5. Chapter 5
Chapter five
Grayson sat on the private balcony of Le Palais and looked down at the stage. Thanks to the bright spotlight mounted just beneath the balcony, anyone sitting here could watch the performance with complete anonymity. Below the crowd clapped as they welcomed the next performer and Grayson's eyes cut to the curtain movement to the right of the stage.
A figure swathed in white stepped out from the dark curtains and smiled as she carefully stepped onto the stage. Grayson leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. She was—stunning.
Wrapped in a beautiful white dress dusted with sparkling jewels that caught the light, the fabric clung to her curves and hung off her shoulders. Her short black curls framed her face perfectly and he thought of the Betty Boop keychain that used to dangle off her backpack years ago.
The lights in the lounge lowered and the spotlights brightened as she grabbed the mic and began to sing, Your Soul Is as Black as Night .
Your gaze may be complete
Yet the tale I repeat
Says your soul is as dark as night
Your words may be kind
Beyond what I can find
Yet your soul is as dark as night
Golden Ray, a name he thought beautiful albeit odd when his son first mentioned the girl his freshman year. Yet, upon meeting her, the girl proved to be even more striking and peculiar than he could have imagined. He had followed the beautiful notes of her singing down the hall of his house fully prepared to commend his son on his improvement in music taste. What Grayson hadn't anticipated was finding a girl singing instead of the sound system. A girl who was standing wrapped in a towel actually singing the old jazz song beautifully. Immediately, he knew she simply had to be one of Gaige's many flings.
Grayson smirked at the thought even now. He couldn't have been more wrong. Probably for the first and last time in his son's life Gaige actually viewed a girl—a beautiful girl—as a friend. No one could have been more shocked than him at the fact. Letting his gaze fall onto Golden's face now, Grayson observed how her eyes closed at the song's crescendo, the perfect notes rising into the air surrounding every listener.
The buzz of his phone disturbed the moment and Grayson reluctantly pulled it from his pocket. Speaking of his son—his name flashed on the screen. Grayson let the phone ring three more times as Golden sang her last note and the applause rose and fell. Finally, he swiped the screen.
"Son," he answered.
"Father," Gaige replied matching his deadpan tone. Grayson smirked as Gaige continued. "I take it your professional stalker informed you of Golden's new address?"
Grayson's eyes flicked back down to the stage and watched as Golden spoke to the band behind her. "He did," he replied smoothly.
There was a moment's pause and Grayson could imagine his son's eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Just do me a favor and don't run her off again."
It was his turn to be annoyed. Grayson took in a long breath before smiling coldly, letting the frost slip into his tone. "And do me a favor, son, remember that a ninety-nine on a test is no better than a zero in your International Law class."
Gaige didn't reply, the line simply went dead. Grayson's smile widened for a moment just as Golden began her next song but it soon faded as his thoughts turned back to her. Throughout his son’s high school years, Grayson had developed a fondness for the girl who was constantly by Gaige's side. That fondness only made the mistake he committed two years ago all the more painful. Not only did it cost him his son's anger, but the stark void left by Golden's sudden departure from his life.
This time, there would be no mistakes.