OBSIDIAN HAIR SLICKED into an undercut and ice grey eyes that reminded you of a winter's night, to say simply, he was devilishly handsome tonight. He held himself in a way that you couldn't help but admire him for. When we entered the ballroom, the number of women that greeted him was astonishing. A shameless womanizer, that's what he was.

With his hand placed firmly on my waist, he continued to greet and strike up conversations while completely ignoring me. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had forgotten about my presence.

I noticed that to the men he spoke with, they only considered me as eye candy. They believed that since August had brought me along, it meant that I must either be ignorant or naive. Despite feeling slightly offended, it allowed the men to speak casually and freely. And although they refrained from disclosing certain things, it wasn't difficult to piece the information together.

Fortunately, I was able to meet an interesting fellow—Daniel and his father, Nolan Harrison. After the two greeted August and disregarded me as a whole, I had only found this exchange to be amusing. It didn't bother me at all. After all, I was nobody. Without any endorsements or connections to the business world, there was no reason to acknowledge me.

As the men spoke of their recent business deals and asked for guidance, I learned that Nolan Harrison had discovered something about Mauve Diaz. The conversation never fully came up, but I noticed the twitch in his brow at the mention of her name.

Mauve had initially taught at St. Blair's for three days before resigning. Transferring to teach at another academy, I believed that she was afraid that Daniel would catch onto her identity. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to get retribution for her. After a series of remarks and specific answers, I concluded that Nolan planned to frame Crassus—the eleventh largest technology corporation. He would claim that his wife was caught cheating with Mateo Crassus, who wanted to expand his company by threatening Mauve's family. When the shares of Crassus began to crash, Nolan would do his utmost to buy them all until the majority were in his hands. With that, the Crassus' would become a pawn. Not only would this give him an excuse to divorce Mauve, take full authority of her company, but also have Crassus.

What an unapologetic piece of shit, I thought sourly. Since Mauve's whereabouts remained unknown, he would have to plant someone who had similar features. Now all I needed was to build some prestige and provide evidence to prove my predictions correct. Although it was nice extending help, I wasn't necessarily doing this out of the kindness of my heart. Mateo Crassus was a prominent figure and had made many contributions to society's technology today. His negotiation skills and business tactics were adept. Simply knowing him could open many doors.

Searching through the crowd to find Mateo's wife, I'd never been so glad to have done my research beforehand. Fidgeting in excitement, I tapped August's shoulder and stood on my tippy toes with a whisper, "I'm going to get another mocktail," he hadn't bothered to reply but loosened his hold. It had been a while since the last time I was in such a predatory environment. Smirking, I flipped my hair over my shoulders and exhaled to relieve my nerves.

Spotting a greeting waiter with a few glasses on his tray, I slipped by to grab one. Taking a sip, I savoured the flavour of strawberry and sighed. Striding by, I purposely bumped into the woman next to her. Losing her balance, her glass of wine spilled over Mateo's wife. Gliding into the crowd as they searched for the culprit, I circled around and pretended to notice the commotion. With a step forward, I gasped, "Isn't that the limited edition 'Aprohdite's Love' by Valentino?" It was a long-sleeve white dress with a deep cut down the back and a striking bateau neckline. And from the neck down to the thighs, it was detailed with a mix of crystals and diamonds.

"Yes, it is," she said sadly, looking down at her ruined dress. Red wine was hard to get out of clothes, let alone white material. "Mateo bought it for my birthday last year. It symbolizes his eternal love for me."

The talk of love made me want to empty my guts, but I held on and gushed out, "How romantic!" I pretended to look fervent as a line of agreements followed. If my mother were to see this, she would never live it down. In fact, she would be ecstatic and immediately look for eligible bachelors. As long as you knew the latest fashion, newest scandals and generously paid them with compliments, then they would gladly welcome anyone. "My best friend is a huge fan of Valentino, and this dress is actually inspired by him."

A few overheard the conversation and immediately pipped me excitedly, "You're well acquainted with the Rye family?" A woman gasped and held onto my arm as though we had known each other for years.

"I'd like to say so," I smiled, gently patting her hand. "I consider them like family."

Mateo's wife suddenly pulled me away from the woman with a pursued lips, "Please help me freshen up. I'd love to know more," with her arms hooked with mine, we ascended the spiral staircases as she boasted, "Valentino and I are good friends," she stated. "The women here would die for a dress from Misty Rye. It's hard to request a custom from her."

I wonder how she would react if she knew that Misty was always trying to persuade me to request one from her. "Her works are remarkable. It's truly one of a kind," I nodded, navigating through the large mansion for a powder room. "I must have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Calista Lockhart."

"Rosaline Crassus," she stated casually, and when she was positive that it was only the two of us, she narrowed her eyes, "Now, what is it what you want?"

Good eye, I thought. Had it been another woman, I might have been able to butter them up more. Though, as expected, it was good that Rosaline was skeptical of me. "I'm not sure I know what you're implying," I played along innocently. "I had no ill intentions when approaching you."

"I've heard that line a dozen times, and it all ends the same," she took a threatening step forward. "Tell me what you want."

