EIGHTEEN
Aliya
PRESENT
I would give up many things just to see Lio one last time.
My pride, for example.
Because that’s exactly what I did when I decided to show up at Milan Shane’s party after everything that happened between us.
Because Adena is avoiding me, I had to come here in a cab.
It’s obvious that I’m not made for going to parties and having fun because I’ve been sitting huddled in a corner for half an hour, watching everyone else around me have a good time.
Most of the girls are walking around in bikini tops and shorts, even though the night isn’t very mild.
I feel a piercing gaze on my skin and look in the direction. To my surprise, it’s McKinney, staring at me darkly. He’s sitting in the heated pool with Lidia Vance, but his eyes are glued to me.
You and I aren’t done yet.
That’s what he said to me just before he disappeared. Does he want revenge on me? Back me into a corner and threaten me again? Even the Legions can’t bring me down completely. McKinney is the last person here I’m going to let take me down.
Silver Moore – in charge of the SVH’s student newspaper – has been following me since I arrived and hasn’t let me out of her sight for a second. She’s probably looking for new stories to report on now I’m the talk of the school.
I’ve never exchanged a word with her and ignore her constant attempts to start a conversation with me today. I’m not interested in having another rumor about me spread next week.
“You’re really hard to get through, you know that?” She leans back on the lounger we’re sitting on.
Silver looks like a fairy tale heroine come to life. White-blond hair, ice-blue crystal eyes, her gaze bold and her skin smooth as ivory.
“The bitches who jump into bed with Milan Shane always cry when he moves on to someone else. But you seem unfazed, even though he’s flirting with your friend. Interesting.” She points her head at Milan, who is sharing a lounger with Adena.
He’s wearing nothing but long, black swim shorts that end just above his knees. Tall, with broad shoulders and a golden tan that highlights his shapely body.
I squint my eyes into slits and turn back to Silver. “First of all, I didn’t sleep with him. Secondly, she’s not my friend. And third, stay the hell out of my business. It’s none of your concern.”
“You’re quick-witted, I like that,” she chuckles. “Don’t worry, I’m on your side.”
I raise an eyebrow in confusion.
She crosses one leg over the other. A mischievous smile plays around her lips. “At the awards ceremony. I saw you scratch his car.”
My eyes widen in surprise. I was sure no one was in the parking lot when I did it. But Shin and Milan also saw it without me noticing them, so it’s likely that someone else was there too.
“And seeing you turn down John McKinney showed me once again that you’re different from the others.”
She scrolls through her phone and holds it out to me. A video shows McKinney pushing me into a corner. She filmed it?
I take the phone from her hand to have a closer look at the video. It’s clear he’s harassing me. I could destroy his career with this tape.
But why the hell does Silver Moore have all this on video?
My face darkens. “Did you take the picture of me and Shane?”
The fact that she knows about the scratch and McKinney suggests she’s been stalking me for some time. She writes the school newspaper, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she also runs the stoneviewgossips website and starts all the rumors.
She shakes her head. “You’ve misunderstood me. I have nothing to do with this.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because I’m trying to help you!”
She speaks too loudly, causing some people to look in our direction.
Immediately she clears her throat and lowers her voice. “I hate – HATE – the trio. Actually, hate is an understatement. Legions? They should rather call themselves Assholes .”
My lip twitches up slightly. I didn’t think there was anyone else on the SVH besides me who didn’t have a thing for these guys. Although, after what I’ve already done with Milan, I’m not sure I can count myself among them.
“I’ve got an entire USB stick full of dirty details about them. They think they can get away with anything just because their daddies are rich and powerful. But with the evidence I have, no one will be able to stop them from going to jail.”
When I watched and filmed them setting fire to a van, I figured they had probably done even worse things. Apparently, Silver has been following them for a while without their knowledge and actually has incriminating evidence.
But why is she telling me all this?
“And what are you trying to tell me now?”
She looks around nervously. “No one at this school would dare scratch Milan Shane’s car at his father’s event.”
I wouldn’t have done it either if I’d known he was sitting on the ground a few cars away watching me scratch it.
“And despite all the rumors and humiliation, you still showed up. I admire that.”
It’s the first time anyone has ever shown me admiration.
She probably thinks I’m here to show my classmates that nothing will get me down. But the real reason I’m here is Lio.
“I’ve collected everything, but I … don’t have the guts to make it public. I hate them, but I don’t want to make them my enemies. I know it will be of great use to you. You can destroy them with it.”
I see.
She doesn’t want to get her hands dirty, and since my reputation is already ruined, she wants me to do the dirty work for her.
Hell no.
I have no need to use someone else’s help to get back at them.
“If you really want to make it public, go ahead. But don’t let others do the work for you.”
