Chapter 9

Christopher leaned over the railing with interest, and sure enough, he saw Eira walking off with a young man, chatting and laughing like they had known each other forever. His eyes widened in disbelief-it really was her. Edward watched that graceful silhouette disappear into the crowd, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Seriously, Alex? You actually divorced her?" Every time he'd seen Eira before, she'd been buried under layers of conservative gowns. But now? She was turning heads-body like *bam*, and the girl could *dance.* Edward clicked his tongue, completely baffled about why she'd kept herself hidden all this time. He turned to Alexander, only to find the man just as stunned. Edward let out a dramatic sigh and muttered, "Alex, I swear, if you withdraw the divorce papers now, you might still have a shot..." "What are you babbling about?" Alex furrowed his brow, eyes glued to the scene below. He watched every little move the woman in the ballroom made. Eira casually placed her mask into that guy's open palm, then wiped the sweat off her face with the tissue he handed over. She didn't even try to hide it-elegantly dabbing the sweat from her collarbone right in front of him like it was nothing. As if she'd forgotten there was anyone else around. Alex's lips pressed into a hard line. He gripped his wine glass so tight his knuckles turned white, completely tuning out the teasing from around him. The others may not know that guy, but Alex definitely did. That pretty boy was the one who'd dropped Eira off the day they signed the divorce papers. And now? They were here, acting way too cozy. It'd barely been a week-no way this was some new crush. She clearly had this going on before she asked for the divorce. No wonder she'd had the nerve to push for it. She already had someone waiting. Alex's face darkened, his eyes like a brewing storm. Without a word, he slammed his wine glass down on the table with a loud thud. "Shameless woman." ***** Downstairs, Eira was completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her from above. After that dance, she was hot and covered in sweat. Hearing John call her name, she squeezed her way out of the crowd, then yanked off her mask and casually shoved it into his hand. That mask had been suffocating-she'd been dying to take it off. "Hold your phone up," she told John, finally getting a look at herself. Her makeup had smudged a little from the mask, making her look a bit messy but still sharp.John held the light dutifully. "Boss, you missed it! The moment you stepped out, all those guys were totally stunned." Eira smirked lightly, fingers smoothing her hair. "Let them stare if they want. I'm happy, that's all that matters. I'm heading to the bathroom to fix my makeup." Grabbing her clutch, she made her way to the nearest restroom and leaned into the mirror to check her makeup. As she touched up her look, a burst of excited voices came from a nearby stall. Ah, classic. Bathrooms and gossip always go hand in hand. She kept powdering while tuning into the chatter. "Hey, did you hear? A bunch of VIPs are upstairs on the second floor-apparently, the organizers invited them. I heard Alexander is here too!" "No way? He's actually here? I better step up my game then." "I thought he was married? Seriously, what kind of charm did that woman pull to get into the Brooks family?" The two girls rambled on about the rich guys upstairs. Hearing that, Eira's mood instantly soured. She sighed and put her powder compact away with zero interest in finishing up. Of all places, she just had to run into Alexander freaking Brooks. Talk about bad luck. Time to find John and get out of here-there's no way she was sticking around to run into her ex. A good ex should be like a ghost. The less you see them, the better. She picked up her bag just as the two girls stepped out of the stall. Catching sight of someone outside, they both paused, darting their eyes away awkwardly, clearly wondering if they'd been overheard. Right then, Eira casually said, "So in your world, a woman needs a man to level up, huh?" Then she walked off without a glance back. Outside, Eira spotted John, but before she could call out, a tall shadow loomed beside her. She winced as someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her straight into the stairwell. One look at that familiar broad back, and Eira cursed silently. Since he insisted on starting something, fine. She had plenty of frustration to let out-he asked for it. She stopped resisting and followed his pull obediently. The stairwell was dimly lit. She acted like she couldn't see a thing and gasped softly. Just as Alexander was about to speak, she struck full force with her elbow. "Ugh-" Hearing the muffled grunt, she didn't stop there. She raised her leg and kicked hard. Serve you right for showing up uninvited.