Here's another long chapter! Get ready for some drama!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
Chapter Eleven: The Death of Me
An hour and a half later, I found myself decked out in a suit and tie. I had chosen a simple but timeless black suit, paired with a skinny silver tie. After checking my gelled hair one last time in the mirror and mentally preparing myself for the endless polite, formal conversation, I walked down to the main entrance of the embassy. I found my father, the ambassador, and Mikhail already waiting. My father gave me the usual once-over, curtly nodding his approval at my appearance.
The four of us started walking down to the parking garage. I fell into step with Mikhail as we walked behind my father and the ambassador.
"Looking good, Lyosha," Mikhail said, with a friendly smile.
"Thanks," I replied. "Are you driving us to the party tonight?"
"Of course. I don't think I'll be able to stay though," Mikhail said casually. However, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, which I could just barely make out. I always found it really unfair how personal staff, like Mikhail, weren't allowed to attend parties and fancy events. I felt like they were just as entitled as the ambassadors and executive staff to attend parties. Like Jordan always said, why can't normal people get the good stuff too?
"I bet you're looking forward to seeing Tanner," Mikhail said, the sad look in his eyes replaced by a smile.
"I am," I replied. "He'll definitely be quite surprised to see me tonight." I had decided not to text Tanner, to tell him I was coming. I figured I'd just show up and surprise him.
"I'm sure he will," Mikhail said, with a light laugh. He stepped around my father and the ambassador to open the limo door for them. My father and the ambassador climbed into the limo and immediately got out their obligatory pre-party cigarettes. I climbed in after them, nodding my thanks to Mikhail as he held the limo door open for me. I always felt like the embassy staff were underappreciated for all the hard work they did. Personally, I believed they worked harder than anyone else, but received the least credit for their work. I noticed that my father and the ambassador seemed to take Mikhail for granted, never thanking him for all the work he did in driving them around.
I stared out the window as Mikhail pulled out of the parking garage and onto the road. Normally, it wouldn't take us long to get to the South Korean embassy. However, the streets were filled with a sea of limos waiting to pull through the South Korean gates.
After a good twenty minutes, we finally got in. One of the guards opened the limo door for us and I climbed out, after my father and the ambassador. We walked into the South Korean embassy and were promptly ushered to a large hall, where the dinner party was being held. There was a large group of South Korean officials, waiting to greet us, by the entrance to the party hall. I noticed Tanner standing among them, by his father. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw me and broke his way out of the receiving line, barreling towards me.
"Bro, what are you doing here?" Tanner exclaimed, a little too loudly. Quite a few heads turned towards us.
"I could be asking myself the same question," I deadpanned.
"No wonder you look so confused. Though in all seriousness, why are you here? I thought I was just supposed to attend this dinner with the prime minister, not a huge party with all the ambassadors."
"My father said an email got sent out, stating that the South Korean embassy was hosting a casual dinner party. Apparently, they invited a ton of ambassadors and their executive staff."
"Wow, that's really sudden notice because yesterday, this was still just a dinner with the prime minister," Tanner said, frowning.
"Tell me about it," I replied, rolling my eyes. "My father only just told me I was coming two hours ago."
"That's almost exactly what Jordan said." Jordan was here too? That would definitely make this night much more bearable.
"Anyways, I gotta run and greet all these ambassadors. Fun," Tanner said sarcastically. He looked back towards the receiving line, where some of the South Korean officials were glaring at us disapprovingly. "Catch you in a bit." He ran off towards the receiving line, quickly plastering a smile on his face. I quietly laughed at how forced Tanner's smile looked and headed over to my father. I followed him and the ambassador around the room as they spoke to various ambassadors and executive staff members. I did my best to blend into the background, only speaking when addressed.
