For the past two hours, the group had made an unspoken effort to put aside the earlier tension, shifting the conversation to business, investments, and upcoming ventures.
Most of Nikolai's female guests had already abandoned the table, now lost in the crowd of the dance floor, immersed in the music and flashing lights.
Only Ryza and Ciena remained seated, their moods visibly souring as the night went on.
Meanwhile, Rafael, who had arrived with Ryza and Ryzel, had skillfully inserted himself into the conversation, seizing the opportunity to rub elbows with Caspian and Zeus's circle.
That was his real reason for coming tonight.
Not for the social scene, not for the drinks, not even for Ryza.
He wanted connections.
And what better place to find them than among Olympus's most powerful members?
The way he flattered, laughed at the right moments and played the eager businessman was almost pathetic.
At least, that's how Ryza saw it.
She had been sitting there, seething in silence, watching how eagerly Rafael was sucking up to them.
To Ceres's friends.
To the same people who never acknowledged her or Ryzel as their equals.
Even though she and Ryzel were blood-related to Zeus, that meant nothing.
Because to Zeus, blood ties were useless if you weren't valuable.
And right now, neither she nor Ryzel had anything to offer him.
At the other end of the table, Ryzel was barely holding himself back.
For the past thirty minutes, his attention had been locked on the dance floor.
Or rather...on Ceres.
She was dancing.
Moving fluidly, effortlessly, naturally...as if she belonged on that dance floor, in the center of attention.
Her hips swayed in time with the beat, her movements were smooth, controlled...sensual without being vulgar.
And yet, every single man in the club was watching her.
From the bar, the VIP booths, the corners of the club...
They were staring.
Their eyes devour her every move.
And Ryzel?
He was fuming.
He hated this.
He hated how Ceres was moving so freely, so confidently, as if she had no care in the world.
He hated how other men were looking at her, drinking in the sight of her.
And most of all...
He hated how he had no right to do anything about it.
His grip tightened around his glass, the sound of ice shifting against the crystal filling the space in front of him.
His mind was screaming at him to get up.
To walk across the club and pull her off the dance floor.
To remind her.
To remind everyone.
That she had been his.
That she was supposed to be his.
But he couldn't.
Because that would mean admitting the truth.
That would mean admitting she still had power over him.
That he was still chained to her, even after choosing Ciena.
But his frustration only grew stronger when he glanced at Zeus...
And found him completely calm.
Or so it seemed.
But Caspian, who had been watching Zeus for a while now, noticed the telltale signs.
The sharp edge in his jawline.
The way his fingers drummed idly against the rim of his scotch glass.
The way his gaze flicked toward the dance floor every few seconds.
And most importantly...
The way his eyes darkened every time Ryzel looked at Ceres.
Caspian leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Chill, brother."
Zeus exhaled, tilting his drink slightly before taking a slow sip.
"He'd be dead already if I wasn't chill."
Caspian chuckled.
He knew Zeus well enough to know that the only reason Ryzel was still breathing was because Zeus was allowing it.
But even so, even with all his restraint and patience, Zeus wanted nothing more than to walk to that dance floor and pull Ceres into his arms.
To make her stop dancing.
To remind everyone in the club who she belonged to.
But he didn't.
Because, unlike Ryzel, Zeus wasn't weak.
He would never dictate what Ceres could or couldn't do.
If she wanted to dance, drink, or let the entire room burn in desire for her, she could.
However, the moment any man dared to approach her…
That man wouldn't live to regret it.
......
"Oopsie," Ceres giggled as she and Diana stumbled back to their table, the effects of the alcohol evident in her flushed cheeks and unsteady movements.
She had been drinking non-stop while dancing, and now she was tipsy, if not completely drunk.
Zeus, who had been watching her from the moment she left the dance floor, was already moving before she could fall.
"Careful, love," he murmured, his voice low and firm as he caught her with ease.
His arms wrapped around her, steadying her before gently sitting her down beside him.
Ceres, seemingly unaware of the intensity in Zeus's gaze, turned to her sister with a bright, playful smile.
"Sissy, why are you not dancing?" she slurred slightly, tilting her head. "Don't stay here with these boring people."
"Boring?! Me?!" Damien pretended to be offended, placing a dramatic hand over his chest.
Ceres nodded, grinning mischievously.
"Yes! You. You. You. You. And you!" She pointed at Gideon, Nikolai, Xavier, Damien, Caspian, and finally, Zeus.
