Page 49 of The Devil's Chaos

My brother and his men headed past me and toward the entrance, but I couldn’t get lucky enough to be left alone because Maddie sashayed over to me, blonde hair bouncing, and her hips swaying like the fucking Barbie doll she was.

“Don’t get too drunk now, Haven. You don’t want to pass out before you settle the score with Mr. Beckett,” she grinned, her blue eyes glinting with malice.

“Oh look, everyone. It’s Maddie, New York City’s cheapest whore.”

Maddie took a seat next to me and leaned in close. “Last time I checked, you’re the only whore in this building. I mean, you’ve probably slept with what would you say, at least half of the men here?”

“Those are rookie numbers, cupcake,” I pretended to scan the room and fake count on my fingers. “I’d say it’s more like three-fourths of the men in this room.”

“You’re disgusting. Celebrating like the trash you are, I see,” she spat.

“The trash I am? Tell me, Madison,” I used her real name because I knew how much she hated it. “How many dicks have you sucked thinking you’re doing a great service for my brother. Or maybe, ‘This will be the last dick I suck, and then he will notice me.’ How many times have you told yourself that?”

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.

“I’m going to do you a favor because no one else will tell you this, but while I may be trash, as you so eloquently put it, I’m still Benson trash. What are you? Just ordinary trash. Just some punchline in our family. Nothing more. You’re out there swallowing cum for a man that has no intentions to ever marry you. So, who is the real trash?” I taunted.

Her eyes turned murderous, seething with rage. “One day, Haven Benson, your mouth is going to get you killed, and I can’t wait to be the one to witness your death, or maybe it’ll be me behind the trigger.”

“Oh god, do you promise?” I mocked, gasping for effect. “Don’t get a girl’s hopes up.”

“You’re fucking mental,” Maddie grabbed her clutch and stood up. “Oh, I almost forgot. Your brother said not to forget about your date with Mr. Beckett, and I’m to let him know if you leave before you’ve paid your debts.”

“You can put makeup on a pig, but at the end of the day, it’s still a pig,” I sneered, turning back to my drink.

As the lastcandidate finished their speech, I made my way toward the stairs with a glass of champagne in hand. The sooner I finished, the better. Just as I reached the stairs, a woman’s voice caught my attention from the stage. My curiosity piqued, I turned to see Mila standing there, holding her glass of champagne and gesturing for someone to join her.

Archer.

Intrigued by this unexpected turn of events, I decided to linger a little longer to see what was about to unfold. Mila’s words rang out loud and clear as she began to speak.

“One of the things I love about my father is how accepting he is and how he always makes the best decisions for me, even if I can’t see it at the time. And one of those decisions was letting fate decide if my mother’s wish came true. My mother passed along her strength and grace, and I am proud to be even half the woman she was. Archer and I are so excited to announce that we are officially engaged. No matter who you fine people decide to be your governor, rest assured that our two great families will forever be connected, fulfilling my mother’s wish. And I have you to thank for that, Daddy. Cheers to you.”

The room erupted in applause and cheers, but my eyes were drawn to Mila’s father, who stood with an unreadable expression on his face. He wasn’t happy about this union. But why? This night just added another layer to this elitist drama, and the puzzle pieces were beginning to fit together.

25

TWENTY-FIVE

KAI

After Archer and Mila left and I watched Haven walk upstairs, I pulled Theo aside for a quick conversation.

“I need to go take care of something upstairs. Can you keep an eye on things down here? Tell me if you see any mass of guards rushing up the stairs.”

“Sure thing. Anything else?”

“Yeah, I’ll need you to do your nerd shit and delete the camera footage starting from an hour ago to whenever I call you.”

“What the hell are you up to now?”

“Nothing. I need to handle something real quick. Have your cell phone handy in case I need a fast getaway.”

“Oh fucking hell,” Theo muttered under his breath.

I took the stairs two at a time until I reached suite three. I knew Haven and Gerald were inside, so my main goal was to enter without drawing attention. The door was locked with a high-tech keycard system so I couldn’t get in alone. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Theo.

One more thing. I need you to unlock suite three.

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