Chapter 39 What Happened?

Nicholas Andrieux I walked out of the room, my fists clenched at my sides, my jaw tight with frustration. The conversation with Alicia had gone terribly. Not that I expected anything else. She was stubborn, impossible, and worst of all—she had a way of getting under my skin like no one else. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it did little to help. My mind was still racing with the words we had thrown at each other. "You don’t care about anyone but yourself, Nicholas." "You hide things, you manipulate situations to your advantage." "You act like you’re the victim when you get caught." I gritted my teeth, pushing past a group of guests as I made my way back to the ballroom. I wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone, but I had no choice. If I stayed away too long, people would start to notice. As soon as I stepped into the room, the noise and laughter of the party surrounded me. The music was still playing, people were still smiling, and it was as if nothing had hap