Annabella’s Point of View:
I was surprised to see Adriel at the party, and thanks to the other guests’ stares, I slipped and fell into his arms again!
I noticed the tension between the two men; Logan and Adriel, and when Logan accused Adriel of murdering his lover, I couldn’t help but wonder if the rumors were true. I was supposed to be scared of him, but I can’t explain why I felt safe in his presence, it was like I’ve known him my whole life.
When the lady who I later got to know as Lola came to call him, I wanted to go along with him, but I scolded myself for forgiving him after he threatened me at the club.
My attention was fixed on Logan.
“Who is he to you?” I asked Logan curiously. I didn’t want to sound interested in Adriel, so I put carefree expressions on my face.
Logan sighed, and gently took my hand into his. This action surprised me because I barely knew him, and I would have voiced my dissatisfaction if he hadn’t apologized.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” He apologized on noticing the way I twisted my hand. He hastily let go of it, and I offered him a genuine smile.
“Adriel is one of my stepbrother brothers. I am Logan Lupa.” He fully introduced himself to me, and I was shocked.
“Wow, don’t tell me you are Lady Quinn’s son!” I squealed out excitedly, but soon after those words came out of my mouth, I blamed myself for not thinking straight because Logan introduced me to his mother at the club.
“Nope, I was born by his father’s mistress. We both share the same father, but different mothers. And, I must add, his mother hates my gut!” Logan informed me his voice was filled with sarcasm, and he laughed.
“Ohio!” I exclaimed and burst into laughter. “I guess that’s frictional stepmothers for you.” I continued sarcastically, and pecked Erica’s cheek before I left her side. Heading for the grand hall with Logan.
I didn’t mean to privy, but I wondered what could have caused the tension between the two step brothers.
“So, I am guessing you and Adriel are not friends.” I blurted out, unable to keep my curiosity to myself.
Logan paused for a minute before answering my question, “Yes, you are right. I have always tried to befriend him and his siblings, but they hate me. And Adriel still hasn’t forgiven his father for cheating on his mother.” Logan lied with a convincing voice, and I nodded my head sadly.
I would have believed him, in fact, I almost did, but then I knew there were two parts to a story, and it would be better to listen to the other team before judging.
“That must be very sad for you.” I croaked with an emotional tone, and Logan nodded in agreement.
Compared to the audience Adriel got when he was entering the hall, Logan was barely noticed by the crowd, and the few who noticed him weren’t whispering friendly comments.
But thanks to my presence, we were able to steal the spotlight, and as I took my first step into the grand hall, I knew I was in the presence of crazy wealthy people.
I was impressed by what I saw, and my eyes kept roaming about, admiring the room. “Wow! Never in my wildest dreams have I seen myself in a Lupa’s party!” I roared with an excited squeal.
“It looks so expensive and breathtaking! Oh my gosh! Is that a blood sculpture?” I seethed with excitement, as my eyes kept roaming around the room.
Logan stared at me with a funny look on his face and burst into laughter, “Why are you acting so weird? Have you forgotten you’re the top face of the entertainment industry in Limiha?”
“Yes, that’s true. But I am a millionaire, and the least net worth of a person in this gathering is at least hundreds of billionaires!” I uttered with agitation in my eyes, and Logan nodded his head in agreement.
“You are right, but don’t worry, very soon you will start attending parties like this.” He assured me with a serious expression on his face, and I arched my brows at him in surprise. I was about to ask him what he meant, when a young lady graced us with her presence.
“Hey, I heard you are Liam’s friend. What are you doing with this thing?” The young lady asked me, pointing her index finger at Logan. “And what’s your company’s net worth?” She continued with a hoarse voice. Although a little smile was on her face, behind it were suspicious looks and jealousy.
I was surprised at her words. I looked at Logan, wondering what she meant.
“Who is Liam?” I stuttered, unsure of what to ask, and the lady looked more surprised than I was.
“Lola, I think you’ve got the wrong person.” Logan interrupted her before she could respond, saving me a whole lot of trouble, and Lola shook her head in disappointment.
“What? That is not possible.” Lola stammered with a cracking voice.
Logan offered her a menacing smile, and gently pulled me into his arms as we both walked away from Lola’s side.
“She is Adriel’s stepsister. I guess she was trying to embarrass you.” Logan informed me as we both walked away.
I was still surprised and I turned my face to the back to look at the lady one last time. She was standing at the same spot, looking at me suspiciously, and I knew that something was wrong.
“By the way, how did you know Adriel? I totally forgot to ask you earlier.” Logan asked me curiously, and my attention was fixed on him once again. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t afford to tell him the truth.
“Emm …. I bumped into him at the club.” I stuttered as those lies left my mouth, and luckily, Logan bought it.
“Ohh, that’s fair enough. But I will advise you to stay away from him, because he is very toxic and his mother watches over him like a cassowary.” Logan whispered into my ears with a melancholic voice, and I laughed nervously.
“Why would I want to get close to him? He is very rude.” I muttered with a nervous smile, but deep down, I longed for Adriel, and wanted to get close to him.
We both laughed at my words, and at my moment, my eyes spotted Adriel on the dance floor, and our eyes locked, but I quickly looked away.
“Oh no! Can you give me a moment? I want to attend to my father. I promised him I would be by his side during the dance, since his wife has abandoned him.” Logan informed me with a polite voice, and I smiled broadly at him.
“Okay. I will wait for you.” I replied with a smile. But I was anxious about being alone in a strange gathering.
“If anyone bothers you, tell them you are my fiancee.” Logan advised me, and began to giggle on seeing the look of shock on my face. “Just kidding.” He continued and I sighed in relief.
As he left my side, I noticed that Adriel was no longer on the dance floor, and I couldn’t help but wonder where he went.
“He’s probably sucking a new girl’s chick.” I murmured jealousy and rolled my eyes.
The different drinks on the table caught my attention, and I decided to help myself.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who decided that, a young man with yellow eyes seemed to have taken a special interest in me, and as I tried to have a good time, the man kept smiling at me seducingly.
“What an old pervert!” I murmured under my breath and hissed, then my eyes landed on two ladies, they were also looking at me, but the look on their faces was suspicious. The first lady was Lola, and the second, I got to know her name was Roselian.
I felt suffocated all of a sudden, and it felt like I was being watched. My heart began to beat fast as everyone slowly started looking at me with wary eyes. I wondered if they knew something about me.
I swiftly set the glass of wine down on the table and turned to make a hasty exit, but the man was hot on my heels. I quickened my pace, my heart racing, and darted into the first available doorway I saw.
It wasn’t until I stumbled out onto the balcony that I realized I was in Lupa’s private quarters. I began to breathe fast, and rested on the walls, and while checking to see if I was being followed, my hand scratched the wall, and down fell a drop of blood.
“Argh!” A muffled cry escaped from my throat in agony.
“Annabella?” I heard a growl, as Adriel’s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly hunger.