After what felt like forever, my father and the ambassador stopped to grab some food. I noticed that the receiving line had just broken up and guessed that Tanner had finished fulfilling his host duties for the night. I quickly muttered something to my father about going to find Tanner and he waved me off, engrossed in conversation with the ambassador. Luckily, it didn't take me long to find him and Jordan. They were both standing by a potted plant near the kitchen doors.
"Hey, man, didn't think you'd be here too," Jordan said, looking visibly surprised to see me.
"My father dragged me along. What's your excuse?" I asked, walking up to him and Tanner.
"Got a call from the catering company asking if I could work this dinner party tonight for extra pay because it was such short notice," Jordan replied. He then turned to Tanner, shaking his head. "Damn, bruh, you guys really need to sort out the ventilation in your kitchen. It's so freaking hot in there! Can you get in a word about that? Let the higher-ups know how much their kitchen staff are suffering?"
"Don't look at me, bro, I have no power over that sort of stuff," Tanner said, holding his hands up in defence. "I just smile and look pretty." I couldn't help but laugh. I was pretty sure that the only purpose embassy kids served was to make their parents look good, despite the clandestine affairs they might be involved in.
"Hey, at least you're off duty now," I pointed out.
"Only until I get dragged off to talk to all these random ambassadors," Tanner grumbled. I nodded in agreement. That was the thing about embassy life; I never knew when I would be dragged off by my father to talk to other ambassadors or executive staff members, all for the sake of fostering good connections and diplomatic relationships. It could get really tiring at times, always having to smile, be polite, and keep up an amicable persona. In a way, it almost felt like acting. I cherished moments like these, where I could let my guard down and joke around with my friends. These moments were few and fleeting, especially at formal events like tonight's dinner party.
"Alexei?" I turned towards the sound of a small voice saying my name.
"Rosemarie, nice to see you here," I said, looking down at her. She was decked out in a black dress that made her look very grown up. "Have you been enjoying the party tonight?"
"No, everyone's so boring here," Rosie replied glumly. She looked like she didn't want to be here and I couldn't blame her. If I had my way, I probably wouldn't have come either.
"You got that right," Tanner said. "The most exciting thing that usually happens around here is the executive staff arguing over Korean dramas."
"I'm having a hard time imagining all those guys in suits watching Korean TV shows, let alone arguing over them," Jordan commented. I had to agree with him on that.
"That's what makes it exciting. It's honestly so funny to watch. Half the time, watching them argue about the TV show is more entertaining than the show itself," Tanner said. He launched into an imitation of the Korean officials arguing over Korean dramas, causing us all to laugh.
"This definitely seems like the party corner." I turned around to find Noah approaching us.
"Just doing what we can to make the most out of this night. Feel free to join us," I replied, stepping aside to make room for him.
"Don't mind if I do," Noah replied. He nodded at Tanner and Jordan, acknowledging their presences.
"Hey, I don't think I've ever seen you at one of the embassy events," Noah said, turning towards Jordan. "You're Jordan, right?"
"Yup, that's me," Jordan replied.
"Cool. I'm Noah, Portuguese and Israeli embassies. You?"
"I'm Adrian-born and raised. I've just started working with catering for fancy embassy events," Jordan said. Noah nodded in understanding while Rosie stared wide-eyed at Jordan.
"You okay?" Jordan asked, suspiciously looking down at Rosie. She quickly blinked, breaking out of her trance.
"Yeah, it's just, I've never talked to an Adrian kid before!" Rosie said.
"We're not aliens, you know," Jordan retorted, causing Tanner and I to laugh.
"You might as well be!" Rosie exclaimed, giving Jordan a disbelieving look. He glanced at her in surprise. "Because …"
"Embassy kids don't hang out with Adrian kids," Noah finished, looking slightly uncomfortable. "So you can imagine this conversation is more than a bit weird for us."
"It's cool, I get it," Jordan said, with a smile. "After all, I had to put up with all that crap when I first met these two." He nodded at Tanner and I, giving us a knowing look.
