Page 195 of Poison Aches
With that, she gives me one final look and then she steps back and gestures for that man, James, and two huge security dudes to obviously take me away…like a once free and beautiful bird now being locked up in a gilded cage.
CHAPTER 26
Emmett
The premonition of madness is subtle.
It’s hidden, almost static, humming in the background like a charged undercurrent.
I’d know because for me, my madness has always been present, coming alive and burning in the depths of my fucking chest whenevershe’sclose.
Ivy Marie Irving.
The bane of my accursed existence and a totally fake wallflower.
She’s pathetic if you really look closely at our history.
Her existence isn’t that significant to me, but whenever she looks at me, I feel it… the slow but irresistible build of consuming fire in my veins.
The way everything in me tightens, strains, and works overtime at her nearness.
But nothing heightens the madness more than the moments when she glances at me with her large, faux-innocent, doe-brown eyes that seem to scan me, piercing me with a sharpness that makes me feel like a damn loser.
But since she walked in the large ballroom ten minutes ago, walking fucking fifteen feet behind the Hughes family like she’s a servant, the madness in me has been raging to burst.
I watch as she stays in the shadows, her demeanor off, as if she’s deliberately keeping a low profile.
Tonight is the fundraiser thing George invited me to a while ago.
By all intents and purposes, Angel shouldn’t be here tonight, especially not the found family that has made it clear to her why they abandoned her and what they intend to do with her.
Something’s obviously off.
I can’t help but notice the stark difference.
The other daughter of the family is walking and chatting with everyone easily. She grew up around this, but even with that, eyes are tracking to Angel.
Beverly Hughes is barely smiling, glancing repeatedly at Angel. The tension is very loud between them, but it’s Governor Hughes that is the surprise of the night.
From the moment their arrival was announced to this mix of extravagant and power-hungry crowd, he’s been going from notable person to notable person, introducing Angel.
To anyone, it might look like he’s a loving father. A family man that’s happy and relieved at having been “reunited” with his family, but I know better.
He’s actively getting ahead of the scandal.
All day he was working double time to monitor the media to fix what their daughter did.
That’s one thing.
However, the real reason why he’s introducing Angel is simply because he’s making a statement.
This room is full of people whose names will never be heard of. Never spoken in public. Actually, these people pay to make sure no one knows they exist.
People like my grandfather. Men and women who thrive in the dark, yet every once in a while, they appear at events like this, disguised as a fundraiser for Governor Hughes, but really, it’s a back deals event.
And George organized it.
Just then, a familiar-looking jackass enters the room. He looks severely out of place, looks around and then he makes a beeline for Angel.
