Marie and Cole were starting to worry. They hadn't seen Angie since they got at the party and with her distinct purple hair, that alone was suspicious. It should've been easy to spot her in the crowd.
Since leaving Kylie and Alec's side, they'd lost tract of them, and most of the partygoers were already too tipsy to give straight answers to their questions.
Just as a knot of panic began to twist in Marie's chest, her eyes landed on a flash of purple disappearing through the crowd—dragging someone with her.
"There she is," Marie said, relief flooding her voice. "She's with Kylie."
Without hesitation, she elbowed her way past a group of dancing seniors, tugging Cole behind her.
"Where the hell did she go?" she muttered, scanning the room again.
"I saw her head down that hall with Kylie," Cole said, his frown deepening. "But it looked like... I don't know. Like she was dragging her."
They made it to the hallway just in time to see the edge of Kylie's dress vanish around a corner.
By the time they turned it themselves—nothing.
Just closed doors, dim lights, and the muffled thrum of bass vibrating through the walls.
Marie's gut twisted.
"That felt... fucking weird, right?" she asked, her voice low.
Cole nodded, his jaw tight. "Really weird."
---
"Angie!" Kylie called out, spotting the familiar flash of purple hair up ahead.
Angie turned around, her face lighting up with exaggerated excitement. "You're here!"
"We've been looking everywhere for you," Kylie said, catching up to her.
"Well, now you found me," Angie said with a dramatic huff. "Now c'mon, I need to pee so fucking bad." Her voice slurred slightly from the alcohol as she grabbed Kylie's wrist and started dragging her.
Kylie blinked in confusion but followed. "Angie? Where are we going? I thought you said the bathroom."
"Yeah, yeah, just through here," Angie mumbled, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes were glassy but unsettlingly sharp. "It's quieter."
They walked down a dimly lit hallway, Kylie's shoes clicking softly against the hardwood. Angie stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, revealing a low-lit, empty room that looked far too elegant to be a guest bathroom.
"Angie?" Kylie hesitated on the threshold. "This doesn't look like—"
Before she could finish, Angie stepped back out into the hall.
"What are you doing?" Kylie asked, brows furrowing.
Angie didn't answer. She just smiled—tight and cold—before pulling the door shut.
Kylie lunged for it, but too late.
Click.
The sound of the lock sliding into place sent a jolt of panic through her chest.
She jiggled the handle. "Angie?" she called, heart hammering. "Angie, what the hell is going on?"
Silence.
She pounded on the door now, louder.
"Angie!"
Still nothing.
Her pulse spiked, and dread settled in her stomach like lead.
---
Alec turned the corner and found Marie and Cole in the hallway, mid-argument, both looking visibly shaken.
Before he could ask them if they have seen Kylie something caught his attention.
"Shh," he said, holding up a hand and gesturing for them to stay quiet. "Listen."
Low voices filtered through the air—just around the corner.
He crept forward, staying close to the wall. There, partially hidden in a dark alcove, stood a guy Alec didn't recognize, hunched in close conversation with—
Angie.
"Five grand, dude," she said, her voice slurred but disturbingly steady. "She's locked in the blue room—second door from the end. Remember, I want you to fuck her up. Mess up that pretty face of hers too."
"You know," the guy added with a crooked grin, "for a gorgeous thing like her, I would've done it for free."
Something flickered in Angie's eyes. Jealousy. Bitterness.
Her jaw clenched, and her smile faltered for a split second before snapping back into place—tight and brittle.
"Of course you would," she said, voice laced with venom. "Everybody wants her. Perfect fucking Kylie."
She took a shaky breath, eyes narrowing. "Let's see if they still want her after tonight."
The guy only chuckled, clearly enjoying the darkness of it all, but Angie's fists were clenched at her sides. No one noticed.
No one ever did.
She was always the backup plan, the sidekick, the punchline.
And Kylie? Kylie had somehow become the main character.
Not anymore.
Alec froze. Every muscle in his body tensed.
The guy chuckled, lips curling into a sneer. "You're twisted."
"I just wanna see her knocked off that high horse," Angie spat. "Everyone loves her —fuck that. Just make sure to take pictures in between. And after you're done."
Alec's blood turned to ice. His fists clenched.
Behind Alec, Marie covered her mouth in horror. Her legs felt like they might give out.
She couldn't believe it—Angie, vibrant, wild, always the life of the party... planning something this vile?
Cole looked like he was one second away from lunging at the girl with the purple hair, rage radiating off him in waves.
Before anyone could speak, a sharp click cut through the silence of the dim corridor. It echoed like a gunshot—louder than the bass thudding faintly through the walls.
The sound of a safety being switched off.
Alec stood at the center of the hallway, his stance calm, lethal. The gun in his hand was steady, aimed directly at the sketchy man. His finger against the trigger. There was no hesitation.
Both Angie and the guy froze in place.
Fear gripped them, but for entirely different reasons.
Angie took a slow step back, her eyes wide as they met Alec's. She had seen him angry before—but never like this. With the cold steel in his hand and shadows dancing in his eyes, he looked like a monster she hadn't realized existed.
The man, however, went pale the moment he saw the symbol etched into the gun's grip.
A Monarch.
And not just any Monarch—high rank. Elite. The kind of name whispered in fear in certain circles.
He dropped to his knees, hands trembling. His breath hitched in panic, instantly recognizing his error.
"I didn't know—s-she was yours, Don. I-I'm sorry. Please… forgive me," he stammered, sweat slicking his forehead.
It was taking Alex every ounce of restraint not to kill them both where they stood.
Behind Alec, Marie and Cole stood frozen, their eyes wide in disbelief. They had never seen this side of him. Alec's face was unreadable—stone still—but the ticking muscle in his jaw betrayed the storm inside. He's usually indifferent but not like this.
Without a word, Alec pulled out his phone and made a call.
He gave nothing but the address. The tone of his voice was enough to promise consequences.
The sketchy man, panicking, shoved Angie forward like a shield.
Alec didn't flinch. With a swift, practiced motion, he swung the butt of the gun against her temple. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
He turned toward the parasite who dared to think about touching what's his, finger tightening on the trigger—
But before the shot could ring out, someone rounded the corner and slammed into the guy, knocking him flat to the ground.
"Can't have blood spilled at my party now, Alec," Ryan said, his tone light but edged with steel. A crooked smile tugged at his lips as he looked over the scene. "Not without giving me a heads-up first."
"Don't let them leave," Alec said to Ryan, his voice low and commanding. "And make sure Marian and Cole are safe. I'll get Kylie."
Ryan rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh. "God, you're so demanding."
He strolled over to where Angie lay crumpled on the floor, crouching beside her with a smirk.
"Well," he said, almost wistfully, "you were a good fuck."