I stepped inside, straightened my jacket, and ignored the glances that came my way like they always did. Rich families looking to sell off their daughters like investment portfolios. Pretenders trying to gain favor. Flatterers with handshakes too firm and voices too eager.
A man was already approaching me, probably someone Dad had worked with. I shook his hand absently, listening to him blabber about some development project I was supposed to pretend to care about. My gaze drifted past his shoulder—and froze.
There she was.
Again.
Like a rerun I couldn't stop watching. Same wide eyes. Same full lips. Same mess that made something in me clench without permission.
Her hair was up this time. Her dress─simple, elegant─did things to my chest I refused to name. And her presence here made no sense. Not at a party like this. Not in this crowd.
I kept watching as she turned a corner─and brushed against someone.
Then the glass spilled.
And the girl in pink turned around.
I watched the whole thing unfold in eerie, cinematic slowness: the splash, the silent fury, the cold cruelty of the champagne, and then─
Then it happened.
I barely registered the man still talking at me. I didn't hear his question. My body had already started moving. Past servers. Past guests. Straight toward the growing circle where my bunny had just been drenched in champagne like some kind of sick initiation ritual.
I didn't even realize I was pushing through people until I saw her hit the floor.
Hard.
Her bag. Her hands. Her damn pride.
I saw the way they laughed at her like she was a prop in their little drama.
She didn't even look up at me at first.
Neither did the one who'd thrown the drink.
Until I stopped.
Until I crouched.
My eyes dropped to the girl still on the floor─my bunny. Her eyes were dazed, her lip trembling even though she was biting it hard. Her dress was soaked, her palms scraped.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, voice low, controlled. I kept my hand steady even though my jaw was clenched tight.
She blinked up at me, startled. "I─I think so."
I helped her up slowly, letting my hands linger just long enough to be sure she was steady. Behind her, I saw it─her. The girl with the champagne. She went still, like she'd just realized who exactly I was.
"Adrien!"
I knew that voice. Cherry. The woman my father wanted to chain me to.
She turned to me with an angelic look that could fool every idiot in this room—but not me. Not when I had just seen the monster behind the mask.
"She spilled water on me and tried to make me apologize. Can you believe that?"
Lies. Every word.
I ignored her.
No one had helped her.
No one had even moved.
My hands curled into fists at my side, slow and deliberate.
I didn't look at her. Not once.
"Apologize," I said, eyes fixed on her like a loaded gun.
"Adrien, it's me. You know me—" she said.
I still didn't look at her.
I turned to the tall guy standing behind her. Her brother. The one with the family name and the inherited arrogance.
"Tell your sister to apologize to my girlfriend," I said flatly, "or you'll all regret it."
The word dropped like a knife.
Girlfriend. I'm just tring to protect her… right?
I felt her stiffen beside me.
He looked like he'd swallowed a brick. Cherry's expression cracked, lips parting in shock. Around us, the murmurs spread fast─like fire and gasoline.
"Are you okay?" I asked her again, my voice quieter now, just for her.
She looked up, dazed. "G-girlfriend?"
My mouth twitched. Just a little. "We'll talk later, little bunny."
And then I scooped her up.
Princess-style. Because if I was going to make a statement, I was going to do it properly.
Gasps followed us as I walked through the crowd, as if parting the ocean with nothing but presence.
"This has affected all future relationships," I said to the brother without looking back.
Her fingers curled into my jacket as I carried her out of the ballroom.
I pushed open the side door and stepped into the quiet corridor, letting it shut behind us with a soft click. The noise from the party dulled instantly—just a low, distant hum now. The calm after the storm. My footsteps echoed softly on the marble, but all I could really hear was her heartbeat hammering against me like a drum. Or maybe that was mine.
"Okay, put me down," she snapped, squirming in my arms like an angry cat.
I raised a brow but didn't argue. Gently, I set her down. She immediately took a step back, like proximity to me was somehw toxic. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor, chin lifting, eyes furious.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded. "Girlfriend?"
I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, utterly calm. "You're welcome."
She gapeed. "I didn't ask you to rescue me like I'm some damsel in distress."
I looked her over once─champagne-drenched dress, red cheek, trembling hands—and gave a small shrug. "Didn't look like you had it under control."
Her jaw clenched. "I could've handled it myself."
"Right," I said, dry. "I saw how well that was going."
She fumed. God, she was adorable when she was mad.
"…Thanks," she muttered, barely loud enough to hear. Her eyes flicked away for a second, then right back at me, burning. "But don't call me your girlfriend. That's… weird."
I smirked. "Why? Figured it might stop the high-society hyenas from mauling you again."
She blinked. "High-society hyenas?" There was a laugh hiding behind her glare.
"If the heel fits," I said with a shrug.
She rolled her eyes and shoved me—not hard, just enough to try and make a point. I didn't move an inch.
"You are so small," I said, almost to myself.
She froze. "Excuse me?"
