Fiona entered the hall and immediately took in the sight before her.
Alexander and Fallyn, seated side by side, unbothered, Fallyn lifted her glass of wine towards her lips and sipped a bit before lowering it back to the table.
Not a trace of guilt marred their expressions.
With measured, unhurried steps, Fiona crossed the room, her presence pressing in on them as she claimed the seat beside them without a word.
"The dessert is wonderful, Fiona."
Fallyn said pleasantly, extending a spoonful toward her as though nothing were amiss.
"You should try some."
Fiona's eyes lifted, cool and steady, her composure almost unsettling. After a brief pause, she smiled faintly.
"Oh, certainly."
Fiona parted her lips and accepted the dessert from the spoon extended toward her, nodding.
"Great taste."
Then she raised her wineglass.
Mid-motion, her eyes lifted, and she froze.
From across the room, Manson emerged, composed and assured. His stride was unhurried and deliberate; his authority was woven so seamlessly into his bearing that attention followed him instinctively.
A silent question echoing in her mind
'Did I make the right decision?'
The thought slammed into her chest like a sudden blow. Her pulse spiked as another fear rose unbidden.
'How much does he know?'
Heat rushed to her face, humiliation curling tight in her stomach.
The wine lodged in her throat; suddenly a rough cough rippled from her, the sound betraying her carefully maintained calm.
"Oh my goodness," Alexander said evenly, "take it easy."
He placed his hand on her back, patting gently as though to steady her, his touch grounding, yet painfully conspicuous.
Manson reached his table and gave a subtle signal to Brian seated across before turning to his uncle and aunt, lifting a hand.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Khalid asked, his tone warm but knowing.
Manson paused, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Ah, how remiss of me."
He leaned in, pressing a brief kiss to Khalid's cheek, then did the same to his Clara.
He straightened, turned, and walked away.
Khalid watched his retreating figure, his eyes softening with the warmth of a father watching his child leave for college for the first time.
Clara turned toward him.
"We could spend the weekend at his place."
Khalid shook his head.
"Who will oversee the company in France? I don't want any workload weighing my son down. I have to help him as much as I can while I still have the chance, before I leave this world."
Clara's expression remained calm; she didn't respond to him. She calmly looked away.
Manson settled into the back seat of the car with effortless composure.
Brian quietly slid behind the wheel while Manson stretched out his hand. With a simple nod, Brian passed a document over to him.
Brian pressed the ignition button, and the car roared to life before gliding forward, the tires moving with mechanical perfection, yet Manson's world had narrowed towards the pages; everything else fell away as his eyes scanned the investigation reports with razor focus.
A low, mirthful chuckle escaped him, soft but sharp.
"Hahaha… who would have thought the Brett household wasn't as pristine as it pretends to be? Parents who can't even tell a goat from a sheep."
He licked his lower lip slowly, deliberately, eyes gleaming as if savoring a private joke.
"What do you make of it, Brian?"
"Yes, sir," Brian replied, voice steady. "Her parents clearly favor one child over the other, preferential treatment in every detail."
Manson grinned quietly, almost ferally.
"Delightful," he whispered, a single word carrying the weight of satisfaction.
His fingers traced the edges of the papers as he flipped through them methodically, eyes scanning, analyzing, and calculating.
"There's already a fracture among them," he muttered, almost to himself. "This simplifies matters beautifully."
Then his hand froze over a single page. His gaze sharpened, every line of his face taut with intent.
"She's just made her debut as an actress with Talent Hunt Agency," he said, voice low, almost savoring the word mediocre. "A trivial agency for a trivial debut, and yet, it tells me everything I need to know."
Manson gently dropped the documents onto the seat beside each paper, landing perfectly, yet the motion carried the weight of authority, a silent assertion that even chaos dared not disobey. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, swept over Brian as if measuring the man's very soul.
"At the outset of the day tomorrow," he hissed, each word slow, "go to the agency and secure her contract."
He let the phrase linger, a blade of inevitability.
"They're desperate, starving little worms; they'll hand her over without so much as a second glance. Open-handed. Entirely at your mercy."
"Yes, sir," Brian replied politely.
Manson's gaze drifted back to the documents, icy and precise, yet in that glance lay something more than strategy; it was humiliation, a quiet, inescapable reminder to the world of who held the power.
