Vin's Parlor II.

Looking towards the enigmatic figure of the dark-haired man, Jameson muttered. "That's Aiden," and as he said it once, he suddenly became so sure of it that he said it loud enough for Delia to hear. "That fucking basted is Aiden."

Hearing the name that came out of Jameson's mouth, Delia was shocked, she remembered Aiden all too well, a sickly-looking youth with a pitiful look in his eyes, she found it hard to compare that figure with the man walking into Vin's Parlor at this moment.

Ignoring the two people behind him, Aiden walked into Vin's Parlor. Upon entering the foyer, he was enveloped in an atmosphere of sophistication.

A gleaming marble floor led the way to the reception desk, where impeccably dressed staff members welcomed each guest with warmth and grace.

The walls were adorned with exquisite artwork, setting the tone for the cultural experiences that awaited.

Reaching the reception area, Aiden noticed a woman dressed in a fitted black skirt and a matching vest with a crisp white shirt underneath.

She had messy brown hair, that paired with her reading glasses made her seem quite clumsy.

As if feeling Aiden's probing gaze, the receptionist looked up at him, her voice like a crisp bell. "Are you here for the Medusa special sir?" She asked.

Hearing the words that came out of her mouth, Aiden's intrusive thoughts pictured Medusa being served on a silver platter.

"Are you a cannibal now?" Landon's voice sounded out mockingly in his head prompting Aiden to roll his eyes as he responded to the receptionist. "I'm here for that."

He didn't really care what they called the event as long as it had Medusa's name on it.

Hearing Aiden's words, the receptionist suddenly stretched out her hand and said. "Please can I have your invitation card?"

There was an odd and embarrassing moment as Aiden stared at the receptionist, his dark eyes laced with utter confusion and embarrassment.

"Trash, Is still trash, you don't even have an invite," a female voice dripping with disdain and superiority sounded out from behind him.

Without even turning back, Aiden was able to tell who it was, Delia and her friend Jameson.

Ignoring the two, Aiden brought out his phone to call Jonathan but upon thinking about it for a bit he decided against it.

Jonathan and Mai were currently laying low, he didn't want to bother them.

"Why don't you sneak in?" Landon's voice suddenly sounded out, prompting Aiden to disagree.

As he thought about this, Delia and Jameson walked past him, glancing at his figure with disdain before heading to the reception and handing over their invitation card.

But upon seeing the invitation card Aiden raised a brow, walking towards the reception area again, Aiden waited for the receptionist to finish with Delia and Jameson.

"Oh, what now? Are you trying to bribe the receptionist?" Jameson who spotted Aiden from the corner of his eyes asked, his tone loud enough to attract attention.

With that said, he turned to the receptionist and said with a stern tone. "If I see him inside, I'll make sure you get fired," saying this he walked inside with Delia following behind him, their voice lingering as they left. "Tiss, you've got a little money, so what? You're still trash."

There was silence, with Aiden watching the duo walk by, he was expressionless, feeling unbothered by Jameson's words like an unmovable statue, once they were out of sight, he turned to the receptionist.

Seeing Aiden's expressionless face, the look in the receptionist's eyes softened as she said. "They're the real trash if you ask me, I have to deal with people like this every day."

"You don't say," Aiden responded, his voice laced with intrigue as he leaned on the counter.

Noting Aiden's interest, the receptionist continued to speak. "You'd think wealthy people would be more compassionate, but they're all just a bunch of prideful motherfuckers."

"That's a little harsh." Aiden quipped.

"But it's true, I don't know why you'd want to be in a party like this anyway." The receptionist continued, as she leaned in. "You know, they say Medusa is crazy, I mean she's a total psycho, that bitch has more skeleton in her closet than anyone I've ever seen, and to top it off, she's a Contractor."

By now most of the guests had entered Vin's Parlor, but Aiden just leaned on the counter chatting with the receptionist.

"So what's your name?" He asked, his eyes focused on the receptionist's brown eyes.

Hearing Aiden's question the receptionist hesitated a bit before saying. "I'm Maya."

"Maya," Aiden echoed before turning to look at Maya. "Cute name."

"Haha!"

Maya giggled at Aiden's words before saying. "As much as I'm enjoying our little chat, you should leave, they're cameras watching."

"Na, I think I'd like to stay," Aiden's voice trailed off as he reached for his inner pocket bringing out a card, if one looked closely one would notice that it was the same card Medusa had slipped into Aiden's pocket.

Seeing this card, Maya's eyes widened in shock as she looked towards Aiden in wonder. "You had an invite?" Her voice sounded out.

Shrugging his shoulders, Aiden said. "I didn't even know until those parasites before me brought out theirs."

"Then what have you been doing here?" Maya asked in confusion, her hands moving to inspect the card. "Holly Shit," she suddenly exclaimed as she looked up to Aiden, her tone changing drastically as her eyes widened. "You were invited by Medusa!"

Tilting his head Aiden responded. "I guess you could say it that way."

Hearing this, Maya felt her head spin. "I just told Medusa's friend that she's crazy, a psycho, and a bitch, I'm gonna get fired."

