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Got Milk? Chapter 3 (PG) By: Hell's Huntress (DawnVampiress@aol.com)
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" Hello Ms. Parker, " Beryl grinned maliciously at Serena who was still seated on the couch. Arching her brow, Serena tried to decide if this was just some model who seemed highly interested in Darien, or perhaps his ex. She had to admit that Beryl's gestures were intimidating and had she been someone else, she would've probably shrunk under Beryl's gaze. However, she wasn't someone else.

Beryl smiled evily at the blonde before her and stood proudly above Serena. She knew that her confidence was making Serena feel like a mouse and she expected her to run away any moment now. But she didn't. Instead, she rose to meet her gaze.

Serena stood up from her seat and stood just as proudly before Beryl and smiled a bit evily.
" Hello to you too, Ms. Ruth. "

Beryl's eyes nearly went wide upon this. No one has ever stood up to her this way before. She was a woman of power and everyone was suppose to bow down to her! Why was this little twit standing up to her in such a manner that one could probably consider them even?! She had no right to do this to the most beautiful model in the entire building, Beryl thought bitterly. Who did she think she was?!

Clenching her fists, Beryl fought to keep a calm composure but Darien noticed her anger. Smirking to himself, he cleared his throat to remind the women of his presence here. He hated to admit it, but he actually felt wonderful for Serena. Perhaps things won't be so bad for Serena after all. Beryl, you've met your match, Darien grinned inwardly.

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" And you just stood up to her like that, " Mina asked while maintaining a wide grin on her face.

Serena grinned back and nodded, " Of course I did. I could already tell that Beryl expected herself to be treated as a queen by everyone in the building, and I wasn't up for that. There's no way she's going to make my life miserable by making me wash her underwear! "

Mina choked on the juice she was drinking and laughed. " Serena you are so crazy! Damn girl, you never take crap from anyone do you? "

" Of course not! If that weed-faced slut thinks she can make me bow down to her, then she can lick my ass! "

The two girls laughed over Serena's spunky comments and didn't notice that a man sitting on a table not far from them had his eyes set on Serena. The man grinned to himself and licked his lips before standing up to walk over to the two females.

This went unoticed by two as they finally caught their breaths. Mina was still chuckling and Serena managed to grab a sip of her beverage. " Thank God coffee shops are so close to office buildings. I don't think I can wait all the way till your day's over just to hear this, " Mina smirked.

" Neither can I, " a dark voice cut through their conversation causing both girls to jolt around. Serena knitted her brows together in confusion while Mina frowned. " Excuse us? Who are you? "

The man grinned at them before extending his arm to Mina. " My name is Alexander Willton, my dear. And you are....? " Mina arched her brow at her extended arm and ignored it coldly. " Look buddy, my cousin and I are having a conversation here and you just rudely interrupted-"

" Oh, so this fine beauty here is your cousin? "

Serena blushed while Mina rolled her eyes. " Yes, she's my cousin and I'll have you know that we were having a nice conversation here until you butted in. I suggest you lay off the warm introductions first and tell us what the hell you want. "

The man chuckled and grabbed a seat. Mina's eyes went wide at his rude personality and Serena could only frown. " I am sorry ladies. I should've seen this coming. Forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I believe I've heard news about Beryl and from what I know, she's a very tough lady to deal with. I just found interest in the fact that someone could actually stand up to her, " the man eyed Serena while grinning.

Serena cocked her brow and stood up. " My break's over so I really better get going. Mr. Blake will be expecting me back at work-"

" No, no, please stay. "

" No, I'm sorry but my cousin and I have to leave. We both have our own things to attend to-"

" Sit, " the man demanded while pulling Serena back on her chair.

Serena gasped and stared at the man in disbelief. " What the hell do you think you just did? It's bad enough that you just rudely interrupt our conversation, just sat at our table without being invited, made all these comments about me as if I weren't here, and now you're telling me what to do?! "

" Other women would be flattered. "

" Well I'm not other women, so you can go grab some other blonde on the sidewalk and flirt with her! " Serena stood up and headed for the door, followed by Mina.

