The President's Daughter (Liam Payne) Book 6

Chapter 18

Liam’s POV

I felt awful for what I’d said. It kind of just burst out. It wasn’t like me at all to say something like that. It was rude and I was raised to treat people better than that.  She always seemed to know just how to push my buttons. And I couldn’t even say it was like Louis’ relationship. There was no love/hate. There was hate/tolerance. Whenever I think we’re getting to be friends, it comes back to bite me in the ass.

 As we get off stage and head back towards the dressing room, I’m slightly nervous about seeing her again. Earlier, when helping Lou, she’d practically knocked Niall out with a pair of pants. I didn’t even know it was possible to throw a piece of clothing that hard. She was definitely still angry. Wouldn’t even look at me.

“Room’s empty,” Harry says, noticing my reluctance to enter. Still, I enter hesitantly, only breathing a sigh of relief when I see it for myself. I’m about half way out of my stage clothes, changing into clean, dry things, when Paul bursts in.

“Have any of you seen Elodie?” he asks, his tone filled with annoyance.

“No, why?” Niall asks, Lauren and Melissa appearing behind.

“She disappeared from the hotel,” he mutters in annoyance before opening his phone and dialing a number.

“She says she’ll meet us at the club,” Zayn says and I look over at him to see him sending a text.

“I’m going to kill her,” Paul growls, snapping shut the phone. “She is so dead. When I get my hands on her…”

“Don’t,” I burst, surprising everyone, including myself. “Don’t cause a scene. It’s what she wants. Lets just… meet her there.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to just let this go.”

“No of course. But if you confront her about it at the club, you’re just going to be playing into her sick game. Why don’t we just go and have fun tonight and deal with it in the morning?” I ask, praying he’ll accept it. I really didn’t care how much trouble Elodie got into, but if Paul just tore into there, then none of us would be able to enjoy a night out. And I wouldn’t hear the end of Melissa’s complaints.

“You’re right,” Paul finally agrees to my surprise. “Just hurry up so we can get there quickly.” Everyone picks up their pace, hurrying to get ready as Paul barks at us to go faster until finally we’re all in the car, albeit a little breathless. The second we get to the club, lights start flashing in the windows.

“Just keep your head down and walk fast. I’ll try to keep the cameras from getting a good shot,” I say softly to Melissa before we leave.

“Don’t be silly,” she giggles. “How else will everyone see how good I look tonight?” She throws open her door, stepping out and waving at the photographers, a wide smile on her face. I’m out the door in an instant and she latches onto my arm. I actually have to tug her lightly to get her to start moving again. She releases her grip on me once we’re inside and I look over to see Paul searching for Elodie. His expression hardens and I guess he’s seen her. I follow his gaze over to see her grinding up against some random scumbag. Even from this distance, I could tell she was well on her way to being blackout drunk. She looks over and sees us, smirking and giving a small wave. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding when Paul looks away, leading the way to the VIP area. Melissa makes a break for the bar while I grab a seat on a couch, watching as Lauren stalks off. I look around to see Louis glaring angrily from the corner. They must’ve gotten in another fight. Typical. It was a rare moment when they weren’t in some stage of fighting or making up. They’d make up by tomorrow. I look over to see Melissa laughing with the bartender and look away without a thought. I’d never been like Louis. The over-the-top jealous type. I turn my attention back towards the dancing area in time to see Elodie stumble from the bathroom. Something seems weird as she tugs on the bottom of her skirt and I soon realize why as the guy she’d been grinding against dazedly emerges from the same bathroom. I roll my eyes in disgust. I shouldn’t be surprised. She’d tried the same thing with me at the club that first night. I look away, over to Zayn, Niall and Harry. Zayn and Niall were chatting over Harry’s back as he rested his elbows on his knees, texting someone. Judging from that half-smile on his face, I’d bet it was Maedbh. It was a newer relationship and I didn’t know her that well. Just knew he knew her from before X Factor. But he seemed happy and that was what was important. Elodie appears in the VIP doorway, stumbling slightly as she moves towards our group with a grin.