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One young woman, her champagne flute poised delicately between her fingers, nudged the girl sitting beside her. "Hey, what’s going on over there?" she whispered, nodding toward Avey and the older women. The curiosity in her voice betrayed her interest in the gossip unfolding before their eyes.

Her friend, equally curious, leaned forward a little to get a better view. "I don’t know," she replied, adjusting the hem of her dress. "But Avey’s been standing at the entrance for a while now. I think she’s waiting for someone."

"Who do you think it is?" the first girl asked, her voice dropping to an even quieter whisper as she scanned the guests nearby, making sure no one important could hear them.

The second girl raised an eyebrow and smirked. "If I had to guess? It’s Lucian. I saw how flustered Avey got when Miss Olivia walked in. You know there’s always been something going on between them."

Both girls exchanged knowing looks. Lucian and Avey’s complicated relationship had been the subject of city gossip for years. Everyone knew about Lucian’s relentless pursuit of Avey, how he had chased after her with the kind of single-minded devotion that seemed romantic at first, but had grown awkward and painful to watch over the years.

"But Avey doesn’t like him, does she?" the first girl asked, her brow furrowing. "I mean, she’s made that pretty clear, right?"

"Oh, definitely," the second girl replied with a sigh. "She’s rejected him more times than I can count. Everyone knows that. Honestly, I don’t get it. The guy is head over heels for her, but she treats him like dirt. It’s kind of heartless, if you ask me."

The first girl frowned, glancing back at Avey. "Why does she hate him so much? I mean, if a guy was that obsessed with me, I might be flattered. But the way she treats him..." Her voice trailed off as they both watched Avey shift uneasily, her eyes darting toward the door every few seconds, clearly anxious.

"Well," the second girl said, taking a sip of her drink, "It’s not like Lucian is some saint, either. I’ve heard he’s useless when it comes to business. The Kane family empire is being held together by Miss Olivia, and Lucian’s sister is next in line. He’s got no real future unless he marries someone like Avey."

The first girl blinked, looking surprised. "You think he’s after her for her money?"

The second girl shrugged, swirling the champagne in her glass as if contemplating the possibility. "Why not? It’s not like he has any other prospects. If he marries Avey, that pretty much secures his future, doesn’t it? Her family’s as rich as his, and it would give him leverage when it comes to his inheritance. Without her, he’s got nothing."

The first girl pursed her lips, contemplating this new perspective. "I never thought of it like that... I mean, Lucian always seemed so... sincere. But maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s just playing the long game."

They both looked toward Avey again, watching as she bit her lip, anxiety clearly written on her face. The girl let out a small, sad sigh. "Still... I don’t know. It’s kind of cruel, isn’t it? If Lucian really is just in it for the money, that’s one thing.

But if he actually loves her... the way she’s treated him is pretty harsh."

The second girl nodded thoughtfully. "Remember when he proposed to her in public that one time? And she humiliated him in front of everyone? That was brutal."

"Oh God, yeah," the first girl said, shaking her head. "That was so bad. I heard she even made a bet with her friends once, just to see how far Lucian would go for her."

The second girl’s eyes widened. "No way. What did she make him do?"

"I’m not sure if you heard about this, but apparently she told him that if he could stand outside in the sun, in 40-degree weather, for the entire day, she would go on a date with him."

The second girl’s jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

The first girl nodded grimly. "Yeah. And get this Lucian actually did it. He stood outside all day, didn’t move an inch. By the end of it, he was so sick he had to be taken to the hospital. And what did Avey do?

She just told him it was a joke. She never had any intention of going on that date."

The second girl shook her head in disbelief. "That’s... that’s beyond cruel. I mean, I get that he’s persistent, but no one deserves to be treated like that."

"Exactly," the first girl agreed. "I don’t know what Avey’s deal is, but it feels like she’s been playing with him all this time. I mean, even if he’s after her money, to humiliate someone that much... it’s just wrong."

The second girl sighed, crossing her arms. "You know what’s even crazier? Miss Olivia never did anything about it. You’d think, with everything Lucian’s been through, his mother would’ve stepped in, right? But no. If anything, she punishes him for embarrassing the family."

