Chapter 21: Blackmail = Trust

The evening proceeded much like before, with Rosalind continuing to walk around, greeting a multitude of important guests. The only difference now was that Lucas was not the only one being shown off; Bloom was as well, and she was slightly... maybe more than slightly... more important than him.

Lucas had now become a small extra decoration in the background, standing behind Bloom and Rosalind as they chatted with different guests.

He did have some conversations himself, as it appeared some people still assumed he had connections. He received a wide majority of business cards and offers of work, or simply a meeting. He kept all of them, of course, as they could be useful later on when he needed outside assistance.

This continued for a while until it was finally time for the 'banquet' part of the evening. He, Rosalind, and Bloom entered together. He hadn't quite paid attention to it before, mainly because he did not care, but he watched as Bloom took in the surroundings.

He guessed it would look quite lovely to someone who had spent most of their life in the First World - a room practically one with nature, with the columns holding up the ceilings being trees, flowers, and even butterflies roaming, which he found repulsive. Who wanted to watch insects while they ate?

However, his now improving mood was about to take a sharp turn. He watched as Sky appeared in the distance, the smile on his face vanishing in an instant as he approached Bloom, and since he was near her, neared him as well.

"I figured you would like some company," Rosalind directed at Bloom with a smile as she stepped away to give her and Sky some room.

Unable to hold it in, Lucas let out an audible 'tsk', which not only Rosalind but also Bloom noticed as they gazed towards him with confusion. Feeling slightly awkward now, he approached his seat, sitting down leaving Bloom with Sky. He had ended up on the left side of Rosalind, with Bloom being on her right. On his right, however, sat Duke Arthur, Stella's uncle.

They ended up making eye contact with each other, both putting on a charming smile.

"Lucas, if I am not mistaken, what an absolute pleasure to meet someone who has been saved from that barbaric group they call 'The Cursed Ones'," Duke Arthur said with a slight laugh underneath his words.

"The pleasure is all mine, Duke Arthur," Lucas replied as he brought his glass up, to which Arthur brought up his own, and they toasted.

However, right before either of them drank, Lucas leaned in and whispered, "If I'm not mistaken, I have seen a request from you before. What was it, murdering your mistress?"

No one else at the table heard, but it was clear a few people had picked up on the discomfort that painted Duke Arthur's face for a moment. However, he recovered quickly and let out a laugh just loud enough to still be deemed proper manners.

"Why yes, Sky did indeed do nicely for himself, ending up with the fairy that transformed after being with Stella," he said as he drank from his cup, forcing Lucas to do the same.

He was played. While he did agree with the Duke's dislike for Sky, he would have never said that out loud in public. That was simply ruining future connections.

He turned his head to see Bloom and Sky staring at him with both confusion and anger. It was too late now; it was not like he could tell them what he really said.

"Uncle Arthur," Stella chirped in, probably attempting to back up Sky.

"Oh, come now, you know it's true. I mean, no fault to you," Duke Arthur said as he glanced at Sky, "but if you and my niece had stayed together..." He did a mock gasp before continuing, "Scandal!"

Lucas watched as Bloom moved her hand to Sky's wrist to calm him down and then looked up, making eye contact with Sky. Yeah, they were never going to get along. If there was a very minor chance before, it was for sure all gone now.

The tension at the table was palpable, and Lucas could feel the weight of Bloom and Sky's stares boring into him. He knew he would have to do some serious damage control later, to try and smooth things over with Bloom at the very least.

Choosing not to make any further comments this evening, in case of another blow to his reputation, Lucas remained quietly in his seat. He watched Bloom excuse herself shortly after Rosalind had done the same and walked over to her, talking about something he could not hear.

After the two talked for a short while, he watched as Rosalind walked away whilst glancing at her phone. Bloom turned around at that moment, their eyes meeting for a second before she looked away. She seemed quite upset about the lie Duke Arthur had told.

Bloom ended up returning to her seat next to Sky, choosing to remain quiet like him for now. Glancing around, he felt a bit irritated by Rosalind leaving him here after being the one who forced him to attend.

