm and steady looking for the ballroom.
Then—bam.
Someone bumped into me, knocking the air from my lungs and my phone flew from my hand, falling carelessly down to the floor.
It felt like an eternity in the air, only to hit the ground with an horrifying crunch.
My chest tightened as I heard it— the sound of my phone cracking.
The woman I'd collided with gasped sharply, clutching her pearls while her purse hit the ground beside me. Her eyes blazed with fury.
"My purse! You b**ch! Do you have any idea how much that cost? Watch where you're going!" Her voice sliced through the quiet hallway.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. "I'm so sorry." I quickly bent down to grab her purse and my phone, already dreading how bad it was. Please be okay... please. I handed her the purse, then glanced at my phone's cracked screen. A heavy feeling settled in my stomach.
She looked at the damage, her eyes narrowing. "Looks like they let anyone in these days."
I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
She moved closer, a smirk on her face that didn't match her cold eyes. "You'll pay for my purse, you rat," she sneered. "And don't expect me to cover your cheap phone. You clearly hit me. Blind as a bat, playing dress-up just to feel like you belong around here."
Her words hurt more than the impact had.
I raised my chin and looked her straight in the eye. "That's funny. You obviously weren't paying attention too I think you owe me an apology."
She laughed, but it was a bitter sound. "Apologize? To you? Ha! I'm sure you sl*t around, don't you b**ch? I bet you're just using some rich guy's cash to pretend you belong here."
Before I could say anything back, she reached out and grabbed my hair.
I twisted away quickly, getting out of her grip like smoke and putting some distance between us.
"Keep your hands to yourself," I warned.
Her eyes narrowed with rage, but she held back, pressing her lips together as she hissed, "You can't talk to me like that, sl*t. You really don't wanna be on my bad side."
I held her stare, not backing down. "Go ahead, try me."
Still fuming, she turned to a tall guy about ten feet behind her—obviously her bodyguard. He tensed up at her words.
"Slap her," she spat, rage pouring from her eyes. "Show this little rat some respect."
The guy's jaw tightened, and for a moment, the air felt heavy with tension. Everyone around us seemed to be waiting for something to happen.
But I didn't flinch.
I held the bodyguard's icy gaze firmly. "You really want to do that?" I asked, my voice steady but low.
The woman grinned even wider, but I saw a flicker of hesitation in her bodyguard. Before the man could even move, a voice shattered the awkward silence like thunder.
"How dare you touch my woman?"
The voice was deep and authoritative, slicing through the silence like a knife.
Everyone turned to see who had spoken.
Standing just a few feet away, framed by the archway leading to the lobby was Adrien.
He was more terrifying than ever before. Dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit that hugged his broad shoulders his dark eyes were fixed on the woman and her bodyguard. His expression was icy, with his jaw clenched hard enough to look like stone. It felt like the temperature dropped around him.
Adrien spoke in a low and calm voice. "Back off. Now."
The woman scoffed and turned, ready to fire back. "And who cares if she's your wo─"
She stopped mid-sentence.
I saw her eyes widen, her mouth shut tight as color drained from her face. Her gaze locked on the figure behind her─on Adrien.
In an instant, her attitude changed.
"Mr. Walton," she stammered, dropping to her knees with a gasp. "I-I didn't know. Please forgive me. I didn't know she was with you─"
Adrien didn't flinch.
He looked at her like she was dirt under his shoe. Cold and detached.
Adrien made one slow deliberate step forward. His eyes never left the woman. He barely moved, but the amount of space he took in the room was able to register.
"You think you can just attack someone in my establishment," even though Adrien's voice wasn't raised, it vibrated with controlled threat, "and then order your muscle to assault her?" He gestured towards me, his hand sharp in the air. "My woman?"
He put emphasis on the last two words and let them hang in the air like an invitation to challenge him. It wasn't a question. It was a clear statement of authority.
The woman finally found her voice but it was now a high-pitched defensive squeak, losing all its earlier arrogance. "Mr walton! I─she ran into me! She broke my purse clutch!"
Adrien didn't back down. If anything, his gaze got sharper. "And you, in return, attempted to physically assault her and ordered your henchman to do the same." His eyes flicked to the bodyguard, who visibly flinched. "On the property of the people hosting this event. In a corridor where you should be conducting yourself with decorum, not brawling like a common street thug."
He took another step, closing the distance slightly. The woman instinctively took a step back, bumping into her frozen bodyguard.
"Consider this a warning," Adrien saidm, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone "You will apologize to her. Now. And you will ensure your... employee... keeps his hands to himself. Am I clear?"
Her face showed a mix of humiliation and anger. She looked between Adrien's firm expression and my carefully neutral one. She wanted to fight back, but Adrien's authority kept her in check.
Finally, she swallowed hard, her eyes still shooting daggers at me but with a tinge of forced calm.
"...I apologize," she muttered, the word tasting like ash on her tongue. It was barely audible, delivered through clenched teeth, but it was an apology nonetheless.
"Throw her out," he directed to one of his bodyguards as he spoke in disgust.
The woman gasped. "Please! I─"
"I said throw. her. out." His voice was firm.
The woman dropped to her knees and crawled forward, her face a look of pure terror.
"You can't do this, Mr. Walton! I have connections! My husband—" the woman shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation.
Adrien didn't say anything or even glance her way. He just kept staring at me.
Her begging stopped as Adrien's bodyguards moved in. Two guys in perfect suits seemed to appear out of nowhere. They didn't show any feelings and moved with careful steps.
One of them reached out, his grip strong but not overwhelmingly harsh, gripping the woman on the elbow. The other approached to halt the now-tensed bodyguard, who backed wisely without a word, his eyes fixed on Adrien, his face set in a look of fear and respect.
"Get your goddamn hands off me!" the woman screamed, pulling her legs underneath her to get off the floor. She had moved from furious to terrified in seconds. "Do you have any idea who I am? You can't do this!"
Adrien had not so much as flinched. His face was colder than the marble floor beneath him; he didn't have to say anything else. His silence was judgment.
The bodyguards were relentless. They ignored her yelling and practically dragged her down the hall, away from the people who'd gathered to watch the scene. Her angry voice faded into the background noise of the hotel, with a threat here and there as they took her toward the door.