Kalila Miracle Hart

"And that's how it all went down," I finished my explanation to Evara. Her expression was indescribable, but I could tell she was proud of how I'd handled the situation.

After Carcel and the others left, a wave of relief washed over me. We hadn't had that talk, and he just walked away quietly. I could only hope he'd forget about it and let it go. I knew I couldn't run away forever—at some point, I'd need to talk to him and apologize. But this was Carcel Dawson we were talking about. I had to mentally and physically prepare myself to face that dreadful gaze again. His dark eyes suddenly flashed in my mind, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I quickly shook my head, trying to erase the thought.

"It looks like I missed all the fun," Evara said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"But you're our savior—you fixed our app," I said, hugging her. After all that shit, I realized how much I'd missed her. It seemed I'd gotten so used to her presence that I felt her absence more than I'd expected.

"Kalila's right," Akira chimed in. "Now that the app is fixed, we should focus on finishing our booth." We all nodded in agreement.

"I think the live connect, was great idea, Kalila," Sumer added. "Some artists wanted to display their art live, so maybe we could do that for the rest of Foundation Week and continue with the live connects."

I wasn't sure if it was a great idea—it had somehow turned our project into a weird matchmaking event—but if they were on board, I'd roll with it.

"I actually like it. It sounds fun," Evara said, her enthusiasm infectious. 

We got back to our booth and finished the decorations. As we worked, I asked Sumer and Akira how they'd managed to find Crue. Their detailed recounting the scene had me in stitches, especially when they described how all the players in the locker room tried to cover themselves up as they barged in unannounced. I couldn't believe Akira was so aggressive like that, but I was really happy to see her coming out of her shell.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, pulling me out of the moment. I pulled it out and saw a message from Carcel. A shiver ran down my spine. Just seeing Carcel's name—or even hearing it—gave me a kind of PTSD, my body reacting with an involuntary jolt. I hesitated, then opened the message.

I'm not running away, bunny. See you next time.
Sent 3:33 PM

I cringed at the nickname. The next time we'd see each other would be never—if only I could say that. I let a long sigh. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, trying to push the thought of him out of my mind. Carcel was a jerk, but he doesn't look like the violent type—I hope.

My mind was racing, playing out scenarios that hadn't even happened yet. The reason I said I needed to prepare myself physically was simple: if anything went south, I'd run. I'd be as fast and agile as a sailfish. And if he refused to accept my apology, well, maybe I should—beg? Or just punch him in the face. Yeah, that sounded like a solid backup plan.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. This wasn't the time to dwell on Carcel. I needed to focus on the task at hand. Whatever was going on with Carcel, I'd deal with it when the time come. For now, I just needed to keep moving forward and finish this god damn project that's somehow making my life more hectic than ever. 

It was dark when the booth is finally finished, it glowed under the soft lights, casting a warm ambiance that reflected our efforts. We needed the setup to be sturdy and weatherproof to last through the final day of Foundation Week. Looking at it now, I felt a sense of pride. It had turned out better than expected. We decided to order in again, we cleared up the table so we could eat properly and enjoy our meals.

"I'm so happy I get to sleep in my bed now," Summer said, stretching with a relieved smile.

"Me too," Akira chimed in.

"We did a good job. We all deserve a proper rest," Evara agreed, pausing as she pointed at me. 

"Especially you." I sighed in agreement. It was a long day for me, and all I wanted was a relaxing, hot bath.

"And I'm glad the booth is finally up," Evara continued, settling down with her salad. 

As we continued eating, Summer's expression shifted, catching my attention. "Guys, there's something that's been bothering me," she said, her tone serious.

"What is it?" 

"We all saw Miss Sinclair lined up for the connect right?" Summer began, reminding me of what happened earlier. I had almost forgotten about it.

I left the booth with Crue to give them some kind of privacy since the looked of Ciel's  eyes tells me that Carcel and her had something going on, like a past relationship maybe? I don't know. 

"I asked Ace about it, and it turns out they're  engaged."

The revelation blindsided me. That damn freak is engaged, and he didn't tell me? What the hell! If I'd known he was engaged to none other than Ciel Sinclair, I wouldn't have made him go through all of that—especially not the live connects with a crowd of girls. Now Ciel's expression back then finally made sense. She was pissed that her soon-to-be husband was window shopping girls like he didn't have a promise to fulfill. It was practically cheating, and it made me feel guilty as hell.