"All you ever talk about is business." She let out a dramatic sigh before announcing loudly, "BORING!"
"Yup, boring!" Diana chimed in from Caspian's lap, raising her glass in agreement.
The men exchanged glances, some shaking their heads in amusement.
Just as the laughter was dying down, one of Xavier's female guests, Natalie, returned from the dance floor.
Seeing an opportunity, she leaned toward Zeus's glass, her perfectly manicured fingers elegantly holding the bottle of scotch.
"Zeus, let me pour you a drink," she said sweetly, tilting the bottle over his glass.
The moment the alcohol touched the rim of the crystal glass, a noticeable shift in energy surrounded the table.
Ceres's entire demeanor changed.
Her golden eyes sharpened, her playful expression darkening in an instant.
Her gaze flickered to Natalie, then to Zeus, who...infuriatingly...did nothing to refuse the drink.
The irritation in Ceres's face deepened, her fingers curling into a fist.
Then, she moved.
Before Natalie could even finish pouring the scotch, Ceres's hand accidentally knocked the glass away.
The glass tipped over, spilling the expensive liquor all over the surface.
A collective gasp was heard around the table.
Natalie's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open in shock.
Ceres placed a hand over her lips, feigning innocence.
"Oops! My hand slipped!" she said mockingly, her arched brow daring the woman to say something.
The silent message was clear, "Stay away from him."
And to drive the point home, Ceres didn't even let Natalie react before she suddenly shifted, she moved onto Zeus's lap.
A bold, public declaration of possession.
The table fell into silence as everyone took in the sight of Ceres straddling Zeus with ease, her arms loosely wrapping around his neck.
Zeus, caught off guard for only a second, simply smirked.
He had known Ceres for years, and she had never been shy about getting what she wanted.
But this?
This was new.
This was territorial.
This was jealousy.
And he liked it.
A lot.
"Ceres, Natalie was just trying to be nice," Xavier cleared his throat, trying to defuse the tension.
"She just wanted to offer Zeus a drink," he continued with a forced smile. "He hasn't had anything to drink in a while...maybe he's thirsty?"
The second Xavier said that he realized his mistake.
Because Ceres's gaze snapped to him like a predator locking onto prey.
Xavier let out a nervous chuckle, lifting his hands in surrender.
But Ceres ignored him.
Instead, she turned to Zeus, her voice low, sultry, dangerous.
"Are you thirsty?"
He wasn't.
But he also knew something interesting would happen if he said yes.
So he leaned back, watching her through half-lidded eyes, and smirked.
"Yes, very thirsty."
Ceres narrowed her eyes as if deciding how to handle this.
Then, she reached for her own glass and poured a generous amount of scotch.
The men at the table assumed she was about to hand him the drink.
But instead, she raised the glass to her lips and downed the liquor herself.
Before anyone could process what she was doing, she grabbed Zeus's collar, straddled him more firmly, and kissed him.
Transferring the alcohol from her mouth to his.
The table erupted in reactions.
"Oh my God!" Diana shrieked, fanning herself dramatically. "Is it hot in here?!"
Damien let out a whistle while Gideon, Nikolai, Xavier and Caspian laughed openly.
Zeus, however, didn't react immediately.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss just enough to tease her.
He swallowed the alcohol effortlessly, smirking against her lips as he pulled back.
"Are you still thirsty?" Ceres whispered, her eyes dark with challenge.
Zeus's smirk widened.
"Yes. Still very thirsty."
Ceres grinned wickedly and reached for the scotch bottle again, but before she could pour, Zeus caught her wrist.
"Not that one, love." He glanced at the table, motioning toward a bottle of sparkling wine instead. "This one."
He wasn't about to let her get any more drunk than she already was.
Ceres huffed but complied, pouring the wine into her glass before repeating the same action.
Straddling him.
Feeding him the drink mouth-to-mouth.
This time, Zeus didn't let her pull away immediately.
He prolonged the kiss, letting his tongue trace her lips before finally releasing her.
"Get a room, lovers!" Gideon teased, shaking his head in amusement.
The rest of the table laughed, entertained by the entire display.
Except for one person.
Ryzel.
He wasn't laughing.
He wasn't amused.
He was furious.
His jaw clenched painfully, his fists tightening under the table as he watched Ceres kiss Zeus like he didn't exist.
Like he had never existed in her life.
Like he was nothing.
