Chapter 67

The night was electric with energy. The music blared from the speakers, reverberating through the walls, while the lights flashed in hypnotic patterns, casting the room in vibrant hues. Oliver, Arthur, and Damien were in their element, dancing, laughing, and drinking to their heart's content. For Oliver, this was his natural habitat—he thrived on the chaos and excitement of parties. Arthur and Damien, on the other hand, had been laying low ever since the incident at the club, so tonight felt like a long-overdue release. After what felt like hours on the dance floor, the trio finally retreated to their table, sweating and out of breath. They flopped into their chairs, still buzzing with adrenaline. The others from their group remained on the dance floor, too wrapped up in the rhythm to notice their absence. Damien leaned back, taking in the sight of the room, while Oliver wrapped an arm around Sue, who had curled up on his lap, lips locked in a passionate kiss. Arthur was deep in conversation with Edward and Beatrice, laughing and gesturing animatedly, still high on the night's energy. But Damien felt a nagging unease creeping in, a feeling he couldn't quite shake. He scanned the table again, his brow furrowing when he noticed an empty seat. 'Where's Ashleigh?" Damien asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music. His tone was casual at first, but there was a subtle edge to it, a note of concern. Arthur glanced around the table, noticing for the first time that Ashleigh wasn't there. 'I don't know, man. Probably on the dance floor." 'She was there earlier," Damien said, glancing toward the crowd. 'But I haven't seen her for a while." 'She's probably just in the bathroom. Girls go in groups, or sometimes they just disappear for a bit," Beatrice interjected with a light laugh, trying to wave off his concern. 'It's no big deal." Damien wasn't convinced. He checked his phone, half expecting a message from Ashleigh saying she'd gone somewhere, but his notifications were empty. He glanced back at the table, the weight of worry pressing harder. 'What?" Beatrice teased, raising an eyebrow. 'Are you her dad now, Damien? Relax, she's probably fine." Arthur nudged Beatrice, laughing. 'Yeah, Damien's always been the protective type. Chill out, Damien. Let's give it a few more minutes. She'll show up." Reluctantly, Damien nodded, leaning back in his chair. But his eyes kept darting to the crowd, searching for any sign of Ashleigh. He tried to distract himself with the laughter and chatter around him, but his gut told him something was wrong. He tapped his foot impatiently, watching the minutes tick by. After what felt like an eternity, the rest of their group returned to the table, bringing even more noise and chaos with them. Oliver was still engrossed in Sue, their whispers and giggles lost in the din. Arthur was now playing a game with Beatrice, Edward, and a the others, their shouts and laughter echoing across the table. But Damien wasn't laughing. It had been over ten minutes now, and there was still no sign of Ashleigh. His patience snapped. He slammed his hands down on the table, silencing the group in an instant. Everyone turned to stare at him, surprised by the sudden outburst. 'It's been ten minutes. I'm going to find Ashleigh," Damien said, his voice cold and sharp. 'You can come with me if you care." His eyes flicked to Arthur and Oliver, his expression hard. Arthur frowned, irritated by Damien's tone. 'What's your problem, man? We've been having a good time, and you're making a big deal out of nothing." Oliver, now paying attention, looked equally confused. 'What's going on?" 'If you weren't so busy making out with Sue, you'd realize Ashleigh's been missing for ten minutes!" Damien shot back, his temper flaring. Oliver stood up, bristling. 'You need to chill, Damien." Before things could escalate further, Arthur stepped between them, holding up his hands. 'Look, let's just focus on finding Ashleigh, okay? We can argue about this later." Beatrice, sensing the tension, tried to calm things down. 'She probably just went home. She wasn't drinking, remember? Maybe she got tired." But Damien wasn't buying it. 'If she left, she would've told us." Oliver rubbed his temples, glancing around the massive hall. 'Where do we even start looking? This place is huge." Damien's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room again. His gaze landed on a group of student representatives walking by, their lanyards swinging around their necks. One of them caught his eye—Cassidy, a senior and the president of his department. He hurried over, his heart pounding in his chest. 'Cassidy!" he called out, waving her down. She turned, her face lighting up with recognition. 'Hey, Damien! What's up?" 'I need your help," Damien said, breathless. 'My friend, Ashleigh, she's been missing for about ten minutes. She was last seen on the dance floor, and I can't find her anywhere." Cassidy's smile faded, her expression growing serious. 'That's not good. What's her full name? We can help look for her." 'Ashleigh Hartman." Cassidy's eyes widened for a split second before she nodded, her jaw tightening. 'We'll find her. Get your friends, and let's move fast." Damien raced back to the table, informing Arthur, Oliver, and the others. They left the party in a hurry, their expressions grim as the reality of the situation set in. Beatrice watched them leave, her face pale as she quickly sent a text to someone across the hall. