Chapter 6

The party in the Emotion building had already begun. It was late at night, and many people were present, dancing to the loud and lively music or getting wasted at the bar.

Most eyes turned to the two friends who had just entered: Tristan and Xavier. It was practically impossible not to look at them; even the taken women couldn't help but analyze them from head to toe.

"I have to go find my boss. Have fun, but don't go overboard!" Seraphina warned the two.

"Don't treat me like I'm a teenager," Xavier rolled his eyes.

"I'm the older sister! You can't escape from me."

Tristan paid no attention to their typical, pointless, and idiotic argument. In fact, everything around him became unimportant as soon as he laid his eyes on Aurora. She was on the dance floor, moving to the beat of the lively music.

"I knew you wanted to come here because of a girl!" Xavier said, noticing his friend's gaze.

"Are you eyeing the new photographer?!" Seraphina asked, but Tristan didn't respond. "Well, your tastes are peculiar. This girl has become the talk of the town among the employees. Besides standing up to the boss, she made obscene gestures toward a competitor after getting the job."

"Why am I not surprised?" Tristan smiled discreetly.

Seraphina just shrugged. It wasn't an interesting conversation for her, so she moved away from the boys to find Luna. As for Tristan, he took the first step toward Aurora but found himself forced to retreat when Adelaide approached her first. He would have to wait for a moment when she was alone.

The two friends sat on a large couch in the corner of the hall. Tristan had no idea how long he had been watching her or how many times he had ignored Xavier calling his name. He wanted to etch every detail into his brain—the curves and features of her body and face.

Xavier huffed. He tried to strike up a conversation with his friend, but it seemed like he was talking to a ghost. Tristan was too engrossed, so the taller one decided to roam the hall in search of anything that would alleviate his boredom.

Tristan also decided to get up and confidently walked toward Aurora, who no longer had her sister around. On his way, he got distracted by a brunette woman passing by. They locked eyes as they passed each other, like a scene in slow motion.

Initially, Tristan was a bit surprised by the appearance of that woman but completely ignored her and refocused on what he was doing. However, he soon realized that Aurora was no longer on the dance floor.

On the other side of the hall, Adelaide was at the bar, resting her elbow on the counter and her chin in her hand. She was another bored soul at the party.

Adelaide had spent years serving others because of the restaurant and the catering business, and now she was the one being served, which felt strange to her. Perhaps being a bit of a perfectionist, she was bothered by the lack of professionalism among the hired help.

"Sister!" Aurora hugged her sister's neck, shouting in her ear. She was excited and had already had a few drinks, but nothing that made her drunk.

"Don't shout! People are looking at us," Adelaide reprimanded her sister, who sat down next to her.

"Hey, bartender!"

The tall, strong, and handsome man turned to them.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"You in my bed," Aurora said, and Adelaide lowered her head, shaking in denial. The little alcohol she had consumed was affecting her sound judgment. "I'm kidding! But if you want to take that proposal seriously, just ask for my number," she winked at him, and he smiled awkwardly. "Anyway, I want the strongest drink in the house!"

"Do you want to stop drinking so much? I don't want to have to carry you home," Adelaide reproached again.

"Stop being such a buzzkill and enjoy the fact that the drinks are free here!"

The bartender returned with the drink and two glasses. Aurora filled both glasses and handed one to Adelaide before downing her own drink. The older sister looked at the liquid, not having taken a drop of alcohol in her mouth that night.

"Shall we leave from here?" Adelaide asked.

"Oh no!" Aurora whined. "Just a few more minutes, and then we'll leave."

"I know you, a few minutes is the same as a few hours!" She got up, worried about leaving her sister alone with the open bar menu, but she knew that Aurora had many coworkers at the party who would help her if anything happened, especially Luna, who seemed to like Aurora a lot.

"Are you really going to leave me here alone?!"

"Don't be dramatic. Yes, I'm going back home. I'm not feeling very well."

"At least give me money for a taxi!" Aurora extended her hand. Adelaide took the money out of her purse and handed it over before leaving the hall.

Aurora went back to drinking calmly until she noticed Xavier sitting on the bench next to her. She looked at him, noticing the significant height difference, and started laughing, remembering a theory she had heard some time ago.

Xavier looked at her, surprised to see that he was the "target" of Tristan.

"What are you laughing at?" Xavier raised an eyebrow, suspecting that she was laughing because of him.

"Have you never heard that the taller you are, the smaller the..." Aurora looked at Xavier's pants with a mischievous smile.

"Hey!" Xavier became embarrassed but tried to appear serious. "You've never seen it to be commenting!"

Aurora burst into laughter, and Xavier rolled his eyes impatiently.

"For the first time, I have to agree with my sister, Tristan has a very peculiar taste."

She stopped laughing when she heard him mention Tristan's name.

"Wait, you know Mr. Arrogant?!"

"I've told you not to call me that." The voice near Aurora's ear sent a chill down her spine, a chill that only that voice could make her feel.

"Fine, I won't call you Mr. Arrogant," she looked at Tristan, who sat beside her, "from now on, it'll be Mr. Ego Inflated."

Xavier held back his laughter, which made Tristan glare at him. He was smart and quickly stood up.

"I'm leaving before I'm killed!" Xavier moved away, going in any direction.

"Can I get you something?" a woman behind the counter asked.

Aurora wondered where the muscular bartender was. It didn't even cross her mind that the woman had switched jobs just to serve and flirt with Tristan.

"No, thank you," Tristan spoke without even looking at the woman, who formed a defeated expression.

"Are you sure you don't even want a whiskey?" the woman leaned on the counter, showing more of her cleavage.

Aurora noticed the girl's desperation and snorted in annoyance. She was practically begging for attention without an ounce of shame on her face.

"Are you deaf or something? We don't want anything," Aurora replied.

The woman glared at the redhead, but she couldn't start a fight, especially during work hours. She was forced to accept defeat and walked away from the two.

"What was that? Jealous?" Tristan questioned.

"Oh, forget about my existence! I just find it irritating how these desperate women throw themselves at the first man they see. I just don't understand why most of them want you of all people."

"You say that because you've never slept with me."

"I won't even waste my time. I'm sure I'd be disappointed," she said, and Tristan smiled discreetly. He was enjoying the girl's rejection; it made everything more interesting. "It's impossible to have a coherent conversation with someone like you who thinks that all the girls in the world would fall at your feet."

"Wanna bet?" Tristan challenged, and she raised a curious eyebrow. "Choose any woman at this party."

"Danger" was flashing in Aurora's mind as if it were a warning. She didn't want to get involved in that game, but she decided to accept it for the amusement of watching him get turned down.

"That one over there," Aurora pointed to some random woman on the dance floor.

She watched as Tristan approached the girl like a predator and she was the prey. The man started a conversation with her, and it didn't take long for them to start kissing.

"You scoundrel!" Aurora was dumbfounded, amazed at how quickly he could seduce a woman.

Tristan whispered a few words in the woman's ear, and she walked away from him with a smile. He approached Aurora with a mocking smile on his face.

"That was luck! That woman was too easy," the redhead replied.

"Then choose another one."

And so, the two stared at each other with challenging looks.