The first girl’s eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what? She punishes Lucian? But it’s not even his fault!"

"Exactly," the second girl said, nodding. "But that’s the thing everyone knows Lucian’s relationship with his family is messed up. Some people even say he might be adopted, because the way they treat him doesn’t make any sense. It’s like he’s the black sheep of the Kane family. No one really cares about him."

A heavy silence settled between the two girls as they both stared at Avey, who was still anxiously glancing around the room. There was a sense of pity in their eyes now, directed toward Lucian. For years, people had watched him chase after Avey, had seen him endure public humiliation and rejection.

And now, as rumors swirled about his strained family relationships, it became harder to ignore just how alone Lucian truly was.

"Honestly," the first girl said softly, "I feel bad for him. He’s been humiliated, ignored by his own family... If it were me, I would’ve left long ago. I don’t know how he’s put up with it for this long."

The second girl nodded slowly. "Yeah... I don’t think anyone really understands him. People see what they want to see, you know? And I think he’s just been misunderstood this whole time."

"That’s the worst part, isn’t it?" the first girl said, her voice tinged with sadness. "It’s like fate played a cruel joke on him."

The two girls fell silent again, their eyes drifting back to Avey, Melody, and Olivia. The guests around them, too, had begun to notice the tension between the women. People were exchanging curious glances, whispering to each other, but no one dared to approach. It was clear that something was brewing beneath the surface something far more complicated than just a birthday party.

----

avey pov

Avey was spiraling into panic, her mind racing in a dozen directions. She could barely keep her thoughts straight. "I need to find him. I have to find him." Her heart was pounding in her chest, each beat a reminder of how everything had gone wrong so quickly.

"Yes, forget this party. None of it matters if I can’t talk to him," Avey muttered under her breath, her fingers trembling as she tried to compose herself. She could feel her mother’s eyes on her, could hear the whispers from the guests, but nothing else mattered right now. The idea that Lucian wasn’t coming to her birthday was impossible to process.

"I won’t be able to forgive myself if he leaves me... not again. Not like last time."

Her chest tightened with fear, and her breaths grew shallow. "But what if... what if Aunt Olivia’s right? What if he really doesn’t want me anymore?" A sick feeling churned in her stomach. "No, that can’t be. It’s impossible.

He’s angry... he’s hurt, but he still loves me, right? He always has."

Avey was pacing, her thoughts crashing into each other, one after the other, like waves in a storm. "He’s probably upset after what happened. That must be it. I’ll tell him it was a misunderstanding, that I didn’t mean any of it... I only wanted him to stop chasing me." She paused, clutching her chest as she tried to calm herself. "I thought...

if I pushed him away hard enough, he would give up. But now... now he’s really giving up?"

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. Her hands shook, and her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. "I should’ve gone to him yesterday. I should’ve explained everything before I... before I did that."

She shook her head, trying to chase away the regret that was suffocating her. "I was stupid... so stupid! Why wasn’t I brave enough to face him earlier?" Desperation clawed at her as she imagined Lucian, broken and defeated, his heart shattered once again this time for good.

Avey could barely breathe. "No, no, no. I can’t let him go. Not like this." She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, the sting bringing her back to reality. "I need to fix this. I need to find him.

He can’t be gone."

"Where might he be?" she murmured, glancing around the crowd as if expecting Lucian to materialize out of nowhere. Panic settled deep in her bones. "I have to ask Aunt Olivia. She must know where he is."

Avey rushed back toward Olivia, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Aunt Olivia, where is he? Is he home? I need to go see him... right now." Her desperation was clear, her eyes wide and pleading, almost wild with fear. The possibility of Lucian taking another drastic step filled her with dread, threatening to tear her apart.

Olivia looked at Avey carefully, her eyes softening as she saw the sheer terror and concern on the young girl’s face. "This girl... does she truly care for Lucian?" Olivia thought, a pang of surprise washing over her. Avey seemed even more distressed than she was, which stirred something in Olivia’s heart. Perhaps she had misjudged the situation.

Olivia sighed heavily, she really doesn’t know much about lucian

and she is ashamed of that

but remembering what this girl did to lucian those times

olivia wasn’t sure now