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her things and left in a hurry, ignoring Sue's calls after her. ********************************** Meanwhile, Ashleigh's unconscious form lay on the cold, muddy ground behind the building. The hooded man standing over her grinned in satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with malice. 'You two, drag her over there," he ordered, gesturing toward a dark corner where trash was piled high. The stench of decay filled the air, making the men gag, but they followed orders, dropping Ashleigh into the filth. The hooded man stepped closer, pulling a small perfume bottle from his pocket and dabbing it on his mask to mask the horrid smell. As he knelt beside Ashleigh, his eyes traced her figure. Despite being covered in mud, she looked stunning, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. 'Such a shame," he muttered, his voice filled with contempt. 'She'll pay the price for what her friend did." He signaled to the others to start recording, their phones aimed at the unconscious girl. He ran a hand down Ashleigh's face, his touch lingering as she whimpered in her sleep. His fingers moved to the waistband of her skirt, tugging it down as the men snickered, making lewd comments. Just as he was about to remove her jacket, one of the men's phones buzzed with an urgent message. 'School representatives are coming. LEAVE NOW!" He quickly informed the hooded man and his eyes widened in panic. 'We were supposed to have more time!" he hissed, glaring at the others. 'Get out of here, and don't lose that footage!" They scrambled to their feet, disappearing into the night as the sound of footsteps grew closer. The hooded man cast one last bitter glance at Ashleigh before vaulting over the low fence. As Ashleigh lay motionless, the voices of her friends echoed in the distance. 'She's here! Come quick!" Arthur's voice cut through the air, filled with terror. Ashleigh's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. 'Arthur…" she whispered weakly before slipping back into unconsciousness. ********************************* Alana sat with her friends in the VIP section of the hall, tapping her fingers against the edge of her glass. The dim lighting from the chandeliers above cast a golden hue on the plush velvet couches and the sleek, black marble tables around them. Laughter and music filled the air as her friends chatted loudly, enjoying their drinks and basking in the exclusivity of their reserved area. From this vantage point, they had a perfect view of the party in front of them, the sea of bodies moving to the beat, their carefree faces oblivious to the twisted plot unfolding in the background. But Alana's mind wasn't on the party. She barely registered Samantha's giggles as she talked with Gerald or Diane's chatter. Her gaze kept drifting toward the entrance, a knot of worry tightening in her chest. Cameron should've been back from his little errand by now. "Are you even listening, Alana?" Diane nudged her, snapping her back to the present. "Yeah, sorry. Just distracted," Alana muttered, forcing a smile. "If it's about ‘that', you don't need to worry as Cameron is supervising them and will make sure it gets done as you want it." Diane shook her head, laughing as she leaned into Cameron's empty seat, not realizing what he had been up to. Alana intended to keep it that way, seeing as his whole relationship breaking was on this secret deal they made after Diane, Samantha and Gerald left. Alana offered a weak smile in return but stayed on edge, glancing around the hall. Her stomach churned with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Cameron had to have succeeded. He promised it would be quick, that no one would notice him, but with every passing minute, her nerves spiked. If Ashleigh wasn't dealt with tonight, then all of her carefully laid plans would crumble. Suddenly, movement by the side door caught her eye. Cameron slipped into the hall, his hood down now, moving casually as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Relief washed over her, but she kept her face neutral, taking a slow sip of her drink to hide the surge of adrenaline coursing through her. Cameron made his way toward them, his eyes scanning the crowd of people until they locked onto Diane. He gave her a charming smile, the one that always melted her, before pulling her into his arms. 'Hey, babe you're back! Alana's been worried about you, hope your guys did as she asked?" She asked him coyly, and Cameron murmured a yes, pressing a soft kiss to Diane's temple as if he hadn't just been out doing something sinister. Diane giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist, completely unaware of the truth. Alana's gaze stayed on him, waiting. She needed confirmation that the plan had gone off without a hitch. She needed to know Ashleigh was finished. When Cameron glanced over Diane's shoulder, his eyes met Alana's. For a split second, everything else faded. She watched him intently, searching his expression for the answer she craved. Then, with a subtle tilt of his head and a slight nod, he gave her the confirmation she needed. It was done. Alana's lips curled into a small, satisfied smirk. She hid it behind her glass, savoring the moment. Ashleigh had been taken care of. With her plans now a success and a sense of victory, Alana resumed partying with her friends as they continued to drink and laugh into the night, oblivious to the darkness brewing in the background. Taking another slow sip from her glass, Alana let the music and laughter of the party wash over her. Tonight was just the beginning of Ashleigh's downfall. The real fun was yet to come.