"And look at us now. Bros for life," I said, with a grin. Since I tended to be a bit of a role model among the embassy kids, I was hoping I could open Noah and Rosie's minds to hanging out with non-embassy kids. Although all the kids in Valancia attended the international school, there were many distinct cliques, creating a fine line between Adrian kids and embassy kids. One of the biggest contributors to that huge social division was our parents' rules, dictating who we were allowed to hang out with. Our parents were the only reason why the Adrian kids thought all the embassy kids were snobby or why the embassy kids looked down on the Adrian kids. They were the ones who had drilled those sentiments into our heads at young ages. I was almost positive that all the kids would get along just fine, regardless of ethnicity or social background, if it weren't for the things our parents had told us. After all, Tanner, Jordan, and I were great friends, once we had gotten past the early awkward stages of breaking down the stereotypes we had been taught.
"So, um, you said you were working tonight," Noah said, in a very awkward attempt to start a conversation with Jordan. "Don't you need to be in the kitchen or anything?"
"Nah, all the important stuff, like preparing the food and arranging it on the tables, is done. I get to chill out for a bit," Jordan replied. Tonight, the food was set up in various buffet tables all around the hall, creating a casual vibe. I hadn't had a chance to grab any of the food yet but it all smelled really delicious.
"Besides, someone was complaining that it was way too hot in the kitchen," Tanner said, pointedly looking at Jordan.
"Hotter than the ninth circle of Hell hot?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly," Jordan said, with a laugh. He then turned towards Tanner, returning his pointed look. "See, someone understands how I feel." That made Noah, Rosie, and I laugh.
"What's going on over here?" We all turned around to find Lila and Megan approaching us.
"None of your business," Noah quickly replied. Lila's face immediately darkened and she said something in Portuguese. Noah replied in Hebrew. Soon, they were arguing in what sounded like a weird mix of Portuguese, Hebrew, and Adrian. The rest of us stood there dumbfounded, as we watched the siblings fight. However, I quickly stepped forward, to take control of the situation.
"Alright, you two, break it up," I said, in a firm voice. I put myself in between Noah and Lila and looked between them. "Calm down. Are you both going to act civil for the rest of the night?" They both looked pretty pissed-off but I hoped they'd be able to contain their anger, at least for the time being. The last thing I needed tonight was sibling drama.
"He started it!" Lila quickly protested, like a small child trying to get her way. I simply raised an eyebrow at both of them. Noah just shook his head, like he had gone through this many times before.
"Lila," I warned, in a firm, hard voice. I looked her right in the eye, unyielding in my gaze. Finally, she relented and her angry expression quickly changed to a worn-out one.
"Fine, whatever, sorry," she mumbled, not looking at Noah.
"Hey, I'm equally at fault too," Noah apologized. "Guess that makes us both even."
"Are you both cool then?" I asked, looking between Lila and Noah. The two siblings just shrugged, casting a quick glance at each other. As I glanced around the whole group, I noticed that everyone looked kind of tired and worn-out.
"How about we all sit down and get something to eat?" I suggested. "I know I'm tired and hungry and I imagine the rest of you feel the same."
"Same here," Megan said.
"Besides, food does sound good right now," Noah said, with a small smile. We all grabbed some food from the buffet tables before heading over to a relatively secluded table, where we could spend some time away from the action and just get to be kids again.
"Oh, man, these chairs are comfy," Noah said, leaning back in his chair. Rosie nodded in agreement, almost sinking into her chair.
"I know, right? It's a shame the embassy doesn't bring out these chairs very often," Tanner replied. He leaned back too, looking just as relaxed as Noah. Megan and Lila just looked at each other, rolling their eyes at the guys.
We all dug into our food, eager to satiate our growling stomachs. The Korean dishes served tonight were delicious and it didn't take us long to polish off our plates.
"That was awesome," Noah said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
"It's a shame there's nothing left," Rosie said, looking longingly at her empty plate. For such a tiny girl, I was surprised at how quickly she had demolished her plate of food.