Alexander was swift to move and quickly blocked their way. " Please stay, honey. I don't want you to go yet, " he flashed Serena a million dollar smile. For the first time, she noticed how handsome the man was, with blondish hair, green eyes, and a strong build. However, she ignored this observation.

Mina took note of this as well but just like her cousin, she sighed audibly and checked her wrist watch as a signal for him to let them go. However, Alexander wasn't an easy man......and Serena wasn't an easy woman.

" Don't call me honey, you moron! My cousin and I have to go so get out of the way! "

" Or else what? "

Serena cocked her brow at Alexander who was smirking at her in an annoying manner. Serena recognized a challenge when she heard one, so she might as well step up to it. She rarely said no. Grinning evily, Serena arched her back and stood proudly in front him, just as she had done to Beryl. This time, she was only about in inch away from Alexander.

" Think I can't handle you, huh? " She whispered.

Alexander began to feel his crotch rising in arousment at her suddent wave of sensuality. Was she teasing him for fun? Or for something else? " You're a babe with a spunky personality....I like that in a woman. "

Serena shook her head. " You still don't get it, do you? "

" You still haven't answered my question. Or else what? "

" Or else this! " Serena's hand shot up from her side and hit Alexander's crotch so hard, he doubled over in pain.

Alexander's eyes went wide as he groaned in pain, falling to his side while holding his already swollen crotch. Glaring at Serena, he tried to speak but the pain was too intense for him to say anything. Serena smirked and Mina giggled hysterically beside her. Other people in the coffee shop laughed at the scene before them while others spit out their coffee.

Serena blew Alexander a kiss before heading out the door. He could only watch her cousin laugh along with her as they headed for their destinations.

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" Sorry I'm a bit late, Mr. Blake. I ran in to some business earlier at the coffee shop, " Serena apologized while hurrying into Darien's office.

" That's alright Serena, I can relate, " Darien smirked while lifting a stack of papers from behind his desk.

Serena cocked her brow. I can relate? What's he talking about, she pondered while walking up to his desk. " Do you need any help? "

" No thanks, I'm fine. I just need you to run down to the Clothes Selection room to begin your tour. Beryl's waiting for you down there and Rei will show you the way. The rest is up to Beryl. "

Serena cringed at the last part of his sentence. The rest is up to Beryl? That didn't sound right. Sighing, Serena smiled at him before heading for the door.

" Oh, and Ms. Parker? "

Serena turned around, her body half outside his office door. " Yes, Mr. Blake? "

" Beryl doesn't have a crotch so don't try hitting her there, " Darien smirked.

Serena's mouth hung open. Did he just see what happened at the coffee shop?! A million questions raced through her head and she wanted to bark back, but the fact that he was already her boss restrained her from doing so. For the first time since this morning, she ran out of things to say. How was it that Darien always managed to beat her at her battles when it came to witty comments?

Frowning, Serena did the only thing she could do at the moment. She turned around and left.

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" Are you really sure you can do this? " Rei asked Serena as soon as the two girls stopped at the door before the Clothes Selection Room. Serena was new here and Beryl wasn't. Rei's been around for as long as she could remember and she wasn't exactly sure if Serena could live with the most hated model in the entire building for the next few hours.

" Rei, I'm sure I'll survive. I've handled worse things before so I'm pretty sure I'll make it alive, " Serena smiled in reassurance before heading for the door.

" Alright then. Goodluck, " Rei called out before heading in her own direction.

The Clothes Selection room struck Serena like a lightning bolt. Her eyes went wide upon seeing all the clothes in the room and all the models that were dressing up in there. Some of them were dressing up in front of one another as if they didn't care.Then again, these models have been here longer than Serena so they must be like sisters to one another.

" Hi there, " a tall girl with wavy chestnut hair and emerald eyes greeted Serena from one of the sections in the room.

