Page 44 of Fame & Chaos

The ballroom is already packed, and I weave through clusters of actors, musicians, influencers, and rich socialites while carrying Annie’s present toward the ridiculously huge gift table near the stage.

I dump it there and glance around the room.

A few years ago, I probably would have been starstruck seeing this many famous people together.

Now? Most of them look like people with too much money and egos bigger than their careers.

I hope when Staked finally breaks properly, I don’t turn into one of those wankers. Though judging by the number of girls already eyeing me off tonight, maybe I’m halfway there.

Not that I need to pick someone up.

I’ve already got enough girls saved on my phone who are willing to come over whenever I text. Some separately, some together. But tonight I want something different. Something distracting enough to shut my brain off completely.

That’s when I notice the brunette sitting at the bar staring at me.

And not subtly either.

Doe eyes, slow smile, leg crossed deliberately.

Yeah, she definitely knows exactly what she’s doing.

I narrow my eyes slightly, trying to place her face before it clicks…

Angelica Braithwaite.

Right.

Heiress to the Braithwaite Marina empire. She is rich, beautiful, and has been surrounded by scandal for the last couple of years.

I vaguely remember the media tearing her to shreds over the animal-testing controversy involving her makeup company. Every news channel in the country was talking about it for months. Apparently, people inside the company were charged over the cruelty allegations, though Angelica swore she knew nothing about it.

Personally? I don’t know what to believe.

I just know hurting animals is fucked.

Dad raised me around enough rescue dogs to make sure of that.

Still… tonight she’s sitting at the bar looking at me like I’m the answer to every bad decision she wants to make.

And right now, that sounds perfect.

Angelica lifts her drink slightly toward me in invitation, and I smirk.

Well…

Looks like tonight just got interesting.

Chapter Seven

Caleb

As I strut across the room toward Angelica, she watches me the entire way with those dark, sultry eyes fixed right on me.

You don’t need to flirt that hard, sweetheart. You were already in my sights.

I stop beside her at the bar but deliberately face forward, acting like she barely exists. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the slight narrowing of her gaze, then she huffs softly.

I smirk to myself.