***

Cross was one of the most exclusive clubs not only in Philadelphia but also in various parts of the Country. It was new, hot and wild with varying tastes that were appealing to many. Partygoers lined up at the entrance, uncaring of the wait time or the multiple numbers of people waiting just like them. All that mattered was getting in and experiencing the wild abandon that the atmosphere within the club brought.

Our SUV pulled up at the VIP entrance of the club, away from the prying eyes of the people around. William and Luke were quick to exit the car, escorting our excited group in a cocoon of safety into the building where the doors were instantly opened, the patrons and bodyguards grinning wide as they gestured for us to proceed.

"Have I ever told you how fucking happy I am that you're famous? Because I'll say it again. I LOVE it."

Yara emphasized as she passed the bodyguards a flirty grin and wink, making the rest of us chuckle as I tried and failed to hide my embarrassed flush at her compliment. I was still learning, trying to adapt to the massive change in my life. Four years into the wild world of fame and I still couldn't believe it sometimes.

More so when the privileges that came with it were staring me right in the face.

"Oh, I second that! Getting into Cross NYC is already hard enough as it is when I go with my boss. And all you have to do is flash that gorgeous smile of yours and it's a done deal. Oh, how amazing it must be to be famous."

I rolled my eyes at Calli's words as the rest chuckled, flipping her off playfully just as her phone's camera flash went off. There was never a time that she wasn't documenting our exeats and girls' night out.

Her profession as one of the top fashion photographers in one of the best modelling agencies in NYC had made her a household name, enough to work with one of the most prolific photographers in the business, Marshall Alexander.

"Speaking of your boss, Calliope Castellanos, I still can't believe you haven't climbed that delicious ass man like a tree. God, the things I would do to him..."

Yara let the sentence stray, her eyes lit with mischief and sexual tension that seemed to radiate from her very pores. We knew well enough that she meant every word. Her fantasies were wild, out of the box and so outrageous sometimes that we couldn't help but wish to be like her.

"Oh, we know exactly what you'd do to the man. God, I already feel sorry for the guy. True enough, though, he is fucking delicious. Calli, you are committing the greatest of sins by not bedding that hunk! Right, Bella?"

Ani declared just as we finished ascending the steps that led into the sparsely filled VIP room. All eyes were now on me, not only from my friends waiting for my opinion but also from some of the partygoers who seemed to instantly recognize us and raise their glasses in acknowledgement.

"Wait, don't answer that. I forgot you're currently committing the greatest sin of all. Jesus, you still haven't gotten laid, huh?"

Ani murmured, seeming genuinely stunned by my decision to abstain. I tried to hide my embarrassment, glaring at my best friends as Calli whistled under her breath at the sight of my silent answer.

"Well, fuck. We really need to get you right and properly fucked tonight. This is a state of emergency."

Yara murmured, earning nods from all around, including from an amused Calli who chuckled the entire time as she raised her phone camera once more, capturing the moment as I flipped all of them off.

I didn't need to look to know that she had captured some of the most aesthetically pleasing photos ever. All her work was remarkable, enough to earn her a million followers on social media, our close friendship aside.

"I need you all to back off from my sex life, please and thank you. I am doing just fine and certainly don't need your help. The last time we did that, I was stuck running from the guy with the weird feet obsession- and not the good kind! That was embarrassing as fuck."

I shuddered at the very memory, earning a loud laugh from my best friends instead that had me instantly regretting bringing up that very conversation. Luke and William seemed just as amused, the two trying and failing to hide their smiles that had me shaking my head in amusement.

The shit show was funny now but it had been an absolute mess before with the two bodyguards standing guard beside our newly obtained booth having intervened and gotten rid of the man. It had been pretty scary then but now, now we could laugh about it real hard.

"Come on! How were we supposed to know he took his feet fetish to the extreme? Remember how she walked around wearing socks and closed shoes for a whole month after that? Now that was fucking priceless."

Yara declared, letting out a loud laugh that the rest of us joined in on with Calli secretly snapping a few pics as she tried and failed to hide her own amusement. Her neutral nature was nowhere to be seen, especially as the conversation shifted into all the other outrageous things we had done in college and ex-boyfriends who had earned us our infamous reputations.

