[Music recommendation: supwel - Shadows]
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In a high-end nightclub, music blared at full swing while the bartenders were busy pouring drinks for the elite of the elite in society. Bodies swayed to the beats of R&B, dressed in their finest and most expensive attire.
The air was thick with a heady mix of perfumes, alcohol and cigars that was enough to overwhelm anyone with a sensitive nose.
While the elites indulged in a night free from their responsibilities and the family dramas that came as a part of their status, a different scene unfolded on the club's expansive balcony.
Situated twenty stories high and opening out into the night, it offered a breathtaking view of the city of Astoria beneath the vast night sky.
Dark wine-coloured heels, worn by long, slender, milky legs, glided gracefully across the expensive dark marble floor as she made her way towards the man. He was heavily inebriated and smirked lasciviously upon seeing the beautiful lady he had spotted at the bar earlier.
His muddled brain could think of nothing but taking the most exquisite woman he had ever seen in his life right there and then.
His intoxicated eyes continued to rake her appearance from head to toe.
Raptured by the seductive siren dressed in her dark, wine-coloured cocktail dress that reached to her knees, which exposed her porcelain skin through a slit running all the way up from her supple thigh.
Slowly he lifted his gaze to admire her womanly curves in all the right places. Her beautiful, lush blonde hair cascaded down her back all the way to her waist. His eyes then traced the line of her slender, delicate shoulders to her neck, adorned with a dazzling emerald necklace, before finally settling on her incredibly beautiful face.
The kind of beauty he couldn't even compare to any other woman he had ever met. Her plump, rosy lips, to her smooth cheeks, her straight nose, and lastly her hauntingly beautiful grey eyes, which were currently piercing holes at him.
"My my, if it isn't Aliana Vanderbilt in the flesh before me….I thought teasing the redhead lady at the bar next to you would earn me her company….but damn! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect it would draw the attention of the she-devil of the city herself," the man drawled with a wicked smirk.
Aliana blinked ever so slightly through her thick lashes as she sized him up, calculating her next course of action.
A few people were out on the balcony, seeking respite from the blasting music and the bustling crowd inside, so they didn't really pay attention to the two figures standing facing each other in the far corner of the balcony, partially concealed by the dim outdoor lights.
Until…
Slap!
A resounding slap echoed across the balcony, veering the heads of those gathered in small groups, enjoying the night breeze and their cigarettes.
Shock filled their eyes as their vision adjusted to a beautiful blonde woman who didn't just stop with a slap. In the next second, she drove her knee straight into his babymaking factory.
A sharp cry tore from the man's lips as he doubled over and collapsed on the floor. It was followed by a merciless kick from her heeled shoe right across his face, splitting the corner of his lip and drawing blood from the force of the impact.
He groaned in pain while holding his poor little thing between his legs, convinced the damage might be permanent, when the woman responsible for his current predicament finally spoke.
"You should be glad that I didn't castrate you or break your bones for touching my friend inappropriately," Aliana's soft, yet cold voice reached his ears, which were still ringing from the slap earlier that had made him see stars.
"Y-you'll pay for this….you demoness!" The man screamed in both anger and pain. His face was swollen and as red as a cooked lobster, looking as though it might explode any second.
She folded her arms and looked down at his unsightly form, as she repeated in cold mockery, "You'll make me pay?"
A chilling smile graced her lips as she arched an elegant brow, "As it is, I'm already in a bad mood today, and unfortunately for you, I had to come across a scum like you. Well, it really seems like you have the worst luck to cross paths with me, because I'll make sure you never do that to any other woman again."
Her beautiful face twisted in disgust before she casually stepped on his foot, grinding her heel into it, only to draw another painful cry from the man.
Then, without a second glance, she sashayed towards the glass door that led back into the lively club.
But just before she was about to reach for the door handle, she stopped abruptly in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder.
Her gaze swept past the stunned onlookers, who stared at her in open shock after her little display, but they were not the reason why Aliana had paused.
Her grey eyes narrowed towards the far corner near the balcony railing, shrouded in darkness. The place was empty, yet she could have sworn she felt an intense gaze fixed upon her from that very spot just seconds ago.
There were a few men in suits standing not too far from that place, and she briefly contemplated whether she should go and investigate further.
Before she could make up her mind, the glass door leading back inside the club opened once again, and another beautiful woman stepped out. Her short red hair reached her neck, framing her small face, while a short black dress hugged her petite figure. Large diamond earrings adorned her ears and her vivid green eyes looked sharp and captivating at the same time.
"Oh my god, Ali! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" the redhead woman exclaimed, clasping Aliana's hand and pulling her out of her thoughts.
Aliana shifted her gaze to her best friend, Jade Ross.
She was twenty-two, the same age as Aliana and was known as a princess of the Ross Real Estate empire.
Jade was not only petite and beautiful, but also confident, sassy and blunt. She was never one to sugarcoat her words, always saying things as they were, much like Aliana herself. That was precisely why they had gotten along so well since childhood.
Aliana parted her lips and was about to reply when Jade's gaze shifted past her.
Her face twisted in confusion as she muttered, "What's with that guy rolling on the ground like that? Did he drink himself stupid to think he's lying on beach sand or something?"
Ali pressed her lips together, already knowing where this was going.
In her mind, she counted, 'three, two…'
Jade's eyes widened, then narrowed sharply, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! That's the same disgusting pig who grabbed my butt at the bar!"
She spun around just as two bulky security guards stood on standby behind her.
Pointing straight at the man, her voice snapped with authority, "That's him! The one who thought he could get handsy. Get him blacklisted and thrown out. Now."
Jade tilted her head slightly, and her lips curled with disdain. "And make sure he remembers why."
The security guards did not need to be told twice by the young miss of the Ross Family. After all, the entire building belonged to them, including the club they were in.
As she watched the man being dragged away like a heavy sack of potatoes, Jade caught sight of the side of his face that was swollen as though a giant hornet had declared war on him.
Amusement danced in her eyes, and she looked back at her friend, "I see….you already did your number before I could get security."
Aliana shrugged one elegant shoulder, "Did you really expect me to just stand by and watch a man grab your asset without your consent?"
She flipped her thick blond hair behind her and scoffed, "Let's just say his family business is going to lose a lot of money by tomorrow."
"Or the ability to produce a future generation," Jade added dryly as her gaze moved from her friend back to the man being dragged closer to the door while clutching his pearls in pure agony.
"Whatever," Aliana had no interest in wasting another moment on an insignificant man. "Nigel will handle it. I've already texted him. Let's head inside. I still need those drinks you promised me."
While the two ladies conversed, Aliana had completely forgotten about the feeling of having someone's eyes on her sometime back.
Unbeknownst to her, a certain figure who had earlier stood near the railing, surrounded by a group of influential men, followed her retreating form with icy blue eyes. He took a slow sip of his drink, his sinful lips curling faintly, before turning away.