"Feel free to help yourselves to more. There's still a ton of full food trays back in the kitchen that need to be eaten." Jordan replied.
"Well, then I could easily dig in for another round of food," Noah mused.
"I second that," Rosie said.
"Me three," Megan agreed.
"I'd really appreciate it if you could take our plates for us," Lila said, giving Jordan a flirty look. She held out her empty plate towards him. As if it were cued, everyone simultaneously shoved their empty plates in Jordan's direction.
"Geez, you guys are demanding," Jordan said, with a light tone. He stacked our plates then headed towards the kitchen.
"It's only because we love you!" Tanner called out. I saw Jordan rolling his eyes, muttering something under his breath.
"Wow, I didn't realize Jordan was such a nice guy," Noah commented, once Jordan was out of earshot.
"Yeah, he seemed kind of scary at first but he actually seems pretty cool," Rosie said.
"Not to mention kind of hot," Lila said. "Don't you agree, Megan?"
"Eh, he's not really my type," Megan replied half-heartedly. She gave Noah a discreet, sideways glance. Given the way that Noah just as discreetly looked back at her, I concluded that something was going on between them. I had to hold back a laugh because I was sure that Lila would not like the idea of her best friend and her brother dating.
"Wow, Lila, I didn't know you had a thing for Adrian guys," Tanner said, with a bit of a smirk. This was definitely going to get interesting.
"He's Adrian?" Lila asked, her voice full of surprise. Her face slightly wrinkled in disgust. She had definitely not been expecting that.
"Um, it should have been kind of obvious because we've never seen him at any embassy events. And he was wearing a waiter's uniform instead of a suit," Megan pointed out.
"Wow, no wonder you weren't into him," Lila replied. Lila only hung out with embassy kids and that extended to boyfriends too. In all the time that I'd known her, she only liked embassy guys, or more like one embassy guy in particular. Me. As far as I was concerned, she was still hung up on me, even after I had ended our fling in the gentlest way possible.
An awkward silence fell upon the table as Jordan returned.
"Am I missing something funny here?" Jordan asked skeptically, as he looked around at all of us.
"Nothing major. I'll fill you in later, bro," I replied, trying my best to hide the awkwardness of the previous conversation. Jordan looked at me funny but I just shrugged, not giving anything away. I stood up to grab more food and everyone followed suit. As we returned to the table, a light, easy conversation started up again, and the previous tension pretty much disappeared.
After a while, I noticed the prime minister approaching our table. Somehow, he had managed to find us while doing his rounds. I thought we had chosen a pretty secluded table but we must have chosen wrong.
"Ah, looks like I've found the kid's table," the prime minister said, with a light tone. "Although you are all much more like mature young adults than kids."
"Why, thank you," Lila replied. Admittedly, she was a sucker for attention and worked hard to impress others. That was one of the parts of her that I didn't like.
"Are you all enjoying the start of summer holidays? It must be nice to have a break from school," the prime minister asked, sitting down at our table. It looked like this conversation was going to be continuing for a while.
"It is. Although I didn't imagine I'd be spending my summer at all these formal events," Noah said, suddenly looking uncomfortable in his suit.
"Same here," Tanner agreed. "I didn't realize it was so hard being in the receiving line until today."
"Yes, the receiving line is hard work, but the first time is always the hardest. You did a great job, Tanner," the prime minister said. He then turned back to face the rest of us. "Besides, the summer's only just started. There's still plenty of time for beach days and secret expeditions."
"There better be because Megan and I really need to work on our tans," Lila replied, causing the rest of us to laugh.
"I assure you, there's no need to worry about that, especially with the year-round sun and warm weather we get here," the prime minister said. He then looked around the table carefully, almost as if he was scrutinizing us. "I don't suppose Grace is here tonight?"
"Nope, haven't seen her all evening," Noah replied. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Grace either. Not that I had been looking for her but I figured I would have casually bumped into her at least once.
