29

"Don't you dare move an inch, Raven Isabelle King; you have some explaining to do," Dave warned, causing me to groan in annoyance. I'm not mad at Dave; I'm furious at that piece of shit Adam. I shifted around in my chair, cleverly pretending to ignore Dave's glares.

Chris looked amused at the prospect of Dave chewing me out. "Yeah, you find that funny, wait till Dave is out. I glared at Lisa, the main culprit for today.

"I'll see what is left of you tomorrow," Chris said, obviously amused. Ha, the idiot had the nerve to mock me now. I was a small kid now, waiting until her parents are out to punch a stupid boy.

"I'll walk him out," I gestured to Chris with an innocent look, which fooled nobody but at least I tried. Props for that.

"Stay where you are," Dave warned. He really did look scary today. Since when did my sweet, innocent best friend look like a gigantic dinosaur.

"Don't worry, I can walk myself out. Obviously, you will have more fun here," Chris said, laughing at my discomfort. You wait, Alessio Madrigal, I'll have my revenge on you.

"As if you will do anything besides stuttering."

I huffed; my subconscious will never be on my side.

As Chris finally left the cabin, Dave turned his questioning look at me. He did look scary and intimidating today. No, where did my teddy bear-like bestie go?

"And you have the audacity to call me dramatic."

Me, being the mature and bigger person I am, decided to ignore her. I'll drill sense into her later. Now for damage control.

"Care to tell me what is going on, Raven."

"Oh, you know, just finished signing a deal with Chris," I replied helpfully. I have a big mouth, which will undoubtedly land me in trouble, no doubt. But who cares?

"Don't get smart with me, young lady," Dave warned. Clearly, I had pushed his buttons.

"I don't know what that lunatic wants. He suddenly showed up demanding money. I told him, like a normal person, to kill himself. But like the little shit he is, he started to blackmail me into approaching them," I answered sadly. I did not like hiding things from Dave because I never had anyone besides him.

He refrained from participating in girly conversations and watching romantic films with me. Instead of acting as my bodyguard to ward off boys, he joined me in boxing classes, allowing me to defend myself if anyone attempted anything untoward.

Dave didn't intervene to solve all my problems; rather, he stood in the background and empowered me to handle challenges independently. He played a pivotal role in boosting my confidence; without him, I wouldn't have had the courage to face people directly.

During high school, when a guy persistently bullied me, Dave took action. He guided me to perfect my right hook, and I successfully knocked the bully out. It was a defining moment in my life, and thereafter, no one dared to bully me again. Dave consistently reminded me that I was capable of handling myself and didn't need a knight in shining armor.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dave asked with a tinge of sadness.

My heart ached; he felt hurt that I didn't consider him worthy enough to share details about Adam. I was determined to avoid causing any pain to Dave. It's not that I never intended to inform him about Adam; I was merely waiting for the right moment.

"I didn't want you to worry. I planned to tell you at the right time," I tried to explain.

"Raven, I understand it's tough for you to discuss him. But I would have appreciated knowing. Do you recall what that snake tried to do last time?" Dave expressed his concern.

"It took you so long to recover from that incident. You appeared so broken; I don't want to see you like that again."

I hugged my blazer tightly as memories of those dark days resurfaced. No, Raven, don't revisit that place; you worked hard to suppress those memories; don't go back there.

"I'm sorry, Dave," I admitted sadly.

"Hey, don't apologize. You prevented me from punching that jerk that day," Dave said with a peculiar look in his eye. That look signaled that someone was in trouble; prepare for the worst because Dave wanted to throw a punch. For the record, Dave is the calmest person I know, and if he resorts to violence, you better run.

"Listen carefully, Raven. You allowed Adam to get away with everything he did. You weren't in the right state of mind at that time. Now you have him and the opportunity; make the best use of it. Show him who you are, reveal the new you. Leave him in the same state he left you, with nothing. Do me a favor and ruin him."

________________________________________

"You look good," I heard Dave complimenting. I gave him a playful smile and adjusted the end of my dress. It was a knee-length dark blue dress with spaghetti straps. I took extra time to curl the ends of my hair and applied a smoky eye look. Typically, I'm not the kind of girl obsessed with her appearance, but I enjoy dressing up. There's nothing wrong with a girl who likes to dress up and assert herself.

