"I refuse to associate with someone that is a class lower than me," C.T

"What's with the long face, Cheyenne?" I felt a hand clasp onto my shoulder, letting me know that it was Cordelia. I didn't know what to say to her. The sight before us was enough to convey into words what I couldn't. I let out a long breath, staring at Davina and her cheerful and happy interactions with the new business mogul, Stefan Alderidge.

He was the new twenty-something-year-old CEO of the company his father used to be over. He was a useful individual and I had no issues with him, but I couldn't stand the fact that Davina paraded over him like he was some long lost son. I didn't think I ever saw her smile at me the way she was smiling at him. I didn't think I ever felt her touch me on my shoulder or caress my hair like she was doing to Stefan at the moment. 

Alas, I just shoved those feelings to the back of my mind.

"Oh, it's nothing, Cordelia," I plastered a smile on my face before looking up into her eyes. There was no need to dwell on anything unnecessary. "How's the country club?" I always made sure to ask her about it because Davina couldn't be bothered to spare me any details. That, and the fact that she always scurried around the topic as if she had something to hide. Well, I didn't give a fuck because that was her problem, not mine.

"It's going very good right now, actually," She said, but the look on her face told me otherwise. "Are you sure?" I gauged and she sighed, shaking her head. "Lately, the employees have been coming to me, telling me that they haven't been getting paid. I can't do anything about that because your mother is over the finances," Cordelia grumbled and I narrowed my eyes. "Everything has just been going to shit since we decided to partner with that Alderidge bastard," She snorted in contempt and I tilted my head, wondering why she felt that way about him. I didn't know him in the capacity that she did, so she may have known a lot more than I did.

"Interesting," I hummed, wondering what the deal was. If anyone knew my mother, they knew that she operated behind the scenes. She put on this fake facade and if you didn't know her as well as I did, you got sucked into it, lapping onto every single word she planted in your ear. A leech she was, and damn, I was starting to forget she was human too.

"If I were you," I fixed Cordelia with a stern glance as everyone around us danced to the music of the gala, eating the food that Phillippe's catering company provided. "I'd keep a low profile," Cordelia sighed as she knew what I was talking about. If I had anything to go by experience, it was the fact that Davina sat on a throne of lies, secrets manifesting at her will. She didn't care who she hurt or who got in her way. 

She would do whatever it took to get what she wanted. 

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sterling staring a hole at me and I turned to look at him with indifference, watching him use his scaly finger to beckon me over. "Let me go see what he wants," I offered Cordelia a grim smile before walking to the back wall where he was standing. "Can I help you?" I wasted no time and he flicked his brown eyes at me, narrowing them. "Just what do you think you're doing, Cheyenne?" His lips were contorted into a smile to appease the guests walking past, but his voice was deadly.

"Nothing that would concern you, Sterling," I replied calmly and the tic in his jaw deepened as he whirled around on me. I knew he was angry, judging by the veins protruding on the sides of his head. He was clenching his hands back and forth and I raised a brow, wondering just what did he need from me. "You are lucky we are here at this gala," He said but I could sense the lethality of his tone.

"Go ahead," I growled, looking the bastard in his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, father. So do what you will. It certainly didn't stop you last time," I spat coldly, ignoring the harsh snarl that rumbled from his lips as I bumped past him, counting to ten to keep myself in check. No one deserved to see me at my worst, not even Vivi, who was my best friend. No one knew, and I preferred to keep it that way. The fewer feelings that were involved, the better. 

I clicked my teeth, deciding that I had enough for one night. I needed to have a good night of sleep in order to be on my best behavior for Vivi tomorrow afternoon.

The next morning at 11:30, Vivi rode up to my house in her Lamborghini, horn honked as I sat on the stairs of the entrance. I didn't want to be near my parents this morning, so I woke up eerily late and got dressed as quickly as possible. "Are you ready, Chez?" She asked as I sauntered up to the passenger side, removing my Bulgari sunglasses. "I guess," I monotoned, sliding into the car.

"Where are we going?" I murmured as she zoomed around the corner, dead set on leaving Palo Alto Hills. "We're going to a little coffee shop in the city of San Jose," I said nothing but nodded, unsure of what to think. "Are you nervous?" I asked once we got onto the main street, seeing all of the citizens out and about. There were some people giving money to the homeless as we drove by and I stared, having no thought on the matter.

"A little bit," Vivi chuckled, her face reddening. "This is probably the first guy that I'm serious about and you're my best friend," She whispered and I scowled. "He just better be good enough for you," I folded my arms as she took the interstate to get to the heart of the city. Our conversation fell as I allowed her to think in peace, scanning the scenery to see just how far outside of the comfort zone we were going. 

Once we pulled on San Carlos Avenue, she pulled into the parking lot of a cute coffee shop. "Come on," She said, turning her car off and getting out. "He's already here," I could see her hands shaking and I rolled my eyes, gently flicking her face. "You're fine, it's gonna be okay," I said and she smiled brightly, opening the door of Bean Box. 

