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| THE STAND:
CHAPTER SEVEN |
(a/n: Rhea's dress above)

Rhea had just put her earrings in when Tristan knocked on the bathroom door, guests had been arriving for a while now. She was trying to stall. Her anger hadn't lessened.

"Rhea, you have been getting ready for two hours, I don't mean t—" he paused when Rhea opened the door, revealing herself, Tristan had always found Rhea enticing, of course. Today, however, she looked like a goddess in her own right.

"Sorry." She mumbled, putting her previous clothes into her bag, "I'm ready now." She told him, although her tone of voice told him that she was anything but ready to go downstairs.

He didn't argue though, arguing with Rhea Monroe is something that many men wouldn't dare do— and after her actions earlier, he didn't want to anger her further.

As they descended the stairs, Tristan nodded to someone nearby, and servers with champagne flutes circled the room, tapping their glasses the gather the attention of the guests. Tristan went to take Rhea's hand but refused, "I'm here for one reason only, Tristan. Don't make it complicated."

He obliged, and as soon as they entered the room, all eyes were on them, and the Tristan that Rhea secretly knew was gone. Tristan, the leader of the Strix, was all that remained.

"Distinguished friends, welcome. It's so rare that we're able to come together like this to revel for one night in the company of true equals. Now, I'd like to take a moment to welcome a very special guest-- Marcel Gerard." Marcel stepped forward, nodding in acknowledgment as the crowd clapped their hand in applause.

"Thank you, I'm honoured. Thank you." He hadn't noticed Rhea's presence yet, she was thankful, she knew Marcel was not going to like what Tristan was about to tell him; he would find a way blame her, somehow.

Tristan gave Marcel a menacing smile, "Of course, before we tell Marcel all of our secrets, there's one small piece of business to which we must first attend. We must determine his worth."

A frown of confusion appeared on Marcel's face, "That's funny, I seem to recall you being the one knocking on my door."

Tristan's smile didn't falter, in fact, he looked even more amused by the second, "You'll notice, Mr. Gerard, that over the course of the evening, someone has managed to take something quite dear to you... Your daylight ring."

Marcel looked to his right hand, seeing that Tristan had been in fact, telling the truth. Worry flashed across his face, looking back to Tristan, he noticed Rhea by his side— only adding to his confusion.

"The test is quite simple. First, you need to deduce the identity of the thief. Then, you are simply to take back what is yours... Although, I doubt the prize will be easily relinquished. After all, despite our refinement, we're still a rather violent bunch." Tristan started, Rhea saw Marcel physically gulp, but he maintained his composure, something she admired him for. "In victory, you become one of us. In failure, you meet your death. You have a few hours until dawn. I wish you the best of luck."

The crowd started to disperse, and Rhea pulled Tristan to one side, "You still sure the right person is going to die tonight?" She hissed at him, making sure no one else heard her.

"Rhea, I assure you, you will have your vengeance by the end of the night." He reassured her for what seemed like the hundredth time that time.

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