Star's face darkened after confronting Tiffany about sending those lucid messages—the ones threatening to kill Adrian if they walked the carpet together.
But after the confrontation, Star realized something: Tiffany didn't send those messages.
So who did?
Star's eyes wandered through the crowd, as if she could identify the culprit with nothing but a glare.
"Can I just say—you look absolutely stunning!"
Mr. Smith interrupted her stupor. Star quickly plastered on a smile as he bowed, took her hand, and placed a kiss on it.
"You don't want to be in Adrian's bad book, Mr. Smith." Cassian materialized beside them, then his eyes landed on Star's outfit.
He'd crushed on Star since the day he saw her at the Stark mansion. And the girl never failed to take his breath away.
"She's with the guy... walking on stage now." Mr. Smith wore a bored frown as he watched Lucian approach the podium.
Cassian ignored him. Then Mr. Smith glanced at Adrian—and was met with a glare that instinctively sent him scurrying away.
"Hello, Cassian." Star greeted with a lingering smile.
"You look really amazing!" Cassian grinned, wide and genuine.
"I'm glad you appreciate it," Star said.
They all got distracted when Peter started speaking, revealing that Lucian—her Lucian—was indeed the CEO of Throne Enterprises.
Star felt her heart sting with the pain of heartbreak just hearing that.
And when Lucian launched into his childhood speech, Star couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't that she didn't relate to him—she'd lived that same tragedy. She remembered going to the hospital just to annoy his little paralyzed self. Making goofy faces. Making him laugh, even though a sound never came out.
But this same friend had betrayed her.
Lucian hid an entire empire from her. She'd heard rumors about the mythic Lucian Throne, but she'd never cared about them—for as long as her best friend was there for her each time, and she got to spend time with him.
Lucian was and is Star's ride-or-die. She could always count on him.
But why did he hide things from her? Why did he hide the fact that he was the one who saved her from Frieda's men? Was it because he was too late? Because she'd already been raped?
Star felt tears glistening in her eyes. She blinked them away, keeping a straight, neutral face, forcing a smile because cameras were still snapping.
Then she felt it—an intense gaze of someone watching her.
She turned at the direction of the gaze.
Maria was glaring at her. If looks could kill, Star would be dead right about now. Maria stood with Alex and some man Star could not recognize. Star hissed at the thought of Maria—a cunning, manipulative mother.
Someone tapped her shoulder, jingling the silver cap of glitters of her dress. Star turned—and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Safe!"
She hugged the old man. Safe was decked in a black tuxedo, his shirt silky, and he looked majestic in it. For some reason, he even looked like a wealthy man—just from his aura alone.
"What are you doing here—" Star cut herself off, waving a hand. "You know what? I don't want to know. I'm just glad you're here!"
Safe pulled out his phone—a phone Lucian had bought for him—and sent Star a message.
"Lucian got me in here. He said you need an honest friend."
Star sighed as she glanced back at Lucian on stage, talking. The man always knew exactly what she needed.
"We were just chatting, and you didn't say a thing about you coming," Star said, walking back into the yacht. Safe followed after gesturing with his hands that he wanted to suprise her.
Seeing this many people, Safe felt nervous and uncomfortable—even though he was trying his best to be upright and normal. It was his first time socializing since Star found him in the woods. It felt familiar, but he hated it.
"I'm really starving. Are you?" Star found a room with sofas and sprawled onto one.
Safe stood looking at her, then sent another text.
"How are you feeling about being married?"
The question struck something in Star. She knew she'd acted in anger against Lucian. She'd completely closed her mind when she did that. So she didn't want to think about it. Or even talk about it.
"I'm going to look for food." Star ignored the question, putting her phone down on the couch—unlocked—after sending a text to Adrian.
A male waiter suddenly entered with glasses of champagne. Star took one immdeiately. Safe took another and downed it immediately because he was genuinely thirsty, and Lucian had promised him food and beverages if he came—which he hadn't gotten yet.
But Star halted, the glass still in her hand, as her other hand hovered over her almost-flat stomach.
Safe frowned at her actions. Then his brow creased as his head grew heavy. But before he could comprehend what was happening, his vision darkened—and he crumbled onto the couch, unconscious.
Star flinched as she looked at Safe. Then she realized the waiter was still there, standing, waiting.
But before she could think or react, the waiter knocked her down.
She fell quickly into unconsciousness.
Star didn't know how long had passed when she woke up in a room that—for once—wasn't dirty or rat- or dirt-smelling. It was nice. Well-decorated with expensive furniture.
She turned to see Safe—terrified.
Star knew she had to act fast. But another part of her felt she needed this. There was a rush, a kind of feeling, like the day she'd killed those amateur assassins to save Adrian.
Star tried to speak but realized her mouth was tied with a rag.
And then the door swung open.
