A month later, she had seen him again. Till then, she had no idea who he was.
In the high-class club, which was exclusive for the Elite, Damian Blackwell, the important man of the century, was sitting in the VVIP section. Being surrounded by groups of influential men who had waited for months just to win a minute of audience with him justified his sovereignty. His eyes lingered momentarily at that beautiful woman on the bottom floor who was drinking nonstop without any regard for tomorrow. He silently took a sip of some expensive brand of French wine. No one could penetrate his thoughts.
Not long after, his eyes shifted back to the person who was desperately fawning over him. It was noteworthy to say that the people who surrounded him included not only the President of some big, renowned international corporations but also several embassy members from foreign states. Yet, the nonchalance in Damian's demeanour did no justice to their status. Despite their important posts and flattering smiles, he was sitting there with a calm look on his face and a refined ambience in his air.
Looking ever so unapproachable and aloof. From that, one could infer that this man was several levels above any of those who surrounded him that night.
That night, on the down floor, Luna had chugged down a great number of drinks. In her struggles to dissolve her pain, she had long surpassed the pre-decided safe threshold.
"Lulu, you said it would be the last one. This is not what you said when you asked me to tag along."
"Now what? You are determined to get totally wasted?"
"Luna Hart, we have classes tomorrow!"
"How about this: let me take you back?"
"Lulu, stop! This is the fifth one!" Sierra Lane's voice of complaints came at regular intervals. However, Luna paid no heed.
"Stop nagging," she gave a dismissive gesture and asked the mixer for another glass of some high alcohol high-alcohol-content beverage.
"..."
"I-I'mm not ggoing home tonight." Her speech had only begun to slur now. Yet, the determination in her eyes was crystal clear.
"Lulu!"
Luna Hart giggled lightly.
"This is it! I am going to call your brother!"
Luna paused. Playfully, she placed a finger under her chin as if she were thinking about something. Laughing lightly, she met Sierra Lane's eyes once again.
"I wonder how surprised your brother would be once I tell him about the things you did with your boyfriend in the backseat of his new car."
"..."
"And how beautiful his expressions would be once he realises the stains on those seats weren't ice cream but actually—"
"For f*ck sake, shut up!" Sierra Lane's eyes were furious. Yet a deep crimson crept up her face. It was a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"See? It is wise if we don't involve our family in this. You are going to cover up for my absence, and that's how it's gonna be."
"This is bullying. Lulu, you! You have no shame."
Luna smiled at Sierra. After chugging down the remnant contents of the glass, she looked back at her. Propping her chin over her hand, her drunken eyes looked directly at Sierra's reddening face.
"How come? I wasn't the one who did those things."
"I shouldn't have told you."
"That was a mistake you made! Now suffer!"
Luna was naturally so provocative. After numbing her caution with alcohol, her provocations had reached entirely new heights. That night, Sierra had already suffered a lot at her hands. Sierra didn't know what to do with her. She just didn't know. Other than throwing her head over the counter in desperation, she couldn't do anything anyway. She could already hear her brother's scolding for not completing her assignments.
"What was I thinking when I agreed to accompany you?"
"Lulu, my dear Lulu, you are going to regret it tomorrow."
"Have you ever drunk this much before? Think of the terrible hangover awaiting you!"
Yet no matter what Sierra said, it had no effect on Luna. Gritting her teeth, Sierra finally said,
"You are like this because of Ethan? Let me tell you, that bastard is totally not even worth a hangover!"
Something flicked in Luna's eyes.
"Who says I am here because of him? This is my life, and I want to get drunk today."
Sierra Lane was about to retort, but stopped. She had just caught the subtle change of expression on Luna's face. She froze for a second.
'Lulu, with your attitude, you almost had me believe that you really didn't care. But guess I was wrong. You still care for that bastard?'
Sierra Lane didn't bring that matter up again. With a sigh, she resigned.
"Being me one too!"
"That's my girl!" Luna's eyes gleamed in happiness; she clapped happily and kissed Sierra's cheek.
"Just remember that I am doing it this once. There won't be any other time."
Sierra eyed Luna with a glare.
"Of course!"
No matter how playful and provocative Luna was, when it came to relationships, she had her heart settled on only one man, Ethan Monroe. For him, she had forsaken everything. Now that she had caught him with another woman in the middle of the act, Luna's state of mind had been chaotic for a week. Although Luna did her best not to make it obvious and continuously told everyone that she was over him, this time Sierra had seen right past her.
"There won't be any next time. Come on, you need to lose yourself sometimes, too."
Luna's eyes fell on a couple dancing happily in the club. Gradually, her smile dropped. Inevitably, she succumbed to the memories of Ethan. She closed her eyes for a second and thought.
Where did she go wrong?
She just didn't agree to be physical with him until she was eighteen. To compensate, she had done her best to become a woman in his ideals. Despite her naturally wild personality, she had been restraining herself all those years. Just for his sake. Just to be a wife material for him.
Luna felt a dull ache in her heart.
'Sierra is right. He is not worth it.'
What pained her wasn't his betrayal. What pained her more was her naivety. She was so naive to think that he was sincere with her.
'Guess this is how men are. A man who can love a woman without having her physically must be a myth.'
She had reached a conclusion that night. A conclusion she would holf firmly till a tragedy proved her wrong.
And that conclwas going to make her do something that she would regret for the rest of her life.