" Hi, " Serena smiled at the girl, wondering if she was a friend of Beryl's or someone who was actually nice.

" You must be Serena Parker, right? "

" Yeah.....I take it almost everyone here knows. "

The girl laughed and extended her arm for a handshake. " I'm Lita Castro and I'm one of the models here. As soon as everyone here found out about you, we just had to see who the famous new model was. I'm your new section mate. "

" Section mate? " Serena asked while shaking Lita's hand.

" Yeah.....that means we share the same section. You have your clothes at one side and I have mine at the other. There are so many models here that some of us have to share sections....that is okay with you, right? "

" Oh, yes! Of course it is. Where's our section? " Serena smiled. Lita took her hand and lead her passed a few other models. Some of them gave them strange stares while other smiled. Much to Serena's surprise, hardly any of them glared at the her.

Both girls stopped inside a smaller room that seemed to be still rather large. Hangers and drawers of clothes were placed on four sides of the room, labeled with names. Two other girls were inside who smiled widely upon seeing Serena.

" Here we go. This is our section and we have to share it with other girls. Serena Parker, this is Molly Teani and Lisa Sciandri. You guys, this is Serena Parker, the one Mr. Blake told us about. "

" You mean the one everyone else is talking about.....hi Serena, I'm Lisa, " a girl with shoulder-length black hair smiled sweetly at Serena who smiled back.

" That girl is Molly, " she gestured toward a girl with neck-length red hair who smiled shyly.

" Hi, " Serena greeted. " I see everyone here knows me, "

The girls laughed. " Yeah, you're really popular. No wonder Beryl's jealous. "

Serena cocked her brow at this. " Beryl's jealous of me? " This was something new. She knew that the girl was a snake and there was a possibility of jealousy, but she never thought she'd actually be jealous of her.

" Of course she is! Why do you think she's always trying to make you feel lower than she is? Well actually, she always does that to people cause she thinks she's the queesn of this place. I bet you that she dreams about Mr. Blake being her king, " Molly snorted.

Serena giggled and bit her bottom lip. " She likes Mr. Blake? " Serena grabbed a seat as the girls gathered around to talk like school girls.

" Yeah she does. She's always trying to impress him but I don't think he's interested. "

Serena smiled and continued biting her lower lip, wondering what silly attempts Beryl has made.

" Now that you're working with us Serena, you'll have the time of your life here. You get to do all this cool stuff, plus you get to watch Beryl humiliate herself. Not to mentione that you get to see Mr. Blake everyday, " Lita sighed along with the others.

Serena cocked her brow. " He's not that good. "

" Not that good?! You're kidding me, right? "

" No. Why would I joke around about something like this? "

" You must be blind....no offense. Mr. Blake is the hottest man around. I can't blame Beryl for liking the guy. Well, at least she won't have any trouble fighting for Mr. Blake with you. From what I heard, you stood up to her a while ago at his office. You must have guts to face her that way. Too bad you don't use it for Mr. Blake. "

Serena smiled. " I guess word travles fast around here. Everyone's allowed to have their own opinions. "

" That's true. Anyhow, I think we better get dressed. We still have some photo shoots to attend to. What are you gonna do? "

Serena stood up and walked over to her section of the room. Examining her clothes, she crossed her arms and began biting on her lip again. " I'm suppose to be taking a tour with Beryl. Mr. Blake told me she'd meet me here. "

" What?! " Lita exclaimed, not believing what she just heard. " You're kidding, right? Why would Mr. Blake choose someone like Beryl to give you the tour? "

Serena shrugged while examining a bright red tube top. " I don't know. I don't think he wanted to choose her. He just asked Rei to make the people downstairs send a model to help me out. I guess it isn't his fault. "

Lita patted Serena's back. " I pity you girl. Don't worry, we're right here if you have any problems with that slut. Though I still don't know why those people picked her. They should know better than to send her up to Mr. Blake's office. "

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" I didn't. I didn't send her up. "

" What are you talking about, of course you did! I asked Rei to tell you to send a model up to help Serena, and you know she's new here. You were one of the people at the lobby at that time so why didn't you pick someone else, " Darien interrogated sharply while leaning on his desk.