She bites nervously on her lower lip. “If it were possible, I’d have done it already! But I … just can’t do it!”
She’s afraid the Reynolds, Shane and Masuda families will come after her. A non-trivial worry. If she sends the heirs of the richest families in Palmer Woods to jail, they’ll probably do everything they can to ruin her life. No one in her class can mess with those families, and definitely not me.
“Listen to me, Silver,” I begin. “If you’re so afraid of making all this public, maybe you should just leave it alone instead of trying to force it on someone else.”
She wants to argue with me, but I don’t let her speak. “There’s one thing I despise more than the Legions, who think they rule over everything and everyone.”
Speechless, she watches me, her mouth remaining open as her gaze follows each of my movements.
“And these are dissemblers who try to destroy others’ lives because they are too cowardly to take responsibility for their own actions.” I rise from the lounger. “I don’t need your help. If I want to destroy them, I’ll play and win – and I’ll do it all by my own means.”
The fact that she has tried to impose something on me that she doesn’t want to do herself makes me incredibly furious. I won’t let people continue to see my reticence as a weakness and take advantage of it.
To get through the night, I need something to drink.
I have to delay my plan to sneak into the Shane house and look for information about Lio and the nickname “Stitch”.
The Shane mansion is really impressive, both in terms of size and extravagance. In addition to the beautifully manicured lawns, there is also a long pool and a large whirlpool with steam billowing out of it.
I ignore the murmurings around me and head for the bar. I have no intention of getting drunk. I need to keep a clear head to carry out my plan. Besides, I would never drink when there are so many people around who are definitely up to no good.
I look for water, but then choose ginger ale. Just as I’m about to fill my glass, a hand rests on my waist and makes me flinch.
I don’t even need to turn around because the woody smell, mixed with cigar smoke, hits my nose as he rests his head on my shoulder.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay away from Milan? And the first thing you’re going to do is show up at his party?” Damian clicks his tongue. “Such a wicked girl.”
Water drips from his hair onto the free skin of my shoulder as his hand leaves my waist and rests on my stomach instead, pulling me closer to him.
“How should I punish you, huh?” he whispers in my ear.
I place the bottle back on the counter before I laboriously remove his hand from me and turn to face him.
He’s wearing nothing but low-cut swim shorts, showing off a tanned, trained body that would make any other girl faint.
“I was invited.” Indirectly.
When Milan found out I wanted to come to his party, he didn’t mind.
“Oh, I remember. But shouldn’t you be wearing a bikini? I can’t see it.” His eyes gleam mischievously as his fingers graze the fabric of my white T-shirt, trying to lift it. But I slap his hand away, my expression hardening into a scowl.
A deep laugh escapes his throat. “Got it. You just want to show it to Shane. How loyal of you.”
He steps closer, resting his hands on the counter beside me. “I’m afraid he’s a bit busy at the moment. Your little friend is dying to fuck him. She’s glued to him all the time.”
I follow Damian’s gaze and see Adena sitting on Milan’s lap, her slender limbs draped in a baby blue strapless bikini. Her arms are wrapped around his neck and her face is pressed close to his, flirting shamelessly.
Milan’s eyes drift over to us, narrowing slightly when he notices Damian’s hands on the counter beside me. As Adena leans in and presses her lips to his, I turn my head back to Damian.
A strange feeling of unease and discomfort spreads through me. It’s silly, I know it’s silly, but I can’t shake the feeling.
He’s probably going to fuck her tonight.
A lightning bolt runs through my body as I imagine him taking her in the bathroom, or worse, in his room.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I ask Damian, who smirks playfully at me.
“No need to pretend you don’t care. I know seeing them together is killing you. But like I told you before, he won’t change for anyone. Especially not for you.”
He knows exactly what to say to upset or hurt someone. I decide to ignore him, reach for my glass and bottle and want to go back to my lounger. But his hands next to me don’t move.
“And you know what, Servant? He’ll be busy with someone else tonight. Too busy to take you. That’s why you’re here, right? But don’t worry, I’ll fuck you instead, so you won’t even notice the difference. You don’t care whether Milan or I am the one whose cock you’re sucking, do you? You’re happy as long as someone’s fucking your mouth. That’s what all whores like.”
I pause when he dares to call me a cheap whore, just like McKinney did.
But Damian is worse.
Because there’s no guarantee that he won’t make his words come true. He’s the devil himself, hidden behind angelic eyes.
Without giving much thought to the consequences of my action, I empty my ginger ale into his face.
A few people around us gasp, but Damian doesn’t even flinch as the cold drink splashes onto his face and runs down his forehead and cheeks.
“I’d rather die than get into bed with you.”
