Page 22 of Silk and Sirens

I was the one who kept everything ticking in the background, making sure every cog aligned and every mechanism ran like clockwork. Which meant I’d been the one tracking down every bastard who touched the powder that I’d created.

I didn’t get my Bachelor of Science just for some clowns to steal it. Especially considering I’d worked with a chemist to create a powder with the perfect euphoric high. Synthetically refined to minimise adverse effects, it made the Cursed Rose the purest and most expensive cocaine on the market.

“Just make sure you deal with Kent soon.” Dad sighed when I remained silent. “I don’t know how long I can pretend ignorance.” He made a grunt at the back of his throat. “Excuse me,” he said as he stepped away.

I waited until he began a conversation with someone else before I glanced at my watch. It was a large gold piece, and one of the only things I’d ever kept that my father had gifted me. More so because it was my grandfather’s, one of the only things he hadn’t pawned, sold, or given to a sex worker. It ticked loudly, indicating that I’d only been there ten minutes.

Fucking hell.

“Nice watch,” a voice said, and I looked up to find a woman smiling at me, her eyes a warm brown that went well with the dark hair professionally curled around her shoulders. “Hi, I’m Vivienne.”

She held out her hand, her long nails painted a deep purple that matched her dress.

I gave her hand a brief, firm shake and let go quickly, my attention already drifting away. “Caden,” I said, nodding once.

She didn’t seem deterred by the flat tone. Instead, her smile deepened as she tilted her head slightly, her pupils a touch too wide in the dim light. “I couldn’t help noticing you from across the room,” she continued, her voice smooth. “The watch, I mean.”

This time I took her in longer, the way her lips curved with quiet amusement under my attention, the deep-purple dress clinging to her slim frame, and the air of confidence she portrayed like she wasn’t used to being told no.

She seemed to take my brief glance as encouragement, because she placed her hand lightly on my arm, leaning in just enough for too sweet perfume to assault my nose. “So, do you always look this serious?”

“Just how my face is,” I replied evenly.

Vivienne’s laugh was soft and throaty, her fingers giving my arm the gentlest squeeze before she slowly drew them away. “Are you here with someone? I came with a friend, but she’s abandoned me for some guy.” She took a small sip from her glass, eyes sparkling with quiet invitation. “I’d hate to spend the rest of the evening alone.”

I barely heard the last part, my gaze already drifting past her shoulder, locking onto a flash of red.

What the fuck was she doing here?

My jaw tightened instinctively, everything else fading into background noise.

“So, did you want⁠—”

“Excuse me,” I said, my shoulder brushing hers as I passed.

Aeris-fucking-Merrin stood at a high-top table, a glass of champagne held in her neatly manicured hand. Her dark-green dress was slim fit, hugging her curves before easing out at her knees into a subtle fishtail. Long red hair spilled down her back in soft waves, partially pinned with a pearl clip that mirrored the single pearl suspended from the delicate gold chain at her throat.

Aeris laughed with a man in a blue suit, the pale skin of her shoulders catching the light as she shifted, champagne glass lifting to her full lips. And then there was her voice, wrapping around me like it always did.

The man she was speaking to glanced up as I approached, recognition hitting him instantly. His expression tightened, eyes widening just enough to give him away.

There was a subtle pause in her laughter before Aeris turned, looking up at me with eyes that reminded me of the restless ocean. Not quite blue, but not quite green, either. Colours that shifted and swirled the longer you held her gaze, dragging you under before you realised you were drowning.

“Caden,” she said lightly, as if we were old friends. “You’re looking rather unapproachable.”

“And yet,” I replied, “here you are.”

Her upper lip twitched. “I think you’ll find you came over to me.”

The man beside her swallowed, shifting his weight as if suddenly aware he was in the wrong place.

I ignored him entirely, my grip tightening around Aeris’s arm as I pulled her away. In one smooth movement, I spun us and pressed her back against the exposed brick, angling my body to block her from the rest of the room.

“Isn’t it funny,” I said quietly, “how I can go months without seeing you, and now you turn up twice in one week?”

“It’s cute that you think my life revolves around yours.” Aeris raised a single brow, her high heels giving her just enough height that she only needed to tilt her head back a little to meet my gaze. “I was invited by your father,” she said smoothly. “I’ve been looking for a new advisor for a while now.”

Lifting her glass, she took a sip of her champagne, and I hated how my gaze lingered on her lips longer than it should have.