TROUBLE TWIN
**𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃**
**5:26 𝐏𝐌**
**|THIRD PERSON POV**
Tide pushed the door open, holding it just long enough for Adeline to step through before letting it swing shut behind them. A soft ping echoed through the hallway as the lock engaged automatically. He adjusted the black gym bag slung over his shoulder, his free hand casually slipping into his pocket. The club’s private suite always had that expensive, sterile air—too clean for a place where sins were committed.
They walked down the bright hallway, the overhead lights casting their reflections on the glossy floor.
His phone buzzed in his pocket again, the screen lighting up with an unknown number. He barely spared it a glance before shoving it back inside.
“….I don’t know who it is,” he said. “I don’t take calls from unknown numbers.”
They reached the top of the staircase, and he suddenly stopped, forcing Adeline to halt beside him.
“Right. Did you know your sister invited an entire school to the castle?”
Adeline scoffed. “Evangeline will never do that. She values her life more than I do.”
She leaned against the railing, crossing her arms. Unlike her twin, she preferred a modern, up-to-date wardrobe. Even at a club, she stuck to sleek two-piece suits, perfectly tailored, paired with her signature Louboutin heels. It was a contrast that had defined them for as long as she could remember.
And unlike her, Adeline knew when to misbehave and when not to. When to be stupid and when not to be.
If what Tide said was true, Evangeline had just won the award for making the most stupid decision of the century. But Evangeline wasn’t stupid—or she hoped, her sister was not stupid stupid. No one made a decision like that with clear eyes, which meant there was a reason. And Adeline, ever the calm one when it came to her twin, was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Again. Even after being disappointed a million times.
Tide stared at her, unimpressed. “Or you’re just in denial.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like I said, Evangeline is not stupi—”
A sharp pain shot through her skull, cutting her off mid-sentence. She lurched forward, her vision swimming, and would have gone tumbling down the stairs if Tide hadn’t caught her by the arm.
“Hey, hey—easy, are you okay?”
She took a deep breath, willing the dizziness to pass. When she straightened up, Tide’s gaze flickered to her face, and his expression changed.
“You’re bleeding,” he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a green handkerchief and held it out to her.
Adeline touched her upper lip and grimaced at the sight of crimson on her fingertips. Nosebleeds weren’t uncommon for her, but she knew exactly why this one had come.
She took the handkerchief, hesitantly, frowning at the color. She dabby at the blood as Tide watched her like she was going to roll down the stairs if he looked away for a second.
“What happened?” he asked. “I thought some invisible force tried to push you, but then I remembered you have a sister who eats wrong decisions for a living.” He sighed. “So. What did she do this time?”
Adeline handed the bloodstained handkerchief back to him.
He recoiled. “What the—? Keep it. I think you’ll need it.”
She grinned and neatly folded the fabric, making sure to tuck the stained part inside before slipping it into her pocket.
“She’s bouncing masters’ attempts to psylink her.”
Tide sucked in a sharp breath, his casual expression slipping for the second time. His reaction was almost too dramatic, but the way his fingers tightened around the strap of his gym bag told her he was genuinely rattled.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “She’s really testing her limits now. I wouldn’t call it bravery. More like suicidal tendencies.” He shook his head, adjusting the strap again. “Try not to get yourself killed cleaning up her mess. I have a flight to catch.”
Adeline gave a lazy salute. “Safe travels.”
They descended the stairs together, stepping into the dimly lit club. It was half-empty, the usual Thursday evening crowd scattered around. A few people lounged by the bar, their drinks reflecting the low neon glow. Others were gathered around the pool tables, laughing and arguing over shots.
The Grid operated on its own complicated system. Thursdays were slow, mostly cleanup nights in preparation for Friday’s VIP parties on the third floor. The real chaos came then—when the rich and powerful played their games behind closed doors, and the rest of the city’s elite pretended they didn’t know what went on here, and secretly wait for invite.
“I'll be back.”
She gave him a small nod before he walked out of the door.
Adeline look around at the space, so much to cleanup, yet so little time to do it. She waved over two women near the entrance. They were busy ushering out a pair of stumbling drunks, both men too far gone to realize they were being thrown out. One of them protested weakly, slurring something about knowing the owner, but the women barely spared him a glance.
Like Adeline, they were dressed in tailored suits, and the signature red soles of their Louboutins heels. Their job was simple: keep things under control, handle the mess before it reached the upper floors, and, most importantly, make sure she didn’t have to deal with it.
Adeline slipped her phone from her pocket, checking the time as she approached them. She put it back "I have something to take care of. Hold the place down while I’m gone. I might be back before eight, or not, and Tide might be back before me."
The taller of the two women, Valeria, raised a brow as she handed off the last troublemaker to security. “Something like your sister causing real trouble again?”
Adeline glanced up from her phone with a frown, meeting her gaze.
Before she could respond, the woman tapped her own ear—pointed ears to be precise.
Her lips thinned.
Right. She sometimes forget that half the workers here aren't humans.
She exhaled through her nose, shoving her phone back into her pocket. “Try not to make me cut those ears off. You’re here to work, not to helplessly eavesdrop.”
Valeria straightened immediately, nodding once in understanding.
Adeline nodded. “Edward is making a mess, so I have to deal with it before Master returns. And,” she added with an edge of irritation, “also my sister’s mess. Try not to turn the whole place upside down while I’m gone.”
The second woman, Anaïs, smirked slightly, adjusting the cuffs of her blazer. “That depends on what kind of mess walks through those doors.”
Adeline gave her a dry look. Sometimes she thinks these women get off from annoying her. “You're going to end up putting yourself on my kill list.”
Anaïs chuckled but nodded.
Without another word, shs turned on her heel and strode toward the exit, already mentally preparing for the disaster waiting for her.
Once stepped out of the club and into the cool evening air, the city buzzing softly around her. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and dialed her sister’s number.
No answer.
She clenched her jaw and tried again.
Still nothing.
On the third attempt, the call finally connected. There was some rustling, muffled voices in the background, and then—
"Give me a sec," Evangeline muttered to someone before the line clicked clearer. Then, harshly, "What?"
"Oh, I don’t know," she said dryly, stepping onto the crosswalk as the pedestrian light turned green. "Maybe someone's stupidity is about to cost me my life. And hers."
She pushed open the door to the nearest Starbucks, the scent of coffee and warm pastries flooding her senses. The line wasn’t long, thankfully. She shifted the phone slightly away from her ear as she spoke to the barista. “Iced Americano, no sugar.”
Evangeline sighed on the other end. “Is this why you called? To yell at me or what? I have a guest right now, Adel.”
Almost immediately the barista handed over her drink, and Adeline pulled out a few bills from her pocket, slapping them on the counter before grabbing the cup. She took a slow sip, rolling her shoulders back, inhaling deeply through her nose.
*Don’t lose your temper.*
She pushed the door open with her shoulder, stepping back onto the sidewalk. “Well, that might be your last guest before you die, so cherish the moment.”
She took another sip.
“Because Tide knows now.”
A beat of silence.
“No doubt he’s going to tell them,” she continued, hoping what she said gets to her sister. “You even…” She exhaled, gripping the cup tighter. “You're just so stupid it hurts.”
She hung up before Evangeline could say another word.
Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she raised her hand and hailed the nearest cab.