Sitting in the midst of my girls, sipping cocktails and laughing over everything and anything made my heart swell with absolute pride and happiness. Never did I believe I would ever be this happy, this content with life- especially after everything that happened two years ago but now...now I was happy. Now I was content and couldn't imagine my life without the tipsy girls before me who were the life of the party even now as they danced to an upbeat club banger.

"Come on, guys! We should go downstairs! That's where the party is!"

Ani groaned as she stared down at the throng of sweaty bodies and loud cheers at the sound of yet another club banger being played. The DJ was on a roll, dishing out the best mixes that had the intoxicated party people down below going wild.

Yara nodded enthusiastically, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ani. Even I couldn't deny my urge to meld into the crowd and get lost in the euphoria.

Calli looked hesitant, glancing over at me for my go-ahead. Even being as tipsy as she was, she was still so considerate and loving. They all were, each of them knowing well enough the chaos that came with being mobbed by fans.

I knew the people downstairs were probably too drunk to recognize me and although I was worried about doing anything that would push me back into the main headlines of the tabloids after just getting out of the mess that had been, a part of me didn't care.

How long am I going to let that bastard ruin my life? Hold me back from having the best fun of my life with my best friends? I refused to continue to let him rule over me! I deserve the excitement and my best friends do too.

It was a pep talk fueled with equal parts alcohol and probable false bravado from said alcohol, but I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I refused to let myself drown in my fears and apprehension, second-guessing everything I did because of what happened in the past.

"Alright fine! Let's go!"

I declared, earning a loud whoop from the girls as they jumped to their feet and prepared to head down but not before we downed our drinks. Luke and William shared a look, both of them in silent communication.

I knew that look all too well. They wanted me to hold back on going to such a crowded area. It was their job, after all, to look after me and under normal circumstances, I would listen.

But not today. Today, I was going to be a rebel for the first time in a very long time.

"I'm sorry guys but you're going to have to come with me because I don't plan on listening to your advice this time."

I granted them a playful wink before allowing my best friends to pull me right out of the room and down the stairs.

We were inside the throng in no time, each of us grinning wide at each other as the smell of sweat, sex and alcohol melded in a mix of euphoric smoke that was released into the air occasionally, creating the perfect atmosphere for the wild abandon all around us.

This is just like college. It's so fucking perfect.

We stayed close to each other, just like we did back in college, each of us watching each other's back as we danced to the music and let it wade over us. It was reassuring to know that we had Luke and William watching out for us, the two of them not too close but not too far either. They were ready for anything.

I raised my hands, dancing to the club banger flowing through the speakers as my best friends huddled around me and did the same. The moment was euphoric, the energy of the crowd fueling my excitement all the more. This was why I loved music so much. This was one of the many reasons why I was so passionate about creating it.

The tempo of the music shifted the sound of one of our favourite songs eliciting excited squeals from each of us as we shared a knowing look. BlackPink's Kill This Love had never failed to push us into action, each of us preparing to perform the dance we knew all too well and had spent our college years perfecting.

No matter the place or the people around, an unspoken pact had been created between us to ensure we always danced to the song.

Even now, with the partygoers excitedly dancing around us, we still found the space to begin the familiar choreography which earned us stares and loud cheers as we moved to the beat of the club banger.

The moves came easily, fluid as we moved around each other and sang along to the song. I let the loud cheers and screams engulf me as I moved, grinning as I noticed the space that had been cleared to allow us to dance our hearts out with some people familiar with the song joining in at the last part of the chorus.

Loud whoops and shouts engulfed us once the song came to an end, my breathless, tipsy friends and I huddled together as we murmured thank you's to the people around us.

We had garnered lots of attention, including male as handsome men approached us in an effort to request a dance no doubt. I could tell some of them were trying to recall where they had seen me from despite their drunken fog and the rest of the girls seemed to notice too as they began to retreat.

"Yeah, we should probably return to the VIP area. Before we get mobbed."

Yara declared loudly, earning nods from the rest of us as we searched around for Luke and William amidst the growing drunk men that had started to surround us. I tried to keep my anxiety at bay as I kept my head down. It was an ingrained reaction; one I had learnt to embrace over the years not only because of my music career but my familial relations.