The man he was talking to sighed in exhasperation. " Look, I may have been one of those people down there but I didn't pick her. None of us did. "

" Ken, it's impossible for her to come up when only you know we gave you orders. She couldn't have taken them from anyone else, " Andrew replied calmy, hoping that Darien would allow him to speak instead. Darien was obviously very upset about having to partner Serena with Beryl and if he was going to do the talking then only God knows what will happen.

" That's the problem, she didn't. When Rei told us that Mr. Blake wanted us to send a model up here to help Serena, Beryl just came in and heard what Rei said. We were gonna choose Lita but Beryl already stormed in the elevator and beat us to it. She took the job herself, and we didn't pick her. "

" Well why didn't you stop her?! Do you have any idea about what it feels like to have one of your worst models helping one of the best, " Darien barked.

Both other men in the room turned to him in mute silence. Ken cocked his brow while Andrew grinned. " You think Serena's the best? "

Darien blinked for a moment then frowned. " No, that's not what I said. "

" Yes, you did. You said you don't want one of the company's worst models helping the best ones, and surely you mean Beryl's the worst....right? You can't possibly think she's the best. "

" No, Beryl's not the best. She's only here to work for the company...period. It's just that I don't want her to be here to work with Serena. Serena's new and the poor girl doesn't know who she's dealing with. When I said what I said earlier, it was just my way of saying that someone nicer should help Serena instead. "

Andrew rolled his eyes while Ken smirked. " Whatever. Anyway, as I have said, it wasn't our fault if Beryl was the one who came up here. We tried to stop her so you can't blame us. "

Sighing, Darien plopped himself down in his chair. " Fine! I can't blame you. Just.....find a replacement. I'm gonna have to think of an excuse to dismiss Beryl from her job as Serena's chaperone. While I'm at it, you guys can look for someone else. "

" Why are you so upset about Serena being in trouble anyway? "

" Serena's not in trouble! She handled Beryl very well earlier. "

" Well then why are you so upset? "

Darien frowned at his friends' interrogations and he wanted to kill them, but he was too upset over this to start an arguement. In fact, he had to admit that they asked a good question. Why was he so upset over her? He didn't have to care whether or not Serena had a tough time with Beryl, so why did he?

" Look.....Serena is new and Beryl is terrible. I want Serena to enjoy her stay with our company so she'll stay for good. Serena's a good model and so is Beryl. Beryl's the one who knows how to make money for us through her stupid little seductions. Once Serena becomes popular, we can kick Beryl out and replace her with Serena. "

" So you're saying that once Serena's in the business, you can kick her out, too? "

" No! Damn it! That's not what I mean. "

" Then what are you trying to say? Why don't you just deal with Beryl just like what we've done before? "

" Fine! I admit that Serena's a nice girl who might give us a lot of money through different ways other than seduction like what Beryl does. I don't want to fire Serena because she serves a purpose in our company, plus she's nice. People might actually like her so we'll survive. We won't have to fire her. "

" Are you sure it's just for the money, and not for something else? "

" How do you think I've earned my title as the country's most elegant bachelor? Of course it's for money purposes only. "

Andrew and Ken flashed one another some doubtful looks before giving up. There was no way they were getting their friend to spill his true feelings for Serena. " Fine, you win. It' all about the money. Now why don't we get on to business? "

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" And last but not the least, this is the Video Room. This is where we tape commercials for our company, though I don't think you'll be needing it, " Beryl flashed Serena a malicious smirk, only causing Serena to cock her brow. She didn't shrink.

Beryl frowned at this. Throughout their entire tour, she had made so many attempts to humiliate Serena in front of so many people, but whatever she did failed. Serena always managed to outsmart Beryl through witty comments or sometimes, she just glared back when Beryl did. She was obviously asking for competition.

