Chapter 2

On Ryan's birthday, his three closest friends had already been hanging around the party for a while, waiting for him.

Ryan reluctantly introduced them to me one by one.

I smiled and greeted them, quietly matching each face with the names from Yelena's diary. The anger in my chest burned hotter by the second.

If Ryan had been the mastermind behind Yelena's death, then the other three had been accomplices. No one was innocent.

Ethan Brooks adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

I hid the hatred in my eyes and lightly shook his hand, my face full of polite admiration. "Hello, Ethan. I've heard you're quite accomplished at chess. I'd really love the chance to play a game with you someday."

Ethan unconsciously rubbed the fingers that had touched mine and let out a soft laugh. "Sure."

Ryan's face darkened. He tugged me along and stopped in front of Lucas Bennett.

Lucas gave me a brief glance, his expression unreadable.

I spoke first. "Hello, Lucas."

Lucas nodded. That was all.

A flash of disappointment crossed my eyes.

Lucas caught it. He cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "If you ever have any trouble at school, Emily, you can always come to me."

Ryan dragged me away at once. He snapped through clenched teeth, "Don't listen to his crap. My girlfriend doesn't need help from other men."

We hadn't gone far before we ran straight into Nathan Carter. He smiled at me first. "Hi, Emily."

I nodded politely and returned a distant greeting.

Nathan looked a little crestfallen, especially after noticing the mocking looks from the other two. But when he realized my gaze kept drifting back to him, his mood lifted again.

By then, Ethan and Lucas had also walked over. The four of them began sparring with their eyes.

I pretended not to notice, took out the gift I had prepared in advance, and handed it over. "Happy birthday, Ryan."

When I opened it, there was a set of chess pieces inside. All four of them froze.

I gasped and quickly pulled the box back. "Oh shoot! I grabbed the wrong box." My voice wasn't loud, but it carried far enough for everyone around to catch it.

Ryan had no choice but to play along. Under the other three's watchful, amused stares, he forced a smile. "I'll let it go this time. What can I say? You're my girlfriend."

He put extra weight on the words "my girlfriend." He gazed at the chess pieces in my hands, as if he wanted to bore holes straight through them.

When I looked at him in confusion, his gaze shifted to Ethan, suspicion quietly taking root.

Nathan seemed to reach the same conclusion. Irritated, he picked up a glass from the table, ready to down it in one go.

I snatched the glass from his hand. At his startled look, I explained gently, "I heard from other students that you have stomach issues. Drinking isn't good for you."

Nathan smiled.

Ryan's face darkened even more. He grabbed my arm. "Why do you care so much about him?"

I looked puzzled. "Isn't Nathan one of your closest friends? As your girlfriend, it's only natural for me to care about your buddies too."

After we took our seats, I casually brushed my hair aside, accidentally revealing the bracelet on my wrist.

Lucas suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Hold on, you were the one I saved that day?"

I lowered my head, looking shy. "I never really got the chance to thank you, Lucas. You showed up just in time and chased off those thugs for me. I really owe you one."

With Ryan's glare practically burning holes in him, Lucas let go, stunned, and asked with concern, "They didn't come back to bother you again, did they?"

I shook my head, smiling with hidden meaning. Of course not. After all, I'd paid those thugs myself.

While Lucas was caught up talking to me, Ethan and Nathan refused to be outdone. They rushed to claim the seats on either side of me, falling over themselves to show their attention.

Ryan stood rooted to the spot, his face dark as thunder. At this point, everyone looked suspicious to him.

I asked with concern, "Ryan, what's wrong?"

His lips pressed into a hard line. "Emily, I'm not feeling well."

With that, he grabbed my hand and tried to leave.

Ethan and the other two stood up at the same time. "If you're unwell, go ahead," they said. "Let Emily stay and have a drink with us."

Ryan snapped, "Get lost. Stay away from my girlfriend."

I let him pull me away, quietly doing the math. Everything was going smoothly. It was time to add a little more fuel to the fire.