Mystery Bride's Revenge

Lydia handed Selina a black credit card without waiting for a reply and made her way backstage.

Lydia's venture into the underground music scene was just for kicks. Since she became independent, Lydia had been on the hunt for something that'd really spark her interest. With a smart brain, the mastered every hobby she touched. Now, with a few billion in the bank, Lydia was a free spirit with cash to burn. And incognito, she was the star drummer of an up-and-coming underground band called The Rose.

The Rose's rise to fame had a lot to do with Lydia's chops, scoring them a coveted spat at Starlight Club Playing at Starlight Club was big-it meant one was going places, more gigs, more fans, and the works.

Holding the credit card Lydia gave her. Selina was feeling all sorts of things. She pulled out another card from her jeans, one with a sword and shield emblem. It was a thank you gift from some mystery guy she helped out with a cyber problem. It was linked to a foreign account with no spending limit, collecting dust in her waller until now.

Selina pocketed Lydia's card and walked over to the bar. She laid down the card with a sword and shield emblem for a Bloody Mary.

Up in the VIP lounge on the third floor, there was this dude in a blinding white suit and hot pink shirt, wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses, leaning back, zoning out on a game. Only after snagging a win did he even look up, all pleased with himself. Charley Griffin chucked his phone down and eyed his buddy nearby, this shadowy figure lost in his iPad, Eipping through spreadsheets or something. "Come on. Trevon!" he shouted, "Ditch the work. Cut loos, man. I'm dying of boredom over here" But Trevon didn't even glance up. His cool fingers were all over that tablet, dealing with some document in a foreign language. The guy looked like royalty, all sharp angles and that stoic vibe-totally commanding

Trevon had gone with Selina to get their marriage license from the City Hall, which had put his work on hold. Now he was playing catch-up because he was not the type to procrastinate,

Suddenly, he remembered he hadn't given Selins his address. They had to live together for show, which was part of the marriage deal.

After sending her the address, Trevon dived back into his work, totally tuned out

Charley rolled his eyes to the ceiling Having a workaholic friend was enough to make his blood boil.

"Forget it, Charley, another voice chimed in, all playful. "When Trevon's buried in work, nothing's gonna pull him out." In strutted a tall guy dressed in chilled-our white, silver hair peeking out. His face was chiseled like a statue with a roguish smirk. He had two glasses of wine he'd whipped up himself. "Here, try this. Got bured and mixed something new

Charley's

eyes

sparkled, and he pouted like a kid who just spotted his dream toy. "Gimme, Edwin, please

Edwin Talley, with a playful grin, pressed the cold wine glass to Charley's forehead before sliding another one across to Trevon

In that instant, Trevon's eyes flashed with curiosity. His tablet pinged-a notification about a charge on his card. That was the card he'd given to Charm, the number one hacker in the Dark Web, two years back for some top-notch cyber help. Even he didn't know who Charm really was. 'And Charm is here, at the Starlight Club? Small world. Trevon thought to himself.

Edwin, catching the change in Trevon's mood, flicked a lighter and lit up a cigarette, smooth as ever. "What are you grinning for, Trevon! You don't really 'do' happy"

"Nothing" Trevon took a sip of Edwin's homemade wine mix and got up. Feeling a bit wouzy. Need some fresh air. Be right back."

"No way! Mr. Work-All-Day Trevon? Woozy? Must be the end of the world" Charley ribbed him.

Trevon gave Charley a cold stare in response, Zip it, Charley, or I'll zip at for you."

That shut Charley right up, his eyes going all wide and innocent. "My bad, Trevon

Downstairs at the bar, Selina enjoyed her Bloody Mary. The wine mixed with the enzymes in her mouth, leaving a pleasantly odd aftertaste on her wine-colored lips. Her stunning looks drew a crowd of admirers, she was like a fox unintentionally captivating the forest. "Can I get you another drink?" a guy offered, leaning toward Selina

"Thanks, but I'm good," she replied, her are sharp enough to slice. Somehow, she felt she'd seen the man somewhere before.

"Don't be like that, miss. We're all just here to have fun. Are you here by yourself? That's not safe. You could use someone like me to look after you My name's Kevin Clark. Ever heard of the Clark family from Sobovis? I'm part of that family" Kevin sad. He flashed his best smile and tossed his hair, totally unaware he was coming off as a joke.

Quick as lightning, Selina threw her drink in his face. "Never heard of them," she snapped.

Of course, he was from the Clark family, the family of her so-called betrothed. No wonder she felt repulsed. Chapter 6

The smile on Kevin's face solidified as anger scared his eyes. Speechless, he just glared at Selina. MIND GIFTPublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.