The night had long since deepened, the party dwindling behind her. Fiona excused herself, scanning for Hazel.
Hazel was too engrossed in conversation to notice.
Fiona took a step, lifting her hand.
Hazel's gaze shifted towards her.
Fiona instantly waved, whispering.
"I'm leaving."
Hazel nodded in acknowledgement of her departure.
Fiona turned to Fallyn and Alexander.
"Let's leave."
Fallyn puckered her lips before releasing them with a soft pop.
"Sure."
They rose in unison, accompanying her silently as they glanced at each other.
—
The car rolled to a stop at the side of the road.
"Fiona reached for the door, only for Alexander to grab her hand, holding it in a gentle, almost possessive grip."
A more polished, romantic version:
Fiona reached for the door, but Alexander caught her hand, his fingers closing around hers in a gentle, almost possessive grip.
She glanced at him, masking the curiosity behind her calm.
"Hey."
Fallyn stepped out of the car before closing the door and then moved towards the front window.
Inside, Fiona's eyes flicked from Alexander to Fallyn before returning her gaze to Alexander.
"Fiona," Fallyn called.
Fiona didn't turn towards her.
"Yes, Fallyn?"
"Aren't you coming down?" she muttered; the edge in her tone betrayed frustration. "Come out already."
Fiona finally turned towards her, studying her. The subtle contortions of unease, the stiffness of her posture, the sharp tilt of her jaw. A small, calculated advantage revealed itself.
"She pressed the button, lowering the window halfway.
"Fallyn," Fiona said softly, voice calm, almost nurturing, "go inside. It's breezy out here, and you might catch a cold."
"Fin, let's go in together," Fallyn protested, her voice sharp. "What else are you doing in the car?"
She forced a smile.
"You should rest."
"Just go in, Fallyn."
Suddenly Fallyn's gaze hardened.
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
Fiona instantly pressed the button, rolling the window back up, and bolted to her side before turning towards Alexander.
Her expression slowly hardened.
"Bolt the car."
"What?" Alexander asked, brow furrowing confused as Alexander stared at Fallyn. "Fiona, you don't—"
Fiona immediately cut him off.
"I said bolt the car!"
"Alright, alright."
Alexander bolted in the car.
She glanced at Fallyn, eyes cold and calculating.
"Listen, Fallyn, can you please give me a few minutes?"
Fallyn's hand went to the car handle and tugged it.
She froze, her gaze slowly lifted.
"Fiona, what's the meaning of this?" she snapped, irritation flashing across her features.
"I want a little chat with Alex," Fiona said, voice smooth, and controlled. "Can you help me with some privacy?"
Fallyn's gaze snapped to Alexander, her hands tightening with barely restrained fury. Cold blood slowly surged through her veins; she stared at them for several seconds, and then a sudden small smile appeared on her lips.
"Don't stay too long and don't catch a cold."
The faintest smile curved on Fiona's lips.
"Aww, thanks, baby sis."
Fallyn turned on her heel, her expression darkening as she muttered under her breath.
"What the hell was that? How dare she talk to me like that?"
She climbs the stairs in hurried strides.
"Really, Lexy, you just sit there like a fool and let her take the lead."
She bit her lips until it almost hurt.
"Fucking asshole."
Alexander's fingers trembled against the steering wheel, but he quickly concealed his unease when Fiona turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
"Alex," she called quietly, "why did you stop me from stepping out of the car? Perhaps, is there anything you want to say?"
Alexander forced a smile.
"Umm… what did I… umm…"
Fiona scoffed.
"If you don't have anything to say then—"
"You look gorgeous tonight."
Fiona brow drew together.
"Huh."
Alexander scratched the back of his neck, his smile growing more boyish.
"Why haven't I seen you wear this dress before?"
Anger slowly crept into Fiona's heart, her eyes darkening with each passing second. She looked away briefly before turning her gaze back to him, a subtle smirk curling at the corners of her lips.
"Oh my gosh, I didn't know you'd regained your sight."
Her smirk deepened.
"Since when did this miracle happen?"
"Uh… s-sight?" Alexander stammered, blinking. "W-What sight are you talking about?"
Fiona slowly clenched her right fist.
"Maybe a little enlightenment will do."