Chapter 21

The Prestige Nightclub.

A sleek black Maybach rolled up to theentrance.

Tristan stepped out and opened the door for Megan, taking her delicate white hand and helping her out.

With one arm around her waist, he was ready to head in.

"Wait, Rachel hasn't gotten out yet."

Tristan glanced at the backseat. "She's got hands; and she can open the door herself."

Sure enough, watching the couple walk away without so much as a look back, Rachel huffed and pulled the door open on her own, hopping out to catch up.

Seriously, she'd just witnessed the definition of double standards in action.

She followed behind them, sulking.

The staff at the nightclub all greeted Tristan with deep bows, calling him "Mr. Reid."

He pushed open the door to private room 2121.

Smoke filled the room, swirling like a dream-or a bad hangover.

A red-haired Kevin bounced over, going in for a big hug.

But before he could make contact, a long slender finger pressed against his chest.

"Hands off, please. No touchy from strangers."

Brushing away some smoke, Kevin squinted and let out a gasp, eyes nearly popping. "Holy crap! Drama Queen incoming!" Instantly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

Tristan's brows drew together. His voice turned ice cold. "Apologize."

Kevin scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "MMy bad, My Queen. Come on in, make yourselves at home!"

Watching them head inside, he finally let out a breath.

Suddenly,pain shot up from his foot.

He looked down-someone else in a red dress had stepped right on him.

"Hey!Who-?"

Rachel looked over her shoulder with a dazzling smile. "Hi, it's me!"

Kevin instinctively glanced toward the guy sitting in the corner, giving him a sympathetic glance.

Bro...good luck,man.

He casually hit the smoke exhaust button, then slumped into a single lounge chair.

Soon, the misty vibe cleared, and the room breathed normal air again.

Tristan started with intros. "That guy in the corner with the not-so-memorable face? That's Kai Lee. His family runs the whole frozen food game in the country."

Kai raised his wine glass and nodded toward Megan. "Nice to meet you, Megan."

"And that lone soul over there? That's Kevin Ward. His family's in telecom hardware. Not that it matters for him,"

Kevin's mouth twitched. Saying Kai has a not-so-memorable face? Fine, maybe a bit harsh.

He looked back at the couch. The girl in red had already melted into Kai's arms like jelly.

Just then, Tristan finished him off with, "Honestly, he's just some random dude." Kevin pulled a face, rolled his eyes so hard they did a loop.

Then he switched tactics, pasted on a warm smile, and raised his glass toward Megan.

"This one's for you,Megan."

She nodded. "Good manners. Tristan and I are officially married."

"Pfft-!" Kevin choked, red wine spraying everywhere.

"No way! Congrats,though!"

Damn, weren't you fasting just two days ago?

Was this drama queen cooking up another twisted plan to mess with his buddy?

Not that he'd dare say that out loud.

Kai gently moved Rachel's head off his chest. "Congrats, you two."

Megan pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She'd been wary of Rachel before-young, pretty,adopted daughters don't exactly scream innocent.

But now?

It was obvious. Rachel had her eyes on Kai, no doubt.

Tristan leaned in, speaking low. "Rachel met Kai in France. She's been into him for two years. Came back to Verduria with her aunt this time... all for him."Megan didn't expect Rachel to be so hung up on Kai. Curious,she turned slightly to glance at Tristan and asked, "Wait, is he...you know, into guys?"

Tristan chuckled. "Nah, the Lee family's got an engagement lined up with the Banks family. You remember the girl with the green hair you saw last time?"

"You mean Natalie Banks?"

Tristan nodded. "Yep. The Lees would never let an adopted daughter officially marry in." Megan frowned slightly."Then what's Kai's deal? Doesn't like her but won't reject her either?"

Shaking his head, Tristan replied, "He does like her. He's just scared she'd get hurt. The Lee family's ruthless, and the Banks aren't pushovers either. It's easier to shield someone from open attacks-those sneaky ones are the real threat. And let's face it, Kai doesn't have the clout to protect her from both families right now."

Megan drew in a breath. "So what now?"

Tristan's gaze darkened. He picked up the lemon water from the table and took a sip. "Technically, that should be her man's job. But I'm not about to let anything happen to Rachel."

Of course, Megan thought. The "ice king" Tristan was a softie underneath.

Just then, Kevin strutted onto the dance floor like it was his personal stage and started showing off moves like he was auditioning for a backup dancer gig.

Kai rolled his eyes and walked out. Rachel instinctively followed after him.

As Kevin launched into a series of over-the-top dance moves-complete with finger guns and body rolls-Megan leaned over to whisper to Tristan, "I'm gonna slip away to the bathroom."

Tristan started to get up with her, but she quickly added under her breath, "Better if one of us stays. If we both leave, it's just Kevin dancing alone in the spotlight. that's secondhand embarrassment waiting to happen."

She made her way down the hallway, heading toward the restroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two people making out in a shadowy corner near the emergency exit.

She smirked. "Honestly, they kinda look good together."

After using the bathroom, Megan turned to head back.

That's when she noticed a bald guy dragging a familiar figure into a nearby private room. Her eyes narrowed.

Pigtails, small frame, school backpack-that was Chloe. In her past life, Chloe had been murdered. The mastermind? Molly. No doubt about it.

Originally, Chloe had gotten caught up in the whole mess after Bernard's murder.

But now? Things were unraveling sooner than expected. Molly wasn't even trying to hide her plans anymore.

And Megan couldn't help but blame herself-she hadn't kept a close enough eye on Molly.

If she wanted real-time updates on her moves, she needed to plant bugs and trackers ASAP.

Without hesitating, she bolted toward the room. Just as the door was about to close, she slammed her foot into it and kicked it wide open.

Inside, four sleazy-looking men were already lounging around. The bald guy turned, flashing yellow teeth and a sleazy grin. "Well, well, what do we have here? Another one walks right in."

Megan's eyes went ice-cold. So cold, it felt like even the air around her froze.

Her fists clenched so tight her knuckles cracked audibly. "Let the girl go."

The bald guy sneered, chucking the unconscious Chloe onto the couch toward the other men. Then he turned to Megan, cracking his neck. "Damn, look at that face, that body... You're a whole damn snack.C'mere, baby, let me show you a good time."

Megan smiled sweetly, lifting a hand with a "hold up" gesture. "Wait."

The guy paused, his eyes gleaming with greed.

Megan reached down and ripped her long dress with a quick"rrrip," turning it into a mini dress with one swift move.

The bald guy burst out laughing."Well damn, this chick's got some flair!"

The guys on the couch snickered too.

Wrapping the torn fabric tightly around her fists, Megan tilted her head and gave a mock-sweet smile."Flair? You mean stupid."