Chapter 68: How distasteful

I pulled the zipper of my jacket all the way to my chin and stepped out of the bathroom, preparing to scan the lavish suite for a hairdryer.

Drying my hair with a towel would take too long, and I didn’t want to walk around with damp hair. And no, I’m still not used to using the technology of this era, but how hard could it be?

But instead of an empty room, I stepped straight into a circle of sharp, disdainful eyes.

Standing near the center of the suite was a group of girls draped in designer clothes, radiating haughty arrogance. At the very front stood Valentina—Edgar’s younger sister.

"What are you doing here?!" Valentina demanded, her voice hard with contempt. "How did you even get up here? Did you follow us?"

"How distasteful," the girl beside her, Jane, chimed in, crossing her arms with a mean smirk. "Desperate trash always creeps where it doesn’t belong, trying to get a taste of the rich life."

"But seriously, did you think you could just sneak in behind us and pretend you belong in a place like this?" the other girl, Stephanie clicked her tongue in disdain. "Now the air feels polluted."

Right, Valentina can be here because she’s Edgar’s sister. I didn’t think that far.

I looked at the group with flat, unbothered eyes. "Edgar let me in here," I said simply.

The girls froze for a split second before Valentina let out a sharp, mocking scoff.

"My brother? Please! Edgar has never mentioned your name once. You’re lying through your teeth." She shook her head, putting on a disappointed, condescending frown. "Even if you wanted to feel included, you shouldn’t always resort to cheap schemes and lies, Brianna. That’s just pathetic."

I rolled my eyes, letting out an annoyed breath. I couldn’t be bothered with the likes of them. They were like noisy flies buzzing around my ear while I was trying to focus on drying my hair and getting my upcoming artifact.

I turned my back, taking a step toward the vanity to look for a hairdryer.

"Hey," Jane piped up suddenly, her voice dropping into a sharp, accusatory tone. "Do you think she stole something? Look at her—she’s practically rushing to leave."

Valentina’s eyes narrowed viciously. "She probably did. Check her pockets!"

"Stay away from me or you’ll regret it," I said simply, my voice dropping into a flat, dangerous register.

The girls stared at me for half a second before bursting into loud, echoing laughter.

"What? We’ll regret it?" Jane wheezed, clutching her stomach. "Who’s going to make us regret it? You?"

"Please, she has no wolf and comes from such a rundown place," Stephanie mocked, stepping up beside Valentina. "Her mother is just a weak human, and her father is a useless, wolfless Omega, just like her. Who’s going to make us regret it? Even if we beat you to the brink of death, no one would do anything about it," They laughed but I ignored them.

I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me. If they dare touch me, they can kiss their hands goodbye.

They watched as I searched through the vanity and immediately came up with their own conclusion.

"How shameless." Jane hissed. "She’s even openly looking for what to steal in front of us."

"But did you guys hear the rumor about her coming out of Benjamin Almond’s car at school the other day?" Stephanie added, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "All fake, right?"

Valentina’s posture went rigid, her fists clenching hard at her sides as her jaw worked in silent, furious tension. The mere mention of her cousin paying attention to an Omega was clearly gnawing at her pride.

"Don’t fall for such cheap tricks," Valentina spat, trying to regain her composure with a haughty sneer. "This Omega is probably just up to no good, throwing herself around to get attention."

They talk too much, I thought, letting out a quiet, exasperated breath. I couldn’t find a hairdryer, so I decided to leave. Anywhere was better than this noisy place.

But as I tried to walk past them toward the door, Valentina threw her arm out, blocking my path with a nasty smirk. "Where do you think you’re going, bitch?"

My eyes instinctively dropped to her outstretched wrist, and immediately, my eyes fell on the custom-engraved charm bracelet dangling from her arm. I furrowed my brows.

"That..."

A sudden memory fragment tore through my mind—the foggy, traumatic last moments of the original Brianna’s life on the school rooftop before she dragged herself to the cafeteria.

Valentina had been the one to sweetly encourage the timid girl to write that pathetic love letter to Kano. But more than that... as the original Brianna stumbled backward from the edge, changing her mind last minute not to jump and cause her family unnecessary grief, a hand had delivered the final, fatal shove.

And on that wrist was this exact same bracelet.

My gaze hardened into two cold daggers. It was her.

Valentina was one of the primary culprits behind Brianna’s death, obviously. And now, the only thing Brianna saw on the body of the culprit that had shoved her was this bracelet. She was definitely the one.

My instincts screamed at me that it was her. She was the one with the motive, the heart and the bracelet.

My instincts screamed at me to slit her throat right here and now and avenge Brianna. I didn’t need Silas, and I certainly didn’t need my full strength to snap the neck of a brat like her.

Wait, my tactical logic intervened, forcing my muscles to stay locked. She’s Edgar’s sister.

I didn’t know how much Edgar valued his family, but striking his sister inside his own suite would instantly blow my deal with him. If I attacked her now, I could kiss that spirit artifact goodbye. I needed that artifact to break Silas’s seal.

I could swallow this urge for now, mark Valentina as a target, and execute a quiet, untraceable assassination later.

I took a breath, evening out the pressure in my veins, and preparing to brush past them.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Jane jeered, stepping closer with her chin held high. "Can’t speak now that we figured out your trashy intentions?"

"That’s right," Stephanie said, letting out a mocking snicker. "Hey, Omega! Do you really think just because Benjamin Almond backed you up that you’re suddenly someone important?"

"Please," Valentina scoffed, giggling behind her manicured hand. "Benjamin is just using her as a temporary toy. Even Kano wouldn’t spare a creature like her a second glance. She comes from a pathetic, low-class family anyway."

Once again, I was ready to ignore them—to swallow my pride for the sake of Valentina being Edgar’s sister, because I needed that spirit artifact more than anything right now. I would deal with her later, in the dark where no one would see. But then those words left Jane’s mouth.

"Right?" Jane snickered evilly. "Her father is just a pathetic janitor at the academy. Honestly, who knows if that old man will end up dead in a ditch somewhere on his way home? He would have no one to blame but himself for being an Omega."