The Grants were filthy rich and they knew how to show it. And by The Grants, I didn't mean James, I meant his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Grant.

The party was already in full swing by the time James and I arrived. Guests laughed and chatted away, pretending to casually show off their achievements or a brand new diamond piece their husbands had gotten them. It was the trend at all the parties. The blinding urge to be better than others.

"Avery," James whispered beside me, a hand around my waist, sending fire dancing across my body. I hummed in response. "You're already causing stares."

I leaned into him. "Of course, we broke up in front of most of these people, don't you remember?" I couldn't forget.

"Yes, we should probably lure them in, shouldn't we?" That had my complete attention as I turned to him.

"Huh?"

He shot me that stupidly charming smile of his and pulled me closer, pressing a firm kiss to my forehead. My insides turned to mush instantly.

That singular action seemed to do the trick. A woman hid her mouth behind her hand as she whispered to the person beside her. Another man at the other end of the room looked away sharply, pretending like he hadn't seen it.

"You're raising gossip," I told James who in turn, laughed, his chest rumbling. It sounded beautiful.

"Don't they always gossip?" He was right.

"Mr Grant!" The cheery voice of Raine Sloan rung out over the sound of her heels clicking against the floor as she headed towards us. Her tight fitting knee length dress, hugged her every curve and made her look even more beautiful. And her platinum blonde hair just complimented everything perfectly because that was all she was about. Perfection.

Boy did she come very very close.

She swirled the champagne her glass, gaze flickering to me beside James. Her smile twitched but she corrected it almost immediately. "Avery."

"Good evening, Raine," James said to her causing her to smile.

"You both look so lovely. And of course, the dress I picked for you compliments you nicely." That last part was said directly to me.

I put on my nicest fake smile and stepped closer to James. "Thank you. You really did a great job."

Raine scoffed, chuckling lightly and giving James a pointed look that had me furrowing my brows. "Don't I always."

James cleared his throat. Wait, what was going on here. I tentatively stepped away from James, still confused as hell. Or at least I tried to. James yanked me back to him with a firmness that I couldn't even stumble. My spine straightened and so did my thoughts. James wasn't mine, whatever he did I had no business in.

But Raine? Really?

"Raine means to say that she takes her job seriously, considering she's my personal stylist." Nope, I did not miss the way he said those words. Like he was reassuring me. Like he could tell how I felt and didn't want me feeling hurt in any way.

Like he still cared.

Just thinking about that made my heart jump. I stared up at him and found him staring back down. I offered a smile. "Of course."

Raine, who'd been watching the entire fiasco, scoffed, getting both our attentions. She lifted her champagne glass to her lips and took a long irritating sip. "I'll see you lovebirds later then," she said in a menacing tone, sounding slightly annoyed even. The empty champagne glass in her hand now hung by her side. Suddenly, she smiled again. "Enjoy the party."

With that, she was gone. People were still staring at us, but this time, they weren't even bothering to be inconspicuous about it. Raine walked over to a group of girls and joined in their inaudible conversation.

James hand left my waist and he stepped in front of me. "That should do it." I pinched my lips together and nodded, suddenly feeling cold due to his absence. "I'll go inform my parents that I'm here. I'd have taken you with me, but that might trigger Dad's hypertension," he said, whipping out a charming smile and tucking a hand in his pocket. His gaze flickered around the room and I struggled to keep mine anywhere else but on his body.

"You could go to the food table. They have chocolate velvet cupcakes." His eyes glistened. My lips parted, but no words came out. "Your favorite."

And oh how I tried not to overthink it. But like everything James did, I went ahead and did just that, holding my breath until James had walked away.

I let the breath go when he was out of my line of vision, a hand to my chest where my heart was raging against my sternum. Taking deep breaths, I cast a final glance around the room. The low classical music which was supposed to be calming did nothing to calm my nerves due to the way practically everybody stared at me.

After a moment, I decided it'd be a good time to get a drink and probably try one of those cupcakes James spoke of earlier. After all, the real drama was about to happen.

I walked to the buffet table with as much confidence as I could muster. The large collection of food and drinks spread out before me made the situation I was in a little more bearable. I grabbed one of the disposable plates and began stacking chocolate velvet cupcakes. Motioning towards a waiter when I had enough on my plate-literally-I grabbed a glass of champagne off his tray and smiled at him proceeding to take a large gulp before setting the empty glass back on the tray.

The jets hit me first. Cold bubbles dancing in my mouth and down my throat leaving a trail of sweetness behind. The lightness hit me next.

I'd always been a lightweight, I knew it, Kong knew it, James knew it, everyone knew it. Five glasses of champagne would easily get me tipsy before you could snap your fingers.

So I grabbed a final glass and thanked the waiter who still stood there with a look of horrification on his face. As soon as he was gone, I dug into my cupcakes, setting my drink on the table. I scanned the room with a red velvet cupcake in my mouth.

Everyone seemed to be having fun because they were huddled in groups talking and laughing, some whispering. I was probably the headline of their entire gist. Mentally, I groaned. I was never doing this again. This. This right here was the reason I dodged all the events my parents threw. They were always boring.

And where was James anyway?

"Avery."

Speak of the devil.

I turned, mid-chew, to James who stood beside his parents, holding his mum's hand and eyeing my form. His mother scanned me, head to toe before whipping out a strained smile. And his father just stood there with his jaw on the floor. Hopefully, the sight of me didn't cause his blood pressure to escalate. But neither of their stares compared to the glare Pat was currently burning into my forehead.

Her hair had obviously been handled by specialists because it was made into a very complicated yet beautiful design. Her dress was an off the shoulder two-piece gown with a slit from the hem to the middle of her thing. Her lipstick coated lips were turned down in a frown as she glared at me.

Mrs. Grant was the first to break the silence that had fallen over us. "Avery, My dear," she chirped, removing her hand from James's and coming to hug me.

Instinctively, I dropped the plate of cupcakes on the table just as she put her arms around me, basking my small form in her scent. Vanilla. Just like her son.

"You look so gorgeous. What has it been? Four months?" she asked after pulling away. Behind her, her husband reached to grab a glass of champagne-my glass of champagne-off the table. James came to my side, his arm reclaiming it's position around my waist.

I sighed in contentment and nodded with a smile. "You still look radiant as ever."

It was the fact. With her small, fragile-looking frame and relatively smaller features dusted with makeup, she looked like a china doll. Just richer.

She shared a look with James, then turned to me. "Didn't the two of you break up?"

Pat piped in. "Actually they-"

"I told you, mum," interjected James with a scolding tone. "We've worked around it."

From the corner of my eye, I caught him giving her a reprimanding look but I acted like I didn't, focusing my attention back on his mother. I didn't want to get caught in the middle of their sibling fight. I knew better.

"Ah, yes we did. But you see, your son here can't possibly survive without me so the second I said no was sorry he came crawling back into my open arms." I smiled sweetly.

James abruptly pulled me into him, making my entire body ignite. I silently prayed he couldn't hear my pounding heart. Through his grin, he said, "that's not how it went, baby. Infact I remember you telling me you couldn't live without me."

Mrs. Grant stared at the both of us with a questioning look but she didn't say anything so I couldn't tell if they were buying it or not. Pat on the other hand, decided she'd had enough, and walked away angrily.

I let out a soft pointed laugh when she was gone. "Admit it, babe. You're nothing without me."

"James." This time, it was his father's voice, Mr. Grant himself, that cut us both off. My blood turned to ice when he stared straight into my eyes, uttering threats without even saying anything. His hot glare turned to his son. "My office. Now."