The interior of the cafe was something that I expected with its wooden tables and metal chairs against the wall, pop music playing in the air, with the smell of cocoa and pastries. It wasn't bad, but not my style. I sighed as Vivi began to look around amidst the number of people and I planted my hands into the pockets of my Versace pants.

"Tom!" She waved and I looked at her to see the biggest smile on her face. She must have really liked this dude, so I hoped that he was someone deserving of her. I really hoped that he was because meeting in a coffee shop like this was not what I would've done if I was introducing my significant other to my best friend.

I uncomfortably clasped my hands together behind my back as some tall man with black hair and brown eyes walked over to his eyes, his eyes lit up like the sun when they landed on Vivi. This must be the individual she was telling me about. I scanned his figure head to toe, remembering to keep my feelings from showing on my face, before deciding how I felt about him. Vivi grabbed my arm, giving me a pleading look before doing the whole usual introductions. 

"Chez, this is Tomas Dixon," She introduced me to the dude and I raised a brow as he held a hand out, contemplating if I should take it. I kind of had to since this was my best friend we were talking about. "Tom, this is my best friend, Cheyenne Thorn." It seemed that he knew who I was and the sardonic part of me was satisfied as he held out a hand for me to take. I stared at it for two seconds before making my decision. 

I reached out to grip his hand, seeing that he was dressed in a casual blue button-down (couldn't identify the brand) with a pair of Michael Kors black jeans with black shoes. I was impressed yet disgusted all at once, so I guessed that he got my approval. "It's nice to meet you, Tomas," I offered a gentle smile and relief just seemed to sag from that fair skin of his as he smiled back at me.

I took my hand back, feeling a bit out of place in this coffee shop. I felt like my feet were itching and I couldn't scratch them. I fought a shudder as Vivi gave me a fixed look and I sighed, turning to look at Tomas. "I was told that there would be four of us. Where's this other...individual?" I raised a brow and he huffed, pulling out his iPhone X to look at his messages.  "According to that dickhead," I frowned at his choice of words. "He's running a little late. Says he brought food from the restaurant that he works at," Tomas shrugged and I stared, wondering when I should start to question my existence and the reason that I was standing here.

"Oh, is he a chef?" Maybe this dude wasn't a lost cause after all. Tomas looked at me and shook his head. "Nah, he's a waiter there. He just ordered food for us," He explained, crushing the last tiniest bit of hope that I had.

What in the world was in the air today?

"He should be here in a few minutes. He's really cool, so I'm sure you both will like him," He said and I forced a smile, letting go of Vivi as she walked over to hug him. "Oh yeah?" I hummed sarcastically, hoping that this gathering could move on a lot faster. I really didn't understand why Vivi needed me here because it was clear that I was the odd one out with the way that they were gazing at each other.

Sickening. 

Tomas motioned for us to follow him to a table with four seats, and I internally cringed at the type of metal the chair was made out of. "So, Tomas," I muttered in a tone that may have sounded awkward or condescending, I wasn't sure which. "How did you meet Vivi?" I questioned, wanting to get the deep intel. 

"Oh, one night, it was storming really hard and all the lights on the street were out," He began and I fought the deepest urge to sigh heavily. That was the purpose of a generator. Even if a hurricane or something like that, the houses on my street still had immense power. "Vivienne came running into my restaurant as we were closing, talking about how her car broke down," He stated and I stared at Vivi like she was an idiot. "Your Tesla?" I questioned and she slowly nodded. I told her not to mess with those cheap cars, but she, as usual, didn't listen. 

"And from there, I knew the moment I laid my eyes on her," Tomas wrapped an arm around her shoulders and I struggled not to gag. "It was gonna be hard for me to get her out of my mind," He whispered and I looked at the table, unsure of what to do with myself. "How very interesting," I mumbled dryly, feeling a twinge of happiness for them. I didn't even want to know his income or what kind of car he drove because this was enough for me.

"Oh, Quino is here!" Tomas jumped as his phone vibrated on the table. What kind of name was that? "He's a little lost, uh," He said and I rolled my eyes, standing up. "I'll go find him," I stood with a grunt. "I need to get some air anyway," I was starting to breathe a little funny being in places I wasn't used to. "Great!" The man beamed. "He's a bit tall, has a blonde-brown hair, looks sheepish," He shrugged and I raised a brow with a nod, heading to the entrance.  

I walked through the crowd of people waiting in line for their coffee, making sure to not bump into anyone. This was Armani silk, couldn't have anyone tarnishing this material. I let out a deep breath of relief as I made it to the door, pulling it open to exit.

All of a sudden, the large man in front of me, who obviously wasn't paying attention, slammed directly into me with such a force, pain and wetness scattering my body. The air shot out of my lungs like a burst feathered pillow and I stumbled back as the sound of cups hit the ground, blinking profusely as the sheepish man before me apologized over and over. 

I let out a deeply hidden growl as Vivi screamed my name, the sound of her heels hitting against the floor. The man placed the bag of take-out on the table next to him, looking for napkins as the red liquid he had splashed all over me. I took a deep breath to count to ten, wondering if Cordelia would bail me out of jail for hurting this individual.

I looked down at my dripping clothes, gritting my teeth.

"Got to be fucking kidding me."