Rielle's lips twitched. Not into a smile. If anything, she looked almost disgusted. "Then stop looking at me like that and go back to doing your job," she said coolly, brushing past him like he hadn't tried to play some alpha male.
Jace didn't move. Not until the scent of her faded into the crowd. And even then, all he could do was stare after her, with his fists clenched at his sides.
Rielle gritted her teeth, and stared down at her heels. She wanted to take it off, and hit Jace on the head with it.
"Fucking Aiden," she murmured as she scrolled through her call log. She failed him the moment she saw his name.
Aiden did not reply. His phone must be downstairs. She wasn't even supposed to be here with a cellphone.
She immediately hid her phone in her bag, looked around and rushed upstairs, to the rooftop.
Liam swallowed when saw her.
He didn't mean to. He wasn't even looking for her. She cut through the crowd like a storm in heels, with her jaw clenched, and her movements sharp, like she was seconds from erupting.
He took a closer look, and noticed her eyes were bloodshot. He leaned off the pillar he'd been casually posted against, one brow raised as she brushed past him without even sparing him a glance. Her scent lingered, citrus, spice, and something else he couldn't name but now couldn't forget.
His feet almost moved. He took one step, ready to follow. He just wanted to see where she was going, to say something—but then he caught sight of Cleo from across the room.
Her stare pinned him in place like a blade through the chest. Cleo stood by the bar, with her champagne untouched. Her posture was deceptively casual.
He held her gaze a second longer than he should've. Long enough for the corner of her mouth to curve into something that wasn't quite a smile. A warning, maybe. Or a threat.
Liam exhaled through his nose and rolled his jaw. Then he turned away from the direction Rielle had disappeared into, muttering under his breath, "Not tonight."
Not yet.
He was many things, but reckless wasn't one of them. He still believes Cleo has something to do with Lina's disappearance, if she was dead.
He doesn't want to add Rielle to the list.
.....
Rielle made it to the stairwell before her vision blurred. She was okay, but not fine at all. Changing who she was didn't change the people around her. It just showed her how worthless she was to each and every one of them.
She blinked fast, furious with herself. Her nails were biting into her palms as she forced the tears to behave. Not here. Not tonight. Not when she was wearing a fucking dress stitched with someone else's name and walking through a party filled with people who only looked twice to judge.
By the time she pushed open the rooftop door, the night air hit her like a slap. Cold, brutal, honest.
She stepped out slowly, each stride trembling beneath the weight of everything she hadn't said.
Her heels clicked against the concrete as she walked to the edge, but her body moved with practiced grace, so no one would guess the wreck she was inside.
The city stretched out beneath her. She looked up first. Always up. The sky offered nothing. Just darkness scattered with stars that didn't care. Yet, for some reasons, she always hoped her mother would speak to her.
Then slowly, she dropped her head and stared down. She felt like jumping. It wasn't about wanting to jump.
She just stood there, wondering what it would feel like not to hurt. Even for a second. To just hear her bones snap and finally be quiet.
She imagined what her bones would sound like against the pavement. If it would echo. If anyone would notice.
She didn't hear the door open again behind her.
Xander stood a few feet away, his eyes unreadable in the dark. The wind caught her skirt and lifted it slightly, exposing too much skin to too much cold. The material clung to her like a second breath, thin and stupid. Like she hadn't known she'd end up here.
He took a step forward.
Without saying a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Like it was nothing. Like she was nothing. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression one more time.
Rielle flinched, but she didn't take it off.
She turned slowly, her eyes still glassy, but voice soft, and nearly a whisper. "Why did you ignore me?"
The moment the jacket dropped on her, she knew who it would be, and she wasn't wrong.
Xander didn't answer. Of course he didn't. He turned to leave.
"Don't walk away," she stopped him. The words came out too fast. Too raw.
Her fingers closed around his collar before she could think. It wasn't a threat. It was a plea dressed in fury.
"Why did you bring me back? Was the ultimate plan to leave me confused?" She half yelled, and her tears finally streamed down her face.
Xander froze.
Not because of the touch, but because of the girl behind it. And because of her tears. He didn't want to see them. He can't stand tears, if they belonged to her.
A flicker passed through his eyes, but left the moment it came.
She blinked once, twice, as if waking from a daze, and her hand fell away from his shirt like it burned her.
"I—" she started, then stopped. Because what was she going to say? That she was sorry? That she didn't mean it? That he was the only one who made silence feel loud?
He stepped back, just enough to keep her out of reach. And still, he didn't say a word.
"Yeah," Rielle sniffed violently, and used the back of her palm to wipe her eyes. "You brought me back, so you can also use me as a stepping stone…" she eyed him bitterly. "You're a mean hypocrite."