I stared at my food, my appetite gone. The idea that I'd unknowingly been complicit in Carcel's behavior gnawed at me. I couldn't believe he'd put me in that position without so much as a heads-up. The more I thought about it, the more anger I get. Why had he gone along with it? Why had he even shown up in the first place?

"That's messed up," I muttered, still processing the information. "I would've handled things differently if I'd known."

"I knew, though," Evara said casually, and my head snapped in her direction. "I was friends with them back in high school, but that all shattered because of Ciel." She continued, Now I understood why she was so pissed off at her.

"I had a girl best friend in high school who was Crue's cousin," Evara began, and we all leaned in, intrigued. "We were all close—Ciel, Carcel, Crue, Ace, me, and that girl. We were tight because our parents were friends. Well, not friends like we are, but business friends, you know? The typical setup. So whenever our families hung out, we were practically forced to hang out too. We we're still in high school when, Ciel and Carcel got engaged. Everyone in our circle knew that, but we also knew Carcel hated it. Hate doesn't even cover it, he despised it. But Ciel didn't care; it even seemed like she begged her parents to get engaged to him."

She paused, her eyes narrowing as she recalled the memories. "Then one night, Crue invited me to their party. I didn't know I was the only girl invited, so when I got there and realized it was just me and a bunch of guys, I immediately went home. The next day, I was pissed at the boys. I told them it was weird as hell for them to pull something like that, but they just laughed it off and made fun of me for wearing a evening dress to a pool party, they played me dirty."

We exchanged glances, sensing there was more to this story. Evara continued, her tone growing sharper. "While we were talking about this, Ciel overheard us. She asked why I didn't tell her about the party, and I explained that I thought they were all invited too. She got mad, and the next day, my best friend wouldn't talk to me. When I tried to approach her, she avoided me like I was some kind of a disease. Of course, that messed me up, so we ended up not speaking not until graduation day. My best friend confronted me and said Ciel told her I was only trying to get close to her because I liked Crue. Which was a complete lie—I never once said I liked him. He's not even my type. When I asked Ciel why she said that, she just shrugged and said it was because I looked like I was head over heels for him. I swear I almost slap her, Since then, I never hung out with them."

Evara's story left us all in stunned silence. The depth of Ciel's manipulation was unsettling. I'd always sensed that her attitude wasn't exactly friendly, but this was on another level. It was disturbing to realize how easily she could ruin a friendship over something as trivial as a misunderstanding—or rather, her own twisted perception of events.

"That's crazy," I muttered, shaking my head. The more I learned about the world of the rich and powerful, the more I realized just how terrifying it could be. Now I understand why Evara was suddenly so protective of me at the spa.

"It's not just crazy—it's sickening," Akira added, her voice laced with disgust. "Ciel sounds like someone who can't stand not being in the spotlight."

Evara sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, well, that's how it is in their world. You're either with them or against them. And if you're against them, they'll make sure you regret it."

"But, guys, hear me out," Sumer said, snapping us back to attention. We all turned to look at her at once, curious. "Maybe—just maybe—Miss Sinclair did that, not because of the prank, but because she thought Carcel was the one who invited Evara to the party."

A realization hit me like a splash of cold water. she has point.

"I actually considered that," Evara chimed in, her voice thoughtful. "But it doesn't add up. The party was at Crue's house, so it's common sense that the host would have the final say on the people he invited." There was a hint of uncertainty in her tone, as if she was trying to convince herself, too.

"Maybe she didn't know that," I said softly, not wanting to stir the pot, but the more I thought about it, the more Sumer's idea made sense.

"I don't know, guys. Honestly, I don't even care anymore. I just don't want to deal with that drama queen ever again," Evara said, shaking her head. She wasn't wrong, and right now, all I could think about was how Ciel was a perfect match for that lunatic, Carcel.

"Speaking of which," Akira said suddenly, as if recalling something from the back of her mind. "Carcel mentioned something about wanting to see you, Kalila."

What? Why would he want to see me?

I shot Akira a puzzled look. "What the hell? Why?"

"Oh, yeah," Sumer said, nodding as if she just remembered too. "We didn't get it either. He asked if we were keeping our booth up until the end of Foundation Week." She paused, searching for the right words. "We told him we were, and then he said something weird, like, 'Someone might not let you do that,' or something like that." She seemed unsure, and her confusion was making me more uneasy.

"I think he was trying to warn us," Akira added, her brow furrowed. "Like, if something goes down at the booth, you should go see him."

But that didn't make sense. Why would Carcel want to warn us? And why did he think we'd need his help? What the hell is going on?