He made himself stay seated for a bit longer, but at a certain point, he watched Bloom glance at her phone and then excuse herself. Figuring this had something to do with the so-called plan, he also excused himself, the timing earning him suspicious glances from Sky, which he chose to ignore.

As he followed the path he saw Bloom go down, he turned the corner to see her standing there with Stella, Aisha, and Flora.

Getting closer, he decided to speak up as they appeared not to notice him, as they were all looking down at the phone Aisha held. "Yo."

Aisha instantly hid the phone behind her back, and they all assumed what he wanted to think were 'innocent' positions, which dropped instantly as they noticed it was him.

"Who the hell invited you?" Stella questioned angrily. He had forgotten that she too had feelings for Sky. Duke Arthur had really done a number on him.

"I did. Is that a problem?" He responded with a smile as he joined their circle.

"Yes, now leave," Bloom responded, glaring at him.

He put on a hurt smile—well, he was in fact a little hurt, but he over-emphasized it. "Ouch, Bloom. All things considered, shouldn't you be at least a little nice to me, considering I never snitched or anything?" Lucas asked.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to cozy up to Stella's uncle," Bloom snorted back before turning to the girls and ignoring him.

He decided to take a few steps back and listen in, not fully leaving. No way in hell was he going back to that banquet alone.

"Are we sure this is enough?" Bloom questioned.

"Are you serious? It has to be, Bloom," Stella started. "We won't have this many influential people here anytime soon. It has to be now," she finished, clearly for some reason extremely set on getting rid of Rosalind.

Lucas did wonder what exactly her reasoning behind it was. Rosalind was working with her mother, and even if Stella's relationship with her mom sucked, he did not see a need to be so against Rosalind.

"No, but guys, listen. Rosalind knows that we broke Silva out—" Bloom started, only to be interrupted by Aisha instantly.

"Then we have to take her down!"

"No, she hasn't told anyone, and she said that she's not going to, and I..." Bloom took a long break, appearing to gather her thoughts before continuing, "I know that I should... but I... I believe her."

Lucas watched as a mocking smile appeared on Stella's face. He honestly wanted to match it. Bloom really had a knack for trusting people for the dumbest of reasons. Rosalind had clearly blackmailed her with that information, and she instead saw it as a gift.

"It's complicated..." Bloom said, clearly seeing Stella's expression.

"No, it's really not. Quite cliché even. An outsider all your life, got a taste of the inner circle, and can't get enough," Stella said straight to Bloom's face, shocking Lucas a little. When she wanted to, she truly could be quite nasty! He liked this type of Stella much much more!

Bloom looked annoyed, maybe even a little angry as she retorted, "You don't know what you're talking about."

But Stella was not having it. "I know exactly what I am talking about. I lived it. You seem to forget that this was my life, and your 15 minutes will get people killed," she finished. He almost wanted to clap, because he agreed for the most part. However, he needed Rosalind for now, so he did not offer his verbal support.

Bloom chuckled, looking amazed, but not in a good way.

"So if you won't do the right thing, I will," Stella finished as she began to walk back to the banquet. He watched Bloom, Aisha, and Flora follow her back and couldn't help but smile, noticing that Bloom had caught it and looked at him, confused.

He decided not to spoil it, however. Bloom should have learned that Rosalind was far smarter than her. Anything truly incriminating would not be found unless she wanted it to be. He took in a deep breath, a smile returning to his face. Whatever was about to go down, he truly wished he could record it. 

As the girls disappeared back into the banquet hall, Lucas lingered in the hallway for a moment, his mind racing with possibilities. He knew Rosalind better than most, and had seen firsthand the depths of her cunning and the lengths she would go to maintain her power. Whatever it was they had discovered, he was sure Rosalind was prepared, or maybe even expected, and wanted it.

With a final, rueful shake of his head, Lucas straightened his suit jacket and made his way back to the banquet hall. He slipped inside just in time to see Stella take the stage, her face set in a determined expression. The smile stayed glued on his face, and he noticed Bloom staring at him, clearly confused as to why he appeared excited, he simply smiled even wider and returned his attention back to Stella, she wanted to be the star today after all.