"Sigh... Why am I here?!"
Despite his reluctance to be anywhere near this place, Aldrich had no choice but to change his mind for one reason alone: Trevor Noah.
Knowing Trevor's personality, Aldrich understood that events like this one were his forte.
And if Trevor, in his usual fashion, happened to fall for the allure of the night, he would, without a doubt, become ensnared by the trap hidden beneath the sweetness of it all.
Trevor was an A-rank student.
While he had potential, particularly in combat, Aldrich was here to ensure that potential wasn't delayed by a long-term injury, something that could be disastrous if he wasn't careful.
Or to end up a slave to the second year because of an unfounded mishap from his side.
"Just as I thought!"
Aldrich didn't need to search long to spot Trevor.
There he was, surrounded by the crowd, desperately trying to keep up with the music by performing bizarre and erratic dance steps.
"If only he knew."
Trevor was in his element, much like everyone else at the party was unaware of what would unfold later.
Aldrich pushed through the crowd, trying to reach Trevor in time.
But.
As he manoeuvred through the masses, Aldrich inadvertently bumped into someone.
The drink they were holding spilt all over him.
"Oh my, excuse me!" the stranger exclaimed.
"No, don't worry... It's fine," Aldrich muttered, quickly wiping the remaining liquid off his clothes.
His outfit wasn't expensive, nor did it matter much to him, so he didn't care about the mess.
But the other person was insistent.
"But your clothing! I need to make amends," they said.
"I said it's fine. It's just cheap clothing, any—" Aldrich began, before stopping mid-sentence when he raised his head and realized who he had bumped into.
"Selina?!"
"Figured it was," she said, her tone casual, not showing any sign of guilt for spilling the drink, nor any genuine intent to fix the situation. "Nonetheless, I insist on making amends. You see, I'm the type who believes that debts should be repaid with the same amount of gratitude."
Aldrich's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm starting to get the feeling that this collision and drink spill wasn't an accident."
He said it loud enough for her to hear, the last remnants of the drink now brushed off.
"Oh my. Are you suggesting that I intentionally spilt my drink on you?" Selina asked, hiding a grin behind her palm, her lips curling with amusement.
Aldrich responded coolly. "Let's see... I openly declared myself a supporter of your enemy in the cafeteria, and knowing what kind of person you are... This situation seems to check out as intentional."
She tilted her head, almost intrigued by his response. "If you know that's true, then tell me, why aren't you cowering in fear of me?"
The calm tone in which Aldrich spoke, head held high and unshaken.
It was not something most people could achieve in front of Selina.
She was notorious for wielding power over others with subtle cruelty that could crush someone psychologically without lifting a finger.
But Aldrich didn't fear that.
He'd faced worse.
Aldrich wasn't one to shrink before intimidation.
He'd spent most of his life competing in archery tournaments, facing all types of people: those who looked down on him at first, only to later be awed by his skill; those who overestimated him and feared his abilities; and even the conniving ones who would stop at nothing to break his morale to gain an advantage.
The psychological games Selina played were no different from the ones he had already faced.
And while she had considerable power, resources, manpower, and the authority to make his life miserable, none of it bothered him.
He knew how to deal with people like her.
The first rule when facing someone who tries to break you mentally is to stand your ground, to show no fear.
The moment you reveal even a hint of fear, that's when they gain leverage over you.
Aldrich had long since learned that.
He had since expected a form of retaliation from her but never one this soon.
Begging is also out of the equation. You beg her and you might as well have sold yourself to her.
If he wants things to go his way, he needs to take the bull by the reign... Or was it the horse by the reign?...
The point is, he needed to be sharp and conniving.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't have that side to himself, he would have to force it out or better still, act it out.
He looked at her, his gaze unwavering. "I've always found your kind fascinating. So young, yet so callous and devious. You're like Cinderella's stepmother—except, instead of just making sure the prince doesn't marry anyone else aside from your daughters, you would have burned his castle down and torched the kingdom just to get your way."
Selina smiled at his words.
It wasn't a look of offence. Rather it was something else, something almost amused.
She didn't take such comments as an insult; they didn't faze her.
"Should I take that as a compliment?" she asked, her tone teasing but indifferent.
Aldrich shrugged slightly. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want. Just answer me one thing."
He took a step closer, lowering his voice so it was barely above a whisper.
"Why is it that for someone as devious and supposedly smart as you, you let yourself be pushed around by a man who obviously doesn't love you?"
The words hung in the air for a moment, and Aldrich could see the flicker of a reaction in Selina's eyes.
She was no longer smiling, her gaze sharpening.
"You!" she spat, her face reddening with anger.
Aldrich smirked, enjoying the discomfort he'd caused. "Now, now, Selina, keep calm. You wouldn't want to lose that composure of yours, would you? Not in front of all these people, and especially not to a lowlife nobody like me."
His words were biting, a clear challenge to her facade of control.
He knew she hated being exposed, hated when someone dared to defy her.
But he wasn't afraid to do just that.
Selina's eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line, but she said nothing more.
It was clear that Aldrich had struck a nerve, and though she wasn't willing to show it openly, he knew he had made his point.