Page 90 of Beautiful Venom
It’s all too sparkling, too extravagant, as if the wealth and power could drown me if I stayed or stared for too long.
Everything about this place feels dangerous. Beautiful. Like a trap that glitters just enough to make you forget there’s no way out.
The air is thick with the scent of expensive cologne, champagne, and something darker. It clings to my skin, mixing with the low hum of whispered conversations and faint laughter that echoes off the walls.
The members move like ghosts in the flickering light, their silver and black masks hiding their faces, but not the depravity in their eyes. Every movement feels calculated, every glance loaded with silent power.
This is on a completely different level than the Drayton party. That one feels like entry-level compared to this.
Which makes me abandon any ideas about collecting DNA samples or even snooping around. I glimpse numerous cameras blinking in every corner, and the feeling of being trapped and constantly watched coils in my stomach like a disease.
It’s better to be careful this time, keep a low profile, and observe. Since it’s my first invitation, it could be a test.
I grab a flute of champagne from a waiter and nestle in a corner. Even the staff is wearing silver half masks, and they’re groomed to perfection.
My eyes keep flitting over the members with black masks and rings. Their number exceeds those who were present during my initiation. I spot at least twenty in total, but many of them have older voices, so perhaps they’re politicians and public figures and, therefore, the mask is a perfect camouflage. Also, their rings don’t have distinctive symbols like the ones on Kane’s, Jude’s, and Preston’s.
I keep craning my head, looking for Kane, but come up empty. It’s impossible to single him out among so many people.
I spot three silver-masked men by a table and inch closer so that I’m around the corner from them. Out of sight but close enough to hear their conversation.
“…And you’re okay with your sister being kicked out, Gav?”
Ryder Price. That’s his voice.
The one he’s talking to is Gavin Drayton.
The latter loosens his bow tie and sips from his glass beneath the mask. “There’s nothing I can do. If three Seniors vote her out, she’s out.”
“She did mess with Davenport’s latest toy when he warned her to back off. She had it coming.” The third one—a player because I heard his voice before, but I can’t place him.
Gavin slams his glass on the table. “Well, my father is locking her up and taking her privileges for a couple of weeks. I think she’s suffered enough blows to call it quits. No need to rub it in.”
“Hey, don’t get so worked up.” Ryder wraps an arm around Gavin’s shoulders. “At least you’re still in, so silver linings. We can still make it to Senior members after graduation if we keep in line.”
“Is something wrong, boys?” A woman wearing a stunning green dress and a black-and-red mask saunters to the middle of the trio.
Black and red.
A Founder?
A woman who’s part of the upper echelon. I lean in against the wall.
“Nothing at all,” Ryder says with a grin. “You look amazing, Serena. As usual.”
Serena… Serena…
Where have I heard that name?
Oh.
An article I read a while ago comes to mind. “Serena Osborn Says Fundamental Change Is the Only Change Needed in the Industry.”
The current CEO of Osborn Enterprises?
She strokes Ryder’s mask. “You’re a darling. Did any of you see Julian?”
“I don’t think so,” Gavin says. “We saw his brother, Jude, with Preston earlier.”