"I always look good," I said, deepening my voice.

I handed over my phone and clutch to Dave, slipping on my heels. Balancing on them, I avoided an epic face-plant, trying to maintain my composure.

Dave and I were heading to a dinner party hosted by one of my business partners. Generally, I wouldn't bother attending such gatherings of wealthy, snobbish individuals who engaged in trivial arguments. However, at this point, we couldn't afford to miss an opportunity to make enemies.

Dave discreetly attempted to retrieve the car keys from my clutch, but I swatted his hand away. No one but me touches my black Porsche. Although he once made the mistake of taking it out and almost wrapping it around a tree, I couldn't bear to see the condition of my poor car.

"I'm driving," I declared, narrowing my eyes. Dave sighed dramatically and raised his hands in surrender. I smiled triumphantly; it's always satisfying to get your way.

"Now that we've arrived, I'm telling you: no drinking, no sassy comments, and absolutely no beating up people," Dave warned, narrowing his eyes. Pouting and widening my eyes, I tried to look innocent. "Ouch, you hurt me, Dave. I'm a sweet person; you keep accusing me of beating people up."

Dave snorted in disbelief; both of us knew I'm nothing but sweet, and I take great dedication in beating people up, that is if they deserve it.

Entering the party, we greeted people, and every time I picked up a wine glass, Dave would glare at me. Not that he minds me drinking; he's just concerned that he can't handle me once I'm drunk. Drunk Raven is a whole new mood.

"Fancy seeing you here," I heard a deep, husky voice, and only one person's voice has that effect on me.

"Chris, surprised to see you here," Dave said, flashing him a grin and shaking their hands. Chris always looked nice, but today, in a tux, he was a whole new story. The black tux made his gray eyes even more amazing, and the way his gaze swept over every inch of my face made my cheeks burn and shiver.

"You look beautiful," he said. I smiled like a lunatic; people often complimented my looks, but when he did, it felt real. Okay, Raven, you know you're good-looking; hold your chin up and look him in the eye.

"Thanks," I replied.

"I see you're still alive," he joked, clearly remembering Dave's earlier grilling incident. Cue the embarrassment; let the ground open up and swallow me whole.

"Please, I can handle Dave," I answered briskly.

"You should give the wine a try; it's excellent," Chris suggested, passing me a flute from a waiter. Just as I was about to reach for it, Dave swatted at my hand. I was so close; when did he come back? My wine, no come back. I muttered a few choice words at Dave, which he cleverly chose to ignore. You wait; I'll get my payback soon.

"You were gonna take revenge on Chris too; see how that turned out. Ahh, my subconscious, give me a chance to miss you."

"Chris, hold her back in case she tries to get violent," Dave said seriously, acting like my prison guard and tormentor. He was looking in the other direction, and when I followed his sight, I saw something that made my nostrils flare, and I balled my fists up.

Adam Rian was coming towards us with a blonde girl. The girl looked gorgeous in a red dress reaching up to her knees, and her black almond-shaped eyes would definitely turn a few heads. The question is, why is she with him of all people?

"Raven, Dave, how I miss my childhood friends," Adam fake laughed and put his hand out for a handshake.

None of us returned the gesture, so he awkwardly coughed and withdrew his hand.

"Oh Adam, I wish we could say we missed you too. But you know it's bad to tell lies," I said in a sweet voice. Be scared when I smile because it means I have the upper hand. The blonde next to him burst out laughing and tried to cover up like she was coughing.

I looked at her curiously; the way she kept glaring at everyone and everything made it clear it was the last place she wanted to be. So, what was she doing with him of all people?

"Raven, meet my fiancée, Brianna," Adam said, looking at the blonde, warning her not to step out of line. Fiancée him; the girl must be a robot; otherwise, why would she agree to marry him?

"Brianna what?" Chris asked, causing me to jump up. Clearly, I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I had forgotten he was standing next to me.

"Brianna Caron," the blonde said.