Serena, on the other hand, was tired of Beryl's fruitless attempts. Not only was it getting really annoying but she hated having to look like a bitch in front of everybody. People may have loved her for having the guts to stand up to Beryl, but practically fighting with someone on her first day of work wasn't exactly her idea of fun. She wasn't really enjoying her good reputation at the moment.

" Alright, that's it. We're done so good bye, " Beryl grinned before turning on her heels to leave. She had pushed in all the information about the building into Serena's brain in one day and she knew this was suppose to take them two weeks. She figured that Serena would have a hard time remembering things now and getting to work, and she couldn't blame Beryl for not giving her the tour because she just did......except it didn't exactly take two weeks.

Mr. Blake should thank her for saving time on teaching Serena. She did her job and the rest was Serena's problem. In fact, she expected the poor girl to ask her questions about the place, but she didn't. Much to Beryl's surprise, Serena just turned around and left the moment Beryl did. Oh well, she'll have a hard time at the end, Beryl smirked to herself, praising herself for this genius plan. This was only the beggining and she was loving it.

Serena, on the other hand, expected something like this. Thanking God for technology, she pulled out a small tape recorder from her purse and played Beryl's voice. She was good at directions so remembering where the rooms were weren't going to be a problem for her. Remembering what each one's purpose was wasn't going to bother her either since she recorded Beryl's voice. She could just memorize their purposes over the evening.

Serena never thought she'd actually thank Beryl for something like this. The snake had just saved her time, so now Mr. Blake could only wonder how she managed to memorize everything in one day. She'll show him how smart she could be. Now he had no more excuses to make all these witty comments, Serena smiled to herself before heading for the elevator.

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" Excuse me, Mr. Blake, " Rei called out from the office door.

Darien looked up from his papers. " Yeah, what is it? "

Looking around the room, she smiled and hurried inside. " Okay, no one's here so there's no need for formalities. Darien, there's a letter for you here. "

Darien chuckled at his cousin's manners. She never did like formalities and always called him by his real name when she got the chance to do so. He couldn't blame her, he hated them as well. The only reason he had to call everyone by their last name, public or not, was because he was the boss.

She handed him a white envelope that seemed to be already open. Darien cocked his brow. " Did you read this already? "

Rei giggled and nodded. Darien rolled his eyes and pulled the letter out and began reading it. Rei waited in anticipation for his reply while his blue spheres intently read the letter twice.

" No, " he stated, putting the letter down.

" Aw, c'mon Darien! We have to go. "

" I said no. I know you want to go Rei, but I'm afraid we don't have time for this. "

" Please, Darien? We never attend any more parties, and you know I'm in need of one. This is for you and all the staff members you wanna take with you, so you gotta take me. C'mon do this for me......please? "

" I said no. "

" Why not? "

" Beryl's going to come. "

" Don't invite her. "

" She'll invite herself. "

" Oh c'mon you just don't wanna go. You've never been a party person. "

" You know it so why force me to go? "

" Just this once? Please? We've skipped all the other invitations we've recieved for your sake. Do this for us. Besides, you don't have a reasonable excuse not to go. "

" Yes I do. We still have a lot of work to do. "

" Like what? "

" Like Serena. "

" Take her along. "

" I can't, she has to memorize this place within two weeks. "

Rei sighed and instantly jolted around when someone knocked on the office door. " Excuse me, may I come in? " Serena poked her head through door. Rei smiled and Darien simply nodded.

Shutting the door behind her, Serena walked over to the two. " I'm done with my tour. Beryl showed me the whole place and all I have to do is memorize te rooms' purposes which I will do during the evening. So basically, I'm ready to work and I'm wondering if there's anything I can help you guys with. "

Darien nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking while Rei's eyes sparkled. This was perfect! Serena was done with her work which makes them ahead of their schedule. They had time to spare and now Darien didn't have an excuse not to go!

" Excuse me " Darien croaked.

