Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 83

"I didn't ask you to do any of that. You made every single decision yourself, so don't even try to blame that on me. I didn't ask for it!" Killian yelled back, turning everything back on me. I let out a frustrated yell, pacing back and forth in front of him.

"You can't even fucking admit that you lied to me, can't even confirm anything I said about your parents! You say you trust me, yet it's so hard to admit those facts. Why can't you do that? Are you scared I'll leave you? Is that it?" I sneered in his face, and his jaw ticked, fingers flexing as he tried to calm himself. 

"You could leave right now, and I wouldn't even bat an eye." The words that came out of his mouth hit me harder than I wanted it to, and I sucked in a breath, narrowing my watering eyes at his angry face. He was serious. He meant the words that left his mouth. I nodded, backing up. 

"Cool." I walked to his door, yanking it open, and it slammed against his wall. I'd never had such a pointless conversation before. He didn't confirm nor deny anything I threw at him. And he was supposed to trust me? And then he wouldn't care if I disappeared from his life? I laughed at myself, how much of an idiot I was to feel anything for this man. I stormed down the stairs, wiping the angry tears that started falling down my face. I was so pissed, I wanted to punch something until my hands couldn't take it anymore. 

"Hey, Levi found something." 

I turned the corner, bumping in Row. I quickly wiped my tears, blinking away the others that threatened to fall, and nodded. I knew he saw the tears on my face, but he didn't say a word, which was was grateful for. Levi started talking as soon as I walked into the warehouse.

"He's at an art exhibit. A private one, one where you have to have a ticket to enter. Luckily, I was able to snag two at the last minute, so you two can go and find some way to get to Archer. The dress code is white tie." He smiled, clearly excited, but I couldn't even crack a fake smile for him. I just nodded, grabbing the tickets from him. Hopefully, there was something that formal in my closet. I walked past Killian, who had just entered the room, and yanked my arm out of his grasp when he grabbed it. I had nothing to say to him. Walking into my closet when I reached my room, I looked for white-tie attire. Nothing really stood out, and I searched until I came across a lilac colored dress. Pulling the hanger from the rack, I held it in front of the body-length mirror against my body. The plunge wasn't too deep, but deep enough to show some cleavage, and it was attached to thin straps that I loved. The dress flowed down to the ground, reaching past my ankles, and there was an opening slit that started at the top of my thigh and went all the way down to my ankle. It was perfect. 

I took my time getting ready, showering and pampering myself. I deserved it. I wanted to be elegantly sexy. I wanted to feel sexy. I wanted to get my mind off of the situation that just happened. After I did my hair, letting my natural curls spill down my shoulders, I put on the dress and loved the feeling of the material against my body. It was nice and flowy, and I twirled in a circle just to see what it was like. The material melted against me after settling, and I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing an enhanced version of myself. I looked beautiful. I looked sexy. I felt it and embraced it. After finding some silver shoes to go with my outfit, I grabbed the silver clutch that I placed on the bed and walked out of my room. I took my time as I walked down the stairs, not wanting to trip over the material that went way past my ankles and also because I wasn't ready to face Killian. This wasn't something I could just forgive overnight. He lied to me, dismissed me like I was nothing, and didn't trust me. I shook my head, getting rid of the thoughts. This wasn't the night to think about all of this. I could save that for another night. 

I made it to the bottom of the stairs. As soon as I turned the corner, I paused, gritting my teeth as I watched Killian adjust his black suit. He wore a silver tie with his black suit, matching well with the white dress shirt underneath. I cursed under my breath at how good he looked. I held my head up and walked into the space he was in, not paying him any attention. From the corner of my eye, I saw him glance up and do a doubletake when he saw me. That's right, have a good look. I ignored him, walking straight past him. 

"Scarlett." He said my name, and it almost made me stop, but I didn't. I walked to the warehouse, and Row let out a whistle. 

"Wow, Scarlett. You look amazing." He complimented me, putting a smile on my face. Levi nodded his head in agreement, and I gave them a little curtsy. 

"Thank you, guys. I appreciate it." I thanked them, adjusting the strap of my dress.

"I agree," Killian said from behind me, and I froze, gritting my teeth. I turned slightly, looking up at him, and he tilted his head at me, glancing down at my lips. I rolled my eyes at him before walking out of the door. He could shove his compliment up his ass. 

The new car sat in the driveway, black and sleek. Levi traded it in after I basically totaled it. I entered the vehicle, careful not to get my dress stuck in the door. As I adjusted myself to get comfortable, I left my door open, and when I reached over to close it, Killian beat me to it.

"I got it," he grabbed the door, closing it softly for me. I sighed heavily, and he walked around the car, entering the car. 

"Stop doing that," I spoke to him, making him raise his brows. He buckled up and started the car. 

"Stop doing what?" he asked, putting his hand on the head of my seat to reverse. 

"Acting as if nothing happened. We had a yelling match upstairs, and now you're acting like everything is okay. Nothing about what happened is okay. Nothing at all." I felt myself getting upset and closed my mouth, calming myself down. Tonight was not the night. Not the night. 

"I'm not acting as if nothing happened. We have a mission to complete, and I would rather us be cordial than be at each other's throat the entire night. We can't afford to be distracted." he explained, and I huffed at how right he was. 

"Fine," I muttered under my breath, feeling like a child. I couldn't help that once I was upset at someone, being cordial was the last thing on my mind, no matter what was happening. We were silent for the rest of the drive, and when we made it to the art gallery, I sat up straighter. Killian showed our tickets to the men standing at the front of the entrance to the parking lot. We were waved through behind a bunch of other cars. Once we reached the building, a beautiful pristine white modern square-shaped building, valet came to our vehicle, opening our doors. I grabbed his hand, thanking him as he helped me out of the car. Killian gave the other one the car keys and then walked around the car, arm outstretched for me to grab. I looked at him, hesitating before grabbing his arm. The familiarity of being close to him calmed my nerves, and my eyes darted around as we walked into the bright building. It was beautiful. Art pieces were all over every single white wall in here, and other art pieces were in 3D, sitting on tall mantels in the middle of the floor. Everyone was dressed their best, women looking beautiful in their gowns, men looking handsome in their suits. I felt comfortable here. I loved art. 

Killian and I walked around the building, admiring different pieces. I was enjoying myself so much, I almost forgot I was upset with him and that we were here for Archer, not for fun. We stopped in front of a painting of a beautiful sunset, oranges and purples blending together to create something I had never seen before. 

"This is reminding me of the greek exhibit," Killian spoke for the first time since we entered the building. A soft smile grew on my face as I thought about how Killian bought out the entire building just to show me around. I glanced up at Killian, and he was staring at the painting, a similar smile on his face.

"I remember," I said softly, looking back at the painting. I continued to smile, but then everything came crashing down when I remembered earlier. I pulled my arm out of his, and he looked down at me, confusion in his eyes. "We're here for a reason. I'll look around for Archer, and I'll let you know on comms if I spot him. You do the same." I left his side before he could say anything that would make me stay.