Ceres had never been this territorial when she was with Ryzel.
Not once.
Even when they were together, she was always composed, always in control.
She never drank excessively, and never let herself lose control, because Ceres Monteverde did not tolerate pain.
She hated hangovers.
She hated weakness.
And yet, here she was, drunk, uninhibited, and utterly reckless.
And it was not for him.
It was for Zeus.
Watching her like this, Ryzel felt something he couldn't accept.
It felt like she had denied him this version of herself.
Like she had kept it hidden from him, only to give it so freely to another man.
He felt… cheated.
Betrayed by something that was never his, to begin with.
"Are you still thirsty?"
For the third time, Ceres asked Zeus, her golden eyes half-lidded from alcohol, but still filled with challenge.
Zeus laughed, tightening his grip on her waist, effortlessly keeping her steady on his lap.
"Not anymore," he murmured.
Ceres immediately turned toward Natalie, her smirk sharpening.
"Heard that?" she asked, her voice mockingly sweet. "He's not thirsty anymore."
Then, with a perfectly poised tilt of her head, she added, "So keep your hands to yourself, or I'll scratch your face, bitch."
A sharp gasp left Natalie, who immediately turned to Xavier, silently asking for help.
But Xavier did nothing.
None of the men at the table did.
This was Ceres Monteverde.
And no one was stupid enough to challenge her in her own game, especially, when Zeus is backing her up.
Diana burst into laughter, tipping her head back before turning to Ryzel.
Her smile was sharp, mocking.
As if saying, "This is what a jealous Ceres looks like."
Something Ryzel had never experienced.
Something that had never been his.
And God, it burned.
"Love, you're drunk," Zeus murmured, though there was no real disapproval in his tone.
If anything, he sounded amused.
Like he was enjoying every second of this.
Ceres tilted her head, her lips curving into a lazy smirk.
"Yes, and you're mine."
Silence.
For the first time that night, Zeus Falcon was speechless.
His friends immediately erupted into laughter.
Because only a Ceres Monteverde could make a Zeus Falcon...one of the most powerful men in the world...completely stunned.
Zeus cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.
"Love, what are you doing?" he asked when Ceres suddenly began moving on his lap, shifting as if she was looking for something.
"My bag." She was slurring now, her movements slowing, her lashes fluttering. "Where's my bag?"
Zeus sighed, already reaching to his side.
"Here, love."
He grabbed the luxurious Dior bag and handed it to her.
Ceres immediately rummaged inside, her fingers searching for something.
"Got it!"
Like a child finding her lost treasure, she beamed and pulled out her red Dior lipstick.
Zeus raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
Ceres ignored him.
With precise, slow movements, she reapplied her lipstick, making sure it was bold, thick, and impossibly red.
And then, without warning, she started pressing kisses all over Zeus's face.
One on his cheek.
Another on his jawline.
A third on the tip of his nose.
Each kiss left a perfect, lipstick stain, marking every inch of him.
The table exploded into laughter.
But Zeus?
He let her do it.
He didn't stop her.
Didn't push her away.
Didn't wipe off the stains.
Because this?
This was hers.
And he would let her do whatever she wanted.
When the group thought she was finished, Ceres did something even more outrageous.
She grabbed her lipstick again.
And in bold, messy strokes, she wrote her name across Zeus's forehead.
C-E-R-E-S.
And just to immortalize the moment, Diana, ever the supportive best friend, snapped a photo.
"Wait, wait!" Ceres waved her hand, stopping Diana before she could take another.
"Take a picture of us like this!"
She grabbed Zeus's face, tilting it towards Diana's camera.
And just as Diana pressed the shutter, Ceres turned her head and kissed the side of Zeus's lips.
"Say Dior!" Diana laughed as she took the shot.
Caspian, shaking his head in exasperation, muttered, "You're both insane."
Gideon, Nikolai, Damien, and Xavier burst into laughter, amused by the chaos unfolding before them.
Meanwhile, Ryzel wasn't laughing.
His hands were clenched into fists, his breathing uneven, strained.
Every kiss, every touch, every laugh, felt like a knife being driven into his chest.
He had thought Ceres would always belong to him.
That even if he chose Ciena, even if he walked away, somehow, Ceres would still be his.
But watching her smile, laugh, and kiss another man, watching her be herself with Zeus in a way she never was with him, he realized something.
Something painfully, devastatingly clear.
She was never his, to begin with.