Serena smiled proudly. " I'm done. Is there anything I can help you guys with? "

" You know what, why don't you just start memorizing those purposes of yours and you can start on your work tomorrow. "

" That's great! So I better start working. See ya, " Serena quickly exited the room, feeling really excited about taking Darien by surprise like that.

Darien was still rather stunned by this but Rei was just proud to have a responsible model in the company. Turning around, she grinned at Darien who cocked his brow at her. The two stared at each other in mute silence. " I'll think about it, " Darien sighed in defeat.

" Yes! " Rei ran over and gave him a quick hug before heading for the door. " Thank you so much, Darien! Now I'll just get to work really quick and I'll start thinking about what clothes I should wear, " at that, she disappeared behind the door.

" Hey, I said I'll think about it, " Darien called out before shaking his head in defeat. How is it that these girls always managed to out-smart him?

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" Aw c'mon Mina, it wasn't that bad. "

" Of course it was. I can't imagine having to be given a tour by the worst enemy of your life, " Mina exclaimed, getting lost in her own world of drama again.

" Mina, I handled it so chill. I'm alive, aren't I? Besides, at least Beryl sped things up for me. "

" Yeah whatever. Anyhow, I better get going. Still have to finish up on my work here. "

" Alright. I'll see ya tomorrow. "

" Bye Serena. "

" Bye, " Serena turned off her cell phone before keeping it in her purse. Smiling to herself, she put in her jacket before heading outside. It was already ten fifteen and almost everyone in the company had gone home already. She had said good bye to the people that have befriended her on her first day, though she didn't get a chance to say good bye to Darien......

Oh well it's not my fault if he wasn't there. Besides, he probably has all these girlfriends to attend to. Who knows what guys do during evenings after work, she thought bitterly. She was about to head for the elevators when she stopped. Going back a few steps, she noticed that Darien's office door was slightly open so she decided to peak inside.

There, on his office desk, Darien sat while reading a piece of paper. He seemed to be so focused on it that she didn't know whether or not to disturb him. She was about to leave when he looked up from the paper.

" Ms. Parker? "

" Hi, Mr. Blake. Just getting ready to leave, " she smiled.

Darien smiled back, not exactly knowing what else to do. Even in the darkness of their surrounding, they still got lost in each other's eyes. Serena was unconscious of the fact that she had just licked her lips while Darien didn't notice this either.

Clearing his throat, Darien broke the silence while Serena looked away. " Um....aren't you going home yet? What are you reading? "

Darien shook his head, " No, i'm not going home yet. I'm observing this nice color of white and scraps of paper in front of me, " he remarked, obviously too tired from work.

Serena walked over to his desk. Leaning over from behind him, she peaked at the letter he was reading, though she couldn't exactly understand everything she was reading. It was too dark for her to make out all the letters, plus she wasn't used to being this close to her boss.

" It's.....it's an invitation to a party, " she stated stupidly, trying remember what else she saw.

Darien nodded. " Yeah it is, and I still don't know whether I should go. "

" Why not? "

Darien, who took note of their short distance from each other, and fought to clear his mind. Her sweet perfume was teasing his senses while the feeling of her warmth so close to him just made his mind go blank. To hear her gentle voice ringing so close to his ear made him shiver in delight, while a part of him ignored all this. Unfortunatly, he once again let this side take over.

Clearing his throat, he managed to clear his head before standing up to gather his belongings and head home. " Let's just say I've never really been a party person, plus it says I have to attend with a date. I don't really know who to bring. "

" Then don't go, " Serena replied, feeling rather upset about the fact that he didn't think of bringing her. But then again, why should she care? It's not like she was invited to the party anyway.

" It's not that easy. You see, this party was given out by a dear friend of my father's and he's grown fond of this company. Along with others, I'm sure, he wanted as many staff members and models to go to the party along with me....and whoever I choose to bring. Rei wants to go. So now I'm guessing I have to take her to the party....and others as well since it would be unfair to them if I brought her only. However, just the thought of choosing people is already wrecking my brain. It's such a hastle, plus I have to bring a date with me. This isn't really easy. "

Serena bit her bottom lip and hesitantly patted his back. " You don't have to take a lot of people. Just take Rei and lie to the people, telling them she's your date and the only person you want to bring. No one else at the party would really know the truth. I'm guessing you don't exactly know these people. "

Darien blinked at the idea and smiled. " You know what, that sounds like a good idea. I think I'll do that....thanks Serena, " he smiled up at her and she could only paste a fake smile.

