Page 100

“A woman?” I ask, disbelief slicing through my control.

“A Miss Thalia Gomez,” he responds, almost hesitant.

And now, fury hits like a tidal wave. My entire body vibrates with the urge to act—to rip the phone from my hands and go, to put every ounce of power I have into protecting her. She’s untouchable. Anyone who lays a finger on her is dead.

“Is she arrested too?” My voice is even, carefully modulated, but inside, the storm rages, boiling. Every second that passes without a clear answer tightens the coil in my chest.

“Jesus,” Noah mutters, the sound trembling between disbelief and fear.

“I can’t believe it,” Theo adds, a nervous chuckle that doesn’t reach his eyes.

A ripple of murmurs spreads around the table, uneasy, fragmented. Some are half-laughs, half-gasps. The tension vibrates in the air like electricity, thick and suffocating.

“Yes, they’re both here,” the Commissioner continues. “I called to apologize. They’re being released immediately—I understand she’s a family friend.” His words come faster, clipped, rushed. “My colleagues rounded up all the participants by mistake.”

An idea strikes me with cold precision. I don’t hesitate, don’t even blink.

“Keep them there until we arrive.”

Silence follows, broken only by the low hum of the table’s shock. The others stare at me with curiosity, some grin, some wait to see what I’ll do next.

“Let’s go,” I say with intent.

THIRTY-FIVE

Thalia

The moment Ethan stepped onto the dance floor with Antonia, I felt the urge to leave claw its way up my chest. Sierra was already peppering me with questions—about how I felt, about the unrest she sensed far too easily.

I knew I had to go, yet I lingered a little longer. Long enough to watch the man who had sworn his relationship with Antonia was nothing but a façade pull her close and kiss her—right on the dance floor, in front of everyone, beneath the relentless gaze of the cameras.

I couldn’t bear it anymore.

I grabbed my phone and announced an “event crisis,” something urgent that demanded my immediate attention.

And, as if fate decided that wasn’t enough, a message from my mother flashed across the screen.

Mother: Come outside and speak to us, or we’ll make a scene here, in front of all your fancy friends and the press.

I was already moving when I read it. Heart hammering against my ribs, I made straight for the exit.

Near the door, I spotted Zayn on the phone. Slipping past unnoticed was out of the question, so I approached him, intending to offer the same excuse—an emergency I had to handle.

The moment I reached him, he ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket.

“Thalia, everything okay?” he asked, skepticism flickering across his features—no doubt because I looked like I’d just seen a ghost.

Which, in a way… I had.

If that message had been real—if it meant my parents could appear out of nowhere and tear my world apart—then yes, perhaps I had seen something just as terrifying.

“Yes, I just… need to go,” I said quickly, already shifting my weight as if ready to bolt. I couldn’t risk them showing up while he was here. “I have an issue with an event I need to deal with.”

“Okay,” he replied, though the doubt in his tone lingered. “I need to head out too,” he added, glancing past me. “Is the dance over?” he asked with a quiet chuckle, clearly referring to Ethan and Antonia.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “When I left, they were kissing.”

I hadn’t realized how much my voice betrayed me until the words left my lips, trembling despite my effort to control them.