The same waiter walked in—carrying a camera.
Star smiled. Even with her mouth bound and a rag tied over her head, she looked like an evil clown. A happy one.
A heavy sweat ran down the waiter's spine when he realized Star wasn't frightened one bit. If anything, she looked happy to be here.
After he finished recording, he quickly left the room.
Minutes later, the door opened again.
This time, it wasn't the waiter. It was a man Star recalled seeing seated with Maria back at the gala.
The doctor wore a cryptic smile on his face. Star could tell from his aura—the man was cold. Emotionless. A killer.
Even then, she didn't falter. Didn't shake. She matched his expression: cold and dark.
But the man's gaze shifted to Safe.
Safe was really shaking now. Blurred images poked at his memory. He felt like he knew this man—but to no avail. And yet, he was terrified. It was messing with his mind.
The doctor squatted down before Safe, looking intently into his eyes, deep in thought.
"You can't be her father... are you?" The doctor's eyes glared into Safe's grayish-blue ones.
He sighed, then pulled out an iPad, turning it to Star. On the screen was a black-and-white picture of herself. It was clearly from a camera feed—CCTV or a hidden camera, because the angle was off.
"What do you know about Maria Stark?" The doctor's voice dropped to almost a whisper—still threatening.
Star mumbled something, voice muffled. The doctor palmed his face and removed the rag from her mouth.
"What about Adrian's mother?" Star asked, confused, like the question didn't make sense at all.
"Why were you in her room?" The doctor tapped the iPad. "This is from a hidden scanner camera. Which means you knew about it. But you shouldn't have."
Star laughed. Hysterically.
The doctor and Safe both looked confused at her reaction.
"You mean I was kidnapped because I was in Adrian's mother's room?" Star scoffed. "What are you—or she—hiding in there?" She shook her head. "You know, I was getting really irritated because I'm tired of being kidnapped all the time. But this reason? It's hilarious."
She kept laughing.
The doctor didn't know why, but for the first time, he was confused by a captive. He'd kidnapped people his whole life—hell, all his patients were practically captives. And every time, they'd shake in fear. Pee themselves, even, just at the sight of him.
So what was wrong with this girl?
What was different about her?
Back at the gala, Adrian was at the top of his voice, yelling at Lucian—who seemed relaxed now after watching that video, instead of closing down the gala immediately and looking for Star before she got killed.
"Why are you even grinning?" Adrian tried to catch Lucian's pace as they walked back to the yacht. "Star is in danger! She needs you right now! We should do something—call the cops!"
"Star's a big girl." Lucian's voice was simple. "She can look after herself."
After seeing the video—Star winking repeatedly in a code only they knew—she'd passed a message: I've got this.
And he believed her.
He was happy now. Only Lucian knew this code. And still, she'd intended the message for him alone, because only he could decipher it.
It was a little win for him this evening—despite Star being mad at him.
Adrian got inside the yacht and saw his mother talking to some people he recognized. He was panicked. Really panicked.
"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" He pulled her away before she could respond.
"What's wrong? You look terrified—"
"Star is kidnapped!"
"What? That's ridiculous!" Maria's face twisted in disbelief. "Did you see the security on this yacht?"
Adrian paused. He recalled just how tight the security was. If Star was kidnapped, she was still on the yacht. And the person who took her was smart enough not to make a scene.
His eyes spotted Alex Cross talking to someone. Adrian knew Alex Cross too well. He walked over.
Inside the room on the yacht, while the doctor was deep in thought, he felt unease and turned—
Star and Safe were already up. Star was raising a chair, about to bring it down on his head.
But he bit her to the punch and caught the chair mid-air.
Star's eyes widened in shock. A flicker of fear crossed her face— which she quickly masked as her mind raced.
She kicked the man hard in the groin, catching him off guard.
Then she froze.
Because the doctor didn't flinch. Didn't scream in agony. If anything, he wore a devilish smirk.
"What, you don't have testicles?" Star couldn't help but ask.
Before she could react, the doctor grabbed her by the side of her face and smashed her into the wall. Hard.
Star passed from consciousness to subconsciousness in a flash. She fell helplessly to the floor.
Only then did the doctor turn to Safe.
Safe was shocked beyond the words he didn't have. And the old man got furious—seeing what this heartless creature had done to Star.
Safe thought fast. He ran to the door—but stopped when he heard a gun cock.
"Move, and I'll smash your brains out." The doctor's grin was wicked.
Safe opened the door anyway.
And quickly bent down.
Bang. Bang.
The doctor shot his own two bodyguards—standing just outside the door.
While the doctor processed what he'd just done, Safe punched him hard in the face.
The doctor dropped unconscious on the floor beside Star.
Safe winced in pain, gripping his fist. It was the first time he'd ever hit a human being.
He was only used to Lucian's gym bags.