Chapter 4 - Dangerous Truths
1240 Words
The ballroom exploded into whispers.
“What is that?”
“Isn’t that Rafael?”
“Oh my God…”
Salish looked back at the giant screen, her heart pounding harder now.
The frozen image of Rafael stared back at the entire room.
Cold.
Expressionless.
Dangerous.
The blurry footage looked chaotic, like it had been recorded secretly from far away.
Gunshots.
A man running.
Then Rafael appearing for only a few seconds before the video glitched violently.
And somehow…
That was enough.
People loved scandals.
Especially rich people scandals.
Salish slowly looked back at Rafael.
His jaw was clenched tightly now.
Not embarrassed.
Not nervous.
Angry.
No…
Furious.
The kind of fury that stayed quiet.
Which honestly felt scarier.
“Rafael?” she called softly.
He didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the room carefully instead.
Watching.
Calculating.
Like he was searching for someone.
Richard suddenly rushed forward through the crowd.
“What the hell is this?” he snapped angrily.
Several guests awkwardly looked away.
Louisa appeared beside him moments later, clearly confused and worried.
“Richard…”
“Turn it off,” Richard barked at the staff nearby.
One of the workers scrambled nervously toward the control system.
But before the screen could go dark—
A distorted voice echoed through the speakers.
“You can hide the truth from the world…”
Static crackled.
“…but not from your family.”
Then the screen went black completely.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
And somehow that felt worse than the whispers.
Salish slowly turned toward Rafael again.
He still looked terrifyingly calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm people had before doing something reckless.
Dante suddenly appeared beside him.
“We need to go,” he muttered quietly.
Rafael nodded once.
Then finally his eyes shifted toward Salish.
And for the first time tonight…
She saw something crack beneath his cold expression.
Exhaustion.
Pain.
Fear?
No.
Not fear.
Something darker.
Like someone who was used to carrying secrets alone.
“Rafael,” Richard said sharply. “Office. Now.”
The tension between father and son became instantly obvious.
Rafael didn’t move immediately.
Then finally—
“Fine.”
His voice came out cold enough to freeze the room.
Richard turned and walked away first.
Rafael followed seconds later.
Dante glanced at Salish awkwardly before trailing behind them too.
And just like that…
Salish was left standing alone in the middle of the ballroom while strangers whispered around her.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
“What a lovely first party,” she muttered under her breath.
“You okay?”
Salish turned slightly to find Louisa beside her.
Her mother looked stressed.
Very stressed.
“I should be asking you that,” Salish replied quietly.
Louisa sighed tiredly.
“Tonight wasn’t supposed to go like this.”
“No kidding.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Salish looked toward the hallway Rafael disappeared into.
“What was that video?”
Louisa’s expression immediately changed.
Not fear exactly.
But hesitation.
And Salish noticed.
“You know something.”
“Salish—”
“You do.”
Louisa rubbed her forehead softly.
“It’s complicated.”
“I hate when people say that.”
Her mother looked genuinely torn now.
Like she wanted to explain but didn’t know how.
Before she could answer, another woman suddenly approached them.
Older.
Elegant.
And clearly nosy.
“Louisa dear,” the woman said carefully, “perhaps the guests should leave early tonight.”
Translation?
Your family drama is embarrassing everybody.
Louisa forced a polite smile.
“Yes, perhaps you’re right.”
The woman’s eyes briefly shifted toward Salish.
Curious.
Judging.
Annoying.
Then she walked away.
Salish exhaled sharply.
“I already hate rich people.”
That accidentally made Louisa laugh.
A small laugh.
But real.
“You’ll get used to them.”
“I don’t want to.”
Louisa’s smile faded slightly.
“You sound so much like your father sometimes.”
The words hit unexpectedly.
Salish looked away immediately.
“I barely remember him.”
A small silence followed.
Then Louisa gently touched her arm.
“We’ll talk soon. Properly. I promise.”
Promises.
Salish wasn’t sure she trusted those anymore.
Before she could reply, James suddenly approached them.
“Miss Salish,” he said softly, “your car is ready if you’d prefer returning home early.”
Honestly?
That sounded amazing.
This night had become chaotic too fast.
But before Salish could answer—
“No.”
The deep voice came from behind her.
Rafael.
Salish turned immediately.
And wow.
He looked worse now.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
His mask was gone now, revealing sharper emotions beneath the surface.
His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, and his tie had loosened a bit like he stopped caring about appearances.
Still unfairly attractive though.
Annoying.
Richard stood behind him looking equally tense.
Louisa straightened immediately.
“What happened?” she asked quietly.
Rafael ignored everyone except Salish.
“She stays.”
Excuse me?
Salish blinked.
“I’m sorry?”
Rafael stepped closer.
“There’s a problem.”
“Clearly.”
His eyes locked onto hers intensely.
“That video wasn’t random.”
The seriousness in his voice made her stomach tighten slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Rafael said quietly, “someone at this party wanted me exposed.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
Richard sighed heavily.
“We’re handling it.”
“No,” Rafael replied sharply. “You’re trying to hide it.”
Richard’s expression darkened instantly.
“Not here.”
“Then stop lying to people.”
The tension between them became suffocating.
Louisa looked stressed again.
“Can we please not do this right now?”
Rafael laughed softly.
But there was absolutely no humor in it.
“When exactly should we do it?” he asked coldly. “After another video leaks?”
Silence.
And suddenly Salish realized something important.
This family wasn’t normal.
Not even close.
Something serious was happening beneath all the expensive clothes and beautiful mansions.
Something dangerous.
Then Rafael looked back at her again.
And his expression softened slightly.
Only slightly.
“You should go home.”
Salish frowned immediately.
“Wait didn’t you just say I should stay?”
“I changed my mind.”
“What?”
Rafael stepped even closer now, lowering his voice enough that only she could hear.
“If somebody leaked that video tonight…”
His eyes darkened.
“…then there’s a chance they knew you’d be here too.”
A chill ran down Salish’s spine instantly.
“What are you talking about?”
But Rafael didn’t answer.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the crowd again carefully.
Watching.
Searching.
Like he expected danger to appear any second.
And honestly?
That terrified her more than the video itself.
Dante suddenly returned looking unusually serious.
“Raf.”
Rafael turned immediately.
“We found something.”
“What?”
Dante hesitated briefly before glancing toward Salish.
Then back at Rafael.
“The security footage.”
Rafael’s expression hardened instantly.
“And?”
Dante swallowed.
“The person who uploaded the video…”
He paused.
“…was inside the house.”
Silence crashed over the group immediately.
Then slowly—
Very slowly—
Rafael looked toward the crowded ballroom again.
At the smiling strangers.
The rich guests.
The fake laughter.
The masks.
And suddenly Salish understood something terrifying.
Anybody here could be dangerous.
- Writer