The kind act she had was long gone, and I couldn't help but giggle. From her body language and behavioural habits, I could tell she was rather timid didn't like to confront conflict head-on. While trying to seek out my intentions, her hands had been nervously shaking. "I'm here to warn you," I closed the distance and whispered to her ear. "I suggest you and your husband keep an eye on Nolan Hayes." Clasping my hands behind my back, I took a step away and maintained a relaxed smile.

"Do you really expect me to believe one of our closest business partners is trying to harm us?"

Glancing in the mirror, I touched up my lipstick and puckered my lips. If I showed too much interest, it wouldn't be very believable. "Whether you decide to believe me or not doesn't concern me, but when Crassus goes crumbling, don't say I didn't warn you."

Suddenly, she pulled out her phone from the small handbag and pushed it towards me. "Put your contacts in," urged Rosaline. "After I speak with my husband, I will contact you tomorrow."

"I'm a good observer, and I can read people easily," I said after a moment, adding my contact information. By how eagerly she seemed to believe my words, there was a high chance that others would take advantage of her whenever they could. If I were to plug in my phone USB, a virus would be downloaded, and I would have been able to access her phone through my laptop. "It may not seem like it now, but you won't regret meeting me."

Handing her phone back, she stared at me in awe. Despite being nine years older than me, her antics were childlike, and it was cute. "And don't give out your phone so willingly to others next time," I chastised. "This conversation should be between the three of us."

"WHY DID YOU COME here with August?" the voice demanded harshly, unfriendly and cold. Turning around, I showed my confusion. "Are you seriously pretending to act dumb, or are you just dumb?"

The insult wasn't any different than what I was already used to. Calmly, I raised my eyebrow in question. "Are you finished having a hissy fit yet?" For someone I met a few days ago, he was acting as though we were actually together. "You never told me who was picking me up, and I even replied to your text."

"I asked Micah to pick you up," he muttered after checking his phone, which I had sent hours ago. "Stay away from August. The only reason he's doing this is to get on my nerves."

Without him telling me directly, I was planning on avoiding him anyways. "Are you guys on bad terms?" I asked, watching his facial expression turn bitter. I learned that I naturally gave off a reassuring aura. It made you want to trust and confide in me, though I found that it was ironic, considering I must have been one of the most mischievous and cunning people in this mansion.

"You could say that," he began, unsure of where to begin. "Things got rough over a girl."

I wondered what kind of person she was since the media made the two seem like close friends. "So, any girl you seem remotely interested in, he'll try to take them first?" I offered. It sounded worse the more I thought about it. "Vice versa?"

"You're good at reading the situation," he gaped. "I'm sorry, my outburst was uncalled for," his apology was astonishing. Was a Royal seriously apologizing to me? "By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

Compliments were a foreign thing, and I couldn't help but blush at his words. "Thank you," I murmured, fiddling with my fingers. I hadn't noticed it before since I was preoccupied, but my feet were now sore and aching. Walking in heels wasn't hard, but after hours, it was like Hell.

"If you ever want to start modelling, I can help you," he proposed. Any girl would have killed for the opportunity, but I had blatantly refused without a chance of changing my mind. Been there, done that, hated it. The diet and workouts had made me run far, far away.

Shaking my head at the thought, I laughed, "I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass. There are many better candidates for that than me."

"No, that's not-"

Cut in the middle of Nicolas's words, a smooth voice asked, "How long are you going to keep me waiting?" It seemed like I was caught in one inconvenience after another.

Smiling brightly with a firm glare, I strode towards August. If anyone had seen this, it would have caused a misunderstanding. Publically, August made sure to show his interest in me. By meeting Nicolas in a secluded area alone, it was bound to start rumours. In high society, these people were ruthless. If it meant getting an advantage, they would grasp it instantly. Scandals could easily ruin lives, and I wasn't an exception.

I watched August's smug expression as though he had attained something Nicolas couldn't have. It was childish, and I wondered how on earth he attended to business acting like this. Holding out his hand, I begrudgingly took it. When the two of us entered, the whispers began again.

Resentful eyes followed me wherever I went, and they hadn't bothered to hide their envy. "Why are you doing this?"

"You're my pair for the games," he shrugged, passing me a mocktail. "I want what Nicolas can't have," he added, "And I always win." I was unsure if he was talking about the game or having an unspoken competition with Nicolas.

"I'm not interested in the academy's stupid event," I hissed. "And I sure as hell won't fall in love with someone like you."

His arm wrapped around my waist to keep me secured at his side. Being so close, I was practically leaning on him. "Darling, I don't think you have a choice," August reminded, and I thought back to the letter I received. They must have known minor details of why I disappeared years ago. "How about I make things interesting?" My ears perked up attentively. "If you win this stupid event, I'll give you ten percent of Laurent's shares."

"Twenty percent," I negotiated, feeling tempted by his proposal. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea who he was playing with. He didn't know that I would be benefitting more than he thought I would. He had done a thorough background check on me, and I was immediately notified of it. It was impossible to dig up any information that I didn't want to be leaked. With his silence as my confirmation, I tugged on his tie and wrapped my arms around him, leaning in that we were inches away from kissing. "I'm going to win this dumb game, break your heart, and you'll love me through it all, August."