"Come on, pretty ladies! Just one dance! You seemed to be asking for it!"

A particularly drunk man shouted over the music, reaching forward to grab my arm which he squeezed tight enough to make me wince as all the bad memories came flooding back with a vengeance.

It's okay, Harper...You're safe and with your friends...You need to remember everything you've learnt and the steel cage you've built around your heart. You've got this!

"Hey, you need to back the fuck off before I drop you, asshole!"

Yara demanded, pushing the guy off just as I violently pulled away from him, levelling the stunned, drunken man with a glare I was sure would make him question his actions. His drunken friends seemed to take stock of the situation, each of them approaching just as the four of us huddled in together even closer.

"What the fuck did you say to my friend, bitch?"

One of the men said, seemingly getting agitated as he approached us. His harsh words snapped me out of my dark thoughts and back to the present where a clear threat was coming towards my friends and me. I knew well enough that the girls could take care of themselves. We'd been in enough scuffles in college to learn a thing or two about defending ourselves, but this was not the place to do it.

But we will probably have to at this rate...

"Are you deaf? She said to back the fuck off!"

The strength in my voice and the adrenaline coursing through my veins pushed me forward, prompting me to face off with the agitated man with Yara standing beside me, supportive as ever. Ani hung back, as always, shielding Calli from any sort of threats. She was the more sensitive one among us and particularly averse to conflict. Brought out her anxiety.

I hated that she had been put in this position and it angered me enough to fearlessly glare at the enraged man before me who now had four of his friends beside him, including the touchy asshole.

"You fucking whore..."

Touchy asshole declared angrily, his agitated form putting Yara and I on high alert, but we didn't need to because a voice I hadn't heard in quite some time spoke up just as William and Luke finally emerged from the gathered crowd and stood in front of us protectively.

"I suggest you mind your tongue before I cut it out of your mouth and shove it up your ass."

Dario Antonio Romano's voice was dark and threatening, the silent anger lacing it sending a chill through my body. I knew that veiled-angry scowl all too well. I had heard it on occasion growing up when he stood up for me against all the snobby, asshole brats who were stupid enough to try and bully me. Everyone knew I was off limits, and that was mainly because of my big brother who was now glaring at the clearly scared men who had a look I was all too familiar with.

They just realized how much of a stupid mistake they just made...Like all the bullies and corporate rivals that faced off with my big brother...

"I'm sorry, Miss Romano. There was a crowd surge during your dance, and we lost you momentarily in the excitement..."

William profusely apologized, prompting a small smile to grace my lips as I shook my head in response, granting him a reassuring smile as did the rest of the girls.

"It's okay, William. We're okay so that's all that matters."

Yara reassured him, her gaze fixated on my brother as mine was.

I knew his anger well enough to know that this could go south really quickly, especially when his gaze fixated on my wrists before he turned his glare on the culprits who were still apologizing profusely- all of which was falling on deaf ears.

"All your pleas are useless. I am going to wreck your life. You will be nothing when I'm done with you..."

His fists clenched, a deranged smile on his lips despite the calm delivery of his words, he was about to go postal and in the worst possible way.

Dario never made empty threats.

Luke and William shared a look, each of them just as worried as I and the drunk assholes were. It was almost as if they could sense the world of hurt, they were about to be in.

"Non farlo, fratello maggiore. Sto bene, lo prometto. They're just a bunch of drunk assholes. Not worth our time. Please, let's go continue our night. Celebrate the fact that you're here!"

I stepped in front of my brother, ensuring that I somehow obscured his view from the men. We were already garnering a lot of attention and it was about to be worse if we didn't stop him. We would make the morning news.

Dario seemed to pause momentarily; his glare fixated on the men who seemed to be holding their breaths as I was. We didn't have to wait for too long, though, as Dario's hand wrapped around mine reassuringly, his softened gaze holding my own.

"You're right, sorellina. They are a waste of time. But they do need to be taught a lesson on better fucking manners."

Dario murmured, nodding towards a couple of bulky men who were quick to roughly escort the men out of the club.

***