Aiden raised a brow and in the next moment. "Haha," a deep chuckle escaped his lips sending goosebumps down Maya's back, the way her expressions changed seemed to amuse him.

Watching Aiden chuckle Maya suddenly said, her voice barely audible as a small blush spread across her cheeks. "Can you keep our-this conversation between us?"

"Now why would I do that?" Aiden asked.

His tone made Maya worry even more, she suddenly felt the seat under her get hot at the thought of getting fired, this job was the best out there, and losing it would be a disaster.

Before she could say anything, Aiden's voice suddenly called out again. "Relax, you look like you're getting bullied, give me your phone." He said with an outstretched hand.

Feeling a bit confused, Maya wanted to ask why, but upon seeing the innocent look on Aiden's face, she brought out her phone and handed it to him.

Without a word, Aiden dialed his number and saved it, his voice lingering as he walked into the main dining area of Vin's Parlor. "I like your vibe, call me if you need any help."

Stepping into the main dining area was like stepping into a scene from a lavish banquet.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, golden glow over the room.

Tables were adorned with crisp white linens, sparkling silverware, and delicate floral arrangements.

Soft music filled the air, creating an ambiance of refinement and tranquility.

"Fancy," Landon's voice sounded out in Aiden's head the moment he walked into the room.

Aiden agreed with him too, the room was indeed fancy, the air was subtly scented with a blend of luxury fragrances, plush seats, and tables filled with guests engaging in small talk.

In the middle of the room, was a large platform with a piano and a violin, Aiden figured that said platform would be the stage for Medusa's performance.

Aiden's arrival didn't go unnoticed, a lot of people glanced at him, most exhibiting looks of confusion as they tried to discern his origins.

Meanwhile, at a particular table, Jameson and Delia could be seen sitting and discussing with their friends.

As they talked, Jameson caught something from the corner of his eyes. "How did that basted get in?" He thought.

He wasn't the only one who noticed Aiden, Delia had noticed him as well, and as she did she leaned into Jameson and whispered to him. "Calm down, we can't afford to stain our reputation, we'll handle it later on."

During Jameson's struggle, Aiden was having a conversation with Landon as he found a corner to sit in.

"What was up with you back there, do you have a thing for receptionists?" Landon's voice sounded out in his head.

Rolling his eyes at Landon's comment, Aiden gestured for a waiter who quickly walked up to him and poured him a glance of whiskey.

Although he couldn't enjoy alcohol anymore, it was nice to stay hydrated.

Taking a sip, Aiden finally responded to Landon's words, his lips pressed into a thin line as he conversed in his head. "You should know why I spent so much time talking to her, I thought you could read my thoughts."

"Come on, you know that's not how it works," Landon defended himself before saying. "I may be able to read the thoughts you want me to read, but if you really want to hide your thoughts from me you're fully capable of that, after all, you're in control."

"I know," Aiden muttered before adding. "Since you don't know why, you'll have to watch like everyone else, after all, I'm in control."

As Aiden thought this, he felt the surroundings turn odd as everyone in the room turned quiet.

Feeling confused, Aiden looked around and noticed that a familiar woman had walked into the room.

She had black hair, flowing freely down her back, her eyes were black as well, a black that looked too vivid to be natural, she wore a classic white v-neck suit with palazzo pants and matching hills.

For accessories, she wore a thin necklace of pure gold paired with matching earrings and bracelets, although she didn't look too different from any other well-dressed woman in the room, she had this extreme and authoritative aura to her that demanded attention.

Looking at her Aiden could immediately discern two things, the first thing was that she was stronger than him, he felt a faint sense of danger just by looking at her, the second thing he found out was that she was wearing contacts to hide her eye color.

Taking note of these things Aiden's gaze moved to her teammates.

Jonathan had given him a short briefing on them, and one would be intrigued to find out that the three people who followed her were all Veterans of the Silence.

The first one was Blackout, a man with blonde hair, green eyes, and an immaculate jawline, he wore a white suit, to compliment his boss, apparently he had a normal strength Contract, but he made up for it with his outstanding battle skills, a typical bouncer.

Aiden also noticed something, and that was the fact that he wasn't on a leash this time.

Next was Nightdancer, a balled man with black eyes, he had a paranormal Contract that granted him some edge fighting at night, but no one knew the exact details.

Skytio a woman with very short brown hair and brown eyes, she had a paranormal Contract that allowed her demon to possess her and fight her enemies, normally Aiden would call it a possession Contract but under the Silence's classifications, a possession Contract fell into the class of paranormal.

As Aiden observed these people from the distance, a man walked up to Medusa and her group.

Like most men in the room, he wore a suit, a suit that threatened to rip to shreds holding back his raging pot belly.

Seeing his appearance, Aiden raised his brows, it was rare to see such unfit people in the world today.

As Aiden thought this, the man was busy speaking to his guest, he bowed slightly revealing a balled spot at the middle of his head before saying. "It's a pleasure to have you with us Madam Medusa, I'm-"

"Ugly."