The blue of his eyes darkens, and his lips press into a straight line. He lifts a hand to wipe the liquid from his face, his gaze never leaving mine.
If we were alone, I’d probably be afraid he’d kill me, but I know he won’t hurt me here in the presence of other people.
I put the empty glass back on the counter and leave him behind.
Two familiar eyes look at me, but I don’t face him.
Just as I walk past the pool, someone grabs me hard and yanks me back. My face collides with Damian’s bare chest and a pain runs through my nose.
He breathes uneasily as he tightens his grip on my wrist. But then his serious expression suddenly turns into a wide grin.
Yeah, he’s definitely a sociopath.
But something catches my eye that I hadn’t noticed until just now. The skin on his lower chest is wrinkled, creased and puckered. It contrasts sharply with the rest of his tanned body, likely a result of an old burn.
Before I can take a closer look, he leans down toward me.
“So you’d rather die than sleep with me?” His voice is a low, dangerous whisper in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“For someone who doesn’t think much of life, you sure talk a big game.”
The world seems to stand still for a second as his words replay in my head.
It can’t be.
No.
It’s not possible.
The only person who knows that I loathe life so much that I once tried to end it isn’t here.
Lio isn’t here. And yet Damian talks as if he knows exactly what happened three years ago in December.
Before I can reply, he pushes me over the edge of the pool straight into the water.
The ice-cold water surrounds me and pulls me into the depths against my will. The noises around me fade to a dull roar as I’m trapped in this opaque blue.
For someone who doesn’t think much of life, you sure talk a big game.
I never considered that Lio might have told anyone about what I tried to do three years ago but failed. I always assumed that it was something that only Lio and I knew.
A secret.
My body fights against the pressure of the water that holds me down and time stretches out like an endless martyrdom.
Finally, I break through the surface of the water with a stifled gasp. My heartbeat echoes loudly in my ears.
My angry gaze immediately shoots to Damian, who has crouched at the edge of the pool and is smiling devilishly at me. “I thought you could use a cool down.”
A biting hatred flares up inside me and every drop of water that drips from me intensifies the rage within me.
“Come on, I’ll make it up to you.”
As if this humiliation wasn’t enough, he reaches out his hand to pull me out of the water. But I simply show him my middle finger before swimming to a free section of the pool. The rough edge scratches my fingertips as I try to pull myself out.
The sudden silence in the air is oppressive as everyone’s eyes are on me. I can literally feel the malicious joy in them.
Looking down at myself, I realize that my white T-shirt is now sticking to my body like a second, transparent skin, revealing all my contours. Instead of putting my arms protectively in front of my chest to preserve my intimacy, I let them stare and whisper.
Walking past Damian to my lounger, I grab my bag. Silver starts to say something but stops herself when she notices my annoyed scowl.
It’s better that way.
Furious, I ignore all the curious onlookers and enter the Shane mansion.
There is something good about Damian’s action. Thanks to him, I can now start implementing my plan to search the house for information sooner than expected.
And then let’s get out of here.
Through the wide-open door of the conservatory, I enter a spacious hallway that leads me into a labyrinth of doors and a majestic staircase to the second floor. Surprisingly, the interior of the house isn’t shining in gold and pompous design. Instead, I’m greeted by a solid color palette of grey and black, which creates a rather oppressive atmosphere.
I hear voices coming from one of the rooms and assume it must be the bathroom. Without knocking, I yank the door open. One of the basketball players, whose name I don’t know, is getting pleasured by Emily Hawkins from my grade. Both heads turn jerkily in my direction.
“Fuck, what are you doing?” he curses as he turns away to put his little friend back in his swim shorts.
Emily Hawkins stands up immediately and wipes her lips in embarrassment. She straightens her bikini top before glaring at me with her eyebrows drawn together. “Are you crazy? You can’t just barge in here!”
It’s not my fault they didn’t lock up when they were planning to have fun in the bathroom.
“Get out.”
Her eyes widen, as if she’s not sure she’s heard me correctly. Her gaze wanders to my soaked T-shirt, which doesn’t cover much of me anymore. She takes far too long, so I pull her out of the bathroom by her arm and she stumbles out.
“Fuck off,” I shout at the basketball player, who leaves the bathroom almost in fear.
With my nerves on edge, I slam the door shut and lock it. I run my fingers through my wet hair and brush it out of my face. A glance in the mirror shows me the outline of my bra.
I strip the wet clothes off my body to squeeze out the moisture. If anyone has taken a photo of this humiliation and it gets published on the stoneviewgossips website, I’m ruined.
The photo of Milan and me will limit my future chances enough if I don’t manage to get rid of it.
I’m wringing out my T-shirt when suddenly someone knocks on the door.
“Busy,” I call back.
“It’s me. Shin.”
