Alisha and Riven stood behind me looking over at Kai, Alisha wore a stunning short red dress and matching heels. She looked flawless as always however, my eyes were immediately glued on Riven. He had changed from his usual suit and tie look to something much more relax and casual. He wore a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, and dark blue jeans, his hair was a bit messier than usual almost as if he just woke up but in a sexy way.
"Hey there's my baby," Kai says happily looking over to Alisha. "I thought you had work to do, what are you doing here?"
"This is my work Kai," she says coldly. "Are you forgetting I own half this place too?"
"Of course not," Kai smirks. "But last time I checked you said you didn't want to see me, and yet you came here knowing very well I'd be here."
Alisha's eyes widen as she's caught in her lie, she immediately looks away shutting her eyes and lets out an annoyed sigh.
"Yes well, my job comes first."
Kai walks over to her, he turns her face and fixes her hair. She looked at Kai and her eyes went from ice cold to... in love.
"You look beautiful, as always," he said smiling at her. "I didn't know you dressed like this for business? Or were you jealous I asked Violet to join me tonight?"
"Of course I wasn't jealous!" she shouts. "But I should be the only person you ask out, broken up or not... are we clear?"
"Very clear," Kai laughs as he pulls her in for a hug. They really were in love with each other and the mode instantly changed as the both of them smiled, I couldn't help but smile at their happiness and I was so distracted that I hadn't realized he was standing beside me.
"I guess it was only a matter of time till they made up," Riven says as he takes the drink from the bartender and hands me my glass of wine. "I assume this is yours?"
"Oh, um thank you," I say sheepishly. "I thought you had work to finish?"
"I do, but apparently my sister thought me being here was more important," Riven says as he takes a sip of his drink. "I swear their relationship is just a rollercoaster ride, and everyone gets dragged in."
He pauses.
"Even you." he sighs. "You're always being dragged into my family's problems when you have your own life to live, I can't help but feel responsible."
"That's not true," I smile softly looking down at my glass. "I think I put myself into your family's business, it was one thing for us to living beside each other but working together and constantly being seen together, well that may have given off the wrong impression."
"Violet you didn't-"
"It's amazing, isn't it? People always say love is a beautiful thing and that it should be cherished," I cut off Riven. "But it seems that the people who do always end up getting hurt in the end."
I look up and see Kai and Alisha out on the dance floor enjoying a slow song together. Seeing them so happy brought tears to my eyes, it had reminded me of when dad would dance with mom and I would sit and watch them be in love.
"My parents were in love like that, they looked so perfect and happy. I always said that I wanted a relationship like that, I wanted to feel love that was so precious," I brush my hand over my face. "But then I saw first hand how my own father betrayed that love, how he betrayed my mother... I've denied that idea of love even exists. I was stupid not to see your pain and fear Riven, we went through two different situations but felt the same."
"Actually, we went through the same situation too," Riven says looking out to the dance floor. "But I think we should talk about this more privately."
"Privately?" I look up at him and he looks down at me.
"Yeah, if you want we can get out of here and go back to my place? But I understand if you don't want to."
"Actually I think that's a good idea," I say taking one last sip from my glass, placing it on the bar. "Let's go?"
"Mhm."
Riven pays for our drinks and I send a quick text to Kai and Alisha letting them know we left but they seemed to be in their own world, at least they were happy.
Riven holds my waist and opens the door for me as we head out.
The walk back to the apartment was a bit quiet and awkward. However, the streets were still filled with people walking around. Riven stands close to me but I could tell all eyes were on us, I mean anyone standing next to Riven would be looked at. He was tall, dress fashionably, and extremely good-looking, how could I blame them?
"You okay?" he asks as we continue walking. "This is probably the quietest you've been since I met you."
"Was that suppose to be a joke?" I look up at him with a faint smile.
Riven shrugs his shoulders but I could see a playful smirk on his face.
We get to the apartment and like a gentleman, he holds the door open for me and we head in.
***
I walk into his apartment and gaze over at the living room.
"Feel free to make yourself comfortable," Riven says as he walks in behind me taking off his coat. "Want anything to drink?"
"Is that even a question?" I said with a smirk.
"Fair enough," he says with a slight chuckle. "I'm guessing your usual, right?"
"Actually..." you pause. "Do you have something a bit stronger?"
"I'll see what I can find."