" Anyway, I better leave. Good bye, " at that, she quickly headed out the door before he even had a chance to say anything.

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" She's ruined every plan I've come up with so far, and I can't put up with this anymore, " Beryl growled in frustration while stomping her foot on the ground.

The man beside her lifted her chin and smiled. " Beryl, listen....she's new and she doesn't know who she's dealing with. All we need to do is show her what you're made of and she'll learn to respect you. "

" You really think so, Alexander? "

Alexander smiled cunningly and nodded. " Of course, Beryl. I'm sure of it. You always get what you want. " And so will I, his eyes darkened as he smiled evily. I'll get you Serena, he smirked inwardly. I always get what I want, and I'll get you........tonight.

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The cool night air blew harshly against her face as Serena quickly walked down the sidewalk. How could she even suggest that? What was she thinking?! She scolded herself mentally while blinking away her tears.

Then again, why should she care who he went out with? He was her boss and Rei was only a cousin. She should be happy for them, and she should be proud of herself for suggesting that they go to the party together. But was she really mad about him going with Rei? Or was it because he didn't think of inviting her?

She was disolved in her own throughts that it took her a moment to notice that someone was following her. Footsteps could be heard from behind her as if someone were after her.

Pausing for a moment, she listened and heard nothing. Perhaps it was only her imagination. It's Darien who's doing this to my mind, she thought bitterly, trying to erase his face from her head. Forgetting about the footsteps, she continued walking and stopped when she heard them again.

This time, she turned around and knitted her brows together in confusion. She found no one but the darkness behind her. Shaking her head, she turned around and began walking again, cursing her wild imagination. As soon as she began moving her legs, she heard the footsteps again following her from behind.

This time, she didn't look back and only quickened her pace. Just as she began to walk faster, so did the footsteps. Faster and faster......getting more anxious, just as she was.

She was beggining to run when she suddenly halted and turned around, ready to hit whoever was there. However, just as before, only the darkness greeted her.

Her breathing was ragged and her already wet eyes began to water with fear. Her heart was pounding though she knew she had to get out of here. Chewing on her bottom lip, she turned around a gasped when a dark shadow stood in front of her.

Stepping into the light, Alexander smirked. " Hello Serena. "

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Author's Notes: Hahaha! Yes, Alexander knows Beryl so who knows what he's gonna do to Serena. Poor girl always has these people after her. So there's a party, two villains, new friends, plus a few feelings being denied. Can things get any worse? Unfortunatly, in my story....yes they can. You'll just have to wait and see. *grins evily* Patience is a virtue so you must have it. Besides, the wait is worth-it anyway, right?

Yes, I know this came out sooner than I expected, but hey, isn't that good news? Now the only thing that I'm worried about is chapter 4. I'm not sure if I'll have time to work on it, but I got this one out early, didn't I?

The truth is, I managed to finish this two days ago, but I wanted you readers to wonder about what's gonna happen, so I made you wait. It's something an author loves to do....torture the readers! Yes, I know I'm evil but so are other authors. Don't just blame just me. Besides, at least it's out earlier than I promised, right? :)

I'm really sorry this wasn't very long, but I had to stop here. I had to make an interesting cliff- hanger so please understand. I'm only doing my job as an author. :) Please forgive any spelling errors in this chapter since it's very hard to spot them all. If there were any, please excuse them. Not even a vampiress is perfect.

So thank you very much for all your wonderful compliments and until the end of the year, only then shall I submit chapter 4. Thanks so much, you guys are the best! It is because of you that I feel much better now, so thank you so much! Happy New Year to all!

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