Ultraviolet

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Game Plan

I joined Hadeon at the dining table, both of us finishing our drinks. He seemed distant, quiet. That wasn't exactly weird for Hadeon. What concerned me was that he was distant now, after we finally had a full conversation without fighting and now...

Maybe I was just reading too far into it.

"How was your walk?" Jess asked as she ripped off the note I'd left on the fridge, scrunching it into a ball and throwing it into the trash can.

"It was nice." I smiled.

"Cold." Hadeon said at the same time.

"Oh." Was all she said. I assumed she recognised this mood Hadeon was in and knew better than to continue the conversation. Jess then walked back into her bedroom, probably to warn Jack of Hadeon.

I stood up from my seat and headed back to my room, trying my best to calm myself down. I couldn't say exactly why, maybe I was just getting my period and PMS was amplifying this small frustration, but tears started to well in my eyes.

This was Hadeon. I needed to remember that. He can be kind and sweet and he can spend an hour or two talking to me about real stuff, and not only that but really listening. He can make me feel seen, but, inevitably, he will rip the rug out from under me and turn into the hermit that sat at the dining table.

I ignored him the rest of the day. Or, maybe, he was ignoring me. It was hard to tell. He had barely acknowledged my existence until I walked into the bar.

The second I stepped out from the door beside the bar, his eyes locked to mine. Almost as if he could sense my presence. I looked down and scurried behind the bar to Jess.

"Violet." A stern voice called out over the crowd of security guards. Everyone fell silent, eyes drawn to Adrianna though she had only called my name.

I joined her in the room behind the red door. I attempted to push the door closed, only the toe of a black boot stuck between the door and its frame. I looked up through the gap to Hadeon.

"Leave." I warned him. Adrianna had requested me and only me.

"Another set of ears won't hurt." He grumbled as he pushed through. He turned, gesturing for me to close the door as if I were the one holding everything up.

"Hadeon, this does not concern you." Adrianna whistled. Though, she didn't seem very bothered by him being here.

"Violet is Jess's sister." He replied. "What concerns her, concerns Jess."

So that's all I was to him. Jess's sister. A downside to his job. It was clear in the unfeeling stone mask he wore. I was nothing to him.

"Thats fair." Adrianna mumbled before turning to me. "Violet, I think you could be of some use to me."

Adrianna spoke as though I was a tool, but the idea of being useful to someone like Adrianna sparked a bright fire of confidence in my chest.

"In what way?" I asked. Hadeon stared, trying to warn me away. He didn't think I could be powerful or strong, like Adrianna. I ignored his silent plea and smirked.

"Its a simple task." She offered flippantly, the hint of a laugh on her lips. "A man will be stopping into the club at about nine tonight. You will be in the bar, as a customer. You go up, flirt with him, convince him to come back to this room, then I will handle it from then. Got it."

"No!" Hadeon demanded. He stormed forward, slamming his hands against Adrianna's desk. She fanned her face with her hand as she yawned. "She can't handle something like this. Get Jess to do it."

"Nonsense. Violet is the right age, she owes me a favour. This is it." She smiled at me. "One and done! You will have made it up to me. It's only fair, don't you think?"

"Hadeon underestimates me." I said simply. "I can and will do it."

"Fantastic." She clapped her hands together. "Hadeon, show her the dress."

"What?" He shot back. I was equally as confused.

"The dress I had you pick up for me, it's for Violet to wear." She sighed. "Its a simple request. Are you going stupid on me?"

"I didn't know that dress was for her." He growled.

"Where is it?" She challenged.

Hadeon glanced to the left where a black box with a matching ribbon across it sat upon a bureau. I took the initiative to waltz over and lift off the lid. Inside was a white dress. It was crafted of soft silk and looked as though it would barely reach the tops of my thighs.

"Its pretty, no?" Adrianna asked.

"Its beautiful."

"Go!" She ordered, patience wearing thin. "Put it on in Jess's office. I would like to see what you look like before we open."

"Adrianna, she will ruin this for you." Hadeon warned.

I turned, fury behind my eyes. I had fallen in love. This dress was my soulmate, and he would not stand between us. Pretty things had never been mine to own or wear. I wore what I could find, or I avoided whatever formal occasion I was expected at. Adrianna had bought this for me. That meant something. That was important.

"Hadeon, I am a grown woman. I am completely capable of doing this. You know that. Shut up and let me."