Page 5 of Scent Of Obsession
“This is what I call a party,” Adonis cheered, lifting his champagne glass and caviar toast.
The interior of the manor was pure madness. The ancient, warped staircases were filled with women acting like courtesans and men chasing after them. The old crystal chandeliers, covered in dust, were ignored by the show of the exuberant food. The whole place entailed debauchery in a sumptuous cacophony.
“Gentlemen, may I present you my beautiful escort for the night, Lily Bellerose.”
The group of older men didn’t bother to acknowledge me politely but instead took sight of my whole body, as if I were a pretty object on display.
“Exquisite,” one commented.
I acted with a gracious smile like his comment didn’t get to me. I’d developed the skill to bury my darkest emotions inside my head, creating my own Pandora’s box. It was either self-preservation or because I chose to focus on the good. The hopeful.
A couple of laughs later and I had served my purpose for Adonis to win them over. I assumed they were business partners of his dad, since Adonis wished to be more involved in his father’s business. When the group of men finally stepped away to start their night of depravity, Adonis’s fingers brushed over my hand.
“I’ll be back, okay?” he assured me.
I beamed, because that was the only choice. I couldn’t beg him to stay with me. With a seductive wink, he rejoined the men, leaving me on my own.
My eyes, like magnets, darted instinctively to what or, more likely, who was standing at the dim edges of the room near the Grecian arch.
Him.
Confronted face-to-face with the grim spirit of earlier, he stood like a tenebrous mystery, hands in his pockets in the midst of the chaos. My lips parted in a daze. We observed each other from afar like two savage animals judging the unknown territory.
He was imposing and terrifying, not only from his impressive height but from the darkness that was emanating from him. His presence was larger than the room and would intimidate anyone. Sinister, with an impenetrable expression, it was impossible to imagine what this man was hiding.
I peeked at his strained muscles hidden underneath his suit, sensing the strength he was capable of when he made a card slide between his fingers mechanically, with scary ease.
A scandalous party thrown by a ghost.
A hideous man delivering pleasures.
A tale graved in a gloomy mystery.
A drunk woman collided with me while dancing ungracefully, spilling her drink on my white—now transparent—dress. I should have been embarrassed or pissed, but my first reflex was to look one more time at the arch. The haunting man was gone again, as if he were a product of my imagination.
I started pulling back the pieces of the puzzle together.
The man that everyone talks about but doesn’t see.
The phantom.
A mystery.
I closed my eyes, replaying our encounter in my brain. I materialized the card rolling between his fingers. I zoomed in on the image. I was close. Just a little closer. I peeled my eyes open when the image surfaced in my mind, and I let out a sharp gasp at the realization of the truth.
Number XV.
The Devil.
By a twisted turn of fate, I had played a game of cat and mouse with the man known as the Devil.
Radcliff.
My heart palpitating from the rush of contradictory feelings I was experiencing, I had trouble breathing in this tight corset. I stormed across the room, looking for Adonis, but I was unable to find him.
I spun, seeing only the hard stares of the men through their masks, their laughter echoing inside the room. It was like I had jumped in water infested with sharks wanting my blood. I decided to retract from the main party, feeling uneasy.
My gut led me to a French garden, where long avenues of trees formed a mysterious path. Luckily for me, the courtyard was illuminated by sparkling lights. I could stay here for a moment. Finally able to take a deep breath, I let the fresh cold air caress my skin while the noise of the fountains leaped above the exuberance of the party, slowing my heart.
