Chapter 3 : Sickening Situation

Ashley POV

The situation became silent, as if in suspended animation. The only thing that reminded me that I was still alive, or that time hadn't stopped, was my racing heartbeat. And, of course, the fact that I could feel my face quickly turning red. It was as if life wasn't going to let me off the hook for such an embarrassment. It was just too cruel.

"Jayden, isn't she a friend of your family?"

The figure of the man who spoke, finally breaking the spells that had everyone glued, was about the same height as Jayden. I couldn't see his hair or most of his face, but I recognized him by the deep voice that had captivated the entire stadium an hour and a half ago with a very painful song. It seemed like he had introduced himself at the beginning of the concert.

"Is it really her?"

The other man who spoke was the tallest of the group. He opened one side of his mask behind his left ear, revealing his whole face. I recognized him, he was the leader of the group, Jackson or better known as Jax. He scratched his cheek and looked at me like I was a very difficult quiz.

"Oh yeah, I've seen your face before, on the news."

The third man spoke the shortest of the group. He immediately stepped forward when Jayden cursed at me, but now he relaxed. I didn't know who he was, but I could guess from his light voice.

Then someone snapped his fingers and pulled his mouth mask down under his chin, revealing a sharp nose and high cheekbones. "That's right, whenever you two meet, you always make headlines." I knew who this person was, but I couldn't remember his name. I remember something about his last name. "Your name is..."

"Ashley Van Smith." A man almost as tall as Jax answered. He was the only one not wearing a mask, and I recognized him immediately as Jean - he had blown a kiss at Eva's camera. "I knew it when I saw you in the audience earlier. You were almost up front, weren't you? With all those girls with the big cameras?"

I think Eva and her friends would have been very happy if I had told them that Jean had remembered them. Well, if I could remember. I couldn't imagine that Jayden was the one with the angry look on his face - he looked like he was ready to kill someone. I should have been the one who was angry. This guy had no shame.

"Damn it," he muttered, his eyes still fixed on me with a cold glare. "Why are you here?" It was like he wanted to swallow me alive.

I couldn't answer. All I could see was a coat that was too small and too frilly to fit his arms, and a small, light blue bag slung over his shoulder. In one hand he held his cell phone, in the other two plastic bottles filled with water.

And I noticed that he was not wearing his engagement ring. Oh, my facial reaction changed instantly. I felt like my heart was filled with cold water and my face was blank. The gold ring almost felt like it was burning the skin of my finger. I wanted to rip it off and throw it in his idiot's face.

"Why are you cursing at her?" a guy named Tyler asked after a few moments of silence. His tone wasn't accusatory or hostile, just confused. I could tell that he had figured out that there was something wrong with the whole situation, even if he couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet.

"Oh, so she's the heiress to Red Moon Inc.? Baby, I thought she was the personnel coordinator!"

Until then, Blair had been silent. But the tone of her voice, the way it echoed through each of her words, was the cause of my frown. Why does she sound so innocent?

His eyes softened slightly as he looked at his girlfriend. I never thought to say or even think about it, but seeing his eyes melt at her made me sick. How long had they been together? How long had he been lying to my parents? And if he loved someone else, why was he still engaged to me and not rejected me as his mate?

"No," he replied in a clipped tone as his eyes looked at me. "Ash, can we talk privately for a minute?"

I was startled before realizing that everyone was waiting for my answer. "Okay," I mumbled.

"We'll wait in the car," Jax said as he tapped Jayden on the shoulder twice.

Meanwhile, Blair left my side and rushed over to Jayden. He handed her his coat, bag, and water and she handed him his jacket back. As if by instinct, he leaned down to let her kiss his cheek and held her hand briefly before letting go.

Surprisingly, it hurt in my chest. I simply turned my head away to look at the scene before me.

Then she put on her coat, which came with a hoodie and hid her face and hair behind a hat and a mask. Two security guards escorted her down the hallway where we arrived, most likely to take her to the other side of the stadium. Her eyes looked at me curiously as she walked by.

She must have known. I was sure of it. She had played me, not the other way around. Well, don't let the innocent face fool you. At least I don't feel guilty about trying to take advantage of her again.

Several security guards escorted Jax and the others out of the building, along with what I assumed was the rest of the staff. Someone I hadn't noticed until that moment caught my eye. His narrow, dark eyes were expressionless behind the white mask he wore, but I felt goosebumps as I realized he hadn't even spoken. He was simply observing. He was the last member, and although I couldn't remember his name, I remembered his terrifying solo performance, the second solo performance with a song in a completely different style than the rest of the concert. His words felt like they were physically piercing me.