Chapter 36: Afterparty
Moana

I felt a hand on my arm in the crowd and turned around, expecting to see Ethan or one of his friends standing there. But it wasn’t any of them.

It was Edrick. Without speaking, he kept his grip firmly on my arm and pulled me away from the crowd, into a private room.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, although I was certain that he had already seen me with Ethan and his friends. “I thought you were sick and had to go to urgent care.” I felt my heart rate quicken. “I…”

Before I could answer, he raised his hand to indicate for me to stop speaking and then rubbed the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that you’re making a mistake by hanging around Ethan. And now you lie about your health so you can sneak out and galavant all over town with him?”

“I wouldn’t feel it necessary to lie and sneak if it wasn’t for the fact that you seem to have boundless enmity for your own brother.”

Edrick’s face darkened. “He is not my brother,” he snarled. “Besides… Do you have some fantasy of being with him? Because I’ll be the first to tell you that he would never be interested in someone like you.”

but Edrick closed the distance again by taking a step toward me. He towered

nanny. And you’re pretty enough, sure, but you don’t do yourself any favors by dressing so plainly and homely. Don’t I

down at my plain black dress, thinking about how Ethan

continued, “but you can rest assured that he’s not interested in someone with a social status as low as that of a human nanny who couldn’t find a job until someone felt

up in my eyes, but I wasn’t about to let Edrick make me cry on a night that was supposed to be fun and lighthearted. I turned on my heel

an employer-employee relationship. Nothing more, nothing less. And if I wanted to be deceived by Ethan,

the private room. A few moments after I walked out and continued to make my way to the restroom as I had originally intended, he stormed out after me, brushing past me. I watched over the crowd

up to the row of marble sinks and set my purse down on the counter, sighing deeply as I tried to calm my nerves — but as soon as I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, the tears that

worked for him so far, I had thought that I had begun to earn a bit of respect from him. I thought back to the day we went to the orphanage, and how he had opened up to the children, and even me. Was I correct in assuming that it

and she noticed me crying immediately. She

to make sure you didn’t get lost,” she said as she wiped the black tears

vehemently. “Not at all,” I assured her.

you need to talk about

shook my head. “No.

my cheeks. “I’ll meet you out there in a minute,” I said, to which she nodded again

walked back out to the table. Ethan jerked his head up as I approached, and jumped up

you alright?”

to furrow his brow. “What is

me for coming to see you. I think

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