Chapter 190: Much Preferred Candyman

Published Mar 30, 2026, 06:15 AM

Chapter 190: Much Preferred Candyman My heart was pulsating in my chest as I approached the door, my grip tensing against the knife. My nerves kicked in when I opened my mouth. "W-Who’s there?" "Open the damn door!" That voice was familiar. A-Athena? I swallowed thickly and looked over to Tori, who had the ’What the fuck look’. "I-Is that really you?" "Hello? Who else will it be, the Candyman?" "I’d very much prefer that." "Ha-ha, very funny." I unlocked, and opened the door. Athena was in the middle of taking off her white cat-eye sunglasses. "You would prefer the Candyman over me? I thought that was the stuff of nightmares." "Hi..." I deadpanned. She blew a bubble with her gum, eyeing the knife before tilting her head. "Are we into some recreational activities lately? Why wasn’t I included? I’m good with knives." I hid it behind my back. "No, I was in the middle of making breakfast before you rudely interrupted." "No shit." She pushed past me to come in, even though I hadn’t invited her in. "I had to take the quickest flight back to Midnight. I love making plans, but this was not. It makes my insides crawl, but it’s still worth it, though." I shut the door. "Dare I ask why you took the quickest flight here?" "How could you not tell me you’re back from your honeymoon? That’s very mean! I know you don’t like me, and I’m not your favorite bestie, but that doesn’t mean you should treat me like that!" She stomped her foot on the ground like a spoiled child. "I missed you." Geez! "I didn’t realize you did..." She huffed. "You and that mouth of yours, but how I missed it!" She hugged me. "Hey!" She pulled away, and I shifted backwards for some breathing space. "Calm your horses, will ya?" "Ares told me you two skipped your honeymoon and visited your family. How I wish I were there... It would have been so much fun, wouldn’t it?" Fun? No... it would have been a disaster. I tried to erase the image of her meeting my grandparents, quicker than anything I ever had to wipe. "Hey..." Tori caught our attention. "Owner of the apartment here. How the fuck do you know where I live?" "Easy..." Athena replied with a shrug. "Easy? Did you track me down or something?" "Ugh! You should be excited to see me even though I only came for Cat and..." Track. I looked at Athena, recalling a time when Ares had mentioned something about the penthouse password and how she would hack into it. It was usually the topic whenever she showed up at his house unannounced. And not too long ago, she had hacked my phone to check the contents. Of course! "Let’s have a sleepover!" Athena pitched out of the blue. "This is a small-sized apartment, and there’s only one bed. I don’t even have a couch." Tori reasoned and looked over to me for help. Sorry, Tori. "That’s a great idea! We can do it at a hotel, more space, more activities. What do you think?" Athena gasped loudly, placing a hand on her chest before squealing in delight. Seems like I made her night, but not clearly not Tori’s, she gave that ’What the fuck look’ again. "A hotel is a great choice! Now I know something better than a sleepover... A weekend with us girls... We’re gonna have so much fun, and I know just the place." ~☆~ "What are you doing?" Tori asked as we walked to a white limo. "Just trust me. Can you do that?" Tori paused for a moment before simply nodding her head. Tori got in first, and when I was about to, my phone dinged. I took it out in speed, finding relief that it wasn’t that shithead. Honey: I’ll be out of the city for a few days. I have business to attend to. My mouth hung in disbelief. What? "Cat! Get in." I did, glaring at my phone like I wanted to set it on fire. "Champagne?" Athena asked me, but I didn’t respond. "What’s wrong, my sweet cat?" She leaned close and set her eyes on the screen. "Oh, would you look at that? That workaholic is out of the city." "Ares?" Tori asked. "A bit sudden isn’t it?" "Not at all... He does it a lot and comes back until God knows when. I’m sure you’re used to this, Cat." "All I got was a damn text..." I voiced out loud before I could stop myself. I didn’t bother hiding the hurt that had consumed me. I get we haven’t really talked since we came back from Rosevale, but after everything we had been through, I expected something other than a text. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚 Even though this felt like splitting me into two, I couldn’t ask for a better timing. "Here! Just hold onto it, at least that will keep me from replying to that ass," I said, shoving my phone to her. "This is girls’ weekend, right? No phones. Tori, give her yours too..." "What?" she blinked. "Are you being serious right now?" "Yes. You’re supposedly on your leave, right? Even though you came back early." Tori blinked, hesitating for a bit before she gave Athena her phone. "Let’s have a fucking night to remember," I said, taking the champagne and drowning the entire flute. And we did. It was a heavenly experience, having everything catered for you by the best of the best. I was happier when I saw Tori loosen up a bit, she was caught up with everything, and I couldn’t ask for more. It’s best to be ticklish by the brush under her feet or worry so hard about what color of nail polish and comment on the unique scent of the shampoo than worry about a life and death situation. This was my Tori, hooked up in life, and I never want to see her scared out of her mind again. I watched her laugh about something Athena said. They were both dressed in robes and silk turbans, and I was too. We hung out at the indoor pool that came with a view, a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city. I was counting on Athena’s nosey habit. Please... I hope it works.

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