Murder on the Dancefloor
Yellow orbs shone softly in the dark of the evening, casting a warm glow over the manicured lawns. Their gentle light made Lucas smile — not with joy, but with a faint curl of irony tugging at his lips. He wasn’t paying attention to the speech Ethan was giving at the front. The words blurred together, a polite hum in the background as Lucas’s mind wandered. Only when the crowd erupted into applause did he clap along, raising his hands in a half-hearted cheer.
“Wooh,” he added dryly under his breath before tipping his drink to his lips. The champagne fizzed lightly on his tongue, a deceptive sweetness that didn’t match the bitterness coiling in his chest.
The night air was cooler than usual for the season, a crisp bite that nipped at bare shoulders and sent occasional shivers through the guests. But the cold did little to dampen the celebrations. Under the golden strings of light and an endless velvet sky, the engagement party thrummed with music and laughter.
Lucas’s gaze drifted past the tables — round and perfectly set, each boasting its own meticulous flower arrangement. The center clearing had been claimed by couples swaying to the live band’s soft melody, their bodies moving with an ease that spoke of deep affection. They leaned close, whispered into each other’s ears, smiled in a way that made the rest of the world disappear.
It was a picture-perfect scene — charming, heartwarming, the kind of thing that would have made any romantic sigh. Disgusting, Lucas thought. And yet, looking at it from the outside, he could admit it was… adorable. The sort of carefully constructed elegance Ethan thrived in. Even their mother, who rarely showed more than polite civility in public, seemed to be smiling here and there.
Lucas’s eyes found his brother easily. Ethan stood out in any crowd — taller, confident, utterly composed. He was holding his new fiancée close, the golden lights catching in her hair as he pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. She laughed softly, the sound carrying just enough to sting.
A sour taste rose in Lucas’s mouth. He threw back another sip of champagne to drown it.
“A lovely couple, aren’t they?” a woman’s voice chimed beside him.
Lucas turned to see Tabitha Wrey, assistant editor-in-chief of the Chamber’s publishing house. She was one of the few people who treated him like a peer rather than Ethan’s lesser shadow, and she had known the Chamber family since they were children.
“Yes, very lovely,” Lucas said, keeping his tone neutral. He gestured toward his brother. “Mr. President seems thrilled.”
As he spoke, he swiped at his chin where a rogue drop of champagne had escaped, only to see it leave a pale wet stain on the pale pink of his dress shirt. Perfect.
“Ooh, someone’s getting tipsy,” Tabitha teased, her gaze flicking to the spreading mark. “Do you want help cleaning up, Lucas?”
He let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. “No. I’ll go clean myself up. My mother would be flabbergasted to see me in this fashion.”
Tabitha chuckled knowingly. “Your mother is always flabbergasted.” She plucked the glass from his hand, freeing him to retreat.
Lucas made his way toward the house, weaving through small knots of guests without slowing. The thrum of music and conversation faded with every step, replaced by the distant hum of cicadas and the muffled echo of his own thoughts. Inside, away from the golden glow and practiced smiles, he could finally breathe — though the air here felt heavier, almost expectant, as if the walls themselves had witnessed years of things never said.
And as he walked deeper into the quiet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was stepping away from one stage and onto another entirely.
Lucas stepped into the dimly lit kitchen, the faint scent of roasted rosemary chicken and sweet vanilla from the dessert table lingering in the air. The catering staff had already retreated outside to refresh the buffet, leaving the large marble counters spotless and the room unnervingly still.
He leaned against the island, plucking a folded linen from the stack to dab at the champagne stain on his shirt. The muffled hum of the party drifted through the glass doors at the far end, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter.
“Escaping the party already?”
The voice was warm, smooth — and unmistakably hers.
Lucas turned to see Adelyn standing in the doorway, framed by the soft spill of light from the hall. Her gown shimmered faintly, the fabric catching glints of gold from the kitchen’s pendant lights. There was a touch of curiosity in her gaze… and something else, something harder to define.
“Just taking a breather,” Lucas said, straightening. “I figured I’d let the happy couple bask in their moment without me stealing the spotlight.”
A faint smile curved her lips. “You don’t strike me as the kind of man who fades into the background.”
He tilted his head, studying her. “And you don’t strike me as the kind of woman who’d hide in the kitchen during her own engagement party.”
“I’m not hiding,” she said, though the way her eyes flicked toward the yard suggested otherwise. “I was looking for a quiet moment. And maybe to check if you’re… okay.”
Lucas’s mouth quirked. “Worried about me, Adelyn? Careful — people might get the wrong idea.”
Her laugh was soft, almost reluctant. “Maybe I’m just being polite.”
“Or maybe,” he countered, stepping closer, “you enjoy finding me alone.”
She didn’t step back. Instead, her gaze lingered on him for a second longer than necessary before she shook her head lightly. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet… here you are,” he murmured, his voice dipping lower.
Before she could respond, a sharp, high-pitched scream tore through the night, shattering the fragile moment. Both of them froze. The sound came from outside — followed almost immediately by a sickening thud and the echo of something heavy hitting water.
They rushed to the patio doors in time to see chaos erupt in the backyard. Guests were screaming, some scrambling toward the pool, others recoiling in horror. Floating face-down in the water was the butler, his head a mess of blood and bone where it had struck the stone edge before rolling into the deep end. The warm golden lights seemed suddenly harsh against the red spreading in the water.
Lucas scanned the scene instinctively, his gaze snapping toward the spot where Ethan had been dancing with Adelyn earlier. Empty.
The groom was nowhere to be found.