"I assumed she would have been here with her grandfather but only Ms. Chancellor is here with Ambassador Vincent," the prime minister mused. "I figured she might have been here with all of you but I guess I was wrong."
"Shouldn't Grace be here tonight?" Rosie asked.
"A lot of the other embassy kids are here," Megan stated. "I don't see why she wouldn't be here too."
"I'm sure she has her reasons," the prime minister said airily, although it felt strangely ominous and foreboding to me. "After all, I did hear about what happened to her at the ball. I can imagine that would be enough to keep her away from formal events, for the time being."
"If I started freaking out like that, especially in a super public place like the ball, I definitely would not want to show my face anytime soon," Tanner said. We all nodded in agreement.
"I really do hope she recovers soon because I'd hate for her to be missing out on all of this glamour and glitz," the prime minister replied. I was pretty sure that Grace would rather be climbing trees and running around outside, instead of attending all these fancy parties. However, I wasn't going to flat-out contradict the prime minister.
"Alexei, you've been awfully quiet tonight," the prime minister said, addressing me. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at him.
"Just taking some time to enjoy my surroundings and this wonderful party," I said lightly. I saw Tanner mouth "suck-up" at me but ignored him. "Besides, I did get a chance to speak to you earlier."
"Why, of course," the prime minister responded, with a nod. "I did enjoy speaking with you earlier. I do find that the Russian embassy provides quite excellent hospitality. Would you be able to pass that onto your father and the ambassador? I have always enjoyed their company."
"Of course," I replied, trying not to choke on my words. I was pretty sure the prime minister didn't know I had overheard his earlier conversation, but I wasn't certain. Besides, I seriously wondered how discussing murder plans was good company.
"Anyways, I'd love to stay and chat but I think I've got other company to attend to," the prime minister said, standing up. I looked up to see Ambassador Vincent and Ms. Chancellor quickly approaching our table. Ambassador Vincent greeted all of us politely, although his gaze lingered on me for a fraction of a second longer, almost like he was sending me a mental message to stay away from Grace. I couldn't help but shrink back in my chair.
Now that the prime minister had left, the conversation at the table went back to its carefree teenage banter. I stayed silent though, picking at my food, as I replayed the aftermath of the ball in my mind. I thought it was so unfair that I was holding Grace in my arms one second, only to have her brutally ripped away from me the next second and transferred over to the care of the American embassy. I had only been doing my best to help her that night, despite what Ambassador Vincent might have thought. I wouldn't dare hurt her and couldn't bear the thought of laying a harmful finger on her. She deserved so much better than that.
"Wow, Alexei, the prime minister wasn't kidding; you are being awfully quiet tonight," Lila commented. I looked up to find six faces staring back at me. Great.
"Just got a lot on my mind," I replied vaguely.
"Everything alright?" Lila asked, looking at me with concern. Although it was hard to see sometimes, she really did care about her friends. She was always there if I needed someone to vent to, about my father or school, or anything. However, my mind was currently a swirling mess of thoughts that I couldn't untangle. There was no way I'd be able to articulate them to Lila, let alone anyone else.
"Oh please, Alexei's just mopey because a certain someone isn't here tonight," Tanner replied, a devilish smirk on his face. He did not just bring that up right now. I was so going to have to get back at him later for that. Ideally with a few punches and a kick or two.
"Who?" Lila asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.
"I'll give you a hint. Her name starts with a G-r and ends in an a-c-e," Jordan added.
"Grace? What's up with her and why does that have anything to do with Alexei?" Megan asked, looking suspicious.
"Let's just say that a certain someone really has his eye on her," Tanner replied, with a sly grin. I had to resist the urge to punch him for bringing up Grace. Maybe Jordan too, for making it so explicit.
"You're in love with Grace?" Noah blurted out. Lila's face immediately darkened, making me tense up in anticipation of one of her outbursts.