I pause in my movement and stare at the closed door.
“I’ve brought you something to change into and a towel. You can throw your wet clothes in the dryer. The laundry room is right next door.”
My mouth opens in surprise. He brought me clothes? Of all people, Shin?
I pull myself out of my stupor. “Can you please bring me a plastic bag? I’ll be heading home.”
“Do you need anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Thanks.”
I hear Shin’s footsteps move away from the door. We’ve had our issues in the past, but since the incident with McKinney, things have changed. Back then, he looked at me like he wanted to kill me every time we crossed paths. Now, he brings me a change of clothes after his friend pushed me into the water.
Shin Masuda isn’t as cold-hearted as he always pretends to be.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t tell his friends that he spends his lunch breaks drinking.
A few minutes later he comes back. “I left it all here.”
“Thanks, Shin.”
I wait a few seconds to be safe before I open the door a small crack and reach for the things he has placed on the floor in front of the bathroom.
Right away, I lock the door and dry myself off with the towel. I wrap my hair in it and put on the black T-shirt that most likely belongs to him. As he is taller than me, it ends just above my knees. I stuff my wrung-out clothes into the plastic bag and tie it up tightly before squeezing it into my bag. After removing the wet towel from my hair, I make myself a high ponytail. Carelessly, I throw the towel into one of the many laundry baskets.
Mission Find information about Lio can start now.
Once I’m sure that all the guests are outside the house, I sneak upstairs. My instinct tells me that I’m more likely to find something on the second floor.
I want to open the first door, but it’s locked.
Fuck.
I hope Milan wasn’t clever enough to lock everything. The second door is unlocked, but it’s a bathroom.
If Milan catches me snooping around his house, there’s nothing I can do to save myself. Although he’s probably far too busy pleasuring Adena.
That cock-driven bastard.
When Damian pushed me into the water, I had this tiny little hope in me that Milan would do something or at least say something.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he had Adena fawning over him. Yet it was less than two days ago that he kissed me more intimately than anyone else in my life. And I know I’m not the only one who wasn’t unconcerned.
He wanted me. Me .
But now he wants Adena. Just like he wanted Olivia twenty minutes before he crushed his lips to mine.
After four more closed doors, the next one opens. To my surprise, this time it’s not a bathroom, but a library.
I don’t turn on the light so that no one on the outside notices that someone is up here. Only the warm light from the corridor illuminates the room, revealing several shelves filled to the ceiling with books in a soft glow.
The characteristic smell of old pages and wooden furniture envelops me. I enter the room but leave the door open.
I can’t imagine that Milan has ever used this room in his life. But maybe Evan Shane is someone who reads a lot. Or other members of the Shane family.
Now that I think about it, I’ve been hearing a lot about the Shanes for two years now – be it from my mother, my stepfather or at school, but all I know about them is that Mr. Shane is the successful CEO of Shane Enterprises Holding Inc. and has a son around my age.
The number of books has distracted me from my actual goal, so I continue to look around the room. A large window provides a view of the garden, where the party is in full swing.
There is a big desk next to one of the antique bookshelves, so I make my way there. In the corner of the room, I can make out the outlines of leather armchairs and a fireplace, but it’s far too dark to see it properly.
I throw my bag into the corner of the room after pulling out my phone. With my integrated flashlight, I scan the documents in front of me. I know that what I’m doing here is illegal, but I can’t contain my curiosity. The documents are delivery bills, so I let my shoulders slump with a sigh.
Instead, I light up the bookshelf next to the desk and look at the various literary specimens. They are sorted alphabetically by author’s name, but one work catches my eye immediately because it doesn’t belong where it stands.
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky.
With widened eyes, I stare at the book, which is placed between the authors’ names with a K .
It must be fate that this of all books has caught my eye. Maybe it only attracts my attention because it reminds me of Lio’s favorite book. Whenever I go to a library or bookshop in my free time, I always notice it too, as if it has a magnet in it that draws my eye.
Smiling, I reach for the edition in the dark dust wrapper. The title and author’s name are embossed in gold letters on the spine and give the book a little sparkle.
I’m just about to turn the pages when I’m snapped back to reality. I shouldn’t stay here any longer than necessary. If I get caught, I’ll be in real trouble.
Shining my phone around the room, I point it toward the sitting area and only now notice that a huge picture frame adorns the wall above the fireplace.
Still holding the book, I let my eyes wander over the people in the picture.
An ordinary family photo.
My heart skips a beat and my smile gradually fades.
In the corner of the picture, right next to Milan, a shadow stands out from the other faces.
A face I didn’t expect to see.
A face that I would recognize always and everywhere.
The walls of my reality are broken by a dark truth.
Lio and Milan are brothers .