Threw this party for you

Chapter 6

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The party had shifted. The music still thumped against the glittering walls of Selene's estate, but the atmosphere was different now. There was tension in the air, crackling and unspoken, hanging like perfume and smoke.

Samantha walked back into the ballroom with forced poise, her dress no longer shimmering as brightly, her smile faltering at the corners. She glanced around quickly, scanning the crowd for familiar faces, her hand gripping her clutch a little too tightly. She could feel the weight of the anonymous message pressing into her chest, coiling like a snake. Her throat was dry.

Ryn saw her first.

From her corner of the ballroom, where she leaned against the cool marble pillar with an untouched drink in hand, Ryn watched Samantha's return with a small, knowing smile. Her eyes, dark and steady, followed every twitch of Samantha's lips, every nervous brush of her fingers through her hair.

She looked broken.

"Damn she looks broken with just this, then what will she look like when she's done with her".

Good.

Ryn took a slow sip of her drink and turned away just as Samantha's eyes nearly met hers.

Selene, radiant in blood-red silk, stood on the raised platform in the center of the ballroom. Her party. Her kingdom. Her eyes swept the crowd, sharp and observant. She saw Samantha's return and tilted her head, amused. She saw the way Alina still hovered too close to Jace, and the way Jace hadn't so much as looked her way, and that was the only imperfection.

Selene said nothing. She didn't need to.

Ryn hadn't even noticed Selene watching. She had bigger concerns.

"You said yes to him?" Jace's voice was a quiet growl beside her.

She didn't jump. He always appeared without warning now.

"You're keeping tabs on me now?" Ryn responded without turning. Her tone was teasing, but there was steel underneath.

Don't you have better things to do than to follow me around this whole evening.

Look at Zayne he's having fun and so should you oh great Jace. She mocked.

He remained silent .

He took her drink from her hand, his fingers brushing hers deliberately, and downed it in one motion.

"I don't like sharing."

"Too bad you don't own me," she replied, eyes cutting to him.

Jace didn't blink. His jaw ticked.

Ryn pushed off the pillar and walked into the crowd. She was done standing still. Let him follow. Since it's becoming a habit.

He did.

Someone else, a boy with a confident smile and mischief in his eyes, caught Ryn halfway through the crowd. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She laughed,loud enough for Jace to hear. Her hand rested lightly on the boy's shoulder. And then, just like that, Jace was there.

He didn't say a word.

He just took her wrist and pulled her away, through the side exit, into the garden.

The night was cool and quiet outside, the air fresh compared to the heat of the ballroom.

"You're not subtle," Ryn said, breathless.

"Neither are you," Jace bit out. He turned to face her under the dim garden lights, the shadows playing against his sharp features. "You knew I was watching."

"I hoped you were."

He stepped closer, and she didn't back away.

"I don't like you around other guys."

"So what does that got to do with me."

Jace stared at her, then reached out and touched her face lightly, like he couldn't help himself. She didn't flinch, but she didn't lean in either.

"What are doing to me Ryn."

His voice was low, raw.

She held his gaze.

"What do I do to you?"

"Everything "

"Then prove it."

He didn't kiss her. Not yet. He just stared at her, jaw clenched, heart racing. Then he turned and stormed back toward the house.

Ryn watched him go, chest rising and falling, then smirked.

Cause from the corners of her eyes,she saw a shadow and she knew who it was.

Selene.

Inside, Samantha tried to look normal. She stood among her friends, sipping a drink, pretending to laugh. But her hands were trembling.

Ryn returned to the party like nothing had happened, her expression cool and unreadable.

Ryn gave a slight tilt of her head and whispered to herself, Round two.Time to have a little fun before I leave.

Ryn casually slid her phone from her purse and sent another anonymous message.

"Cute act. But I know what you did last summer. Your dad would be ashamed. Smile wider, everyone's watching ;)

"You didn't really think your secret was safe, did you? :)."

This time she sent a photo also.A photo Samantha only knew about,and now her.

Her vision blurred. She didn't know who was doing this to her, and she couldn't scream without exposing herself.

She turned toward the bar, fast, needing something,anything,to hold on to.

Ryn leaned back on the pillar, smug satisfaction dancing in her chest. She didn't move an inch. She didn't have to. Samantha was already unraveling herself. And Ryn would keep pulling, thread by thread.

Selene , now watching from above.

She saw Alina sidle up to Jace again, brushing her curls off her shoulder as she leaned in to say something. Selene's lips curled slightly,not a smile, not quite a smirk. Just... observation. She sipped her wine, unmoved.

"So how many girls does she have to get rid of for Jace to finally give her the attention, she Selene! deserves."

Alina laughed at something Jace didn't say, flipping her hair, but his gaze was fixed elsewhere,across the room, on Ryn.

Ryn, who was still glowing in her good fortune and wasn't looking at him anymore.

And that irritated him more than anything.

He pushed off the bar counter and took a step forward, only for someone to call his name from behind.

"Jace."

He turned. Kai. Tall, sharp-jawed, dressed to impress in dark designer tailoring. His eyes were cool, but tension coiled in his shoulders like a loaded spring. His gaze flicked briefly toward Alina, then back to Jace.

"Thought we were having drinks?" Kai asked with a casual tone that didn't match his expression.

Jace raised a brow. "Later."

As Jace moved past him, Alina slipped back to Kai's side like nothing had happened. But Kai wasn't fooled. He knew what she was doing. She knew he liked her,had for years,but she kept him at arm's length, just close enough to string him along.

Tonight, it burned more than usual.

"You looked real eager over there," Kai muttered under his breath.

Alina didn't even glance at him. "Relax. He's just a challenge. You're... comfortable."

Comfortable.

The word stung. Like a slap dressed in silk.

But Kai just smiled thinly, eyes narrowing as he picked up a glass of champagne and toasted no one.

A loud crash snapped everyone's attention toward the bar.

Samantha had dropped her drink. Glass shattered. People jumped.

"Shit,sorry!" she blurted, too loud. Her hands shook as she tried to pick up the glass, cutting her finger in the process. Blood dripped onto the floor.

A couple of her friends rushed over. Someone handed her tissues.

"I,I'm fine. Just a little,dizzy."

Selene stepped forward now, her tone polite but laced with something unreadable. "Samantha, are you sure you're okay?"

Samantha nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'm great."

Alina rushed to her side with fake sympathy and concern,Are you ok Sam"

But her eyes were darting. Her voice too high. Her composure cracked and flickering.

Ryn stood, dusting invisible lint from her dress. She walked past without a word, straight toward the bar.

She didn't stop by Samantha. Instead, she lingered close enough for Samantha to feel her presence,close enough for her perfume to linger and her smile to flicker,but she never said a word.

That was all it took.

Samantha's voice rose. "You all act like you care, but you're all fake! All of you!"

Dead silence fell.

And then she stormed out of the room.

The whispers began immediately.

Selene turned and met Ryn's gaze from across the room and raised her glass.

Ryn raised her brow in return.

The games was already beginning

And Ryn ,she was chill, but with a promise to make them all pay.

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What do y'all think would happen next in this world spun in revenge and lies and games