"I am not in love with Grace," I immediately refuted.
"Yeah right. I think Alexei's borderlining on obsessed right now," Tanner added.
"I am not obsessed with her," I said, a little too harshly.
"Grace?!" Lila exclaimed. "Do you like like her?"
"No," I said, keeping my face devoid of emotion. However, something must have given me away because I was met with four incredulous looks and two devilish smirks.
"So you like like Grace. No big deal," Rosie said, shrugging. I gave her a grateful look, for being so non-judgmental and nonchalant.
"It's a huge freaking deal!" Lila exclaimed. "How could you like Grace? How? Why her?"
"I –" I started, before I was quickly interrupted by Lila.
"Out of all the girls to have a crush on, why does it have to be her? She's so impulsive, so unstable, so …"
"Bitchy?" Megan offered. We all looked at her in shock, for her rather vulgar word choice in describing Grace. Megan simply shrugged. "What? I've spent enough summers with her to know that she isn't the nicest girl around."
"Even one summer with her was more than enough to prove she clearly isn't very nice or friendly," Lila said coldly. Clearly, that scarf incident at the start of the summer must have been more than enough to affect how she felt about Grace.
"Grace isn't that bad," Noah offered meekly.
"That's because she's all nice around you and saves her bad side for me," Lila said, glaring at her brother. I could sense the tension between the two siblings and quickly intervened, to prevent another multi-language sibling brawl.
"Guys, calm down, it's not a big deal," I said, trying my best to sound diplomatic. "Let's just forget about this and enjoy the rest of the evening."
"Forget about it?!" Lila exploded, unleashing her anger on me. "How could I possibly forget about this?" That confirmed my suspicions that Lila definitely was not over me and that me having a crush on Grace only made things ten times worse.
"Lila –" I started, desperately not wanting her to be mad at me. However, it looked like the damage was already done.
"Forget it," Lila replied, abruptly standing up. It looked like she was trying to blink back tears. "It doesn't matter anymore. Clearly, you've made your decisions and there's nothing I can do about it. Again." I had no doubts as to what she was referring to. Me breaking up with her. I hated making her feel like I didn't care about her, even though I did. I stood up too, gently placing my hand on Lila's arm.
"Lila, please, I'm –," I started, before she interrupted me again.
"No. Stop it, Alexei. Time and time again, you say that you'd never hurt me but then you end up hurting me anyways. You always do." Lila's voice cracked and she moved out of my reach. "I don't want to hear any more of your shitty apologies. Just leave me alone." She started walking in the direction of the washrooms, keeping her head down. Megan quickly stood up and ran after Lila, no doubt to make sure that she was okay. Noah, Rosie, Tanner, and Jordan just stared at me awkwardly, until the awkward tension was too much to bear.
"Good job, man, you really messed up there," Tanner said, breaking the awkward silence.
"As much as I hate to say this, I kind of have to agree with Tanner," Noah seconded. "You know how Lila feels about you … and about Grace."
"I know," I moaned, putting my head down in shame.
"Hey, man, you can't stop the heart from wanting what it wants," Jordan said, in a feeble attempt to make me feel better.
"Even if that someone you want is Grace," Noah replied.
"If it makes you feel better, I think you and Grace would be a cute couple," Rosie said. I smiled at her, grateful for her unwavering support so far.
"Aside from the obvious difference in ethnicities that would cause problems," Noah said.
"See? Grace and I can't be together. No way," I replied. "Even our embassies are against it. Do you really expect the whole world to be okay with it?"
"Alright, you got me," Noah said, holding his hands up in defeat.
"And now we're back to square one," Tanner said, with a sigh. I couldn't help but sigh too. This girl drama was honestly going to be the death of me.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between Saturday night (at the earliest) and Tuesday night (at the latest), although I am planning on posting it Monday night. I just realized that this fanfic has been up for a month! I'd like to send a big thank you to all of you for reading and supporting this fanfic!