Chapter 68: Lies and Alibis

Aveline’s POV

The atmosphere in the living room was too tense for me. The loud cheering and laughter of the students were starting to make my head spin. Across the room, I could still feel Kieran's eyes on me. His stare was intense, and it made me uneasy.

I needed to get away from him a moment to think clearly without his eyes burning into my face.

Slowly, I stood up from the chair and walked away into the crowd. I moved smoothly, keeping my steps steady and maintaining a completely calm expression. I did not want anyone to notice I was leaving.

I pushed past sweaty shoulders and laughing teenagers, slipping through the tight spaces between them.

Finally, I escaped the living room and walked straight into the kitchen.

The kitchen was still quite crowded when I walked in. Groups of students were leaning against the counters, talking and laughing.

I ignored them completely. kept my head down, acting like the quiet boy everyone thought I was. I walked straight over to the sink and poured the sweet, sticky drink down the drain. I had only been pretending to drink it all night.

Next to the sink, I found a clean glass and filled it with cold water. I took a sip and it felt so good spent a few seconds closing my eyes trying to clear my thoughts.

Suddenly, the entire mood in the kitchen shifted. The students who had been standing around the counters stopped laughing.

They all looked toward the entrance. Their faces went pale. Without saying a single word, they quickly grabbed their drinks and hurried out of the room. It was as if they knew something terrible was about to happen, and they didn't want to be there to witness it.

I lowered my glass of water and turned around. Silas and Barrett stepped into the kitchen. They took over the entire space with their large bodies and threatening presence.

Silas stood directly by the main doorway that led back to the living room. Barrett moved quickly to the back exit that led out to the dark patio.

They stood tall and rigid, blocking both exits I looked left Then right There was no way out I was trapped.

Silas walked forward.

He closed the distance between us until he was standing far too close. He leaned down, bringing his face right toward mine.

The strong smell of beer on his breath made my stomach turn. My first instinct was to take a step back but I didn't move.

I stood my ground, keeping my posture straight and my face completely blank.

"What's up, Carter?" Silas whispered. He looked down at me and let out a cruel laugh.

A smirk spread across his face. "Have you thought about what I told you earlier?" Silas asked. "Your time is ticking away, man. The clock is running out for you."

He leaned even closer.

"Tell me, Asher, how will everyone in this fancy school feel when they find out the truth? How will they look at you when they learn what you did to Oliver Thorne?"

The moment those two words left his lips Oliver Thorne.

My blood ran completely cold. My heart skipped a beat inside my chest. Oliver Thorne.

What the fuck happened between Asher and Oliver Thorne? And why wasn't Cassian telling me anything?

But the way Silas had just said his name changed everything I thought I knew.

Right then, I realised Asher Carter's past was not what I thought it was. I had made a huge mistake There was something ugly hidden here And somehow, everyone seemed to know about it except me

I needed to get out of this kitchen immediately. My mind was racing with questions, and I needed a quiet place to think, to find out what really happened to Oliver.

I pulled my face away from Silas, I lifted my chin high and tried to push my way past him toward the main hallway.

I didn't make it far.

Barrett stepped forward instantly, cutting off my only path to freedom. "You're not going anywhere, Carter," Barrett growled.

He shoved my shoulder hard. My back slammed against the edge of the counter. I grabbed onto the counter to keep my balance.

Barrett stepped even closer, cornering me against the sink.

"Give us the password to the app, Carter," Barrett demanded, his voice shaking with anger. "We know you have it. We know you're hiding it from everyone. Give it to us right now, or this fun party night is going to end very, very badly for you."

My hands balled into tight fists at my sides. For a second, I forgot about being a weak boy completely ready to drop my act.

But before things could get physical, a large shadow fell over us."What is going on here?" The voice cut through the kitchen.

I looked up quickly.

Kieran was standing at the entrance. His head tilted slightly as he looked between Silas and Barrett.

The tension inside the kitchen became so thick I could almost feel it pressing against my skin. It felt like a storm was about to break.

Kieran didn't wait for an answer He walked straight into the kitchen with slow, confident steps. His eyes remained locked on Silas and Barrett.

When he reached us, he stepped directly between me and the two, using his own body as a shield.

His back pressed against my chest as he blocked Barrett from getting anywhere near me.

Kieran glared at Silas. His jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the muscles twitching. "Back off, Silas," Kieran said.

"Get your hands away from him right now before I handle this situation myself."

His eyes darkened.

"And you already know exactly how I handle things around here."

Silas didn't look scared.

If anything, he looked amused A slow, ugly laugh rumbled deep inside his chest. He looked at Kieran's angry face. Then his eyes shifted to me over Kieran's shoulder.

A cruel, knowing smile spread across his lips. "Protecting him again, Hampton?" Silas laughed.

His voice dripped with mockery. "Old habits die hard, don't they?"

Silas slowly shook his head. Then he looked at me. A look that made my stomach twist.

Then he turned away and nodded to Barrett, signalling it was time to leave.

The two of them slowly walked out of the kitchen and disappeared into the hallway.

I stood perfectly still behind Kieran. My eyes fixed on the back of his leather jacket, my heart was pounding against my ribs.

Protecting him again.

Those three words changed everything. Silas wasn't talking about tonight.

He was talking about what happened before. Kieran wasn't stepping into this fight simply because he hated Silas and Barrett.

It was deeper than that. He had some history of protecting Asher Carter, but why?

What did Kieran actually know about Asher's past?

I stared at his tense shoulders And I realised something. The boy standing in front of me was hiding secrets. Secrets much darker and much more dangerous than I had ever imagined.