I watch Riven walk into the kitchen and walk over to the living room, I run my hands on a few books and I notice one sticking out. I pull it off the shelf and flip through the pages curiously to find a bookmark.
"Was he reading this?"
To my surprise it was an ancient love story about how a man loved a woman only to lose her to his own brother, the page that was marked was hitting that point of the story but is he really interested in something like this?
As I continue flipping through the pages a photo falls out from the back landing on the floor. I reach down to pick it up when I notice a photo of a beautiful woman, she had long black hair and stunning emerald green eyes. Beside her stood a man who had a bright smile on his face with his arm around her shoulder.
"Is this-"
"Violet?" Riven says standing beside me. I look over to him still holding the photo in my hand, he looks down at it and then back to me letting out what seemed to be a relieved sigh. "I see you've found a picture."
"This is you," I asked still looking at him holding the photo in my hand. "With her?"
"It was," he says calmly handing me a glass. "That was over five years ago we had first started dating."
"You still keep photos?"
"No," he says as he takes the photo from my hand and takes a look at it. "I didn't even know it was still here."
He looks at the photo with a cold expression, I had no idea how he was feeling or what was running through his head at his moment. He doesn't say anything and places the photo face down on the coffee table before sitting on the couch.
"It's all in the past anyway." he takes a sip from his glass and leans his head back closing his eyes. "Everything was just a game to her, while I... I just wanted to make her happy."
I sit down quietly beside Riven as I listen to the fireplace crackle. I wasn't sure what to say or how to make him feel better, it was probably better for me to stay quiet anyway. But then why did a part of me still ache knowing he felt this way?
I lean back and gently place my head on his shoulder, neither of us says anything, and just watch the fire burning in front of us. It was soothing and if I'm being honest, I felt safe.
"I've never really been in love before," I muttered. "My father wanted me to marry some aristocratic because it would bring success and merger into the family. He always said it was in my best interest and that I should be taken care of but I knew, I knew that it was only for his benefit and the fact that I was nothing more than his pawn."
"He was going to force you to marry someone?" Riven chuckles softly. "He does realize we don't live in the olden time right?"
"I don't think it's about that if I'm being completely honest, you see it's kind of a tradition," I say sitting up and facing Riven. "Think of it as a business proposal, the kids get married and the business continues to flourish."
"I get that but I don't see the benefit for you." Riven turns his head and looks at me. "Would you really marry someone just for someone to succeed? Or is that why you decided to leave home?"
My eyes widen at Riven's words, he was spot on and had no idea about my life but how?
"How did you-"
"Because you weren't the only one that made that choice." Riven turns away with a slight smirk across his face. He leans forward placing his arms on his legs while holding his glass in his hands and stares deeply into the fireplace. "You see at the time I was dating Arianna, I thought I had everything figured out and that nothing could possibly go wrong, but when I announced that I wanted to marry her... well I soon realized I was nothing but a joke."
"A joke...?"
"Arianna didn't love me in the way I thought, because you see I was nothing but a pawn in her own game." Riven takes a heavy sip from his glass and continues. "It turned out that she had bigger plans, plans that would put her on top if she played her cards right. However, if she was with the illegitimate child of Christopher Danton well her plan wouldn't be as successful."
"I don't understand, the way you're saying this it sounds like she cheated on you but then who..." I immediately stop and realize who Riven was talking about. "Riven... please don't tell me it was-"
"Xavier," Riven says as I bite my lip nervously and watch Riven's expression change. "The girl I loved and would have done anything for decided that my brother was better than me."
Riven chugs his drink and slams his glass on the table angrily. He stands up grabbing the photo I had found and stares at it.
"If I wasn't good enough she could have told me, but instead she turned me into her damn game and used me!" he says with pain in his voice. "I would have changed for her Violet... dammit I would have done anything for her so why... why wasn't I good enough?"
"Riven stop, it isn't your fault," I plead. "You didn't do anything wrong, she's the one that cheated."
"But why is Xavier always picked? Is it because he's the oldest? Or because he's not a bastard child?!" his voice cracks. "Why can't someone see I'm there too?"
"Oh Riven..."
I place my glass on the table and walk over to him. I wrap my hands under his arm placing my head against his back and hold him tightly.
"I see you."
I feel him place his hand on my head and let out what seems to be a sigh of relief.
"You have no idea how much you've changed my life..."
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