Chapter 2
The Majestic Hotel glittered with crystal chandeliers, their light spilling over a crowd of well-dressed guests mingling and clinking glasses.
Nearly every influential figure in Kingston City had shown up.
Dressed in a faded casual outfit, I stood at the ballroom entrance, sticking out like a sore thumb amid the luxury.
In an instant, all eyes turned to me.
Some gave me looks of pity, but most couldn't hide their smirks and sneers.
"Isn't that the Grant family's golden boy? Showing up dressed like that?"
"Golden boy? Please, he's been kicked out for ages. Now he's just a nobody."
"Look at him now. Fallen from grace. How the turntables."
I tuned out the comments and strode straight in, my gaze sweeping the room until it landed on the group at the center.
My father, Richard Grant, laughed and chatted with a group of business tycoons, his face flushed with pride, as if he didn't have a son like me standing across the room.
Beside him were Ryan and his heavily made-up mother, Victoria Moore.
Dressed in a custom-tailored suit, Ryan beamed with pride, holding a wine glass and soaking up compliments from everyone around him.
Standing next to Ryan was Chloe White, my ex-girlfriend.
She wore a white evening gown, just as beautiful as ever, but her look when she saw me was complicated: a hint of guilt, but mostly a condescending stare.
Cut the act. Didn't she dump me the second I lost my power and status, running straight into Ryan's arms?
A cold laugh bubbled up in my chest.
Ryan clearly spotted me, too. He pulled Chloe closer to his side, raising his voice deliberately. "Hey, Alex, I'm so glad you made it."
He walked over, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Alex, I know you're tight on cash right now. Here, take this. Don't let yourself starve."
He pulled a thick stack of cash from his wallet, trying to stuff it into my pocket with a condescending flick of his wrist.
It was a blatant insult, and the room erupted in stifled laughter.
Chloe frowned but said nothing, her eyes darting away.
As I stared at Ryan's disgusting face, my fists clenched tight.
I was about to swing when my mind went completely blank.
My body was no longer mine.
Damn it! Why now, of all times?
My consciousness sank into darkness, the last image I saw being Ryan's triumphant grin.
That woman was here.
*****
My body moved, but I had no control over it.
"I" lifted a hand slowly, ignoring the cash Ryan held out. Instead, in Ryan's stunned gaze, "I" patted his cheek lightly.
The gesture was casual, deliberately mocking, with a hint of mischief.
The sounds were soft, but they hit harder than any real slap, silencing every guest in the room.
Everyone stared, wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Ryan's grin froze, replaced by shock and fury. "Alex Grant, you fucking..."
"I" didn't let him finish.
"My" fingers trailed down his cheek, stopping at his tie before yanking it hard.
Ryan stumbled backward, nearly falling on his ass.
"Quiet, Behave yourself, kiddo," "I" whispered, pressing a finger to "my" lips, a devilish smile on my face.
That smile was identical to the one on my phone's lock screen.
The voice was nothing like mine, lazy, husky, and impossibly alluring, carrying clearly across the quiet ballroom.
Ryan was completely dumbfounded.
He'd never seen me like this: the brother he'd always walked all over, the one he'd called weak and useless, now staring at him with a madness and mockery that made his blood run cold.
"Y-You're crazy!" Ryan finally snapped, trembling with anger.
"I" chuckled, letting go of his tie and turning to Chloe.
She stepped back instinctively, her eyes filled with terror and confusion, as if she'd never met me before.
"I" stopped in front of her, leaning down to whisper something in her ear.
It was so quiet that only the two of us could hear.
Chloe's face turned deathly pale in an instant, her body shaking uncontrollably, her gaze darting to "me" like I was a ghost.
What the hell did she say?
I roared in the darkness of my consciousness, powerless to do anything.
After that, "I" picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray, strolling casually to the center of the ballroom as if nothing had happened.
"I" raised the glass, scanning the room, and every pair of eyes locked onto "me," magnetized.
"Thanks for coming to my... farewell party," "I" said, pausing to let a brighter smile spread across "my" face.
"But I'm not here to say goodbye. I'm here to take back everything that's mine."
With those words, "I" drained the champagne in one gulp, then flipped "my" wrist.
The crystal glass crashed to the floor, shattering into glittering pieces.
In the midst of everyone's shocked stares, "I" turned and strode out of the ballroom.
All that was left behind was a silhouette radiating resolve, wild energy, and an air of mystery.