Chapter 83 UNEXPECTED DATE 3
After that, I couldn’t say a word, and the rest of our ride passed in heavy silence.
When we finally pulled into the large compound, it was already packed with luxurious cars of different brands. Jaxon immediately brought the car to a stop, a deep frown still sitting on his face.
“Go in. I’ll join you after. Troy should be waiting for you at the entrance,” he said without even sparing me a glance.
I didn’t say anything.
Guilt washed over me like a slow, suffocating wave.
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked those questions.
But there was so much I wanted to understand. So many things about him that never made sense before. Yet now… I supposed Troy was the only one left who could answer them.
Now I understood why he had insisted that we keep our investigation about Jaxon’s mother to ourselves.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my handbag and prepared to exit the car, but before I could even reach for the door handle, it was suddenly pulled open.
Standing in front of me was Troy.
He gave me a knowing look, as if he had already guessed everything that had happened during the drive.
“I thought I was the one who was supposed to come find you?” he said, offering me his hand as he helped me climb out of the car.
“Well… Jaxon suddenly asked me to be his date for the night,” I explained as I stepped out. “And knowing that his supposed mum is going to be here, I wanted to meet her in person.”
Troy offered me his arm, which I took as he led me toward the entrance of the grand building.
“Well, you’re here,” he said quietly. “But there’s something you need to know.”
His gaze met mine for a brief moment, and something in his expression made my chest tighten.
“Ravyn Vale is here.”
But that wasn’t news to me anymore.
“I know,” I replied, my voice calm, though anger burned quietly inside me.
“And that’s only going to make tonight more exciting.”
My fingers curled slightly around Troy’s arm.
“He needs to tell me where he’s hiding Mia… or I’m breaking a bottle over his head.”
The words came out colder than I expected, but I meant every single one of them.
Troy’s POV
I immediately paused, staring at her, hoping she was joking.
But the anger I saw in her eyes—combined with the sharp edge in her voice—told me she wasn’t joking at all.
Not even close.
“What?” she asked, a frown forming on her face when she noticed the look I was giving her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I sighed quietly, running a hand through my hair as tension tightened in my chest.
“Please… don’t do anything reckless,” I said, my voice lowering slightly. “Jaxon will be the one who takes the fall for it.”
I held her gaze, hoping she would understand the weight of what I was saying.
“You have no idea what it took for him to even show up here tonight.”
My words weren’t an exaggeration.
I knew Jaxon.
And tonight… he was barely holding himself together.
Everything was already a mess. One wrong move could make things even worse.
“Where is he?” she asked suddenly. “Jaxon.”
The question made my jaw tighten.
I couldn’t tell her.
Jaxon had made it very clear that he didn’t want her knowing where he was.
“I don’t know,” I replied simply, even though the answer felt heavy on my tongue. “But let’s just join the party.”
For a moment, I expected her to argue.
But instead, she only nodded before saying quietly,
“Let’s go in… but keep me away from my sister. I really can’t deal with her tonight.”
“Noted,” I replied.
I led her inside the busy hall of the massive building. The place was already buzzing with voices, laughter, and the clinking of glasses.
The air smelled of expensive perfume, champagne, and polished wood.
Scanning the room quickly, I found a table slightly out of sight, far enough from the center of attention.
Perfect.
I pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I could have someone bring you something to eat.”
She shook her head almost immediately.
“I’ll pass,” she said softly. “Water will do.”
Her gaze barely stayed on me, drifting elsewhere as if her mind was already somewhere far away.
“Alright,” I replied. “I’ll be right back.”
She simply nodded again.
And with that, I turned and walked away to get her a glass of water.
Nancy’s POV
I immediately spotted Jaxon’s mother the moment we stepped inside.
She was elegant. Beautiful.
The way she carried herself was almost regal, like a queen moving gracefully among her court. Yet there was something about the aura she carried that felt… off. Something subtle but unsettling.
Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, framing a pair of striking blue eyes that didn’t quite smile with the rest of her face whenever she greeted someone. She moved around the room, welcoming guests with effortless charm.
Her dress was a stunning emerald-green suede dinner gown that hugged her body perfectly, highlighting every graceful curve.
She was breathtaking.
“Here is your glass of water.”
Troy’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as he returned with the water I had requested.
“Uh… thank you,” I replied, finally dragging my gaze away from Mrs. Lennox to meet his.
I gave him a small, sweet smile.
“Thank you, Troy.”
I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip, but my attention drifted back to Mrs. Lennox almost immediately.
This time, however, she wasn’t alone.
She stood beside a face I would recognize anywhere—no matter when or where.
“Do you think you can manage by yourself?” Troy asked. “There are still things I need to cover up.”
I raised my gaze to meet his again, hoping he wouldn’t notice that what I truly wanted at that moment… was for him to leave me alone.
“Don’t worry about me, Troy. I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “Just go find Jaxon. He wasn’t in a good shape when we arrived.”
He nodded slightly before walking away.
I waited until he disappeared into the thick crowd of guests before slowly reaching up and loosening my hair from its bun.
My long, wavy hair spilled down my back, falling freely over my shoulders.
Just then, I noticed a waiter passing by with a tray filled with glasses of whiskey.
I immediately waved him over.
“Excuse me.”
He approached, giving me a polite nod as I grabbed two glasses from the tray.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I flashed him a friendly smile before gesturing for him to lean a little closer.
“I want you to keep an eye on me tonight,” I said quietly. “I might call you for a bottle instead of just a glass. I’ll be sitting at that table over there.”
I pointed toward the table where Ravyn Vale stood, a glass of wine lazily swirling in his hand.
His eyes wandered shamelessly, following every woman who walked past him.
The waiter forced a small smile, though uncertainty flickered across his face. His gaze lingered on mine for a moment before he finally nodded and walked away.
Once he was out of sight, I reached into my handbag and pulled out the necklace.
Attached to it was a tiny recording device connected to my phone.
I carefully placed it around my neck.
I had prepared this for a long time, hoping I would eventually have a chance to use it.
It seemed tonight might finally be that night.
With that, I lifted both glasses of whiskey and gulped them down quickly, one after the other. The burning sensation slid down my throat, warming my chest.
Then I grabbed the glass of water still sitting on the table.
Taking a steadying breath, I turned and began walking toward Ravyn Vale.