Deception

Chapter 15 - Bad Blood

~Catalina~

When I leave the bedroom dripped in pastel blue and diamond earrings, I make my way down the marble staircase.

An unsettling American song booms through the house, the bass so strong I can feel it in my bones. My first thought seeing the foyer - which is sprinkled with guests - is that it looks like an event hall.

I'm talking black and white streamers from the chandelier to the ceiling, balloon archways at every doorway, and giant lettering saying Happy Birthday Bianca!

Call her diabolical, but she really knows how to organise a party. At the bottom of the staircase, I find myself lost in the middle of it, between all the laughter, the confetti, and the stares.

Everyone here looks young and carefree. Dressed in the oddest designer tracksuits and dresses, and holding the most expensive bags.

Two months ago, Papa would have never let around this many people unguarded. Now, I'm free as I walk past clusters and cliques who are too busy gawking to return a smile back. Rude.

At least now I know where Bianca gets her attitude from. When I see her, glamoured head to toe in diamonds, telling an audience to neatly pile their gifts in the grand hall, a knot forms in my stomach.

I need some fresh air.

I push past drunks and dancers, getting elbowed in the process. When I reach the hallway in the back of the foyer, under the staircase, I head to the french doors at the end and push them open.

But its just my luck that others have beat me to it. A pair of men, one taller than the other stand far from the door, right in front of the green maze.

Silas looks immune to the cold. Though his tan skin has grown a little pale, he stands in his black dress shirt like the a storm isn't close to arriving.

Gulping, I stick my heel out but then his eyes glide my way. Silas's warning is loud and clear. From the indifference in his expression I'm guessing he's discussing something important, and doesn't want me around for some reason.

It makes me want to leave the house more, so I do. As I step outside I fold my bare arms, and Silas narrows his eyes. Suddenly he's not even trying to look interested in the conversation he's having.

I walk around, pretending not to notice him at all. But even the ice piled in this garden seems to melt around him.

I've been avoiding Silas and his family all day. Sadly, Pietro survived his little poison attack. I can't say the same for his son.

I can't stop wondering how he even found out about my plan to hurt him? Did see me pouring in the powder?

I reach out and touch the branch of a berry bush. The frost melts on my finger in a second. Its everywhere, dusting the trees clustered at the side of the yard. Even forming on the surface of the pool I fell into today.

The breeze tastes like ecstasy. The garden maze situated at the end of a long gravel pathway looks even taller from here. And the snow covered grass beyond the pool is so fluffy I could roll right over it.

When I pluck a berry from the bush, Silas's eyes intensify on me.

Okay. Either he's possessive about his plants or he realised I'm not listening to him.

Whatever way, his eyes seem to stroke my skin from afar. The warmth crawling up my neck fights with the cold, and I question it. I question every second I spend in exhile because of the man I tried to hurt barely twelve hours ago.

I breathe out when he removes his attention from me for good when replying to the other man. And then I hear her.

"I mean, did she really have to wear those weird ass shoes. Somebody needs to give her a reality check."

Bianca's raspy voice shatters my peace. Her friend, who sports dreadlocks and a tight blue jumpsuit walks alongside her before they both stop.

"Go inside Lex." Bianca narrows her glittery eyes, which match with my dress she wears. I'm bitter to admit the pale shades look amazing on her olive skin. "I'll be there in a second."

Her friend shakes her head and leaves, and Bianca is about to approach me before she realises Silas is here and stops. Her expression shifts. She ticks her jaw in thought, and then she continues.

When she stops, her arms cross and she slowly scans me. With how high her blonde eyebrows are, I can't tell if she hates or loves my dress.

Its baby blue silk that loosely wraps around my body and stops mid-thigh. My shoulders and arms are covered with a thin matching jacket. I love the way it sparkles against the outdoor lights, but she looks repulsed.

"What are you wearing? Are you an ice skater?"

I take a few long seconds to reply. "Why are you here?"

Something strong, something that looks a lot like envy clouds her green eyes "I should be asking you the same thing. You practically stole the attention from me when you came prancing down the stairs."

Wow..so not what I was expecting to hear. My thumb folds inside my hand and I fidget with it, before relaxing. "I...I didn't mean to-"

"You never do." She cuts me off, sounding more than irritated with my choppy way of speaking English. She takes a step forward. Eyes burning. "You take my brother. Move into my house. Become the talk of my party."

My ears start to throb with the cold. And after a few long seconds of letting her words sink, I know I can't take this anymore. "You know what? You are a real bitch."

Her mouth drops open. "Wow. And here I thought you were a little gold digger with no tongue."

"Just-" I roll my eyes. "Leave me alone. Find someone else to torture."

"Or what?" She whispers. "What are you gonna-"

My hand swings. Flattened palm against her face so hard, the sound echoes throughout the garden. Her head flies to the side with the impact and she holds her cheek, glaring at me with a hatred that could kill.

"Silas!! Your wife just slapped me, do something!!"

Silas stops his conversation to look at us, before rolling his eyes away like he couldn't care less. This angers Bianca so much her hand comes flying to my face, slapping me back so I stumble back a few steps.

My jaw tenses. I don't think.

I push her back and she wobbles on her heels, but before she falls back she grabs me, dragging me into the pool.

We fall in with a splash that's barely remembered with how fast she starts hitting me. She's ravenous. Her fists are full of my hair as she tries ripping it out, screaming and growling like a barbarian.

And I don't try to hold myself back either. I throw punches left and right, sabotaging myself when she gets the same idea. Her punch is so sloppy she manages to slash my cheek with her nail. I groan, skin burning. Chlorine on the tip of my tongue.

Someone jumps into the pool by the time I grab her neck and try to drown her, but I can't think about stopping. Not even when I'm ripped off of her and grabbed by the waist.