Beastly: Sequel to "Mr. Perfect"

Chapter 36: Taquerías and Hermanos

🌸Faith (P.O.V.)🌸

Evan's voice was steady, but there was something deeper beneath it—an edge that made my stomach twist.

"Faith, what girls are you talking about?" he repeated.

I could feel the air shift.

Damn.

I hadn't meant to say it like that. I wasn't supposed to let it slip out in that way—half accusation, half warning.

"I didn't mean it like that," I said softly, swallowing the tight knot in my throat. "I just meant...this isn't the first time Tybalt gets a little—obsessed. When it comes to his videos and female dancers."

Evan didn't respond, but his jaw tensed.

"He doesn't know how to let go," I went on, choosing my words carefully. "When someone wants to walk away, he takes it personally. Like it's not just a professional decision—it's a rejection of him."

Evan frowned.

I hugged his jacket tighter around myself, fingers digging into the fabric as if it could anchor me.

"I heard people talking at the studio," I said. "They used to whisper about it. How there were other girls before me—dancers who tried to step away from videos halfway through, or who didn't want to keep working with him anymore."

I let out a shaky breath, trying not to sound as haunted as I felt.

"They said he had a hard time letting them go," I continued. "Calling them. Asking to 'talk things through.' Making it sound like they were walking away from some huge opportunity. Like they owed him one last conversation."

I glanced up at Evan, just long enough to see his jaw tighten.

"And then, they'd joke that if I ever tried to leave, I'd be next," I added.

Evan's expression darkened, his brows drawn tight, but he didn't say anything.

"At that time, I didn't think much of it," I said. "I figured people exaggerate. Plus, the studio is full of gossip."

I shrugged, even though my shoulders felt stiff.

"But once I decided to walk away from the video, all of it came rushing back," I said.

I let the silence hang there, heavy but controlled.

"That's all I meant," I said, softer now. "That he doesn't handle rejection well. That he gets fixated. And when Rashida started defending him tonight—acting like I was the one out to ruin his life—it just...pushed every button I had. I just wished badly she would know that he does this to all the dancers he works with when they walk away, and he went to her to reel me back in."

I didn't tell Evan about the folders and the missing girls—Nadine, Arcely, and Zuri.

I didn't tell him that Tybalt's whole family and childhood are a big mystery or that he's a patient at a mental health facility.

I didn't tell him that Tybalt might be behind the girls' disappearance.

Instead, I lifted my eyes to his and held them there.

"I wasn't saying anything else," I said.

He searched my face, and for a moment I worried he could see straight through the careful shape I'd given my words.

Then, he slowly nodded as if he understood.

His gaze lingered on me a second longer than I liked, but he hadn't pressed.