Jade chuckled at her best friend, who was trying to brush off her antics as if they were nothing, but she knew better.
That the man Aliana had beaten up was the vice president of a national tech giant. The threat she had made about his family losing a lot of money meant they would likely go bankrupt by tomorrow.
'The she-devil of Astoria,' Jade thought with a delighted smile. It was a title Aliana wore like a crown, and Jade loved her for it.
"Your assistant really does work overtime," Jade commented as she led them back inside towards the bar, "You should seriously consider giving Nigel a raise for the sheer amount of PR fires he has to put out."
The two ladies took their seats on the high velvet chairs by the bar, though this time there were two bouncers who stood like stone pillars a few feet away, forming a silent perimeter that warned the rest of the elite society to keep their distance.
They would have easily chosen a private section of the club to avoid being bothered, but Jade knew that whenever Aliana was in a bad mood, she needed music and the hum of the crowd to loosen up while she drank. Instead of being stuck in a private room with no one around.
Hence, such a setting was the exact need for the hour, which Jade happily obliged.
The bartender, Lucas, familiar with the ladies' usual order, poured their whiskey on the rocks before passing it to them.
"Thank you, Lucas," Aliana said with a smile as she accepted her glass. The middle-aged bartender gave the ladies a respectful nod and a warm smile before leaving them alone.
Aliana downed the drink in one go, letting the whiskey glide smoothly down her throat before reaching out for the bottle Lucas had left for them to pour herself another.
"Well….spill. What is it this time? Is your father pressuring you to marry again?" Jade eyed her friend while nonchalantly sipping her own drink.
Aliana took another gulp from her second glass before rolling her eyes, "Well….that he's always after, but you know no one can force me to do anything I don't want."
"True that," Jade replied, before taking another guess, "Hmm…is it that guy, Aden, then? The one who you were dating for the past…what? One week?"
Ali sighed, "Well…yes and no. It was four days and… that was all it took Nigel to find out that he was screwing his cousin."
"No way! Get out!" Jade's eyes went as wide as a saucer. "Wasn't he the one from that blind date your father had set up for you?"
"He was, and I wasn't really dating him, to be honest. I just went out for two dinners while I tried to figure out how to decline his advances without my father launching a barrage of questions later. During those two dinners, he obviously put his best foot forward until Nigel came with…"
Ali frowned in disgust, "Well, let's just say graphic pictures of them in a hotel room that I would very much like to erase from my memory."
Ali downed her second drink the moment the unpleasant visuals flashed in her mind.
"Whoa! Girl! This definitely calls for more drinks! Here." Jade poured another glass for Ali and then one for herself. The two women clinked their glasses and downed them in one go.
"Our generation is really messed up," Jade commented dryly before eying her friend. "I'm glad you did a background check on him. Knowing the circles we move in…. who knows what kind of dirty dark secrets people are hiding in their closets."
Ali looked around and murmured, "Hmm…but at least one good thing came out of it."
"What?" Jade asked curiously.
Ali's lips curved into a smile, "I showed those pictures to my dad."
"You did what?!" Jade's lips parted in disbelief before they both broke into laughter.
Wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, Jade murmured, "At least Uncle Alester would stop pestering you about blind dates for a long while now."
"Yes," Ali smiled, though it faded as she quietly added, "Though I wish he'd stop completely."
Jade gave her friend a sympathetic look, knowing what it meant to be the only child set to inherit the vast Van Empire. A legacy built over generations that had earned them the title of old money in the city of Astoria.
They had their hands dipped in every possible business sector, making the Van Empire one of the top multibillion dollar companies not only in their country, Rhun, but also in the entire world.
The Vanderbilt family, the owners of Van Empire, were practically aristocrats in their society. As elite of the elite, the pressure to secure their future was constant.
Since Aliana was an only child, it was common knowledge that she would be the sole heir to the majestic throne of the Van Empire.
However, that also made her a very desirable target for every elite family looking to marry their son into her lineage.
Sadly for her beautiful friend, this reality never worked in her favour to have something real or concrete when it came to her love life. People gravitated towards her like bees to honey, driven only by her beauty or wealth.
They never truly tried to understand the woman behind the name. With greed and lust always clouding their mind, Aliana had learned to read those intentions with time.
This was why she was such a tough nut to crack. She was not easily fooled and found it nearly impossible to meet anyone who would be genuinely interested in her beyond her looks and background.
The higher her standards grew, the smaller the pool became for finding someone who could truly complement her in every aspect.
Reaching out, Jade placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Ali. I'm sure he'll get the point. Your mom and dad love you a lot! I'm sure your father will understand when he finally sees that these arrangements aren't working out and that they're only attracting psychos who are busy screwing their cousins."
A brief silence reigned between them before they both burst out laughing again.
The two friends spoke for a long while, drowning their thoughts in alcohol until it was well past two o'clock in the morning.
Jade had insisted that Ali stay in one of the club's guest rooms since it was already late and her friend was too drunk to drive. But Ali had rejected her offer, stating that she had already called her driver. She had a meeting tomorrow and needed to be home.
Jade was about to walk her downstairs, but she had received an angry call from her father, asking for an explanation about blacklisting the same scum who had harassed her earlier. She asked Ali to wait for her, but Ali, impatient and drunk, made her way outside the club while Jade was busy on the call.
It was much quieter outside with only a few luxury cars parked outside.
The night breeze felt pleasant against her skin, which was flushed and hot from the sheer number of drinks she'd had.
Since the nightclub was exclusive to the elite of the elite, it was situated a distance away from the main city, requiring quite a drive to get there.
Aliana felt her purse vibrate and realised it must be her driver. She quickly fetched her phone to receive the call.
"Hello?" Aliana answered.
"Miss Aliana..I'm…. st-" There was a static in the line, making her brows knit together.
"Hello? Levi? I cannot hear you clearly," she said.
Then the man's broken voice came through again, "Miss….I'll be there…..in t- please...d- come out." The line cut off abruptly.
"Hello? Levi?" She glanced at her phone screen, only to realise that the call had ended.
From what little she could gather, she deduced that her driver was asking her to come outside.
"Damn network!" she muttered, annoyed.
Looking ahead towards the tall gate, she pursed her lips as her gaze followed the lone road stretching beyond, lined with thick trees on either side. She knew it sloped downward off the hill, disappearing into the darkness.
'A perfect place to get murdered and thrown off,' she thought dryly, clicking her tongue in annoyance. 'What is Levi thinking, asking me to come out? Did he get paid to kill me or something?'
Looking around, she saw the two guards standing near the gate, their eyes sharp and focused as they scanned for any intruders on the exclusive property.
Releasing a sigh, she knew better than to venture out alone in the middle of the night, even in her drunken state.
She tried dialling her driver again.
Hoping to catch a signal, she began walking closer to the gates while staying safely within the property walls.
Her eyes wandered as she redialed the number, but every time the result was the same. Static disturbance, and the call dropping before it could connect.
Planning to give up, she was about to turn back toward the club when the corner of her eye caught a tiny movement just beyond the gate, on the far side of the road.