I tilted my head, pretending to analyze her. "Like a mouse. A small, cute mouse. The kind that sneaks into fancy parties just for the food. Cheeky little thing. Probably proud about it too."
Her mouth fell open. "A mouse?"
I grinned. "Yeah. With a very busy mouth."
"What is wrong with you?" she hissed, cheeks blooming red.
"I saw you, by the way," I said, pointing a lazy finger at her like I'd just caught her shoplifting. "You were stuffing your face with those tiny puff pastry things. One second you were standing there glaring at the world like it owed you something, the next—bam. Cheeks full. Like a chipmunk mid-heist."
"That is not what happened."
"I have witnesses."
"I hate you."
"Pretty bold words," I said, "for someone whose ass I just saved."
"You're insufferable."
I stepped forward─just once─and she instinctively stepped back. I hated how I noticed that. I also hated how small she looked next to me, like I could fold her into my jacket and carry her home.
"Also," I added, watching her try to stand tall, "I'm eight inches taller than you. You're practically snack-sized. Don't act like you could've taken that girl and her plastic backup dancers without some help."
She stepped right up to me then, fire in her eyes. "I'm feisty. Size doesn't matter."
She crossed her arms, clearly still smarting from everything that happened. And maybe from me. I took a step closer, meaning to say something sharp─maybe teasing─but my gaze dropped for a split second.
Shit.
Her dress. Clinging to her like a second skin. Wet. Transparent in the worst possible lighting.
I looked back up, fast, jaw tight.
"Fuck," I muttered before I could stop myself.
Her brows shot up. "What?"
"You're tempting me," I said, low. The words came out rough, edged with something I hadn't meant to admit. But it was the truth. She looked like a mess and still managed to undo me with one look.
She inhaled sharply, and I saw her flinch, like she was mad at herself for reacting. But she didn't move. Didn't back away.
"Don't start," she snapped, her voice shaky."I'm not interested."
I let a smirk curl onto my lips, even though everything in me was pulled tight. "Too bad," I said, taking my time with the words. "Because right now, you're making it damn hard to stay polite."
Her mouth parted, probably about to throw something back─maybe a line, maybe a slap─but I didn't let her. I slipped off my blazer, stepped forward, and droped it around her shoulders in one smooth motion. She froze as I tugged it gently closed over her chest.
"What… why?" she asked, blinking up at me like I'd just handed her a grenade instead of a jacket.
I met her eyes. "Princess, you forgot someone dumped a drink on you back there. Your dress is soaked."
Her mouth opened again, confused, and my gaze flicked down briefly. Just for a second.
"I could almost see your skin," I said quietly.
She froze.
"Oh," she whispered.
Yeah. Oh.
I stepped back before I got any dumber. "So unless you want me to keep failing at being a gentleman," I said lightly, "you might wanna get changed."
She pulled the jacket tighter around herself, suddenly all small and flushed and silent. I could tell she hated it─hated that she wasn't snapping back.
"Noted," she muttered.
"Still cute, though," I added, just because I couldn't help myself. "Wet mouse."
She groaned. "You are the worst."
I smiled, unapologetic. "And yet, you're still here."
She didn't get a chance to throw another insult. The sharp sound of heels echoed down the hallway—fast and purposeful. Then came the voice.
"Isabella!"
Her friend.
I straightened as she came rushing around the corner, her dress flowing, eyes sharp and wide.
She stopped dead when she saw us─me calm as ever, and Isabella wearing my jacket like it belonged to her.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" her friend asked, moving straight to her side and gripping her arm.
"I… there was a girl—well, several girls," Isabella began, voice fumbling, "she threw a drink—"
"I saw the drink spill, but then everything happened so fast and you just disappeared," her friend cut in, eyes narrowing as she looked from Isabella to me.
"I handled it," I said simply, stuffing my hands in my pockets. No need for the full breakdown.
"Handled it?" Isabella spun to me, her expression caught between fury and disbelief. "You called me your girlfriend!"
I raised a brow. "It worked, didn't it?"
Her chest rose sharply with each breath. "That's not the point! You don't just get to say things like that and expect me to─"
"Isabella," her friend interrupted, wisely stepping between us. "Let's get you cleaned up. My room's upstairs. We'll grab your things and go."
Isabella looked away from me, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Let's go."
Her friend looped her arm through hers protectively. "We'll grab a cab and be out in five."
Isabella reached up to shrug off my jacket, but I moved before she could. My hand lightly touched her arm.
"Keep it," I said, voice low.
She paused, and I saw the confusion flicker across her face again.
"You're still soaked," I said. "And I don't like the idea of you freezing."
Something shifted behind her eyes. She stared up at me, lips parted. Just for a second, she didn't look mad. Just stunned.
"Thanks," she murmured.
I gave a faint smile and stepped back, letting my hands slide into my pockets again─because if I didn't, I might have reached for her again.
"Don't let the hyenas bite," I said.
Her friend gently took her away, and I let her go. I didn't call after her. Didn't say anything else.
But I watched.
All the way down the hallway. Until the elevator doors slid closed behind her.